Switzerland, France, and America... Some little differences that make a big difference!

The Swiss, the French, and the ‘Mericans! I grew up in America and I have been in Europe (for the first time) for less than a week and I can already see stark differences in the people of the three countries. Its rather amazing! So far, I have to say that the French are my favorite. Surprised? Me too. A little.  The French have a bad reputation for being snobby and prideful, and while I am sure there is a bit of truth to it, it is no comparison for the Swiss and Americans. Yep, I said it! Americans. Don’t get me wrong, there are exceptions! Always. What I am talking about is my general observation of the people in these three countries. In my first week. Haha. 

Let me start with what I have seen thus far of the Swiss people. They are a no-nonsense group of folks with lots of money and pride in their country. There is really nothing wrong with any of that but it provides little comfort to a foreigner. They also litter. A lot. When I was in Basel on Saturday there was trash everywhere! It may have been worse than usual because of the music festival, but it was more litter than I would have expected. It seems that 85% of the people smoke and their cigarette butts all over the ground only help to confirm this. They are a busy, rushed group of people marching through the streets flicking their cigarettes and talking on the phone. Which brings me to the French…

…the French are entirely different! While many of them smoke they don’t seem to be as careless about where they throw the remnants as the Swiss. The French are not nearly as fast-paced as the Swiss unless they are behind the wheel of a car. Zut alors! Its a little scary. As I am sure you have heard, the French like to take their time especially when eating. The average lunch break is 1.5 - 2 hours! I kind of love it. They eat at least two good meals a day, if not three. For lunch they often have a beer or glass of wine as well as at dinner. You can’t really do that in America. Speaking of America…. 

…30 minute lunch break where you choke down a greasy burger and a soda and then its back to work! You were doing good to scarf down a granola bar with your morning coffee, and for dinner its probably takeout or something from the freezer. And before any of my fellow Americans get upset about this, remember that I said there are exceptions! Not everyone eats so bad in America, but mornings are rushed, lunches are short and dinners are (typically) quick and easy after a long day. The meals are often eaten on the go or in front of the TV… this is simply not done in France or Switzerland.

Basically, the reason I prefer the French (so far) is not only the way they pace themselves but the way they look and dress! The French are known for being beautiful but its not because they cake on makeup and spend hours on their hair… its actually quite opposite! They strive for a fresh and natural look. They do NOT contour their faces (praise the lord), wear heavy rouge, or wear tons of products on their hair. They are beautiful. They might wear a little more for special occasions but still not the full-faced clown look like many Americans. Sorry, not sorry! None of my friends ever looked like the American women I am describing and I know why… its ugly. I don’t have ugly friends. In America, at least in the south, you might be laughed at for going certain places bare-faced but its the opposite in France. You’d be laughed at for caking your face in products. You'd stick out like a sore thumb. I am not trying to be mean but I truly appreciate the French view of beauty. 

I think the reason many people say the French are stuck up is because they don’t go around smiling and waving at everyone. In all honesty, I am glad! It doesn’t mean they are rude. I don’t always want to smile at everyone I pass or ask everyone I encounter how they are doing. I am in my own world and I like it there. Just because Americans are always smiling and saying, “how are you?” does not mean they are nice and friendly. They/we don’t usually care how you are, and when we smile we are either still in our own world or possibly thinking, “wow that outfit looks terrible.” So why be fake? Don’t ask me how I am when you don’t actually want to know about my day, and you don’t have to smile just because we walk past one another in the store. I think Americans exhaust themselves with the time they put into getting ready in the mornings and making sure they speak to everyone. Relax, for crying out loud. 

If you had a rude encounter with a French person it is MOST LIKELY because you were being obnoxious. If you walk around France like the badass American that is gracing the French with your presence then you deserve it. Sure, some people are rude. There are rude people everywhere but so far I have not seen anything particularly rude about the French. Not at all. 

I have arrived in France!!! Where do I even start?!

The Journey:

The security was much friendlier in Paris than in ATL and Memphis! In paris, they were smiling, patient, and welcoming. In ATL and Memphis they like to make you feel like a common criminal. I had my first pat-down in the Memphis airport and they were not nice about it. I might have expected a pat-down when approaching an international flight but memphis to ATL?  Come on. I am little blonde girl with a hot pink back pack full of adult coloring books…. better pat me down and slam me through a bunch of extra monitors! Haha, I jest! The only reason I got a pat-down was because I accidentally left a pack of gum (that I bought in the airport) in my back pocket. You cannot have anything in your pockets when you go through security. Still, after my little pat down they took my bags aside and scanned every item by hand! I have never seen that happen. They found the cowbell I brought as a gift and said, “a BELL?!” and gave me a rather dirty look. Yes, a bell. Yeah. 

