Happy Anniversary!

     Tomorrow, it will be exactly one year since our family arrived in Geneva. The day was record-breakingly hot for Geneva (about 90), we were gritty-eyed and stiff from 18 hours of traveling, and the first thing we had to do was tour the house with our relo lady to meticulously record every tiny nick and scratch so we wouldn't be charged upon moving out. Nevertheless, we were thrilled to be in our new home, in our new city, in our new country, and on our new continent. Other than our relo lady (who promptly quit her job and left no forwarding address), we knew no one in the city. When we filled out the kids' school forms, we put the name of Eric's administrative assistant as our emergency contact. It's a good thing no one ever needed to call him, as I'm not sure he even knew that he was our emergency contact and he certainly would not have recognized the children had he met them in the street.
      Some experienced expat had told us that we had better plan some fun activities right away, so we wouldn't be sucked into the despondent slough of phone service connections, grocery store sticker shock, and bookshelf-assembly headaches. So on one of our first weekends here, we set off for Chamonix, France, which is about an hour away and is the site of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Western Europe. Chamonix was outstanding (See "We're Hiking in the ALPS!"), and so began the adventure.
      Naturally, the fact of an anniversary has given rise to some moments of introspection. This past weekend, we again went to Chamonix, and it seemed like a microcosm of all that has changed for us in a year. Last time, we went alone, not knowing where we were going or what we were going to do when we got there. This time, we were visiting our friends who have a chalet (see "I have a friend. . ."). We walked in the Alps, with views of the town of Chamonix and of the Aiguille du Midi, which is the highest peak of Mont Blanc that one can reach by cable car (and no, we still haven't done it, which I know is lame, but 160 chf is a lot to pay for the right to say you've been to the top of Mont Blanc). We left Johanna home with another friend, who was spending the weekend with us, and they spent the afternoon with yet another friend, who lives close by and has a pool. We knew enough to ignore the GPS when it wanted us to go through Geneva instead of around, and when we ordered snacks in a mountain refuge, we used our French without a second thought (okay, at least without terror).

This photo and the one below show our views as we walked. A year has not dulled my awe at the beauty of the mountains.

Another indication of change: I had to keep bugging Drew to take these pictures, since he was having so much fun with his friend on the walk.

         We have friends. We have a church. I can sign Johanna up for horseback riding lessons in French. I have loyalty cards at all the major grocery stores. Our hearts no longer skip a beat at ground beef that costs $10 a pound. Johanna has a regular babysitting job. Drew coaches soccer. Lucas knows the way to the basketball court. We had our (Swiss) neighbors over for dinner. Sometimes our phone rings and it's not a wrong number (although usually they still want to speak to Monsieur Albert Leman, whoever he is). Sometimes someone rings the doorbell and it isn't a repairman. We eat raclette. I can make crême brulée, spaetzle, tartiflette, and coq au vin. I have a library card and a regular date with my octogenarian amie Madame Guenat for the Bibliobus and coffee. God is good.
         Johanna and I were riding the bus the other day when she said, "It's too bad that we live in Geneva, because now I either have to miss Geneva or miss Ohio. We can't live in two places at the same time." And that, for me, sums up the bittersweet consequence of what has been a very good move.

