Birthday
November 5, 2009 at 8:07 pm | In Life Observations, Travel | Leave a CommentToday is my birthday and I am celebrating by looking for a job. Oh what fun. Tonight however I am going to see Moby play here in Zürich, along with A, her brother and his girlfriend. I saw him some years ago in Sydney and he was really good so I am hoping he is again tonight.
I just realised that I have spent my past four birthdays in different cities, in fact in three different countries. In 2006 we were in Sydney, 2007 in Japan, 2008 in Darwin and of course Zürich this year. I wonder where I will be next year.
Every few years my birthday falls on Melbourne Cup Day. This year I didn’t even remember it was on until I read the SMH online. I missed out on the Champagne and BBQ chicken, but I am glad I didn’t get the chance to bet on a losing horse as I have done successfully the past three years.
House Man
November 4, 2009 at 7:02 am | In Life Observations, Swiss Observations, Switzerland | Leave a CommentAs of next week it will have been four months since I last worked. Of course, about nine or ten weeks of this was spent travelling and moving to the other side of the world, but it still seems like a long time.
It is an unusual feeling being out of work for so long. It feels somehow like I am slowly losing part of my identity. When you have a job you know what you’re doing every day, you know what you’re about, you know who you are. Not having one is a strange feeling especially after having worked fulltime since I was 18 years old.
In German Course we have various practice sessions where we talk about ourselves. The question often comes up ‘what do you do’ and I have to say that I am in between jobs. The teacher kindly pointed out that there is a word for this in German, hausmann. Precisely the same as housewife in English (hausfrau) but of course for men. I took a little bit of offence to this. I started thinking, is that all I am? Is this where 16 years of work experience, not to mention an MBA, have taken me? Someone who makes dinner, cleans and generally gets things ready.
This took my train of thought to the wider topic of professional women who take time off to have children. It must be quite a challenge to give up a career to start another one as a mother, even if it is only for the duration of their maternity leave. I will never think about such women with the same frame of mind again. I have gained a lot more respect for them.
Cliffs
October 17, 2009 at 10:26 pm | In Life Observations, Switzerland | Leave a CommentI think in life we all wait for something big to happen, to make us change direction, how we view things or how we live our lives. I’ve had a couple of these big things in my life, but most of them have come in the past 12 months.
When you reach them you realise that there is no big drop off a cliff like you imagined. It is more like running down a steep hill. Everything is different, but you can still cope providing you pick up your speed a bit.
Being retrenched after almost nine years with the same company, going to live in Darwin for nine months, and now moving to Zurich. It is probably too soon to talk about that last one, but based on the fact that I survived the other two I think I will do OK.
Beth Orton sings in her song ‘Pass in Time’ you never know until the time has come, just how strong you can be. I know that I am going to need some of that strength in the coming months, especially as I look for a new job.
Home Sweet Home
October 17, 2009 at 1:56 am | In Life Observations, Switzerland | Leave a CommentWe received word yesterday that our application for an apartment had been accepted. It’s unusually happy news given the number we have looked at in the short period of time we’ve been here. I still cannot believe how competitive the rental market is here.
The rent is exactly double what we were paying for our last Sydney apartment, and a bit more than we were originally willing to spend. But, when we walked into the place last week all logically thought evaporated.
It’s about 50% bigger than the last one and has a balcony/terrace that runs on all four sides. Well, 3 ½ sides really as there is space for the stairs and elevator. It’s a roof top apartment (Attikawohnung) on the 5th floor and takes up the entire floor. There are no solid external walls, that is, they are all floor to ceiling glass panels or doors, with all rooms having direct access to the terrace. It has a pretty good view all around including Lake Zürich which is about a kilometre away.
We will move in around the 30th/31st October and just can’t wait. So different to this shoebox that we at present call home. I’ll be sure to upload some photos when we get there. So, now we just await our international visitors…
Happy Anniversary
October 7, 2009 at 8:56 pm | In Life Observations, Travel | Leave a CommentIt was exactly a year ago today that I wrote my first post, whilst sitting at Sydney Airport about to board my inaugural flight to Darwin. It is amazing how much has happened since then. The simple fact that I am sitting in our Zurich apartment writing this post is testament to that.
So much change in such a short period of time. As some of you know I love my numbers so a few stats for you. In the past 12 months I have lived in three cities, travelled to eight different countries (some of them twice), been on 55 individual flights and consumed several hundred aeroplane meals. Some of the highlights would have been K and T’s wedding(s), our trip to Hawaii and getting to spend quality time with my family in the last few weeks I lived in Sydney.
I no longer try to predict what the next year will look like because my last attempt was so far of the mark it’s almost hysterical. I will just go with the flow and see where the waves take me.
Sprechen sie Deutsche?
October 6, 2009 at 3:39 am | In Life Observations, Swiss Observations | Leave a CommentLast Wednesday I commenced semi-intensive German classes at a language school which funnily enough is owner by a supermarket chain. I attend class three days a week for three hours per day, and have heaps of homework to do in between. It is almost a full time job let alone looking for a full time job, which is also a full time job.
I have already been promoted from the class I was in, A1/1, to A1/2. I think my precise pronunciation of all the expletives I knew got me some points. Or, maybe I just scared the teacher and she wants to get rid of me, who knows. For your information, there are in fact 18 levels all together so being promoted from the lowest to the second lowest it not a mean feat. It does however mean I can order bier more precisely and tell you that I am Australian (if the broad Aussie accent hasn’t already given me away).