Anyway. All was well except for the fact that when I landed in Paris the wifi was not working so I could not text anyone. I asked a young man (I say this as if I am an old lady…) nearby who was also using WhatsApp if there was something wrong with my phone and he said I would be lucky to get the wifi to work. He said it took him an hour to get his phone let him text through whatsapp and that I shouldn’t worry. So, I didn’t worry until I landed in Geneva, Switzerland and they didn’t have wifi at all! I calmed myself and made my way to the baggage claim. My bags were some of the first to come across the belt but to my dismay TSA tore one of my bags and my items were falling out! My brand new Vera Wang cardigan was hanging out of my bag being dragged on the dirty baggage belt!! I pulled my suitcase off of the belt to find my Giani Bini shoe halfway hanging out. I tried to stuff everything back in but they ripped the zipper! In my 3rd bag, also brand new, there was a HUGE tear on the outside… How does that even happen?! I literally fell over 3 times trying to drag my luggage to the exit zone where my new family would pick me up. People were staring at me. I had clothing falling out of my ripped baggage, I was sweaty and tired, I was trying to roll three suitcases with a big backpack on my back and I probably looked just as distressed as I felt. To top it off, I stopped in a corner to try and re-stuff my bag and an asian lady walked up and (I guess) she wanted to stand where I was standing because she completely ran over me!! No joke. I am standing there hot, sweaty, almost in tears and trying to stuff clothing into my torn bag and she rolls her luggage over my stuff and acts as if I don’t even exist! She is lucky I think murder is a sin or else she would be dead right now. Speaking of rude people, in the Memphis airport an older couple wanted my seat so they literally tried to sit on me I had shuffle out from under them. Again, as if I am invisible. 

Anyway, where was I?  Ah yes, claiming my baggage in Geneva! I finally found a place to sit and wait. In all honesty, I wanted to collapse in the floor and cry! I was choking back tears and I felt lost and abandoned. I was having thoughts such as, “why did I come across the world to live with a family I have never met?!”, “maybe this was all a trick” and “if I don’t let Toby (my boyfriend) or my family know I landed they are going to freak out and worry!” Actually, the last thought is legit. I promised to text everyone when I landed so they would know I was safe but i had not not been able to text since I was in ATL. I was scared. I speak some French but I was surrounded by multiple different languages and no one was concerned about my distress, they only stared. I probably didn’t look as distressed as I felt or I am sure someone would have tried to help. I didn’t shed a tear although inside I was completely destroyed. I decided that I would wait two hours before I let myself cry. I sat down and prayed. I asked the Lord to let the family find me amidst the chaos. I may have not known where I was or what to do, but God did. So, I sat and waited. After about 45 minutes I spotted a couple shuffling through the crowd looking and just as worried and confused as me. We made eye contact and both smiled. It was my family!! 

They brought me to their lovely home in Contamine Sur-Arve, France. They gave me a tour of their amazing chalet in the Rhone Alpes, we had lunch and I slept until 8pm. We had dinner and afterwards I read the babies a bedtime story and then came down to my floor to unpack and have some wine. So, here I am. I am in the most beautiful place I have ever been in my whole life and I don’t have to leave anytime soon!

Our front yard

What I am doing now:

I have a couple of weeks free before I begin my duties as an Au Pair so over the past few days I have explored Geneva and Basel and now I am in Zurich visiting my boyfriend.

On Saturday morning Emelie and I took the kids to Geneva, Switzerland to take a walk and buy some chocolate. 

Watching the swans on Lake Geneva

Geneva is only about 20 minutes from where I live in France. Around noon I took the train from there to Basel to meet with my boyfriend and his family to see the Basel Tattoo , which is a military music festival. It was really cool but I did not like the city! 

Can anyone guess what this is? I am pretty sure America does not have these! Its an official street marking for a Prostitute corner! #Basel

Swiss Top Secret Drum Corps

Amazing Bagpipes

On the train I sat next to a musician/DJ named “Dandy Jack” who was on his way to perform at a music festival in Strasburg. He was very nice and made sure that I did not miss my connecting train in Biel. I was very nervous because I had never been on a train before and there was only 5 minutes in-between my two trains! 

After the show and dinner we went back to Besenburen where Toby’s parents live. We spent the night there and the afternoon on Sunday before taking the train to Zurich, where Toby lives and works. 

I love these trees!

Toby's Parents' house in Besenburen

Off to France

Bonjour! I am back! If you read my last post then you are aware that I had a little bump in the road on my journey to Europe. Finally, I am happy to announce that in a few weeks I am moving to France! Yes, it is official! Signed, sealed, delivered. 

