P.C. is my middle name.........

Comment of the day. Said by Chris:

"Natalie, in this office we prefer the P.C. terms. So it would be great if you could in the future avoid saying things like 'I set my browser font to retard size'."

Baby Bear

I got this email from my sister:

Someone's been sleeping in YOUR bed Goldilocks:
This is my newest cousin Caleb. I love how they barricade him with pillows. If he was in Switzerland, there would be no barricades.... There would probably be a gate of spikes and perhaps a rabid tiger sleeping beside him and the blanket would be made of raw chicken. (See appendix below on the low safety standards of Switzerland)

Natalie Does Jet D'eau

So Saturday morning I made a two item task list.
Buy Tweezers.
Get as close to Jet D’eau as possible.
I’m happy to report I did both.
The “Jet” is a fountain in Geneva that kind of got there by accident. I guess originally, a fountain was set up as a necessity to relieve excess water pressure while a reservoir system was being installed. But everyone liked it so much that it was made a permanent fixture. I actually saw it in the airplane as we were landing in Geneva and it’s right across the lake from where I live so I set out in that direction. 20 minutes and a 4 dollar bottle of water later I was there (*beer was the same price as water…). There’s this meter and a half “bridge” that takes you out to the jet, but in true Geneva style (See Appendix), there is no fence… or anything ensuring that people don’t fall off. I went out there when it was totally packed with tourists and this idiot in front of me was pushing a stroller (seriously unsafe). However, once you get to the jet, there is a spiked fence stopping people from going right up to the jet that is throwing 500 liters per second 140 feet into the air at a speed of 200 km/hour.

Appendix: There is a startling lack of safety systems here. Maybe I’m just too Canadian and I’m used to a lot of safety rules like helmets, seatbelts, and sunscreen. But here, children are out on their bikes without helmets and the other day as I was waiting for the tram I see this woman careening at an impressive speed down my street (which is a hill that ends in a busy intersection) on a manual scooter and I think “Oh wow, looks like she’s taking one of those “My Buddy” dolls to work with her…. No, no wait. That’s not a “My Buddy” doll, that’s a child holding on to the back of her legs without any form of protection.
You can buy alcohol everywhere… Our work cafeteria, vending machines, corner stores and it pretty much operates on the honor system (I think the drinking age is 16). On that note, there are no restrictions on where you smoke or drink. I remember in the airport in Toronto every other P.A. announcement was reminding people that there is no where to smoke in the building whatsoever. As soon as I landed in Amsterdam every other announcement was pretty much “Just a reminder that you can only smoke in the designated smoking areas, as well as restaurants, bars, cafes, any place with a table- actually we’ll tell you what, light up wherever you’d like and if it’s in a wrong spot we’ll let you finish the cigarette and then tell you of a better place to smoke your next one.”
Same goes with drinking. Drinking a bottle of wine in a public part here is not just for hobos (actually, there are no hobos here either… it’s too expensive to be homeless here).
All that to say, it’s a very safe place here but I still don’t do anything stupid like swimming in the lake by myself at midnight or taking rides from strangers. Actually I was teased a bit because the first few days here, I insisted that I had to be inside my flat by 10:00pm because I was nervous… See folks that’s what 4 years in Hammertown will do to you.

Entry number one

Hello! Bonjour!

Here's my first entry on The Natterhorn. I have successfully made it to Geneva. The flight over was long and I had a 3 hour layover in Amsterdam. I tried to sleep but it wasn’t very successful despite trying to BORE myself to sleep by watching the in flight movie (16 Blocks starring Bruce Willis and his fake mustache)...... I was greeted at the airport with a "Welcome to Geneva Mr. Bono" sign which made me laugh quite hard… And people were looking presumably wondering “Bono’s coming?”….. No, just Natalie.
So I started work first thing Monday morning. It’s Friday as I’m writing this and I think my body is finally getting used to the new time zone.
My “Flat” is small but I’ll make it work. My television’s only new source is the BBC which is pleasant, indeed. Work is going well; I like the people that are here!! Everyone is being kind and helping me find my way around. I actually take a tram to the United Nations each morning and catch a bus from there to work! Everything here is a little different, in one way or another, but many things are still the same. I still fear getting hit by a car, now I have just amended that to a fear of being hit by a motorbike or a tram as well.

Things I have noticed so far:
1. People say “Toilet” instead of “Washroom” or “restroom”. I realize this is also a primarily British thing but it’s thrown me off none the less…. In my family, saying “I’m going to the toilet” is essentially the equivalent of saying “I’ve gotta take a wiz”. Both of which would get an unapproving tisk from my momma.
2. Many women don’t wear bras. Not sure what this is all about, but I’ve labeled this phenomenon “Bra-ptional”. I do not plan on ever “culturally immersing” myself in this way.
3. In Geneva, Che Guevara has his own line of school and home office accessories. I might splurge on the revolutionary pencil case because I think the binder would be a little intrusive.
4.I really want to improve my French. So I thought the best way would be to start watching subtitled English television. But I’m very limited in my selection. But I’m proud to say that I know how to say “That’s so ghetto”, “I gotta job!”, and “You in the tube top, you gotta git yerself a betta weave” in French thanks to a subtitled episode of Jerry Springer.

That’s all for now, I don’t have internet access at my flat yet, but once I do, my updates will be far more interesting and I’ll put up some pictures…… Because everyone loves a picture.

Miss you…