The experience of learning another language has really shown me how fortunate some people are to be born in countries that are truly multilingual, and what a gift it really is to be fluent in more than English. We are a bit naïve in Australia on this front I feel.
They say that it is best to start language classes before you are 12 as the mind operates in a certain way. A often says I act like a 12 year old but this isn’t helping me learn any faster.
Biergarten
September 22, 2009 at 5:37 am | In Germany, Life Observations | Leave a CommentLast night we, along with A’s parents, went for dinner at a local Biergarten. For those of you who have never been to one in Germany it is a bit more complex that simply putting a few Ikea chairs and tables out the back of a pub. There is often a lot of history to them, and some prerequisites they must contain before being allowed to be called a Biergarten.
First and foremost they have to have adult chestnut trees. The one last night had three beautiful examples all more an 40 or 50 years old, and all in full fruit. Quite spectacular.
There are also some compulsory menu items like Pork Knuckle (Schweine Haxe), Sausages (normally veal Bratwurst) and a type of Bavarian pasta called Spätzle. The Biergarten last night was a bit more upmarket than most, more like an outdoor restaurant, but it didn’t fail in delivering all three on its menu.
There a couple of really big Biergartens in Munich as well. The most famous of which is probably the Englische Garten, literally The English Gardens. It is famous for its big biers, gigantic pretzels (Brezen) and the nearby nude sunbaking area, which is most popular with teenaged boys (watching, not baking). I have only been there once back in 2003 but will try to get there some time soon… for the bier.
Life in the Biergarten is some what short lived as well. Unlike Sydney you can’t sit outdoors 320 days of the year, so you need to make the most of the four months or so of good weather. A friend who I studied with here in Germany went back to one of our favourite Biergartens’s at the start of winter, only to find out it was being used as a car park. He was very disappointed.
Bon Voyage
September 13, 2009 at 1:22 pm | In Life Observations, Switzerland, Sydney, Travel | Leave a CommentToday is my last day living in Sydney. We got back from Malaysia/Singapore on Wednesday, and fly to Munich via Dubai tonight. The past few days have been nothing short of manic. We have been going to breakfasts, lunches and dinners every day. Today we are having a BBQ with my family before we head to the airport around 6:00pm.
It’s kind of a surreal feeling. Sometimes when I see the packed suitcases ready on the bedroom floor it is like I’m watching someone else’s life unfold in front of me. I had quite a few sleepless nights when we first made the decision to go, but the past few weeks have just been a flow of sorts. The thinking, planning and decisions have all been completed now. It’s just a matter of getting to the airport on time so we don’t miss the flight.
We’ll be in Munich with my Fiancée’s parents for about 10 days before heading to Zurich on Friday 25th September. We are being provided with temporary accommodation while we find our permanent abode. All of these exciting times ahead. Where we’ll live, who we’ll meet and importantly for me, where I will work. I don’t think scared is the right word, but there is definitely some sort of apprehension. If there wasn’t it would probably mean I wasn’t taking it seriously.
Next time you hear from me it will be from beer capital of the world (or is that Sydney?!?). No doubt I will be blogging regularly on all things German and Swiss.
The Upside
August 18, 2009 at 9:09 am | In Life Observations, Travel | Leave a CommentI am pleased to say that I finally managed to get rid of the free items I had on Gumtree. Although my first experience was poor, two people came on Saturday at exactly the time they said they would and were very grateful. One was a uni student who has just moved out for the first time, and the other was a nurse who had just moved to Australia with his pregnant wife. Both very deserving candidates I feel.
My Fiancée and I are about to head to the airport for a two week break in New Zealand. We are trying to make the most of the time we still have in the southern hemisphere by taking a few ‘local’ trips. Malaysia and Singapore follow before our last four days in Sydney. We will never have this type of time together again, eight weeks when neither of us are working and have no formal commitments. Best to use it wisely. Travel seems wise to me.
The Younger Generation
August 15, 2009 at 9:49 am | In Life Observations | Leave a CommentIn preparation for our departure I have been selling a couple of things on eBay which we did not want to take with us. It’s a funny process. There is a weird world that exists of people over zealously being kind to each other in an effort not to attract negative feedback. If only we had a feedback process in real life, where every one had to wear a necklace detailing their current feedback score. Something similar to the scarlet letter I suppose.
We also decided to give a few things away for free that were not worth selling. I heard about the website Gumtree and found there was a category of people looking for free stuff. One ad from a Uni Student struck me. He had moved to Sydney from Brisbane alone for Uni, and was having trouble filling his new apartment. I left him a message and he contacted me the next day, yesterday.
We agreed on a time of 3:30pm for him to come and pick up said items. By 4:15 he had not arrived so I called him as we needed to go out. His phone rang out. I tried again at 5:00 but, alas, he let it ring out again. It astounds me that I am trying to do the right thing by this guy, but he doesn’t have the decency to get in touch to say he can’t make it. No bother, I have already spoken to 3 other gumtree-ers who are willing to pick the stuff up today. I hope they turn up. After all, we are talking about a washing machine, microwave, bed and coffee table.
So, 21 year old Uni Student Nathan. Learn some manners mate. I’m sure your mother, who you obviously need, taught you better than that.
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