You may be wondering why I am moving to France and not Switzerland like I originally planned. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible for an American to get a working visa for Switzerland. Its sad and unfair, but that’s “just the way it is.” Unless you are lucky enough to work for a company that is willing to jump through hoops to sponsor you, or you marry a swiss citizen then you are SOL. Not only do I not work for a company that has a branch in Switzerland but I am not getting married just to be able to move. When all of this unfortunate information was confirmed to be quite true I decided to expand my search. My second choice was France and so that is where I put most of my focus for the past 6 months. Believe it or not, the French seem to be much more welcoming to Americans than the Swiss! Once I focused on France my search became much easier. Honestly, I think it is for the best. It will probably much easier to live in France for my first time abroad than it would be in Switzerland. Why? Well, for starters I don’t know the tiniest bit of German (or Swiss-German) but I have taken some courses in French and own numerous french books that I can use for practice. I have always been told that English is more to German than French, but frankly I don’t see how that can be true! 

For example: the French word for dress is “robe.” Simple. Makes sense, doesn’t it? The German word for dress is… wait for it… Kleidung. No, I did not know that off of the top of my head; I had to check my English-German dictionary. Just so you know that I am not finding the more extravagant examples, here is another: the French word for pardon is “pardonner.” Makes sense to me. The German word is “begnadigung.” Thats just weird. 

Anyway, France also seems to be much less expensive than Switzerland. I am sure someone could come along and disagree because of “this one time when I was in Paris” but as a rule things are much cheaper in France. 

And last but not least, the people really do seem to be much more welcoming in France than in Switzerland. I am not there yet, so I cannot truly confirm this to be true (YET) but from what I hear from my Swiss boyfriend and the articles I read, the Swiss seem to wearing their undies a little too tight. Don’t get me wrong, I cannot wait to visit Switzerland but it might not be the ideal place for me during my first experience in Europe. I also understand that there will be plenty of stuck-up people in France, but as a rule they seem a little more welcoming. After all, they don’t have a plethora of rules specifically shutting out Americans. Not only that, but I will be living in a small village in the Rhone Alpes, not Paris! Paris is probably another story (which I can hopefully report on later in this journey). I feel that I must also add (as to not offend anyone) that the Swiss are not necessarily hateful towards Americans but since they have had a lot of trouble with non-EU citizens, such as the Balkans, crossing their borders and causing trouble the rules to protect themselves tend to include Americans because, of course, we are not part of the EU. As a result, we are basically being punished because of the behavior of a few idiots that have nothing to do with us! Ce la vie. However, they still have some really dumb laws, such as the fact that you cannot be an au pair there if you are over the age of 25. How stupid is that?! I digress. 

So, where was I? Ah yes, I am off to France soon! I am so excited! In my first post I told you all about the Swiss family that would be hosting me, but since that is no more I would like to introduce you to my new host family: The Kowalski’s!! Of course, I have only spoken to them via Skype/email/text but they seem very sweet and just as excited to meet me as I am them! They have two beautiful children, Augustin and Victoria. Augustin is 2 and Victoria was born in May! They are just precious. Oh, and they have a little chihuahua named Elvis so I won’t be without some puppy kisses! Growing up on a farm with a veterinarian as a father means that animals tend to play a big part in your life. They live in a small village in the Rhone Alpes that is about 20 minutes from Geneva, Switzerland. From what I can see on Google images it looks like a very Beauty and the Beast-esque sort of place. I cannot wait to see it in person! I will mostly use public transportation but they will also have a car for me. I would be really excited about having a car to myself in Europe except that is a manual… and I don’t know how to drive a manual… yet. Not only that but I hear gas is very expensive there! Depending on where you live in the America gas is between $2-3/gal right now. In Europe it is approximately $5/L. There are (I think) 4L in a gallon. Maybe less. That is mind blowing! So even when I do learn how to drive a manual car I don’t see myself using it unless it is absolutely necessary! I don’t know about you guys, but I think needs to get on board with the public transportation system. Easier said than done, I know, but that is a conversation for another time…. and probably another blog. 

Perks of my job? Oh yes, I will still be an au pair as originally planned, if you haven’t already picked up on that. I will have my own room and bathroom in the family’s house with my own entrance, I believe. They pay for my living expenses and food and they also give me a salary for things I want to do on my own. My schedule is not 100% set yet but I I should have 2-3 days off a week. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings I will go to French school with other au pairs who are also learning French. Isn’t that awesome?! They want me to be like a big sister or “Mary Poppins” for their kids and I am more than ready! They have a beautiful patio overlooking the mountains where they enjoy meals and entertaining their friends. It sounds so divine and I cannot wait to be a part of it. 

