Late night chocolate shopping

When you get a chocolate craving on a Sunday night it's a good thing there's a Shell Garage shop nearby as all other shops are closed all Sunday!

Swiss Chocolate Shopping! from Anneliese Mostert on Vimeo.

We have a flat!!

Last night we signed the contract and paid the deposit for the flat. Our move in date is 1st May but we already have a key and the owners said we can even move in now already if we want.(They are super nice and so helpful.) We'd love to but we don't want to sleep on the hard, cold floor so we'll wait until we (hopefully soon) have a bed.

Today I'm going to Ikea to find out how soon they can deliver. I can get 50% discount on the delivery fee if I travel there with public transport, which I will and I want to get all the details about that too. Don't want to get anything wrong and lose out on that discount! I need to start making a list of all the essentials we need, e.g. toilet paper and dishwashing liquid! And of course bed, cupboard and couch. 

Today I'm also going to de-register us here in Baden so that we can register in Dietikon. 

So that's my plan for today.

Yesterday I went for a second interview at TAZ-Horgen school. It went well and I had a good morning there. I spent the morning in the pre-kindergarten class and then a bit in the kindergarten class. Both were great but I'm thinking I'd enjoy the kindergarten kids more. So everyone please hope and pray for me that I will get the job there. I will hear from them by end of next week...

Ok, here's some more pictures from the apartment last night. I still want to put up pics Andre took of our forest walk last Sunday but he hasn't downloaded them yet..

This is the view down the street, taken from our Wintergarten.

Another view from the Wintergarten.

André checking out the fire place. Wonder where one buys wood here...

We were impressed with the cupboards!

View from the kitchen windows.

Money in the bank!

Yay! I have money in the bank! This weekend Andre said I should try registering my cards online. I got THREE! No credit cards, just bank cards. I didn't know I was getting so many! For at least a week I was receiving packages and letters and all my top secret numbers and this weekend I thought maybe it's the end now so I tried logging in to see if I have everything I need. It's quite a process to log in to check your accounts. Andre says it's good cos it's for security. Then was our online banking in South Africa not that secure?? 

Here I put my card in a little yellow card reader machine thingy (see picture on facebook). Then it tries to challenge me! I have to be on the website where I get a challenge code to punch in, then I have to put two codes in the pc, then another lot of codes into the card reader and then, I think that was about all, I am logged in!

So after registering my cards online over the weekend I went in to the bank today and handed them over some Euros to put into my account. Again I had to put my card into another card reader there, punch in codes and ok buttons and the money is in! I checked in now, after again entering all those codes and it's there. I haven't tried using the card yet. I'm to scared they tell me in German that it doesn't work... 

Now André is still waiting very impatiently for the rest of his secret letters and numbers and things to arrive. We think his salary has been paid in there already but he can't get to it yet!!

Oh I just remembered I was busy tidying up here before André gets home from work when I spotted my wallet. Let me continue that task now. 

The washing powder challenge

Yesterday we had our biggest grocery shopping day yet. That was because André was with me and could help me carry. We didn't have a SFr 2 coin for a trolley so André had to carry the basket. After the basket had been full for a while already, and André said we have to go pay now, he can't carry anymore, I remembered we need washing powder! Remember I said before I didn't know which one to buy so just didn't get any? Well, we couldn't put it off any longer. The clothes needed washing. 

Obviously the tub I used to buy back in SA would not be here so we squat down to try and figure out which brand to get. My mom recommended Ariel. I excitedly found the Little Mermaid brand, but it was a liquid something in a plastic bag. Not practical for us as we'll have to pack and move in 2 weeks. (Yay!) So we continue our search. André spots 3 boxes with OMO on them. Ahh that's a name we know. But no it won't work. They are only for whites or sensitives. Not sure what will happen if I wash my non-sensitive clothes with sensitive washing powder. We are in search of one for colours as most of our clothes have that: colour. And anyway, we were told by a Swiss that that's what we need. On the bottom shelf in the corner I see one lonely box of Surf. That is also something we know, I think? Yes I'm sure I remember seeing Surf ads on TV. And can you believe it, it's for colours! 