It's Just One Big Party Around Here

    From the time we moved here nearly a year ago until the end of July, we had no television reception. Our TV sat in the basement, used for weekend movies and periodic episodes of Sherlock, Andy Griffith, and Lost. In all those months, I experienced not a single moment of longing for network television. Two weeks ago, though, all that changed. I called our cell phone company to order streaming television coverage. I not only okayed rearranging the living room to accommodate the set, but I carried the massive thing upstairs myself (aided by Drew). And I plunked myself down on the sofa for more hours than I have in years. All of this was spurred on, of course, by the 2012 Olympic Games.
     For our family, these games have been the best ever. For one thing, the kids are old enough to have their favorite sports (Drew: Swimming; Johanna: Track and Field -- called "Athletics" by the BBC; Lucas: Basketball and Boxing). Our whole family loves distance running. We watched the men's 10,000 meters live, late one night, and I cannot believe that our elated screams at seeing an American place in that event for the first time in more than 50 years didn't bring the police to our door. Just to show we're not completely nationalistic, we were yelling equally for the Brit who beat him. My other favorite finish was the women's triathlon, in which the American came from behind to catch the lead three, only to be outsprinted in a nail-biting close. I wasn't happy to see her miss out on a medal, but at the same time I was delighted to see Switzerland win a gold and Sweden win a silver, as those are two other countries I cheer for whenever possible (along with the Netherlands). The other thing that made this Olympics the best for us was that we watched it in real time, all day, on the BBC. We loved the coverage, which was enthusiastically patriotic but not overbearing. "Chariots of Fire" at the medal ceremonies was stirring every time. Also, really, I never realized the great commentary I was missing on U.S. television. I've never before heard anything to match, "What a brilliant swim! Oh my goodness me!" or "He not only broke the record; he smashed it asunder!" Nor have I heard as many delightfully articulate speeches from athletes who didn't win, but were so happy to have participated. (When the focus shifted from swimming, and the U.K. started raking in the medals, those speeches slowed somewhat.) We loved South African swimmer's Chad Le Clos's dad, who couldn't stop talking about what a "beautiful boy"his son was. We loved watching Kenyan David Rudisha quietly dominate the men's 800 meters. And okay, we loved Usain Bolt's antics -- and athleticism -- as well.
     I'll admit that there is something ironic about the fact that I have been parked in front of a screen for hours each day, eating ice cream and jelly beans, all for the purpose of watching people who are in outstanding physical condition do amazing feats of athleticism. It's ironic, but oh so fun. And now that the closing ceremonies have ended, I will get off the couch and take a jog.

       We have taken some brief pauses in our Olympic immersion experience to experience the other big event of the summer around here -- the Fête de Genève. For the first two weeks of August, the lakefront is transformed into a giant carnival, with rides, food booths, and bands. The rides and food were ridiculously overpriced. (A friend said, of Geneva prices in general, "Think of the most you could possibly pay for something . . . then double it." He's from London. When you're from the U.S., you triple it.) Nonetheless, two parts of the fête were completely worth it. Saturday night we climbed a hill in Bernex, the town just next to Onex, and watched what is touted as the world's second-largest fireworks display. It was 50 minutes of nonstop color and light, and though our view was not up close, it was hassle free. Drew opted for the in-town view, meeting friends close to the lake. He was in the center of the sound and fury, but had to run almost three miles home afterwards, as all the trams were stuffed to capacity. His jog was spurred into a sprint by repeated texts from Dad: "Where are you?" "What are you doing?" and "You need to be home NOW!" Drew's exhaustion upon entering the house was worthy of an Olympic marathon.
        The other great part of the fête took place Sunday afternoon. Waiters and waitresses from all of Geneva's restaurants lined up carrying trays for the 16th annual Cours des Garçons de Café.

The waiters prepare for the event with a quick smoke. Clearly, the standards here are not quite Olympic.

Moving quickly along a 1.8k course carrying a loaded tray is not a walk in the park, however. By the end, the  participants were sweaty and worn. The full-dress outfits didn't help.

The leading servuese

          The course record for this event is just over 10 minutes. Whoever did that must have been jogging, because 1.8k is over a mile. No one ran this time, though, and we were very disappointed to see several people cheat by rearranging their bottles and glasses or holding the tray with two hands. Nonetheless, it was not an event I would have done well in, so who am I to snipe? Maybe instead of that jog, I'll head out for a power walk with a tray in my hand. Then when Rio adds Waiter Racing to the 2016 Olympics, I'll be ready.

Summer Skiing

       Ever since I read that the ski lifts are open for hikers, I have been chomping at the bit to go check out our favorite slopes in their summer garb. Last Saturday I finally had the chance. While the resort may not be quite as exciting in the off season as it is when one can zoom down snowy slopes, it was definitely worth the drive.

Johanna and her friend speed down the luge. Whoever owns Col de la Faucille is trying to make it exciting in the summer. The luge was fun, but overpriced and lacking the athletic thrill of skiing. I'm just saying this because I think it's true; I didn't actually ride the luge myself, since I could walk down the hill. 