I know that this post is starting to get a little long but it has been a few months since I updated everyone so I want to include everything that has happened. After my plans “went south” shortly after Christmas I was very upset and didn’t want to say much about it. I knew that I was not going to give up but I wanted to wait until I had good news to write anything else. During my searching/waiting time I took two jobs: tutoring 4 kids and working at Painting with a Twist. I really loved both of those jobs! It made my wait so, so much easier. I was surrounded by people that brought a smile to my face and the work was very fulfilling. Regardless, I still knew I wanted to get to Europe. I found the Kowalski’s in late February. We emailed and Skype interviewed for a few weeks before we finally made the agreement official. While that felt wonderful, we both still had some obstacles to overcome! Once we signed the contract they had to get me approved by the French Ministry of Labour. Once that was approved a huge weight was lifted but it wasn’t over. The next step was for me to pay a little visit to the General Consulate of France in Miami. This was the fun part [insert sarcasm here]. Miami is approximately 12 hours from Pensacola, whereas the consulate of France in ATL is only 6, but since I am legally a resident of Florida I was required to go to Miami. 

The trip to Miami: a huge stack of documents + a copy of each, 700 miles, $$$, lots of coffee, and major anxiety. If you have never been to Miami, don’t bother. Let me save you the trouble. It is basically New York City except extremely hot, covered in palm trees and graffiti and no one speaks English.  My appointment was at 10:45 on Friday, May 27th (because it was the only appointment available in May when I made the appointment at the end of April). So, I decided to drive through the night on Thursday night/Friday morning. I left Pensacola at 8pm on Thursday and drove down to Sarasota to pick up my best friend and then we arrived in Miami around 8:30am Friday. Sarasota was almost on the way so it didn’t really put me off track, and it allowed me to spend time with one of my favorite people in the whole world… and she drove the rest of the way! And thank the Lord for that, because once we arrived in Miami my anxiety went through the roof! I have never seen people drive so crazy and stupid! Seriously, the cars were centimeters from one another and just honking, honking, honking, honking. The driving in Miami makes ATL or Washington DC look like a small town. Both me and Marisol were flabbergasted. After almost an hour of circling a few blocks we found parking and it was only $4 for an hour. We used one of the restrooms in the skyscraper containing the Consulate to change clothes and freshen up. Deodorant, fresh undies and soap were very much needed.  Oh, and of course, we needed to change into clothes that didn’t make us look like homeless people. I was allowed into the consulate around 10:20 by a very intimidating black man. I prefer to say African-American but he was most definitely French so what do I call him? African-Frenchman? But maybe he is also an American citizen so do I call him African-French-American? I really don’t know, so if I sound racist its not on purpose. He was very nice but very intimidating. A no-nonsense kinda man. He saw Marisol and I before we had changed into our normal-human clothes and by the expression on his face I wouldn’t have been surprised if he called security on us. Haha! 

So far, everything was going okay. Nothing terrible had happened yet. But as I sat in the TINY waiting room for my interview my fear and anxiety got even worse. Before I made the trek to Miami I read some reviews on the consulate. I wanted to know what I should expect. Everything I read was terrible. People said that the employees could not speak English, that they were mean, and no matter what you did you would never have the correct documents. Now, I checked the website 50,000 times to make sure I had all of the paperwork but after what other people said I was still terrified. Marisol was not allowed in the consulate with me so I just sat there, alone,  pretending to be confident. As I sat there I could overhear a conversation from a military man and the French employee behind the glass. She was telling him that he did not have the proper paperwork. She sounded very polite about it, but in all honestly, HE was the one being a (excuse the expression) dick. HE was giving me anxiety, not her. He was complaining about having driven 2 hours to get there and I wanted to jump up and yell, “I DROVE 12 HOURS THROUGH THE NIGHT! I AM EXHAUSTED! I AM DIRTY! I AM POOR! I AM STRESSED! I DID MY RESEARCH ON WHAT I NEEDED, UNLIKE YOU! GET OUT!” He had to make another appointment to bring back the proper documents and next….. ALLISON HORTON. I stumbled to the counter. I was called up by the most handsome older French gentleman. He was like an older Jude Law with a French accent. I melted. Slightly. You know what? He couldn’t have been more friendly! Not only were all of my documents in order (thank you, inherited Horton anxiety) but he made conversation about my tattoos and fun things to do in France. I was done and out in 10 minutes, with a smile on my face. Of course, my visa was not completed, but so far everything was going perfectly. 

The rest of our short time in Miami was fun. We explored the casino next to our lovely hotel and kicked back and had girl time. 

Around June 7th-ish I received my stamped Visa allowing me to go to France. My flight is booked and everything is in order. Now, I just have to wait until take-off! Bon voyage!