Wednesday, we spent a long day exploring Fribourg and Romont (a medieval city founded in the tenth century about 30 minutes from Fribourg) since this is the area of Switzerland that my luck lies within.
Thank you to all of you that kept me in your thoughts and wished me luck. It means more than you know.
I was exhausted and sick yesterday and most of today. So, I am happy to have the weekend with my husband and children.
I still don’t have any news as to the big mystery (sorry I can’t tell you more) of what is going on in my life but no matter what happens I know that I will find my place in Switzerland by the end of this summer wherever that may be.
I am sure of it.
I did manage to capture some of my day to share with you here. It was a nice day even if we did get rained on a couple times.
After the photos you can read about my new life philosophy about why you will never catch me telling someone “It was meant to be” ever again.
Fribourg, Switzerland.
Fribourg, Switzerland.
Fribourg, Switzerland.
The girls in a street of Fribourg. (Click to view larger.)
I had to take a photo of this door in Fribourg because it was too beautiful not to.
Sweet Bear and Boy Blue in Fribourg. (Click to view larger.)
Vilay was taking a nap just before I took this shot. We were on the train to Romont from Fribourg.
The girls in Romont playing by a fountain. (Click to view larger.)
Taken in the court yard of the castle in Romont, Switzerland.
The Cathedral in Romont, Switzerland taken from the castle wall.
Boy Blue fell asleep in his stroller and missed our walk through the castle court yard. I had to leave him at the bottom of the stairs while I got the photo of the cathedral shown above. Don’t worry I could see him the entire time.
This terrace was perfect for a rest with a view of the castle in Romont. Too bad we had to get back to the train station to catch the train back to Fribourg.
During this daytrip I decided that no matter what happens in regard to this opportunity I have been presented with I will be richer for having gone through this process. Since it all began about three weeks ago I have realized that there are many opportunities for me in Switzerland even if my French isn’t the best. I understand better how to network and promote myself. That is the most important thing I could have learned.
I have my confidence back and there is no stopping me now.
It is up to me to make my own luck because no one else will or can do it for me.
Luck is as much about intelligence as it is about chance.
I, personally, do not believe everything happens for a reason.
I think we all shape our destiny by the decisions and work we put into life.
We are not powerless against destiny.
We are our destiny.
Everything in life can be handled in a way that has a better or worse outcome based on decisions that we make.
Life is full of surprises.
Luckily, there are more that are sweet than not.
A huge rain cloud hung over a section of the sky.
Our village is surrounded by fields of dandelions.
During our walk we had a light rain. Afterwards, a rainbow formed in the sky.
In Switzerland, there are cows at the end of rainbows. :)
Cows headed back to their barn.
Another field of dandelions. Yards are filled with them as well. In Switzerland, wild flowers are left to grow in yards where as in the States people dump all kinds of chemicals into their yards to kill them. I don’t understand why because the Swiss yards are beautiful full of dandelions and other wild flowers.
A baby cow.
Mama cow coming to the rescue! Horses keep their babies very close. You always know who the mother is. This is the first time I have seen a mother cow come to her baby to protect it. I made her nervous because I was standing close to the baby as I took a couple photos.
My five year old daughter gave me these beautiful flowers for Mother’s Day.
The petals are made of wire and the centers are pompoms.
At school she crafted these flowers all by herself with her own little hands.
I love the springy hearts on the vase.
After she gave me the flowers and a big kiss sh began to recite a Mother’s Day poem that she learned at school.
I had tears in my eyes listening to her say each word with such confidence not to mention the sweetness of the poem.
Maman
Si j’étais jardinier(ère),
Je ferais pousser une fleur
En forme de coeur.
Elle serait pour maman
Qui la garderait longtemps,
Car maman saurait que la fleur
C’est tout l’amour de mon coeur.
Mom
If I was a gardener,
I would grow a flower
In the shape of a heart.
It would be for Mom
Who would keep it forever,
Because Mom would know that the flower
It is all the love of my heart.
Being a mother is the most important job of my life. Raising my children to be good hearted and intelligent people isn’t easy. It is work. Each day I must teach my children right from wrong and how to make good decisions.
This morning, I was faced with one of those learning moments that are particuarly tough.
My four year old told me that a boy hit her hard on her chest and twisted her arm because she stuck out her tongue at him. She told me only this morning when it had happened yesterday.
I told her it is not nice to stick your tongue out at someone but that is not a good reason to hit someone. I asked her if she told him anything or if she had hit him back. She hadn’t. I, then, asked my five year old if she had taken up for her little sister. The boy in question is six. Sweet Bear told me she didn’t say or do anything.
When I was a kid I didn’t let anyone touch my little brother. So, I was a bit upset about Sweet Bear not at least telling this boy something. After all I got my first black eye because a boy my age was going to hit my brother even after I told him he better not.
