A terrible, horrible, no good, very bad Friday morning.

This past Friday morning I had my own version of a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad morning.

It all started in the morning, when I attempted to pour milk on my cereal, only to have it come out in chunks, as it had apparently gone bad. Since I was already running a little late for a meeting with my tandem partner, I had no time for breakfast, and no milk with my coffee!

I ran for the tram and was going to be on time for my meeting, when, one stop before I needed to get off, my tram was controlled! When your tram is controlled, a number of controllers get on the tram and check to make sure that every person has a valid ticket. If you don't, they haul you off the tram and write you a ticket on the spot.

This was the first time in the year and a half that I've been taking this route that my tram was controlled at this stop, or on my way in to work at all. And, of course, thanks to Murphy's law, this was also the first time that I had forgotten my wallet at home. I had been doing some paperwork on the couch the night before, and, as I was sitting there, I noticed that my wallet was nestled amongst the pillows and thought to myself, "Gosh, I bet I forget my wallet tomorrow!" And I did.

Since I had no valid ticket, I was hauled unceremoniously off the tram, as everyone on the tram stared and all of the inspectors badgered me in Swiss German. Once they realized that I didn't understand them, they switched in to English and asked me for my Auslander permit, since, as a foreigner, I am legally (I think) not supposed to go anywhere without it. Of course, not having my wallet, I also had no paperwork with me, which was another transgression.

My ticket was written up, and they called someone to make sure that I had given correct information and that someone with my name did exist at the address that I provided. Thankfully, I wasn't lying and the controllers were much more affable once they knew I was legit. (And they could even tell that I had a GA.) I was told that my 100 CHF ticket allowed me to ride the trams for the next hour, so I should probably go home and get my wallet. Really, the inspectors were actually quite kind to me, but it still was upsetting.

To make matters worse, I was now really late for my meeting with my tandem partner! I had to run to our meeting spot, apologize for being late, explain my disaster, and then leave to head back to my house to retrieve my wallet, since I had meetings at work that started at 9 am, and I needed my wallet and papers before then. Thankfully, my tandem partner was really understanding, but I still felt really bad about being late and then cancelling.

So I schlepped back to my flat, grabbed my wallet, and traveled back to work. And proceeded to be controlled by the same people at the same stop! They even recognized me and said hi.

At least this time I did had my GA, so all was well.

And all of this happened before 9 am! By the time I got in to work I was a little bit of a wreck, although a coffee and some good news about an instrument I'd been working on cheered me up.

Thankfully, I didn't have to pay all of the 100 CHF ticket. I just had to go to a train station, show my ticket and my GA, and pay 5 CHF, which I did on Saturday. So, I guess all's well that ends well.

But now I double check every morning to make sure that I haven't forgotten my wallet!
 

Out for coffee.

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Yesterday, Lilli and I met up for coffee at a cafe we saw whilst out helmet shopping a few weeks ago. Cafe Babu was as cozy and nice as it looked, and I enjoyed a really great chai! It is nice to find new places to hang out for a lazy Saturday afternoon.

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Homemade ricotta!

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Today I made homemade ricotta cheese thanks to Smitten Kitchen's fantastic recipe! I feel so accomplished!

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An example of Zürich prices.

As I noted earlier, Zürich has been anointed as the most expensive city in the world. I was reminded of this at the grocery store, where I just paid over 20 CHF (about 22 USD) for 10 Zürisacks (garbage bags, which you are required to use). Ouch!

This is what Swiss rap sounds like.

My flatmate shared this amazing piece of music with me, and I, naturally, thought I'd pass it on to you. You can thank me later.



My favorite part is when they call out my neighborhood. Schwamindinger, represent!

Skiing in Elm: the full post.

This past weekend I went on a ski trip to Elm with a group of 22 people from my institute at ETH. Over half of the people were from my research group, and the rest were from the microbiology group with whom we share a lab.