The view from the telecabine. I think that, in winter, this is the hill we  call the Big Blue Hill, to distinguish it from the one I prefer -- the Little Blue Hill.

       I was hoping that we could ride up the mountain in the chair lifts and enjoy the fresh air. Instead, the only things running were the enclosed telecabines. The view was still good, but the ride was kind of stuffy. I felt soft for riding up the mountain at all, as most people there were hiking both up and down. This is the kind of thing that always happens in Switzerland when we feel like we are doing something really outdoorsy and athletic. We head out to the mountains for an afternoon of strenuous hiking, only to find that all the geriatric Swiss and the moms with babies on their backs have already been both up and down the mountain several times.

The view of Lake Geneva from the top of the mountain.

Atop the Little Blue Hill

Same place as the above picture. Drew and Eric are relaxing and checking Olympic scores while Lucas climbs some rocks he found. We had no idea all those rocks were beneath the snow!

My favorite slope. We walked down this one.  Turns out, there's a whole road under the snow. It made me appreciate how much snow must fall each winter to completely change the look of the mountain.

        We marveled at the view of Geneva from the top of the mountain, tried (unsuccessfully) to find our house, and I shooed the children away from the edge. They kept saying, "It's not steep, Mom!" I kept saying, "I don't care. Move back!" I started to enjoy the hike more when we were far from any edges that anyone could conceivably tumble from. The outcroppings of gray boulders appearing amid the greens and pastels of the summer flowers were enchanting, as were the mossy trees. The best news of the day, however, was the fact that our favorite crêperie was open for business. I was also extremely proud of Eric, who has mastered some of the most important words in French -- those required to order his own Nutella crêpe
     
     

Lucas, Jo, and Ariana enjoy crêpes. They're good even in the summer!

Happy Birthday to Switzerland

      I started writing this on August 1, which is Swiss National Day. For us, this means that Eric was home from work on a Wednesday, which is a great treat, and that the grocery stores were closed (less of a treat). I was curious, though, about what the day means for the Swiss. My first assumption was that the reason that August 1 isn't called Independence Day is that the Swiss have always been -- politically as well as socially -- independent. That, it turns out, is only sort of true; parts of Switzerland were occupied by the Hapsburgs in the 1300s and overtaken (briefly) by Napoleonic France. What is true, though, is that National Day isn't celebrating independence. In fact, it's actually celebrating interdependence. What happened in 1291, is that the leaders of three groups -- the people of the valley of Uri, the democracy of Schwyz, and the community of the valley of Unterwalden (all of which are in what is now central Switzerland) -- got together and made an agreement. These typically Swiss gentleman were apparently not particularly interested in extending their territory or conquering any other people groups. According to the Federal Charter of 1291, what they wanted was: "the proper establishment of quiet and peace." And on that modest yet worthy platform was founded the Swiss confederacy. Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden became the first three Swiss cantons.
      Later on (in the 1350s) Glarus, Zug, Lucerne, Berne, and Zurich joined up. Others joined through the years, ending with Neuchatel, Valais, and Geneva in 1860. Now Switzerland has 26 cantons, all dedicated to preserving quiet and peace, mostly through the liberal use of traffic cameras and a police force extremely responsive to noise complaints. The national goals have expanded, of course, to include cleanliness, hedge conformity, and unity in cheese production. Efforts in the early 20th century to add "Service with a Smile" to the national charter were rejected in a referendum, though the sparing use of a subdued "Bonjour," or (in German-speaking cantons), "Guten Tag" was approved.
       The communities around Geneva each have their own August 1 celebration. We headed over to check out what was going on in Onex.

Here's a carnival for the kids at the Onex Mairie (City Hall).

And here's the soup supper, band, and platform for the reading for the 1291 Charter.