So, I explained to Sweet Bear that she is the oldest and she has to take up for her little sister and brother. She can’t let anyone hurt them. I, also, told Petite Clown that she had to do the same for Sweet Bear if Sweet Bear needed her to.
Family protects each other.
I, next, told my four year old that she should have immediately came to get me.
I am going to have a talk with him today. It is inexcusable that hit my daughter.
First of all, boys DO NOT hit girls.
Secondly, my four year old is two years younger than him.
I have seen him hit at least two other girls with his fists and each time I clearly told him that was not ok. I told his mother about it and she told me that he has to hit to protect himself even from girls. I told her that the girls hadn’t hit him first. She ignored me.
I have had nothing but problems with the boys in this building. My girls have been hit, pinched, spit on, pushed and even hit by a BB from a BB gun.
I ended up teaching my two girls how to correctly make a fist just like my older boy cousins had me. I told them not to hit unless they had to. We talked about what circumstances they may have to defend themselves. I taught them how to punch HARD.
I will continue with my fighting lessons because I will not have my girls unable to defend themselves against bullies.
My girls will know how to protect themselves if push comes to shove.
Of course, I will teach them when to use their heads before their fists.
I did teach my twelve year old how to protect herself and that it was only when she had no other option available to her. She was about six years old at the time. As far as I know, she has never had to fight another person. However, she had more confidence knowing that she could hold her own against another kid if she had to.
I have mixed feelings teaching my children how to fight because I do not believe in physically hurting another person. However, I feel that it is important to prepare them if they do need to fight.
I would like to put my children in karate classes which would teach them how to protect themselves while at the same time understanding that it is only as a last resort.
The point of it all is they are able to protect themselves without really fighting.
I don’t worry about them being outside by themselves. An hour will pass without my seeing them from the apartment windows but I know they are safe.
It is liberating.
When I was a kid it was the same. My brother and I played outdoors for hours without our parents worrying about our safety.
Now, my children can experience the same freedom.
Here are some pics I took of them playing in the field near our building while I was with them.
I still will not let my son go out by himself even if other people do allow their kids to at his age. However, I feel he is too young to watch out for cars and other dangers.
Grandma O. and Grandma C., the flowers in the photo below are for you. Sweet Bear asked me to take the photo of her holding the flowers for you to see here. Kids are so smart it is scary sometimes. She loves you both and misses you terrible. :) Happy Mother’s Day from all of us!!!
Below is a photo of Boy Blue watching for his sisters. Since he is too little to be outside without me he will follow his sisters from the windows watching them and laughing when the girls are having fun. It is so sweet.
We are taking our daily walks as we did last summer and fall. The kids and I make a big tour of our village and then head home for lunch.
Here are this years first leaves on a tree I enjoy sitting under near our building.
This is the view we see from our windows and near our building. It is breathtaking.
The cows and horses are out in the fields. Here they are wondering what the heck I am doing.
Petite Clown (age 4) took this shot. She did a nice job getting the field of dandelions.
Our village.
Do you see the snail on the daffodil? Too bad my camera overexposed the shot and I can’t fix it.
In reality, the image of this tiny snail seeking refuge on the flower was very soft and sweet.
Another snail we found trying to find shade on a tree.
It has been very warm the past four days. Each day has been in the mid seventies. With the strong mountain sun we all have a nice start on our summer tans. I think that the Jura goes from winter to summer without a real spring.
We had a big sun yesterday. Yesterday was my laundry day. I hung clothes outside for the first time this year. Even the jeans were dry in a little over an hour. All of this meant that I finished all my laundry before five pm. Everything was folded and put away since I gave up ironing three months ago. I realized that only a few of the Swiss mothers ironed. No one really cares if you do or don’t. So, I don’t.
In my humble opinion, life is too short for something so silly. If someone wants to judge me by whether or not my clothes are ironed then they are not someone that I am going to get along with anyway.
I am tired. Don’t be surprised if this post is all over the place. That is how I feel today. All over the place.
Boy Blue fell off a fairly high platform for his age at the train station yesterday. He didn’t have a bump and barely cried. His arm was pretty skinned up so I think he caught himself with it. However, that didn’t keep me from waking up all night long to check on him.
I took him to the village doctor to get a looking at. He hadn’t thrown up and was running around like a monkey so I figured he was ok. But, just in case we went. I regret going now.
We sat for over an hour in the waiting room. My kids were pretty good considering the length of time we spent in a small room with little entertainment. Boy Blue was already wound up from waiting and he was tired. Finally, we got to see the doctor.
Boy Blue is the type of child that hides behind his mother’s skirt. He hates going to the doctor and screams. I admit that he is terrible with doctors.
He will not let any doctor look at him without putting up a fight.