We got up bright and early on Saturday morning to take the train together to Elm. Of course, my tram happened to be late (which hasn't happened to me before), so I missed my connection and was really late getting to the train station. I literally had to sprint from the tram to catch the train, which made me pretty happy that I wasn't also hauling skis in addition to my overnight bag, sleeping bag, and ski helmet. Thankfully, I made the train in time.

Once we got to Elm, those who needed to rented our skis and then we took the gondola up to the ski hut where we stayed overnight. It was a really sweet set-up, since the ski hut was basically in the middle of the moutain: 25 m from the top of one gondola and 100 m from the bottom of another that would take you to the top. We dropped our stuff off and hit the pistes.

The weather was really perfect. It was sunny and totally clear, with lots of new snow. I haven't seen the sun in what seems like a very, very long time, so it was really nice. Although I, of course, didn't think about putting on sunscreen until it was too late and ended up looking a little like a lobster with a very nice outline where my sunglasses were. I even got sunburned under my chin, because of the reflectivity of the snow!

Lilli and Jan and I, who went to ski school together, decided to start out by going up to the top and then going down a blue piste to get warmed up before our private lesson.

Big mistake.

While Lilli and I were maybe a little more comfortable because we had been skiing the weekend before, the slopes at Elm were much steeper and busier that any that we had been on before, which made it really hard. Not only that, but we saw a helicopter picking up an injured person off of the slopes, which is not always a good sign. Basically, we had a bad experience.

After skiing once down, we retired to the ski hut to recover and have a little lunch before our lesson. The view from the ski hut was really amazing!

At noon our lesson started, and it really was the best lesson so far. (Although I guess I've only had two lessons, so I don't have a huge basis for comparison...) The instructor was really helpful and was great at finding ways to help you remember to be in the proper form. Unfortunately, my boots were much too large, so I was sliding around in them more than was helpful for proper ski form. Overall, though, I really feel that I made progress during the lesson, and when we went down the same blue piste from the morning, it was really so much better.

The piste on Saturday.

Lilli and Jan.

After the lesson, we went up and down by ourselves a few more times before going to aprés-ski at the restaurant near our hut. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset, had a beer, and played a typical aprés-ski game that involved competitive hammering of nails into a tree stump. It definitely required a lot of hand-eye coordination, which I am apparently lacking.

Sunset on Saturday.

After, we had a nice dinner at our hut and sat around and chatted until we all couldn't stop yawning (which was approximately at 9.30 pm). All that fresh air just does a number on you!

This was my first time sleeping in a mountain hut, and it definitely was an experience. Basically, I was in a room with eight other people, with all of us sort of in one giant, connected bunk bed. We were four across on the bottom and four across on the top (see picture from website below). The mattresses were definitely not large, and any time someone moved you could feel it. It definitely takes a relationship with colleagues to a whole new level when you sleep cheek to cheek with them... I was just happy that I was zipped up in the sleeping bag so that I couldn't flail in the middle of the night and hit someone.

**Photo from here.

On Sunday morning we woke up to a steady snow. In some ways, this made skiing more difficult, because you actually couldn't see that much, especially in the higher bits where the fog rolled in, so figuring out where the piste was going was a challenge. But the fresh, powdery snow was really nice to ski in and nicer to fall down in, and there were not so many people skiing. I actually had quite a bit more fun skiing on Sunday than on Saturday, simply because I wasn't so nervous about all of the other people skiing around me, I felt that the snow was nicer, and I finally started to feel the rhythm of it.

The piste on Sunday.

I feel like I turned a corner with skiing this weekend. I am no longer afraid for my life the whole time I am skiing, only some of time, and I can imagine a time when skiing will actually be fun and not just terrifying and difficult. I've even decided to look for skis at the end of the season, to see if I can find some on sale.

After skiing, we traveled back to Zurich together, and I was so happy to sleep in my own bed! I'm actually not as sore from two days of skiing as I thought I would be, so I am pretty pleased that I had gone skiing a few times before to get used to it. It was  really quite a fun weekend, and I really enjoyed going with such a large group of people- hanging out with old friends and making new ones.

Ski weekend in Elm.