       We have been in the area long enough that we actually saw someone we knew at the celebration -- a German couple from church, who were there with friends, to whom we were introduced. The whole place smelled like raclette cheese and fireworks, which, in a typically Swiss fashion, were confined to a barricaded pen and monitored by the police. The band played some inspiring music, and the mayor prepared to read the 1291 Charter. It all seemed festive but staid, as befits a celebration of peace and quiet.
        When the sun went down, however, the mood changed. We were home by this time and, by standing on the street in front of our home, we were able to see a 360-degree fireworks display coming from the communities of Lancy, Bernex, Plan-les-Ouates, and Plainpalais. Americans, of course, love their fireworks on July 4, but I have yet to see a U.S. fireworks display that compares to the European ones. When the Swiss come out of their shells, they really come out. The pyrotechnics continued until about midnight, when the raucous dance music started. We turned on the fan, put the covers over our heads, and tried to sleep. There is a limit to my enthusiasm for patriotism-by-association.
       The next morning, I went outside, expecting to see the shells of burnt-out bottle rockets littering the neighborhoods. I didn't see a stray paper wrapper or cardboard tube. The spirit of the Swiss had returned.

Return to the Home Planet

My mom took this as the kids and I came up the elevator into the Cincinnati Airport. Eric followed a week later (someone has to work so the rest of us can play!).

The best things about our visit to the United States (clearly not in order of importance):

1. Guess what language most people in the U.S. speak? I had a moment at the hotel the first day, before I picked up the telephone to request our car from valet parking, when I was trying to rehearse the phrases in French. Then I realized that I could ask for the car in my mother tongue!

2. The food. I know it may sound ridiculous to compare American chain food to European haute cuisine, but if you have tasted Graeter's, you'll understand. Swiss chocolate is great, but they don't put it in black raspberry ice cream. Plus, in the U.S., our entire family can eat out for under $25. That feeds about one of us in Geneva.

3. The food.

Come on, there's nothing this good on the billboards in Switzerland.

4. Capture the Flag. We spent a week in Grand Rapids with the Admiraal clan -- with all 22 grandchildren (ages 0 - 16). Despite the 100+ heat and the crispy grass, we managed to squeeze in several games. I showed myself to be a true Admiraal aunt by chasing opposing team members in bare feet and a skirt, executing several spectacular flying falls. We had the de rigeur Little Caesar's, though after a revolt led by the rising teenage set, Uccello's Pizza was added as well. We also played multi-age Scattergories (and we don't let the kids win), and the kids cleaned out Grandad's piggy bank by earning $5 each for singing "O Worship the King."

5. Sailing, sand, and sunsets (and a little karaoke).

Eric attempts to take a visiting friend on a windless (but beautiful) sailboat ride.

We spent another week at Douglas Lake, relaxing with the Waggener family, including my parents, my sister and kids, and some bonus Swedish cousins. Eric managed to flip most of the kids on the tube behind our very old speedboat (with a very new motor). We had Grandma Ruth's Swedish pancakes, fishing trips with Grandpa Joe, and a trip to Mackinaw City for Pizza Palace, Murdick's fudge, and karaoke night (which revealed to the Swedish cousins a slice of Americana perhaps better left under wraps).

6. Friends. Cincinnati was a whirlwind of bike rides with friends, parties with friends, church with friends, coffee with friends, dinner with friends, and even chance encounters at Costco and Panera with friends. What a joy to spend time with the people who share our life on the home planet.

7. Family. In Geneva, with our closest relatives an 8 hour car trip away, there is nothing we miss more than family. We were so thankful to spend time with the people who know us best. We were also thankful that, knowing us best, they still wanted to spend time with us.

My little sister.

8. Patriotism. The Dorr parade, with candy, fire truck sirens, and (a great idea, considering the weather) ice pops. Flag waving, wearing the red, white, and blue, and being unabashedly thankful to be an American. Also fireworks and sparklers.

Sparklers on the dock at Douglas Lake. We didn't even set anything on fire.

9. Friendly driving. I love the way that motorists in Wayland, Mich., and Connersville, Ind., wave to everyone they pass on the road. Eric loves the way that, when you need to pull out into traffic in Ohio, someone will almost always let you pull in front of them. And while Americans may complain about gas prices, fuel over there costs less than half of what it does here.

