Sunny, Busy, Happy.

I'd say that I need a break, but when I think about it I surprisingly find that I don't.

The past two weeks have been really busy, but in a good way: Mainly I met many, many friends that I hadn't seen in a while and spent a lot of time with my family. But also: Watched dozens of short and long films at a festival for animated film nearby (Fantoche) and wrote some articles about it for my newspaper. I went to a fabulous barbecue with even a little concert at some friends' house and after that - finally! - dancing. How I enjoyed it!

I swam in Vierwaldstätter Lake - that was really cold.

I went to an art opening that was basically an underwater world made of trash. There was a funny 5-minute rock opera where the singers/actors dressed as scuba divers or sea creatures in cardboard costumes. And I broke my first veggie week and ate a sausace because it smelled delicious and it was free.

I rode on trains many times (and already paid a fortune for the tickets). I felt that although it's cooler here than in southern Laos, summer's not quite over yet. I could even wear a short skirt four times and spend a sunny hour with a friend lying in the soft green grass!

I took a hot bath. I crafted a birthday present for a friend. I had a discussion about the meaning of marriage and the end of love. I bought two new pairs of shoes. I procrastinated completing my tax declaration.

I discovered that even if we don't have fancy exotic fruit in Switzerland, we have lots of nice ingredients to make a delicious salad.

Lettuce, cherry tomatoes, carrots, corn, dry figs, an egg,
cucumbers, cashew nuts, sesame seeds...

I went back to my old/new apartment and found that my flatmates had left the message I had written when I left in January. Whether it was because they simply didn't bother to wipe the chalkboard or they really missed me so much, I don't know.

I ate at the new Japanese restaurant in my hometown - I've been waiting for that place for years! The people who run it are Japanese, for real, wow. I bought a new diary. I didn't watch TV. I wrote some job applications and I'm trying to find more jobs as a freelance journalist and maybe freelance English teacher. I ate homegrown cherry tomatoes that were warm from the sun while I danced on my parents' terrace in the middle of the day.

I love my life this way. So many happy moments. I hope it never changes.

Please send music and...

Endlich wieder selber kochen! Vergangene Woche habe ich unter anderem Folgendes gemacht:

- Gemüselasagne mit Kürbis, Zucchini und Rüebli
- Indisches Gemüse-Tandoori mit Naan-Broten und Joghurt-Ananas-Raitha
- Grüner Salat mit Stangensellerie, Apfelschnitzli, Walnüssen, Ziegenfrischkäse an Apfelvinaigrette
- Dorschfilets auf Polenta-Käse-Plätzli, mit Ratatouille
- Kürbis-Knoblauch-Pasta

Bild und Rezept: www.saison.ch

 

Aber: Ich brauche neuen Sound zum Kochen! Vorschläge gesucht.

**

Finally back in the kitchen! Last week's menus included:

- veggie lasagna with pumpkin, zucchini and carrots
- vegetable tantoori with naan breads and yoghurt/ananas raitha
- green salad with celery, apples, walnuts, goat cheese and an apple vinaigrette
- codfish filets on polenta cakes with cheese, plus ratatouille
- pasta with pumpkin/garlic cream sauce

My only problem: I need new sound for when I'm cooking! Please send music.

Zwei Knuddelkatzen und ein Smarschphone

Ein anderer Blogpost über meine Heimkehr.
(von meiner sprachkreativen Mitbewohnerin)

Coming Home.

*Scroll down for English. 

Dieses kleine rosarote Büchlein habe ich von meinen Aarauer Freundinnen im Januar zum Abschied bekommen. An meiner Abschiedsparty haben alle Gäste mir ein paar Worte geschrieben, für den Fall, dass ich Heimweh bekomme. Nun dasselbe bei der Heimkehr - in meiner letzten Woche in Laos habe ich meine neuen Freunde ebenfalls gebeten, ins rosarote Büchlein zu schreiben. Die Briefchen habe ich mir aufgespart für den Flug nach Hause. 

Im Flugzeug dann der grosse Moment. Nach zwei Briefen liefen mir die Tränen die Wangen hinunter, und ich musste aufhören zu lesen.

Ich hatte Angst vor dem Heimkommen. Es wartet eine lange To-Do-Liste.

Andererseits wurde ich mit herzlichen Umarmungen begrüsst, und ich freue mich riesig über die vielen SMS- und Facebook-Willkommenswünsche.
- Die Sonne scheint, und es ist T-Shirt-Wetter!
- Zum Zmittag gabs Salat aus dem Garten der Eltern, wo Tomätli und Basilikum duften. (Ein wichtiger Punkt, weil ich ja ab heute fast-ganz-Vegetarierin bin.)
- In der Schweiz sind die Katzen so sauber, dass man sie bedenkenlos knuddeln kann.
- Ich habe doch nicht so viel zugenommen, wie ich dachte.
- Blumen blühen, es steht fast kein Wölkchen am Himmel.

Fast hätte ich es vergessen: Auch hier kann das Leben schön sein!

Coming Home.

 

I got this little pink book from my friends in Aarau when I left in January. At my farewell party all the guests wrote something in it, in case I'd get homesick. Now the same thing when I left Laos - during my last week there I asked my new friends to write something for me. I saved the letters for the flight back home. 

Then, on the plane, the moment of truth. After two letters I had to stop reading because tears were running down my cheeks.

I was scared of coming home. There was a long To Do List waiting for me. 

On the other hand, I was welcomed with loving hugs, and I was so happy about all the texts and facebook-messages! 
- The sun is shining, and it's T-Shirt-weather!
- For lunch my dad and I had salad from my parents' garden, where cherry tomatoes and basil spread their delicious scent. (An important point because from today on I'm an almost-vegetarian.)
- In Switzerland the cats are so clean that they can be cuddled and kissed without any danger of infection.
- I didn't gain as much weight as I thought I had. 
- The flowers are blossoming and there's no cloud in the sky.

I'd almost forgotten it: Life can be beautiful here, too!