To my folks in Paksé

The thought is surreal: There might still be some red Paksé dust sticking to my sneakers while I'm running through Suhr's forest. It's very European, with conifers and chestnuts and nice little roads. I took up running this week because I need to finally get rid of my sticky rice/baked delights tummy and I really don't want to diet. I have to admit that it's much nicer to run here than in Paksé... It's fall, a cool wind is blowing but you can still be wearing a T-shirt. As much as I hate having to wear gloves when I ride my bicycle to the grocery store in the morning, this is the best weather for running.

Half of my heart is still in Laos. I miss you guys a lot. Having a closet full of clothes and fast internet access doesn't compensate for the morning teas on the terrace or the sunday trips to the villages. It's depressing to do my manicure by myself and not chatting with one of my girls. I miss watching our students competing at some silly/funny game at youth group. Or listening to them singing and chit-chatting in the morning while I'm still half awake in my room, barely understanding a word of what they say but knowing exactly who's speaking and being happy to know them.

Tomorrow I'll meet my new co-workers. I'm very excited, but not nervous (yet?) - after all it's not the first time that I start to work in a new environment. And I'm sure they'll welcome me as kindly as the team at LV. Although: whatever we're going to have for lunch tomorrow, it won't be as special as the chicken with holy basil at Champady that Asia treated me to on my first night in Paksé.

Kim, remember the countless times you had to compress a PDF file with my CV for a job application... And how I went into your apartment for the interview. I remember getting a strawberry watermelon shake afterward, and I think of Paul's face when he was so really and honestly happy for me when I told everyone at the office that I got the job :)

It's hard to know that life just goes on over there even if I'm not working there anymore. I'm glad that people share parts of it on Facebook, e.g. the tortures of a certain plush dog, or send me videos of team members being as funny as always...

At least I don't have to get on without baked goods! I just made Chai Latte scones for my new team, and how I'd love to bring some over to Paksé! Maybe next time.

See you soon. ♡

Beautiful Things - Everything Important.

Home. Finally. (Again, I know, but this time I'm REALLY home: Back in my old apartment with one old and one new friend and my two not so old cats. In a new room.)

Amel and George. (And yes, this is indeed a Disney Princesses
bed sheet. Everything else was dirty or still in boxes. But my concept
for my new bedroom involves more, umm, sophisticated linen.)

I didn't think I would come back here when I left. When I dropped my keys in the postbox on the 23 January I cried. I'd lived here for almost four years, it was my home. We felt like family, complete with two cats and, by the time I left, two dogs. I was very sad when I didn't find anyone to rent my room for the time I would be in Laos and when it was clear that I had to leave for good. I thought it was the end of a very good period of my life, that the 15-year long friendships would fall apart eventually and all that would remain were memories.

Now I'm back here because one of my original flatmates decided to get her own place. I've got her room now - bigger than my old one and with my own bathroom, how good is that! And although it's different without her, some things don't change. Putting up IKEA furniture with my other flatmate, for example. Inviting friends over to eat homemade pizza and drink tequila shots.

Did I really own 32 different shades of nail polish, about seven bottles of body lotion and a dozen lip glosses? (Although I never wear any lip glossbecause the mosquitos stick to it when I ride on my bicycle on warm autumn nights?)

Everything is still in boxes. I'm missing a pair of boots, my favourites, of course. I own way too many things, so I have a "flea market box" to throw everything I don't need anymore away. Today I went to IKEA to buy a new wardrobe, and shopping was so exhausting. Now I feel that I've been running around all the time for the past few weeks. I'm tired and I'm looking forward to my room being emptied of boxes. Until then, I enjoy the things I found in a box labelled "Beautiful things - everything important". See pictures below.

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.

Back home, randoms.

First of all: I should go to bed now. Really. So don't be surprised if there are mistakes and stupid statements.

I dreamed of Laos last night and felt sad when I woke up. I miss my second home.

...

Just forgot what else I wanted to write and started this post for. Umm.

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...

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I'm living out of boxes at the moment. I think it's okay, although it still happens that I ain't got nothing to wear even if I have three times the clothes I had in Laos. I blame it on the cooler weather and that I need more layers (that have to look nice together, too). My mom (I'm currently living with my parents) doesn't think living out of boxes is okay. Especially not if apart from the three big cardboard boxes in my bedroom there are four purses on my desk at the moment, three pairs of shoes that I haven't worn on the floor and my suitcase is still half unpacked.

It's nice not to have to worry about giant spiders when going to the bathroom at night.

I prefer wearing flipflops to closed shoes.

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!