     Despite a trip that was really even more wonderful than I had hoped, I was ready to board the plane for Paris when the time came. If I could have taken all my family and friends with me, it would have been a perfect ending.
     No one slept much on the plane ride. By the time we rode three different RER trains to Gare de Lyon, navigated -- laden with 50-pound luggage -- work on the rails and broken escalators, and boarded the TGV train to Geneva, even the noisy children in our coach couldn't keep us awake. I awoke after two hours to views of clear blue skies and green mountain slopes rising out of rocky, river-cut valleys. Blearily, I staggered to the dining car and used my best French to ask if they could give me a BIG cup of coffee. The nice man behind the counter assured me, "Bien sûr, madame!" When he handed me my 6 ounce cup, half full of strong brew, I knew I was home.

   

God Save the Queen

The British spread included a contribution from the
relatives across the ocean: It's those chocolate chip
cookies again.

       The Alien family enjoyed celebrating with our comrades in anglophony last weekend at a Jubilee Tea. We don't really know that much about the Queen (shhhh), but we'll toast her with pleasure if it comes with cake, cucumber sandwiches, and Union Jack lollipops.

       I, as the woman of the house, started the afternoon with the question that transcends all national and cultural barriers: "What will I wear?" Having received a gracious but unhelpful "anything goes" in response to my dress code query, and not having any red, white, and blue in my wardrobe (a situation I hope to remedy in time for the the next holiday that demands those colors), I chose my most comfortable dressy shoes and picked an outfit to go with them. The comfortable shoes were a must, because our friends who were holding the party live in Cologny. Cologny is only about 4 miles away, but it is on what one calls here "the other side of the lake," requiring either a tortuous drive through the center of town or a three different TPG conveyances, with a good amount of walking in between. If you've been paying any attention at all to previous blog posts, you'll have no problem guessing which option we chose and why shoes drove my wardrobe choice.

        The 14 Tram, the 12 Tram and the 1 Bus brought us to Cologny, where we were greeted by a lovely spread, then told we couldn't partake until we publicly demonstrated our ignorance of all matters royal by participating in a Diamond Jubilee Quiz. Actually, the quiz was not bad, because we got to do it in teams. My team included three actual Englishfolk, one of whom was even named Elizabeth, so clearly we had a chance. Also, the questions weren't just about the monarchy, but also about diamonds, the number 60, and the name Elizabeth. We referred all math questions to the high school student on our team, and all Elizabeth questions to Elizabeth. We faltered a bit on the diamond questions, but guess who could name every monarch between William I (the Conqueror) and the current queen? (Thank you Mars Hill Academy Middle Ages History Curriculum!) I was a little less up on current news, however, having no idea how old the Queen was when she met Prince Phillip, and not being able to name even one -- much less all -- of the royal grandchildren. This is what comes of being more interested in the past than the present and more interested in fiction than reality (at least the kind of reality that makes the 6 o'clock news). I admit this with embarrassment, but other members of the family are not as ignorant of current events as I, so I rely on them. Anyway, our team, appropriately named "Elizabeth and Her Subjects," trounced the other teams and won the gold medals, which were actually wrapped Cadbury's chocolate. Unfortunately, I forgot my medal when we left, my friend's daughter brought it to Lucas at school to give to me and, well, it never made it home. The defense: "It was too tempting."