Our village doctor was a little aggravated and grabbed my son up not quite slamming him on the table but definitely not placing him on it either. He then held him down with a bit of force. Instead of looking like a doctor examining my son it looked more like he were wrestling him.
What bothered me wasn’t that he had to hold my son down. All doctors do.
It was how he did it. It wasn’t professional. It seemed personal. It made me uncomfortable.
He then grabbed my son’s arm after he placed him on the floor pulling up on his arm so that it was held taunt high over my son’s head. He made my son walk beside him to the door of the room. I honestly thought that the doctor was going to take my son into another room to spank him. The doctor stopped at the door yanking my son to stand next to him as he again held my son’s arm taunt above my son’s head.
The doctor looked at me and said that my son needs to understand he doesn’t always get his way.
I took that personal as well. What right does this doctor have to make assumptions about how I am parenting my son?
My son is shy. He is with me all day long. He will not be three until the end of June.
I do not let my son get his way.
Boy Blue is put in his room to lay on his bed when he is having a big fit or hits or bites one of his sisters.
My son is not the little king of our house that this doctor made him out to be.
If we let Boy Blue get his way and this is why he acts like this I would admit it here and now. But, it is not true. If reality he gets in trouble all the time. He gets put in time out and even if I hate to do it…he does get the occasional spanking on the bottom not hard enough to cause pain but hard enough to grab his attention.
I discipline my children.
It made me question whether I should go to this doctor again or perhaps this is another part of the Swiss culture that I don’t understand.
I honestly feel in my gut that this doctor while very nice and professional on the surface may not be what he seems and it is not a cultural misunderstanding.
The last time I took my son to a doctor it was at a Swiss hospital since it was the weekend and he was too sick too wait until Monday. The doctor had me hold my son down while she looked him over. She wasn’t bothered by his fighting her. A few times she had to hold him down as well but she did so professionally.
She didn’t make it about power.
It was not personal.
She professionally took control of the situation and examined my son even if he wasn’t happy about it.
Afterwards, she told me it was normal that he acted like this and he would grow out of it. She didn’t attack my parenting but instead soothed my concern away. I hadn’t asked for her opinion about his behavior but she had seen by my face that I needed reassurance that his behavior was normal and that he was not a social freak.
She was a Swiss doctor who was professional and observant without being judgemental.
I think that is the biggest issue I have with living in a small village. People are so very judgemental. This is the one observation I have from living in this village that is a fact and not a misinterpretation of mine as an expat. I understand that it is the same in every country. That is why I am happier living in larger cities. People in cities mind their own business and live their own lives.
Each day the need to get the hell out of this village nags at me. I am happy living in Switzerland but I hate living in this village. I hate it!
I have no patience for the small town mentality. I would not live in a small town in the States for the same reasons I am not happy here in this village. I wouldn’t. So, why should I do it just because we are living in another country?
I told Vilay last night that we have to find a solution to move to a larger city because I will not raise our bilingual and tricultural (American, French and now Swiss) children in this ignorant village.
I want my kids to be in an international environment filled with culture and not judgemental people who are so bored with their own lives that they have to meddle in the lives of others.
The horses were interested in us, but only from a safe distance. You can see smoke in the background where a farmer was burning wood that he had cleared from his land.
Here another farmer has the bonfire ready to go.
Cows taking a pause for a drink.
Cows in a field of daffodils.
Daffodils grow wild in the fields. It is so beautiful.
This little dog ran past us without even stopping to say hello. How rude!
The baby cows were too cute all huddled together.
I see these mushrooms often in the Jura. This one was in a school yard but I have seen them on the side of roads just out of a forest. I think it shows the Swiss humor which I like very much. What a great idea to make an ordinary tree stump into a mushroom. Many times the Swiss will use large tree stumps as outdoor picnic tables with smaller cut tree stumps as chairs. Another great example of Swiss humor that we have discovered was during a walk in the Jura last July. Click here to read about it.
When the kids are bigger I would like to have the family ride bikes around the Jura together. Of course, we will stay off big roads like this but I think it would be a great way for us to get around as a family without having to take the train part of the way.
Yesterday, we found ourselves beside the road watching the Tour de Romandie.
Below are some of the photos we took and one video. The part where all the bikes went by at once was pretty exciting for the children even if it didn’t last long. You can hear my kids in the background of the video.
Several vehicles drove by with a huge watch on top as shown above. Some of the cars pulled over and gave us gifts such as fanny packs, free cheese and water bottles with their logos on them. The kids were thrilled with the freebies. The cheese lasted all of five minutes including the time it took me to unwrap it.
Everyone standing around waiting after the first round of cars went through.
One of the riders that was a little behind the main group. We had time to snap a quick picture before he disappeared as quickly as the others.