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This weekend I went on a ski trip with my colleagues in Elm. Yesterday was totally perfect- and I have the sunburn to prove it!

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What will I do when I grow up?

When I was back in the US, the most commonly-asked question was, "So... when are you coming back?"

Depending on the situation, my answer was, "I have no idea." or "I have a contract through June 2013." or "I have a contract through June 2013, and then I hope to find another postdoc position in Zurich." or "Maybe never."

And, to be honest, they all are true. I have no idea when I'll move back to the US, and it might be never. But I only have a contract through June 2013, at which point I'll need to make some choices. And, since some of the best institutes for environmental chemistry research are right here in Zurich, it does make some sense and I'd like to find a post-doctoral research position here after I finish my research in the McNeill group. But, most days I have no idea.

I entered graduate school because I knew that I liked chemistry but had no real idea about what I wanted to do when I grew up. Five years sounded like a really long time, and I figured I would figure out what I wanted to do by the end of that time. Then I would find my job and settle down, most likely in Minneapolis.

Of course, five years later, I still don't exactly know what I want to do, only that I really do like chemistry. And, my choices, rather than getting decreasing, have actually gotten more numerous. When I started graduate school, I only considered options in the US, and, if we were being honest, only in Minnesota. Now, I have so many options spread out over two different continents. The world is my oyster, and I have no clear idea of what to do.

Rather than freak out about what I don't know, I've decided to take the route of loving where I am and what I'm doing, and moving on when that is no longer the case. I believe that things will eventually become clear- that my choices will become more obvious. Case in point: I never planned to leave Minnesota, much less to move to Switzerland, yet here I am. Things just worked out, and I am quite happy. Thus, I think that things will work out again the next time I have to make a big choice.

Of course, there are choices that need to be made now, as I am entering the last few months of my PhD. I will be defending my PhD on June 21 in Minnesota, and then starting a year-long postdoc with my current group. My first assignment will be field work in the arctic up in Alaska, which I am pretty excited about! After that, I'll have to start applying for jobs and thinking more about what I want to be when I grow up. Until then, I'm pretty happy to be where I am.

Funny Swiss story.

I saw this funny story about a Swiss guy who installed a wood-burning stove in his car.

Conclusions:

a) Swiss people are quirky.

b) He's probably having the last laugh, since it's been so cold here recently.

c) Really? A wood-burning stove in your car?

Excercising in German.

In keeping with the theme of trying new things now that I have been living in Switzerland for more than one year, I have joined the student gym and have started taking Pilates classes through the ASVZ. I have been trying to stay active by running outside for most of the year, but in the winter when it is cold and dark both before and after work, I have had a harder time convincing myself to get out and run, especially since part of my normal run takes me through the woods.

Thus, the classes offered through the ASVZ are really useful for these winter months, and, once you have a membership (less than 200 CHF for a whole year), you can go to as many classes as you wish. The location couldn't be more convenient, as it is just the next building over. In fact, we don't even have to go outside, since the buildings are connected with skyways. Score!

I've been going to class 2-3 times a week, usually with a colleague or three. We often go during the day (at lunch or late afternoon), since the evening classes are so full, and then just make up the time by working later or whatever. It is really nice to have a break during the day to be active and do something different. With the exception of a brief, ill-fated foray into yoga, I've been going just to Pilates classes.

This has been my first exposure to Pilates, and, of course, the classes are all taught in German. If I'm really lucky, the instructor will speak high German, but otherwise they are speaking Swiss German, which is almost entirely unintelligible to me. By going back to the same instructors, I've been making strides in understanding, and even learning some good body- and exercise-related German vocabulary. However, most of the time I just look at what other people are doing and follow along.

This strategy is mostly successful, except when you chose the wrong person to watch. For example, one time we were in child's pose, and then all of the sudden everyone was on their feet doing a warrior pose or something like that. But I had been watching the person next to me, who was apparently taking it easy and extending his time in child's pose. Ooops!

A few other times, the instructor has corrected something I was doing wrong, at first by attempting to speak to me, and then, when I showed no sign of changing my ways, by grabbing my body and manipulating it into the correct position. But, really, no big deal.

