Tonight I got home as late as if I had returned from work - except that I am returning from a visit to my aunt in St. Gallen. She is now pretty much home-bound: there's much snow all over Switzerland and being almost blind and very frail, she doesn't dare go out, and I don't blame her. My visits with her are becoming more and more relaxed and rewarding. We have a comfortable routine that stresses neither one of us. I brought her a tin of Christmas cookies, 3 of her own recipes which I baked over my last 3 days off. It was worth it. When she opened the tin her face lit up and although it was just about dinner time, she had to taste one immediately. I ran errands for her and cooked a nice meal for her and her friend, which, as always, they ate with much gusto. Last night was spent programming her new phone and teaching her to use it: hers has died that very morning and a friend got her a new one! At 93 she practiced and learned to use it!
While I was busy baking my cookies, my kids were busy carrying forward the holiday traditions. Eric and girlfriend Pam baked St. Nicolas bread men, and Claire called me one night from San Francisco, asking for advice on runny icing! She now is the 4th generation using my grand-mother's recipes.
As if dealing with American health insurance were not enough, I am now having trouble with my Swiss one. Anticipating a move away from Zuoz in the summer, I called my insurance (6 months ahead of time) to inquire about the formalities with respect to such a move. I was told that my premiums would rise substantially if I took residence in the western part of Switzerland. So I inquired about quitting and contracting with another insurance with rates more favorable to that part of the country. The employee explained that if I had a Fr. 300 deductible I could cancel my contract at the end of June, but with my Fr. 2,500 deductible I couldn't until the end of 2011. Her advice was not to move before the end of the year! I then suggested I change my plan to the lower deductible. Her response: you just missed the deadline for changing plans by a few days. Now I was really taken aback, since I had not received any letter informing me of such a window. The employee said that indeed they don't mail anything out, since everybody knows that changes to insurance have to be made by November 30. I pointed out that I had just returned to the country after 33 years abroad - how was I supposed to know? She kindly gave me the address of the insurance's board of directors, so I could send them a letter! Wish me luck!
This week I start work every day at 7am - which means either catching the 6:24 am train, or sleeping in St. Moritz. I then work either until 5 pm (getting home at 6:30 pm), or until 7 pm - getting home at 8:30 pm if I have to take the train. This is not a sustainable pace, and I have now gotten to the point where I no longer have either the time or the energy to respond to emails. But please, keep on sending messages - I definitely do read them!
Between the extreme cold and the dryness of the air, I now constantly have cracks at the tips of my fingers. It makes writing and typing painful, and I have much difficulty getting the change out of the cash register. Yes... the cash register... You know how when the roll of paper for the receipts almost runs out, it is marked with red streaks? I always presumed that it was as a warning to the cash operator to insert a new roll of paper. We are not allowed to do so until the paper is completely out. That means that instead of doing it when there's a lull between clients, we have to do it while ringing up a client's purchases, with more clients impatiently waiting for their turn. The reason: changing the paper before the roll is empty is a waste of money!
Off for 2 days of work, followed by 2 days off - before the big holiday rush - 20 days of work with only one day, December 25th, off.
2010 Christmas cookies.
This picture is for my sisters and my kids: the little square near my aunt's house.
The majestic St. Gallen baroque cathedral. This is where I attended mass as a child when visiting my grand-mother.
Old town of St. Gallen, with snow and Christmas decorations.
While I was busy baking my cookies, my kids were busy carrying forward the holiday traditions. Eric and girlfriend Pam baked St. Nicolas bread men, and Claire called me one night from San Francisco, asking for advice on runny icing! She now is the 4th generation using my grand-mother's recipes.
As if dealing with American health insurance were not enough, I am now having trouble with my Swiss one. Anticipating a move away from Zuoz in the summer, I called my insurance (6 months ahead of time) to inquire about the formalities with respect to such a move. I was told that my premiums would rise substantially if I took residence in the western part of Switzerland. So I inquired about quitting and contracting with another insurance with rates more favorable to that part of the country. The employee explained that if I had a Fr. 300 deductible I could cancel my contract at the end of June, but with my Fr. 2,500 deductible I couldn't until the end of 2011. Her advice was not to move before the end of the year! I then suggested I change my plan to the lower deductible. Her response: you just missed the deadline for changing plans by a few days. Now I was really taken aback, since I had not received any letter informing me of such a window. The employee said that indeed they don't mail anything out, since everybody knows that changes to insurance have to be made by November 30. I pointed out that I had just returned to the country after 33 years abroad - how was I supposed to know? She kindly gave me the address of the insurance's board of directors, so I could send them a letter! Wish me luck!
This week I start work every day at 7am - which means either catching the 6:24 am train, or sleeping in St. Moritz. I then work either until 5 pm (getting home at 6:30 pm), or until 7 pm - getting home at 8:30 pm if I have to take the train. This is not a sustainable pace, and I have now gotten to the point where I no longer have either the time or the energy to respond to emails. But please, keep on sending messages - I definitely do read them!
Between the extreme cold and the dryness of the air, I now constantly have cracks at the tips of my fingers. It makes writing and typing painful, and I have much difficulty getting the change out of the cash register. Yes... the cash register... You know how when the roll of paper for the receipts almost runs out, it is marked with red streaks? I always presumed that it was as a warning to the cash operator to insert a new roll of paper. We are not allowed to do so until the paper is completely out. That means that instead of doing it when there's a lull between clients, we have to do it while ringing up a client's purchases, with more clients impatiently waiting for their turn. The reason: changing the paper before the roll is empty is a waste of money!
Off for 2 days of work, followed by 2 days off - before the big holiday rush - 20 days of work with only one day, December 25th, off.
2010 Christmas cookies.
This picture is for my sisters and my kids: the little square near my aunt's house.
The majestic St. Gallen baroque cathedral. This is where I attended mass as a child when visiting my grand-mother.
Old town of St. Gallen, with snow and Christmas decorations.
impressionnante, la cathédrale
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