Stress

I love this picture. I took it over Spring Break during the last year of my BA. I was incredibly stressed out... I was working frantically on my thesis so I could finish on time. It was the first day of the year that was warm enough for the snow to melt, so some of my friends and I decided to go play Frisbee outside. I can't throw a Frisbee worth a lick, but we still had fun (and got covered in slush).

Then we started playing on the swingset, and I snapped a couple pictures just for fun.



I'm really stressed out right now... Exams are in a month, and I haven't been able to devise a good study plan. I have two study-intensive exams (and four not-study-intensive exams), and I just can't focus on them. If anyone has some good study strategies to impart, I would appreciate it.

Naughty Kitty!

I was reminded of this story today when I saw a little girl with candy in the checkout line at the grocery store.

I was a (mostly) good girl when I was little. I tried to do what I was supposed to, rarely lied and never stole. One day my mom and I were at Tom Thumb, and I saw these in the checkout lane:



And I just had to have them! So I asked my mom, and she said no. In addition to being a (mostly) good girl, I was also a very smart little girl. I knew it was wrong to steal, so when my mom wasn't looking, I got a packet of Chiclets and stuck it under the rest of our food on the conveyor belt.

I thought I was home free when the cashier scanned them and put them in the bag without my mom noticing. We got home and I managed to sneak them into my room... yes! I was going to be able to eat my Chiclets later that night.

Unfortunately, I didn't realize that my mom was in the habit of double-checking her receipts once we got home to make sure that everything rang up at the right price... Busted!

(But not before I ate them.)

Zattoo

I finally have TV, thanks to Zattoo. Yay!

European TV is weird, y'all. It's a mix of current and past American shows, spinoffs of American shows, and a very few European shows, half of which have to be dubbed into French. This week I have watched: CSI (Las Vegas, Miami and New York), NCIS, House, Murder She Wrote, Friends, The Bold and the Beautiful, Le Destin de Lisa (the German version of Ugly Betty), French versions of Wheel of Fortune, The Weakest Link, and 1 vs. 100, and a random Canadian comedy about the Mounties. I think the only truly Swiss TV show is the news...

One of these days, somebody is going to explain to me why "Murder, She Wrote" is called "Arabesque" in French.

Yum!

I've had a fairly rotten weekend, so I made some chocolate buttercream icing to cheer myself up. It's very easy... you beat a stick of softened butter and 2 pounds of powdered sugar together, adding a few tablespoons of milk to keep the sugar from blowing everywhere. Then add a tablespoon of vanilla and 8 oz of melted baking chocolate and voilà! Chocolate buttercream icing.

I bought lots of yummy food at the grocery store today... some grapes and bananas, bell pepper and mozzarella for omelettes, and chicken quarters and green beans to cook for tomorrow's dinner. That's going to be my reward for getting all my translation theory notes in order.

Speaking of translation theory... I will be so grateful if I pass that class. We are only halfway through the semester, and already I can't keep all the different theories straight. I am so glad that this is the last theory class I have to take!

It's raining again. Right on schedule... it has rained during the Garden Party for the past five years at least! The theme this year was (quite appropriately) "Let it Rain". They have a good sense of humour.

And yes, I took my daily walk/run in the rain.

Election weekend

It's election time again in Switzerland... it's the third time they've held elections in the six months that I've been here. I'm not really sure who's running for what--nobody has been able to explain it to me yet. But then, I don't have very many Swiss classmates. All I know is that a certain candidate with a French first name and a German last name needs somebody to help her with her makeup.

The election people have overtaken our school once again. Here's a picture:



No library, computer room, etc. from Friday afternoon until Monday afternoon. At least I was forewarned this time.

Yesterday there were a lot of musical groups out and about. This group was playing downtown:



It was a little bit odd to see them winding their way through the Saturday market, playing songs that I would expect to hear out of the British army during the American Revolution! They were very good, though.

I've been good... yesterday I bought bananas, carrots and cherry tomatoes to snack on, and today I'm going on my fourth walk/run of the week. Go me!

I did it!

I've been saying for quite a while now that I want to start running. It's just that every time I've said I would start, something has come up to keep me from doing it.

Not today. I went out in the rain, trusty little map in hand, and went out for a 45-minute-long walk/run. Not even the blister on the bottom of my foot could hold me back (and it's the biggest blister I've had in my life!)

Yay me!

Interview

Dixie offered to interview me, and I took her up on it. Here are my answers to her questions:

1. You're talented at learning languages. What do you think it is about you that gives you that talent?

I think the reason I'm good at learning languages is just because I want to learn languages. They fascinate me. The way I learn (through reading and writing rather than speaking and listening) used to drive my teachers up the wall and goes against all the rules and conventions for language learning, but hey... it worked for me. My mother always said I could do anything if only I'd put my mind to it!

I've wanted to learn foreign languages ever since I can remember. I used to beg my mother to let me take lessons. When I was six, we had a Spanish-speaking family move onto our block. Their daughter was my age, but she didn't speak any English. I wanted to tell her about my dog, but I didn't really know how, so I asked my mom. "Draw a picture of your dog," my mom said. And I replied, "But Mommy, what if dogs look different in English than they do in Spanish?" (Yeah, I know, I was a strange child.)

Now that I think about it, I wonder if my desire to learn a foreign language had anything to do with the fact that I couldn't understand my great-aunts and -uncles on my dad's side of the family... they always spoke in French.

2. This is the second time you've come to Europe to study. Is there a difference between your time in France and your time in Switzerland?

I was a lot more prepared for coming to Switzerland... I already knew what to expect in terms of culture shock, dietary shock, cigarette smoke, things being closed on Sundays, etc. The differences that really stand out are that Geneva is much cleaner than France (despite all the cigarette smoke), that Genevans seem more tolerant of foreigners and immigrants than the French (although I don't know what the situation is like in the rest of Switzerland), and that it is a lot easier to accomplish administrative tasks in Switzerland than in France (with the government and with school).

Oh, and also the fact that everybody here is so well-to-do. I feel a lot poorer in Switzerland than I did in France.

3. What would it take to get your to cut your hair in a pixie style?

Hmmm... that's a hard one! A Switzerland-based in-house translation job, the opportunity to bring my Spanish up to par and learn German, and the ability to travel wherever I want. With lots of cheddar cheese and other yummy American foods on the side.

4. Would you consider living in Europe permanently? Where would you like to live?

I'm actually hoping to be able to stay in or near Geneva permanently. The problem is that even with a translation degree, nobody will get me a permit and hire me without experience. And I can't get experience without a permit. If anybody knows any nice, handsome, single Swiss boys, please let me know...

5. What's a coping skill you use when you are feeling overwhelmed?

When I'm overwhelmed, I usually get really cranky. So I lock myself in my room so nobody else will have to put up with my crankiness, curl up in a wad in bed, hold my teddy bear and cry my eyes out. Once I'm done crying, I listen to happy, upbeat music, and then I'm ready to deal with the world again. (Chocolate helps, too.)

Now it's your turn to play if you wish:

Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.” I will respond by asking you five questions in the comments here on this post so check back here. I get to pick the questions. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.