Finally!

Our boxes which we packed two months ago in Cape Town finally arrived yesterday. It was a very long wait for me and I bugged the poor lady in charge of the imports so much. It actually arrived in the UK on May 11th, then in Switzerland on June 4th. Took them a while to get it to us...

The delivery guy phoned me an hour before the time to let me know he's on his way. I was going to ask him on the phone if he'll be able to carry it up to our flat on the second floor, but he couldn't speak any English and only spoke which must have been Swiss German because all I understood was "about one hour". And it was only because I was expecting his call that I knew what it was about! (An English speaking person called Andre the day before to say they'll be delivering in the morning.)

Anyway, so I thought I'll manage with high German and gestures when he gets here to get him to help me. He phoned to say he's outside. I go downstairs but he's not there. So I call him and give him my address and ask if he's at the wrong address. He talks and talks. I keep quiet since I don't understand anything. Then he repeats my address so I say "Ok bye". But he keeps talking and talking. I didn't have a clue what he was saying so again I kept quiet until he says "hello? hello?" - a sign that he must have asked me something.

Eventually he finds the flat. Note that it is only him. I would have thought there would be two delivery guys when heavy boxes would be involved. In Cape Town THREE guys showed up to load our boxes into the van.

Ok, so he asks me where should he leave it and I ask in my best German with my best smile if he would help me carry it upstairs to the flat. "Kein Zeit, kein Zeit", he says. (No time.) So I look around outside indicating that he can't exactly leave me with 12 heavy boxes on the sidewalk. So in the end he carried the boxes (I helped too) up to the first floor.

Then I managed to get three boxes up to the flat after I realised I'm not going to survive this. So I started unpacking the boxes downstairs and carrying bits and pieces upstairs until I had everything in the flat.

I worked hard all day yesterday and by lunch time today I got everything packed away. I'm loving my full kitchen cupboards. Finally I get to enjoy all the lovely wedding gifts we received! Thank you thank you everyone!! :-)

I've realised now over and over again that we, or actually I, have way too much STUFF. It made me feel quite guilty. I have not done ANY clothes shopping in the two months we've been here and I won't, I'll try my best not to do any for a long time. Ok, except I'm going to need a rain jacket for cycling. That's all I'll have to buy, otherwise I can't go out cycling in the rain.. But NOTHING else. (It helps that I'm not earning any money at the moment to spend!)