       Following the quiz, we devoured tea and its accompaniments, including a cake decorated with a fondant Union Jack (very impressive to the family bakers). The kids swam, even though it was not quite 70 degrees, and there were many flips on the trampoline. (Also involving only those under 16 years of age.) I am thankful to Queen Elizabeth for a pleasant afternoon with friends. It was interesting, though, to hear our kids musing (fortunately at home and on the bus, not around the actual English) about the queen in particular and royalty in general. "It's not fair that the Queen makes such a huge salary," was one comment. We understand becoming rich in America, but not so much just being rich, although there is certainly hereditary wealth and privilege in the U.S., too. The kids also had questions about the devotion that the English have to the royal family. "We just don't feel that way about our president," they said. Well, no, but no one is president for very long, and we never watch our presidents grow up, knowing one day they will inherit the title. Plus, as one of my English friends explained when I asked her a similar question, being queen is not a political position -- in fact, it is a position somewhat above and outside of politics. She pointed out that having a monarch around can be nice for the prime ministers who, no matter what their party or positions, can talk to the queen knowing that there will be no leaks and that she's not really on anyone's side -- except the country's. I don't know that America has any equivalent. Perhaps Billy Graham when he was the spiritual confidant of presidents both Republican and Democtratic -- but of course, that was not weekly, nor has it continued for generations.
       Musing on the differences between the old country and the young one makes this a good time for a news flash concerning a former old country that would like to be new again . . . or something. Some Savoyards apparently held up traffic at the border crossing, demanding that Savoy (an area of France bordering Geneva) be recognized as an independent country. Given that when they were independent, they attacked Geneva, I'm not sure what I think of their request (though the attack was about 500 years ago, admittedly). Anyway, we've been wondering if maybe our family should send a letter to the U.N. requesting to be our own country. We could hold up traffic entering the neighborhood until they grant our request. We think we'd like our own time zone as well, if that's not too much trouble.

       

One Step Closer to Being Swiss and Other Tales

There is a reason the alien is standing in front of the photo on my
new Swiss driver's license. I look dead or at least seriously ill. Eric looks furious
on his. This is what happens when people are not allowed to smile in pictures.

The  title of this blog is actually a lie, as we are not any steps closer to becoming Swiss. I don't know exactly how one does become Swiss, but I know that being born in the country doesn't do it for you, as I have several friends whose children were born here. I'm not sure what nationality these children are, in fact. If your mom is American and your dad is Italian, but you were born in Switzerland, what are you? Not Swiss, anyway. I think one has to have papers proving one's  descent from William Tell to qualify for citizenship.
      What is true is that Eric and I now have Swiss driver's licenses. As with everything else here, the process involved a lot of bureaucracy and visits to different places to collect the appropriate documentation. We went to VisiLab for an eye test (60 chf) and to Cabine Photo for color passport-sized photos (8 chf). I called the Ohio DMV and they sent a paper proving that we have been driving for more than 5 years (free!). And, like everything else here, the process is on the pricy side -- 150 chf for each license after the other preparatory fees. However, like everything else here, the process is also extremely efficient. We were in and out of the Office d'Automobiles and de Navigation in under 30 minutes, licenses in hand.

Gardening

My thumbs are not particularly green, and it took me several months to decide if I really cared about beautifying a yard that wasn't even my own. Inspired, however, by warm weather and the thought of cookouts as an easy spring and summer entertaining solution, I decided to give gardening a try. This is a "before" view of one of our flower beds. While we certainly have a lot of plants, it's unclear to me which ones are weeds and which ones are flowers. This particular bed has roses, some ferny things that look promising, and some plants that I recognize as desirable from seeing their orange flowers toward the end of last summer, but they are all so mixed together I don't really know where to begin. I'm thankful for the dandelions, because I know I can uproot them. I also made the decision to ruthlessly slaughter a raspberry bush because it had no flowers or berries and was twining through everything, making weeding painful. Basically, I'm just kind of wading in and madly uprooting, figuring that even if the plants are good ones, there are far too many and they can use some thinning.

      To my surprise, I have been thoroughly enjoying the gardening experience. I'm outside, I'm moving around, and I feel like I am making progress in some visible direction. It gives me great joy to take a whole basket load of weeds (or maybe flowers, who knows) to the compost. It also does look like we'll have a wonderful fruit harvest. The apple tree already has little baby fruit, we have a grapevine which our neighbor told us how to care for, a raspberry bush (one that I didn't tear out), the quince, some wild strawberries, and the most exciting discovery of all: a cherry tree, which we had no idea of until I happened to glance out of the window and see something red in among the leaves. So despite the fact that I am fairly useless at gardening, the experience has been a positive one. I'm not showing an "after" picture of the flower bed though.


