que sera, sera

It literally HAS NOT stopped raining since Megan left. I think it is funny, and quite possibly not completely coincidental. This morning, Audrey and I walked to school, she in her red, lady bug rain boots, holding a bumble bee umbrella. I pointed out only the biggest and best puddles and she jumped into them with true abandon. I would have joined her, but I was not so readily adorned and am also getting over a cold, hence the refrain.

Greg and Jill were in Berlin this last weekend and so I had the girls to myself, which was a lot of fun but exhausting. Teresa came over and we had a girls weekend, complete with painted nails and "High School Musical 2" the movie that Maddy can't get enough of. I am convinced that the leading male, Troy, (academic/jock extraordinaire) is actually gay and should just give up on trying to seduce Gabriela. A few weeks ago after a very fun dinner party that Jill put on, after all of the guests had gone, Jill, Greg and I sat around in the living room finishing off the rest of the champagne joking about our version of "High School Musical 3" when Troy "comes out of the closet" and East High has to cope with Troy, his new, Boy Toy and their fabulous accessories.

I couldn't believe how my hearing seemed to improve 10 fold during the 2 nights, I felt like I could hear everything from a small cough to the rustling of blankets. It just proves that parents truly do have this super power (which I was only borrowed on a temporary basis). I have memories of sneaking around my house at night, I knew where every creek was and how to step on it so that is wouldn't make a sound. Even with such "Matrix" moves, my Mom would just happen to pop out, usually catching the sleep-over victim of my choice and I, caught in the hallway with nightgowns and 1am ice cream sundaes. AMAZING I TELL YOU!

I really do like living with this family. Geneva, I am not going to lie, isn't my favorite. It is very quiet, almost all of the the time. All the people my age (20-25) well, they just don't live here. Geneva is a Mecca for families, particularly with money. I have never seen so many pregnant women! And they all carry Gucci or Louis Vitton bags. Men here, they don't walk dogs, they push baby strollers! And if they do want to walk their dog, well, the dog can go any where with them- I am serious! Shopping centers, grocery stores, tram, etc. "Man's Best Friend" - literally. The streets come alive on Saturdays, because a national law insists that all stores must be closed by 6pm on a daily basis. The exception is on Thursday nights when stores are open until 8pm. I HATE shopping on Saturday! The streets are packed with people, cramming into store after store. As most of the them work until 5-6p on a weekly basis, Saturday is the free day, the day to tie up the lose ends or restock the freezer- it is a swarm. A mad house of slow Swiss-French dialect and more children and babies than you can imagine.

There are two main stores here in Switzerland- COOP and Migros- and they control A LOT! The Swiss are very proud of their Migros (the COOP is a convenient consumer intrusion). The French class that I am attending is actually Ecole Migros (the Migros School) there are Migros bikes and banks and exchange posts. If you can't find something at the Migros, go to the COOP and visa-versa but these are your main options. And EVERYTHING is expensive! I don't have to pay for my food (luckily) but for other things like a small bottle of shampoo that will have a decent effect on your hair- 30chf. Face wash- 15chf. The amount goes up as the quantities go down, hence the great need for creativity, conservation and... packages from home :)

I didn't think that I would end up in Geneva, in a way, it chose me, or rather, God chose it for me. I can see why He did it. One of the greatest gifts of my time here has been the new Church that I joined. It is called Pope John XXIII and is full of a very warm and gracious community of people. All of the Masses are done in English, which has been really nice. The majority of parishoners are from the Philippines and I just can't get over how NICE THEY ARE! Honestly! I am stunned every time I go to Mass. Two Saturdays ago I was the singer, a friend of mine named Rachel played the guitar and piano to accompany me. I sang through out the entire Mass, "Be Thou My Vision", "Our God Reigns" and "My Redeemer Lives" were the songs I chose. But we also did the Mass parts, the "Gloria" and during the "Alleluia" I made a mistake which was rather obvious and it was so sweet, because all through out the Church people were smiling and waving at me, encouraging me. After Mass, different people came up to say "good job" and also to tell me that they "hardly noticed the mistake". Like I said I am consistently touched by the sincerity of these people. They really go out of their way to make me feel welcome and a part of a family. It is this type of Church, these people, that remind me of what the Catholic Church truly is- the Church is the People!

I am excited to see how the rest of my time in Europe will unfold. Currently, I am waiting to see if the Swiss will give me a work Permit. About a month ago (with two months into the application process) we found out that the chances of me getting this Visa are very slim. This was definitely upsetting. We didn't think that getting an Au Pair Visa would be that big of a deal, which it wasn't until just this January of 08'. The Swiss are getting really strict about who they let into the country and people, not part of the European Union are less likely to get a Visa. Chances are even less if they are American, working for Americans (ugh!) or Brits (same Mother-Tongue). It has been three months since the application was submitted which means that we should know any day. If I get the Visa- GREAT! If I don''t get the Visa but stay any way, Greg and Jill would be charged 10,000chf and I could be kicked out of Switzerland, in other words, I won't be staying. Where will I go next? I don't know! I will cross that bridge when and if, I come to it. I guess I will just let you know when we hear something definite.

Until then, I am going to walk around in the rain. I have a bright red umbrella, my personal antithesis to combat the drear. My birthday is on Thursday, which I am excited about because ever since I was a little girl I always wanted to be 23, it is one of my favorite numbers and it was the age my Mom was, when she had me (crazy huh?!)

Hope you are all doing well! Please feel free to fill me in on how life is going where ever you are! I am always interested and happy to hear from you :)