Until last week, when I was called out in two separate classes by the respective instructors. The first time, we were laying on our mats on our backs, having just finished an exercise. The instructor was explaining in German how we were going to add a movement with our legs (or something), and I was pretty confident that I had understood. However, the instructor just kept on talking, and I got lost, so I just stopped paying attention. Finally, my colleague Laura, whispered from right next to me, "Sarah! He's talking to you!"

I had absolutely no idea what he was saying, so I whispered back, "What is he saying?"

To which she responded, "He's asking if you understand!"

Clearly, I had no idea what was going on, so I had to confess that I did not understand, in English. He promptly switched to English, explained the exercise (which, in fact, I had understood), and then chastised me mildly for not having asked a question if I didn't understand. He finished his little monologue with, "You shouldn't just sit there in your delirium- you need to ask!"

Apparently, I appeared delirious? Anyways, it was pretty embarrassing to be called out for not understanding German in front of a huge class. But I got over it, enough to go to a class with a different instructor a few days later.

Luckily, the room was super full, so I felt safe doing Pilates in my German-ignorant way. We were almost at the end of the class when the teacher walked over, grabbed my legs, and started talking away in Swiss German. (By the way, even my German colleagues don't really understand this particular teacher, because her Swiss German is really strong.) And she wasn't going to go away until we had a discussion, so I had to say, "I"m sorry, I have no idea what you just said!" She promptly switched to English, said what she needed to say (something about my leg position), and then walked away.

Cue me melting into the floor. I'm afraid that the combination of my Pilates ignorance and my rudimentary German skills just means that I will be a problem Pilates pupil for a while. But I do enjoy it, for the most part. It's an experience, anyways!

Apparently I am a high roller...

...because I live in Zürich, which was just named the world's most expensive city.

I just choose to think that I have good taste. Yup, sounds about right.

So, who's coming to visit?

Getting a Swiss driver's license.

Another one of those things that come with living a year Switzerland (besides renewing my work permit and deciding to learn how to ski and finally getting a real cell phone) is getting a Swiss driver's license. My US license was officially valid for a year after I moved here, at which point I needed to get a Swiss license to be able to drive.

In theory, one is supposed to get an eye exam (20CHF), get a passport-style photo (8CHF), and submit a completed form (20 CHF) with a copy of a current license to the proper authorities, and a Swiss driver's license will be issued (85 CHF). However, it wasn't that simple, of course.

I submitted everything, only to receive a letter in the mail asking for proof that I had obtained my driver's license before 2005, otherwise I would have to take all of the classes and tests in German to get my license here. My current license was renewed in 2010, so it looks like I haven't been driving for longer. Also, my current license history only goes back to 2008, when my original license was stolen and I had to get a replacement.

Lots of online research later, I requested a driving record from Minnesota, since that should have the history of my license. Of course, this required me filling out a form and sending it to my wonderful parents, who then had to send it to the Minnesota DVS with a check (as I do not have checks over here). Two weeks later, I received a certified letter in the mail that was a history of my current driver's license only!

Several international calls later (thanks, Google Voice!), I had finally spoken with a real person at the MN DVS and convinced them to send a new letter with my complete history. I got the promised letter a week later (thanks, mom and dad!) and sent it along to the Swiss license people. Literally two business days later, I received my Swiss license in the mail, along with my MN license, which now sports a large (high-tech) orange sticker on the front that says "Not valid in Switzerland."

I'm really happy to have that taken care of, although I actually have no plans to drive here. I, in fact, dislike driving and am quite happy to live in a place where I do not have to drive. But, I am glad that I have the option to drive if the desire and/or need arises, and I am super happy not to have to go through Swiss-German driver's ed!

Skiing at Hoch-Ybrig.

Yesterday I went skiing at Hoch-Ybrig with Lilli, one of my colleagues who I also went to ski school with. We chose Hoch-Ybrig because it is quite close to Zurich (less than 1.5 hours by train) and it had a good number of blue pisten. (The system here is blue=easiest, red=middle, and black=hard.) We wanted to get a little more practice before our big ski weekend next week, especially because we didn't have a lot of time on the actual piste during ski school.

