Where’s the Marmite?!
Bonjour tout le monde!
Firstly, I would like to begin by stating I had planned to do a pre-departure thought post, however there are only so many polite ways to say, ‘Oh my god, I am pooing my pants right now’, and not in the most positive manner, so that didn’t happen. Soz.
However! I have now arrived safe and sound and been in Geneva, Switzerland for at least a day and a half (call me a native why don’t you?!). And honestly, I feel like a weight has been lifted! There is no sugar coating the fact that up until departure, it was blood, sweat, packing, and tears – lots of tears! But I am really starting to feel like this may all be worth it!
I am staying in an apartment near Eaux-vives with Niko, Charlotte and her young son Waren. They are truly a delight! Honestly, I wasn’t very keen on the idea of staying with a young family for the duration of my studies (find me a 20 something that is!), but already I am feeling like this is possibly the best decision made. Charlotte has already put me at ease, answering practically all of my badly-worded questions and has explained the buses and trams etc (kudos, Switzerland, you’re doing public transport right – Great Britain – please take note).
When I say explained the buses and trams, I do not mean it was a simple case of ‘S’il vous plaît, on peut me dire la route pour la centre-ville‘. There was more ‘quoi‘s, pardon’s and on peut repeter’s than you can shake a stick at! But luckily Charlotte has the patience of a saint, a fab sense of humour along with an infectious giggle, and an English-speaking Niko (note to self – I will NOT cave on too many occassions asking for English translation).
The location is rea
lly good (really glad I am not out of town), and there is lots nearby in all directions. My parents actually travelled with me to settle me in (enjoy the waiting-at-the-gate selfie to your left) and I am super glad they did! Seriously, how does one pack light for 5 months at a time!? I would not, and did not. (If you, like me, prefer to take ALL the comforts of home and prepare for ANY situation, I highly recommend taking one or two well trained baggage carrying parent/human slave, as well as making use of one extremely well practiced Tetris-playing boyfriend for pre-departure packing – thanks Owen!)
Today’s direction, led us to Annemasse, France. What did I learn? WHATEVER YOU DO, BUY YOUR SHOPPING IN FRANCE. You would not believe my excitement at finding an Aldi Suisse, after having spent 84CHF the previous day on a mere two bags of shopping (budget lines might I add!)
Other than scouting out the cheapest supermarché, we attempted to visit the jet d’eau, but i
n typical fashion, it has been turned off for three days (explanation unknown), so no sighting as of yet… (sorry mum and dad, pop along another day?). The jardin d’anglais is super pretty (helped by the great summery weather yesterday), and sitting alongside the lake surrounded by swans, enjoying some glaces was a lush way to enjoy the late afternoon sun.
That’s all I have to blog about for now! I am looking forward to the next few days and getting to know my home for the next few months a little better.. There are still a couple things that may take some getting used to… such as crossing the road and actually looking the right way for oncoming traffic (you know, avoiding sudden death -slightly basic but hey), not accidentally buying coffee beans instead of instant coffee (-just because I saw the price tag and thought ‘yay, I don’t have to sell a kidney to pay for that!’), and my mission for the next week, which I wholeheartedly accept, is to find some gorgeous gooey-brown fabulously British Marmite!
Heres a few more pics and vids from the last couple days…
I’ll keep you updated on the Marmite sitch!
