Keeping Busy

(by Maria Godsey)

I just looked to see when my last entry was and it has been awhile… oops! I planned on posting more regularly, but days and weeks seem to keep slipping by. The partner events and outings have slowed a bit, but I still find myself with so much to do! But I'm not complaining… I actually enjoy all the activity.

So what are some of the things Noah and I are doing to keep busy? We have our standing weekly activities, french class for beginners, sewing class, cooking class, fitness class, PDE sessions... but beyond that, this month started off a bit crazy for me as Noah's 1st birthday party was around the corner. I really wanted it to be special. With that, I put a lot of pressure on myself. I had an image of a big birthday bash with lots of decorations and accessories and took to the web to start shopping. What I quickly realized is that shipping is outrageous to Switzerland, Switzerland doesn't even have an Amazon site, most eBay items are shipped from outside of Switzerland and I needed to compromise. In the end, the party was great and it was really special to spend it with the other partners and their little ones.

Last week we celebrated 'burning of winter'. What is this you ask? I'm not 100% sure, but basically the kids from the local daycares and schools dress-up and march through the streets with a large item that they burn in the near-by Parc de Milan. Since it was Forest week last week, the kids dressed as dwarfs. It really was a blast to participate in this… from making the dwarf costume, marching along the streets, watching the large watermelon go up in flames to later enjoying bread and chocolate in the park. But I think the best part was how cute all the kids looked… especially the IMD babies!! :) Thanks, Marcella, for making us aware of these fun activities!!

This month, we also squeezed in two family trips. The first to the Lausanne Photo Museum and the second across the lake to attend a Bordeaux wine tasting event in France. Both trips were very special, although the wine tasting event sticks out in my mind more. I think the fantastic Bordeaux wine I'm drinking now as I write this entry also helps in keeping the memory fresh. :) I'm just thankful that we took the time to do these small outings together as a family, despite the heavy IMD workload. It is this time that we spend together that keeps us connected and builds wonderful memories of the year.

So the end of March is here and so is exam time for the students. This coming weekend is reserved for exam preparations and the following week are exams. I had hoped to travel with Noah back to Germany to give Joseph all the time he needed to study, but my procrastination resulted in higher ticket prices and us now staying put. Hopefully it will turn out to be a positive thing in the end. I'm sure Noah's smile will give Joseph an energy boost when he needs it. :)

Speaking of ticket prices, tomorrow I hope to finalize my itinerary and purchase our tickets for summer break. I also procrastinated on this and will pay slightly higher prices. (I think I've learned my lesson now!) Friendly advice to the 2012 partners: Book your spring break and summer break tickets EARLY!!!!!

I guess that it for now… Happy Spring everyone!!