We got up bright and early, and were at the lift station by 9.30. I have to say that it is nice not to have to travel on the trains with skiing gear. Pretty much everyone else on the train was wrangling skis or snowboards, poles, boots (or wearing the boots, which is even worse to me- it is so hard to walk in those things!), helmet, and a backpack. I was happy to only have my backpack and helmet to worry about, although I have to say that, once again, Swiss public transportation is fantastic. The trains all have ski racks in the winter (which are replaced with bike racks in the summer), and the buses have pull-behind trailers for the skis and snowboards. Amazing!

We rented our skis and such, and then hit the slopes. By the way, we are in the middle of a cold snap, so it was about 8 F and windy on the mountain. (As in so cold that my water bottle froze and my iPhone literally froze and wouldn't work until it warmed up...) We were absolutely freezing going up the chair lift! Also, it was our first time really on a chair lift, so that was exciting. I think we definitely provided some amusement for the more experienced guests.

We survived our first run, which was a feat of no small proportions. It was really steep, and definitely much more intense than the blue piste that we experienced at Laax. When we were skiing at Laax, we had time to think about turning and slowing down and form, while as at Hoch-Ybrig I just tried to stay alive and in quasi-control, with more or less success. I really felt like I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, although I did stay on my skis.

Lilli at the top before the first run.

After a few times up and down, we decided to go up a different chair lift and get a coffee at the top to warm up, because we were basically numb. Unfortunately, we got on the wrong lift and ended up at a top with red pisten as our only option. Yikes!

At the top, we saw a skier dressed up like a tschäggättä (my best guess, based on some internet research, although he also looked a little like a creature from Fraggle Rock), which is a carnival-related phenomenon. From what I can understand, he wanders around at carnival and throws soot on people. So, this person was on skis and dressed in head-to-toe fur and with a full-head mask, and instead of poles he carried some sort of fir switch. And instead of sooting people he skied up and down the hill powdering people and shaking a cowbell. Oh, Switzerland. Sometimes you are so strange!

We fortified ourselves with warm drinks and recovered feeling in our toes before tackling the red slope, which, I am happy to say, we did with more or less success. Although I was quite happy to avoid that hill for the rest of the time. With that traumatic episode out of the way, we got on the correct chair lift to Spiristock and had lunch at the top.

Warm drinkies!

About to tackle the red piste!

We really only got brief glimpses of the mountains around, as it was quite foggy at the start and got worse as the day progressed, sometimes even snowing a little bit. This made it hard to see follow the piste (thank goodness for those neon orange stakes that tell you when you're about to go off-piste), but the snow was really powdery and quite nice, I think.

After lunch, we went down a new blue run, and this one was more our speed. It was longer and not quite so steep or busy, so we could practice what we had learned in ski school under a little more control. The steepest part of this run was at the very bottom right under the chair lift, at which point I was mostly going really fast and rocking the largest snowplow that has (possibly) ever been seen. I am pretty sure that people were wondering what on earth I thought I was doing, but I did stay alive!

We both enjoyed the afternoon run a lot more, as it was calmer and a little warmer and we weren't afraid of dying at every minute. We left around 16.00 to head back to Zurich and were home by dinner time. I love how easy it is to spend a day in the mountains! And I am also thankful to have a skiing buddy that is at the same level. It just makes things so much nicer to have company!

Based on this experience I have come to several conclusions. First, I really need to take some more skiing lessons, which, thankfully, we already have planned for the upcoming ski weekend. Second, skiing when it is really cold is a challenge. And third, skiing must get more fun when you're better at it and not in fear for your life all the time (at least I hope so), so I need to keep at it, I think.

**Some photos courtesy of Lilli's iPhone.

Night out in Zurich.

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Stefi finished one of her final exams today, so we celebrated with beer and dinner at the Zeughauskellar on the Bahnhofstrasse. Zurich is so pretty at night!

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