I tested it this morning. Did two loads and it worked! Clean clothes! And even my light pink t-shirt is looking better now after it's previous wash with new black socks... Hope washing on a Sunday was allowed?

Here's the video to go with the previous post

Our first apartment viewing in Switzerland. from Anneliese Mostert on Vimeo.

Apartment viewing here in Switzerland

Yesterday afternoon I took the train and met Andre in the town where we've made an appointment to see a flat. It was for quite a large flat at a very good price and I guess that should have made us a bit suspicious already.

So we meet on the train station and walk the short distance to the address we've got. We immediately notice some differences to this place compared to other areas we've seen... It's really busy and the area is just not looking that great. But anyway, we continue. We arrive on the opposite side of the street to the apartment building. It's right on this main road that's so busy. And there's a line of people outside already. Viewing was from 6-8pm and I thought being there at 6 would be good. Well many others were there already, obviously long before 6! Very "international" crowd (not many swiss people, I mean).

We've already decided this won't work for us but were curious to see the flat since we made it there and also to see how this thing is done here. I'm not sure how long we stood in the line but to give you an idea, the apartment was on the 4th floor and the people stood all the way down the stairs out the front door. We also started waiting out the door and when we left after seeing the flat there were still people all the way down and out the door!! 

The apartment inside is actually really nice. Very spacious and light. But it's just the area there that's too busy. And we've gotten used to our nice green view here at the B&B and there was maybe one tree visible from a window...

I'll post the video a bit later or tomorrow. It's still downloading and then I still have to edit it.

Do the Swiss really want to rent out their apartments or do they just enjoy posting ads?

Yesterday I encountered the first person here who was not prepared to speak English to me. Up to now I've been really surprised at how well everybody can speak English, even older people, which is not usually the case in Germany. And they are actually really eager to speak English when they hear your German is 'nicht so gut'. We would still try a German word here and there and say "Auf Wiedersehen" when we leave a shop, but no they are going to use this chance to practise their English all the way till we're out the door! Really really nice of them. Makes us feel more welcome here.

But over the telephone it seems to be a different story. I can understand that. It's more difficult understanding someone in a foreign language when you're not face to face. You can't use body language to help you make sense of what's being said. 

So yesterday I called to set up an appointment to go see a flat in Schlieren. I'm already going to see one at 16:30 so I want to try set up a few more appointments while I'm going to be there. I phone Herr E. since he doesn't seem to have email like the rest of us. I've looked up and translated my first few sentences so I start off well in German. Then ask if I may speak English. He says "nein, Düütsh". Which is Swiss German for Deutsch. Not sure if he wanted me to speak Swiss german or German, but there's no way I know anything in Swiss German except for Grüezi (Hello). So off I go in my best German. Ask if we could come on Saturday, he says "schlect" (bad). Thursday afternoon then? "Schlecht." Oh well, then I've got plenty others to see in that town. And anyway, the bathroom tiles were an awful shade of brown, floor and walls, all of it. Some of these places are just very different to what we're used to! Different culture, different taste I guess.

I've been hoping to get email replies to the messages I sent on the website, but nope. Nothing. So number two on my list is Frau S. Also doesn't want to speak English. Instead, after I tell her ok but my german is not very good but I'll try, she goes babbling on at top speed in what I assumed was German. I got a word here and there. Waited patiently for her to finish. Then asked again, so can we come see the apartment? Uh no, she doesn't have her diary with her. She'll call me back.

Now I can't yet call number three because I have to see if number two will be able to see us after we see number one. If I had a car and knew where I was going it might be easier. I have very carefully planned my route with the help of google maps and worked out the times it will take to get from one to the next.

Oh I just want to get this part over. I really hope we'll have a place by the end of this week.

Last thing, about them not being all that keen on showing their apartments they advertise to rent, number one also didn't give any options of when we can come and view. It's Thursday at 16:30 and that's it. That's when everybody who's interested must come. 

It will feel so good to finally have our own place... Better keep on looking then!