The Onion Festival

The Onion Festival as I understand it:
This festival is really a craft show without taxes. The traditions include buying onion and garlic ornamentations, wearing candy "bead" necklaces twisted like onions, and an all-out confetti war. It began years ago when the people of Bern were heavily taxed to fund a war. They were given one tax free day and hence the onion festival began. The market is a big event, people come from all around Switzerland and arrive as early as 4 in the morning. We did not.

On our way into town for the onion market. Amelie insisted on bringing her own pram.


The Bern Bear Pit


Mom, Laurent and I


We strolled in at noon and wandered around the markets. We ate lunch and by the time we left the restaurant, school had let out. Big mistake.

The cobblestone streets were now covered in confettti spanning the colors of the rainbow plus precious metals. We were constantly dodging confetti guns on our path back through town. Mom began to get upset when an unruly student threw confetti at her face. Amelie was not having it either. I, on the other hand found the whole event rather exciting and enjoyed the multitude of paper accumulated in my hair.





The big clock in the middle of town


The iconic church spier




Bern, sunset

Thanksgiving

We decided to hold our Swiss Thanksgiving on Sunday evening. For this fabulously kitschy even we brought Stouffer's Stuffing, Kirby''s Pumpkin Pie Mix, French fried onions and Alabama Muscadine table wine (yuck!).

We began our day with the dissapointing revelation that the pretty dyed eggs we bought at the store yesterday were hardboiled. What is an American family in Bern going to do when all the grocery stores are closed!? That's right, go to the local 24 hour farm!

Amelie with the cows


Its really quite fitting that there is a farm on every street corner. The farm is about a two minute drive from the house and has fresh eggs, milk, sausage and syrups available from a vending machine. You can also walk through the stables and see the cows who each have their own pens and plaques inscribed with their name and birthdate.

My favorite cow, Rosalie


The Ponies


We could not celebrate Thanksgiving without our 50 franc turkey weighing in at 8 lbs. Our resident surgeon did the honor of cutting the turkey.



Mom and Laurent


Post-Thanksgiving Feats of Strength


Stephanie and I

The Papillorama

Last Friday we took a trip to the Swiss TropicaLand which featured a butterfly garden and nocturnal zoo. It was quite fabulous to slip into tropical weather when its raining and grey outside. The nocturnal museum was quite a thrill- I greatly enjoyed wandering through the bat caves and watching the ocelots.

Grandmama, Grandpapa and Amelie



Grandmama, Stephanie, Amelie and Laurent


That night we had fondue chinois which is the thinly sliced boiled meat dipped into sauces. We had turkey, beef and at Dad's request, horse.

Meet the Children

My nanny name: Lee Lee.  how amazing.  to quell confusing the begining vowels of my name with Amelie's, my name has been bowdlerized to Lee Lee. To be honest, I was hoping for Ashie or Asha, but I'll take what I can get.

My first expereince with Laurent went well- I was able to soothe him by waltzing while singing joni mitchell and ella fitzgerald. Once he calmed down, I played some obscure Australian pop which he enjoyed.  I've surmised that infants aren't too hard.  
Amelie was another story.  She's a little shy and cried when I squeezed in next to her in the car.  But once I established that my favorite color was also pink and we shared enthusiasm for My Little Pony, I was accepted.



Contrary to what some people think, changing "nappies" is not a problem for me. After volunteering at the Suncoast bird refuge in Tampa where cleaning Pelican poo, dead fish and other unmentionable delicacies lead to a two week long case of scabies, changing diapers is a welcome task.

Falling in love:
I never really understood this concept of falling in love with a baby. His deep brown eyes, the warmth of his little hand, and the fact that he doesn't blink must've contributed to swelling I felt in my heart. He's a wonderful little one. I'm so impressed with the amount he advances on a daily basis. I'm so impressed by the way he calms down when I perform a certain vocal exercise. I'm so impressed with his babyness and ability to communicate.

Amelie is another story. Her favorite word is "no" and she is constantly in want of things ranging from endless bubble blowing sessions to incessant viewings of Dora the Explorer. I suppose this is typical of a child her age and in fact I should be grateful becuase of her good manners and generally positive disposition. We have had some good bonding experiences and to be honest, I'm a sucker for her "play" breakfast when she awakes me in the morning.

Introduction

a) I am not naturally inclined towards children
b) My child rearing skills are limited to an undergraduate course in applied behavioral psychology and the dog whisperer.
c) I have a masters degree in international business administration.

That being said, we can easily establish that I am overeducated and under-qualified.
But who am I to complain? After all, this stint in Nanny-land has plucked me out of the daily drone of American life, into Switzerland and soon enough, South Africa. This is an opportunity I have waited years for and arriving just when I completed my masters degree in international business, I could not resist.

The past four months, anticipation sat on my shoulder like Christmas day for a 6 year old in the suburbs.

I am nannying for my sister Stephanie's family composed of her husband Andreas, their two year old daughter Amelie Sarah Rae and their two month old son Laurent Alexander. Two dogs call this family their own- Tara and Braska. They live in Bern, Switzerland and keep a house in Capetown, South Africa. I will be accompanying them on their exile from the harsh Swiss winter to the sunny summer in Capetown.

The residence was built in the 1920s and is located in a suburb of Bern.  Its typical swiss style with white plaster, green shutters and carved wooden balconies.  Its located on a hill overlooking a field with sheep, cows and horses, train tracks, and the forest.  The house is three stories plus basement with a wine tasting bar in the attic (they import SA wines), A master bedroom, the kids room, the office and the nursery on the 2 floor.  My room overlooks the hillside and opens onto the uber cute balcony. The house also boasts a jewelry studio, wine cellar, sauna, and guest bedroom in the basement.
The garden includes a grill patio, pool and jacuzzi.



The weather: 
Its not actively snowing but there is snow on the hills and some rooftops.  Its really dreary here, but the mountains in the distance make up for any lack of sun.  There is an ever moving foggy haze, casting an air of magic over the land.

From Switzerland W...

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