Since December 20th I have had only one day off, Christmas Day. I have tomorrow, January 3rd, off and then I'll work again until the 10th. I am afraid that this first day off will be devoted to catching up on sleep, paying bills and general house keeping, as I haven't done any of the above for quite a while. Since the weather has been absolutely gorgeous over the last few days, and should continue to be so, I will squeeze in an hour or two of skiing at some point.
Work is worse than ever. We are now facing a permanent wall of clients all day long - it feels like an attack. It's relentless. Ironically, it's the locals who are also working who are the most pleasant, giving a smile, cracking a joke, taking their time. The tourists generally are unpleasant. Although they are on vacation, they seem to be in a hurry, looking and acting impatient, increasing our stress levels. When the weather is nice many don't bother taking off their sun glasses, which makes helping them even more unpleasant. Many expect us to understand what they want while they keep on chatting on their phones. Dogs in sophisticated coats with hoods and fur and bows bark, kids scream, lovers kiss, couples argue. Many clients pace up and down the length of the store, in search of the perfect goodie, avoiding eye contact. Families split up, with Mom buying bread while Dad picks up some pastries with a colleague, and then they expect it all to be rung up at the same cash register. And they tell us that they want to pay in Euros only after we have rung it all up in Swiss francs, and they complain about the exchange rate (if you don't like our rate, there are two banks withing 50 yards) or about the fact that we have to give the change in Swiss francs (sorry, I can't help it if the Swiss haven't adopted the sagging Euro). The store closes at 7pm, in principle. However, since the folks still sitting in the restaurant will eventually have to get out, we actually cannot lock the door, so clients keep on coming in. And when there is no more bread and no more pastries, in their despair, they buy packaged cakes and chocolates.
The silver lining is that we are an impressive team. Once in a while one of us manages to crack a joke. We help each other, cover for each other. The boss' wife helps on a regular basis and while she is not one of us, she no longer limits her comments to criticisms but allows deviations from her otherwise very strict rules - because she knows that her own rules cannot be followed to the letter in the overall chaos.
The above is my daily life and each night I arrive home more tired than the previous one. It's fascinating to observe how, as time goes by, there is no energy left for anything else. I have pretty much stopped sending emails, even to my sisters and to my kids and I keep phone calls short. The stress, the many hours on my feet, running up and down stairs and the bending over to scoop up chocolates or pastries are taking their toll on my body. My bad knee is constantly swollen, a tendon in a heel is acting up, most of my finger nails are broken and and the fingertips have cracks. My lower back hasn't recovered since it went out in November.
Despite all of the above, I am stealing snippets of real life during which I enjoy myself. I am reminded that I am alive and that life is beautiful. Christmas was a delight, albeit short. I got home at 8pm on the 24th. Pablo had chilled some blush and gotten munchies out. Before digging in though, I changed my clothes, dressing up to signal that this was a special night. I found a white linen table cloth and matching napkins that used to belong to my mother. Pablo brought a garland of electric lights. I lit candles all around the living room. We treated ourselves to a cheese fondue and exchanged gifts.
I was not planning on staying up on the 31st. There was an event on the square in Zuoz, but between my exhaustion and the fact that I don't really know anybody, I didn't feel like joining. I remembered the hike organized by the town and how nobody had talked to me, and I was afraid I'd find myself all alone in the crowd. However, just as I was going to bed, the bells started ringing. Switzerland doesn't have a Times Square or a dropping ball. Instead, 2o minutes to midnight, all the bells start ringing, to ring out the old year They stop at midnight, for the 12 strikes, and then again, all the bells ring for another 20 minutes to ring in the New Year. In order to hear the bells the people open their windows and go out on their balconies.
At midnight the fireworks started. There were at least 3 simultaneous major ones (remember Zuoz has only 1,200 inhabitants!) going for some 15 minutes. One was across the river, lighting up the whole landscape. The mountains were echoing the explosions. Many private fireworks were shot off here and there as well, huge rockets, all highly illegal in Oregon! Fortunately on January 1 the bakery opened a little later than usual so I slept in for an extra welcome hour.
The owners of the store donated a couple of bottles of champagne - the real deal. However, they did not donate the time for us to enjoy it, so last night, after finally getting the last clients out the door at 7:15pm, we shared the two bottles. It was one rare light moment between all of us, including the boss' wife. I spent the night in St. Moritz, since today, Sunday, there was not going to be a train early enough to get me to work on time. So last night I saw more fireworks. At 10pm I walked down towards the lake, as they were shooting them off the frozen lake. It was one of the most impressive fireworks I have ever seen. Not only were the colors and design mind blowing, but they were lighting up the whole town perched on the hillside as well as the snowy surface of the frozen lake dotted with spectators. With the mountains all around us the noise was overwhelming. All this by some -20 C with the snow cracking and squeaking underfoot.
To all my friends and readers: best wishes for a happy New Year.
Marzipan pigs at the bakery - to bring good luck for the New Year. At the bottom of the picture you can see parts of tools. The Italians believe that touching iron brings luck, so we sell cocoa covered chocolate tools (scissors, files, pliers, horse shoes, etc).
On a walk during my morning break. Lake St. Moritz, St. Moritz Bad, Piz da la Margna.
A cold morning in St. Moritz Bad.
Fireworks over Lake St. Moritz.
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