Utility
      In addition to feeling useless at gardening, I have also been feeling useless at French. The other day, I went to the American consulate, entered the building where it was supposed to be, and found myself completely lost, as there was no signage of any type in the lobby. A man exited the elevator, and I prepared to ask him for directions. I had only said (in a bright and friendly manner), "Bonjour!" When he responded with a laugh, "With that accent, you're looking for the second floor." He was, unfortunately, quite correct. I also forgot the word for ice last Saturday, possibly because I haven't had any since we arrived here. Feeling thirsty for an ice-cold beverage (after all the gardening), I made my way to the gas station, where I was forced to explain in broken French that I wanted this thing that was really cold water, in small pieces, in a bag.
      The worst though, is my comprehension of spoken French. I have now finished three regular-length novels in French (think Mary Higgins Clark novels, not Charles Dickens, here, before you get too impressed), but I still cannot understand a word that anyone says to me -- at least not if they are talking at a normal speed and I don't know what the conversation is going to be about. Drew keeps telling me about these great French youtube videos by this guy named Norman. I'm sure they are hilarious, but I have no idea what the kid is saying. I cannot tell where one word ends and the next begins. I especially dread talking to the people at the Manege d'Onex, where Johanna takes horseback riding lessons. Not only do I not understand them half the time, but they act as though anyone who can't speak perfect French really doesn't deserve to be taking up valuable earth space. I have vowed, time upon time, to always behave with kindness and patience toward anyone I meet who can't speak English, and to never judge anyone's intelligence based on their accent. I don't think I ever did before, but you can bet I won't now.
      I do realize that lessons in humility have value; nonetheless, I was thrilled last week when I attended a meeting of the P&G spouse's group. The leader was a German woman who spoke perfect English (and French and German, of course), but she was thrilled when I offered to help with the newsletter. "We really need a native English speaker, because writing in English is so difficult for the rest of us," she explained. I could have kissed her -- I had forgotten that being a native English speaker could actually be of use to someone.

American Football
      Even though Drew had his American football taken away at recess, he has still tried to share his love of the sport with his friends. Last week, he decided he'd like to have a group over for a game. He figured he needed at least an afternoon to explain the rules, as no one else in the class had really ever watched, played, or knew anything about the game (One boy responded to Drew's invitation with a request to be the "runner back" -- I'm not laughing; I know I'd been even worse if someone asked me to play cricket). The football afternoon also spurred on my gardening and inspired us to figure out our grill, because Drew asked if we could have a cookout afterwards.
       Drew got a great response from classmates, but the game almost didn't happen due to equipment failure. Saturday night, we were in the yard after having enjoyed the grill's inaugural burgers, and Lucas gave the football a boot which sent it over the hedge. We thought it went into the neighbor's yard, but after a thorough search, neither they not we could find it. We even looked all through the center of the cedar hedge that separates our yard and found in it's remarkably cavernous interior two ping pong paddles (theirs) and two lacrosse balls (ours), but no football. We decided to give it up for the night and pray for better success the next day (I was feeling guilty at keeping the neighbors looking, and it was obvious that, in a really delightful effort to be friendly, they were not going inside until we did). The problem was of course, that the next day was Sunday, a day on which no stores are open, if we could even find one that sold what we needed (doubtful), and the following day, when the game was scheduled was a holiday as well (Pentecost here, not Memorial Day). Thankfully, later that evening, the neighbor's 8-year-old daughter showed up at the door with the ball. She had been intrigued by the hunt, even climbing on a ladder to peer down inside the hedge, and had apparently received permission to keep looking after dinner. We were are appropriately grateful in French as we could possibly be.
      The game was a success, measured by avoidance of injury, an increased appreciation for a new sport, and extremely healthy appetites afterwards. The nine boys consumed 20 hamburgers, a watermelon, two bags of Doritos (the "cool American" flavor in honor of the occasion), 5 large bottles of Orangeina, a salad, a plate of tomatoes, and at least 50 chocolate chip cookies. Just for the sake of keeping track, we had kids from Brazil, Italy, South Africa, Kenya, Sweden, Armenia, and three other countries that I can't remember. The opportunity to continue chocolate chip diplomacy remains one of my favorite parts of living in Geneva!