2017 - A Year in Review

It's been a while! 

I'm still alive! 

Dear Blog readers, 

Please excuse my absence. 2017 has been a very exciting yet extremely busy year for me and even though I often thought "you should really post on your blog," I never got around to it. 

Sorry.

I am currently on winter break with only one semester of my graduate studies left. Instead of a Master's thesis, my program has us write a case study, so that is what I am keeping myself busy with at the moment. Nonetheless, I have decided to use some spare minutes to finally, finally update this blog.

To make things easy, here is a summary of 2017:

Spring semester 2017 probably deserves the title of "busiest semester" of my graduate studies. I had three rather demanding classes in terms of homework load and due dates. Additionally, I taught two sections Elementary German II with 27 students each. Grading 54 students while having to keep up with your own assignments was no fun. I managed it somehow, however, and even though it was tough, it was another successful semester.

Apart from school, there was also the wedding planning. Throughout spring, I was busy with planning all the details of our wedding. I would have never thought that so much needed to be planned, even for a tiny wedding like ours. Looking back, that was the fun part of spring, nonetheless.

After school ended in May, I had the opportunity to work as an in-house translation intern at a software company in Westlake, Ohio, for 2.5 months. I was translating from English into German for once, yay! And for the first time in my life, I translated for the "real world," which posed its own challenges. I loved it though!
The internship ended one week before J. and I got married so my summer was very busy, too. 

Cleveland

On August 12, I said yes to my husband in front of family and Swiss and American friends, and it definitely was the highlight of this year. We had a small wedding with 60 people in his parents' yard on a lake and it was perfect. Thanks to everyone who was able to make it! <3




Before the semester started again (and our fun lives ended), J. and I took the bike to ride to Sugarcreek, Ohio, for a little honeymoon trip. Our first stop was at Cuyahoga National Park, the only NP in Ohio.

Brandywine Falls at Cuyahoga NP

Sugarcreek calls itself "The Little Switzerland of Ohio," due to many Swiss immigrants and cheese production, yet their main tourist attraction is the world's biggest (no kidding!) cuckoo clock. I was antsy to tell them that cuckoo clocks are actually from the Black Forest in Germany, not Switzerland.

Sugarcreek cuckoo clock

Fall semester 2017 was less demanding since I was able to get credits for the internship and only had to take two classes. Also, I had less students to teach, so all in all, it was a little less busy than Spring semester. 

J. got this pumpkin carving down!

On December 17, J. graduated with honors from Cleveland State University (so proud of him!) and I will graduate in May 2018.



Right now, it's freezing cold but really pretty outside. -13C!


I'm looking forward to another exciting year in Ohio and I will try to write for this blog more often in the future. 

I regularly post on Facebook and Instagram, though, if you want to follow me there (just click on each and you will be redirected to the Swiss in Ohio page)

Love from Ohio,
J.

Skiing in the U.S. - A First Attempt

Being Swiss almost naturally sets you up for snow sports, and even if some stop doing it later on, I am sure 90% of my generation was sent to ski and/or snowboard school at least once during their childhood. We had sports vacation in February/March and most of us went skiing with the parents (who loved to drop us off at ski school) or went to ski camp. My sister and I were no exception, but while she stopped trying to fly down hill, I still love the slopes and usually manage to go at least one day a year.

I thought 2017 would be the first year I couldn’t go. You usually don’t connect Ohio much with skiing or snowboarding, especially not as a Swiss. I mean, I have yet to discover a mountain in this state. Nonetheless, some people, like my fiancé, have learned how to ski and snowboard on the hills that can be found in this area. Ohio does get a lot of snow, after all. I didn’t go skiing in Ohio though, we drove to Western New York. J. and I got day passes for skiing and snowboarding (because that’s what J. does) at Peek ‘n Peak Resort for Christmas.

Peek ‘n Peak Resort is located on the foot of a small hill, base elevation 1,400 ft (427 m), top elevation 1,800 ft (549 m). However, they have managed to make the most out of that hill and offer 27(!) trails for skis and snowboards and 4 terrain parks, along with 6 lifts. This sounds quite big for only being located on a hill. However, the longest run is only 4,100 ft (1250 m) long.

We were both really excited to go skiing (and snowboarding) as it was my first time in the US, and also the first time we went together. We rented our equipment on location and set out to the (slooow) chair lift, and up the hill. There weren’t too many other people on the trails that day, and most of them were good skiers, so we didn’t have troubles sharing the space. It was freezing cold that day, and since going down hill felt like it only took seconds, and even the Black Diamond slopes (the most “difficult” ones) were not at all challenging, I never actually got warm. I guess I am too used to going downhill for a long time before you reach a lift and sit down again.

Once I started shivering on the chair lift, we called it a day and drove home. I think I would need to go out West, to real mountains, if I wanted to get a similar experience to the Alps. On the plus side, it was fun while I wasn’t freezing, and I now know that my future husband is a good snowboarder and can be taken to the Alps any day. Yay! J. and I might still venture into the Appalachian Mountains for snow sports in the future.

On a side note: School is starting again on Tuesday, so I might be too busy to write much. I will, however, try my best.

Love, Jen

PS: you can follow me on Facebook and Instagram (@swiss.in.ohio)

Long Time No Read - A Fall/Winter Retrospection

It has been a while…

I am writing from a snow covered Northeast Ohio, a couple of days before Christmas, and a couple of days after Fall semester ended.

Fall semester was the main reason why I was not able to write more; I was too busy keeping up with teaching and studying. However, despite having been so busy, I managed everything pretty well, except for blog writing, obviously. I did, however, post some updates on Facebook, and spammed Instagram with pictures of my sweet kitten Gini.

Anyway, here is a summary of everything that was going on:

End of September

J. and I went star gazing one night at Observatory Park in Montville, because we are so hopelessly romantic - and interested in stars.

Observatory Park is located in a clearing in the least light-polluted area in Northeast Ohio. There is a science center, and the clearing includes landmarks with corner stones replicating the dimensions the Great Pyramid of Giza, along with information boards primarily aimed toward children.

However, crucial is what you see when you stand in the clearing at night. If it is clear, you can see the vast universe surrounding us, which is amazing and scary at the same time. We are a tiny ball in a huge system.

October

Fall was gorgeous, and we had nice, warm weather to enjoy the fall foliage on walks.

I went riding a lot, and Rio and I made a lot of progress. We specifically practiced not to fall in on the inside shoulder when riding turns.

One of my longtime dreams came true in October; I saw Coheed and Cambria live at the Agora in Cleveland, with my J. who enjoyed it as much as I did. It was also my first time at the Agora Theatre and Ballroom, which was opened as an opera house in 1913, and hosted different ventures such as vaudeville and burlesque shows. The concert venue was held in the old opera room with its private balconies, and it definitely had an old but elegant vibe, full of nostalgia. It is also said to be haunted, although we had no such experience (there were a lot of people, after all).

Here is the opening song, enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp_Now6WDRc

October is Halloween and everything pumpkin. Yes, literally everything has pumpkin in it. While I am used to pumpkin soup and using pumpkins for decoration only, the US seems to be crazy about pumpkin in sweets, and even in coffee.

Produce stands selling pumpkins line the roads in this rural part of Ohio.

One beautiful sunny Sunday, we went to the Farmpark in Kirtland. This is a farm center, where children can learn about farming and agriculture. While I was mostly interested in seeing the different horse breeds, we also went for a walk in the corn maze, ate pumpkin soup and painted pumpkins with the little one.

J. and I had our annual art museum date at The Cleveland Museum of Art, possibly my most favorite place in Cleveland. You already know it is a good place to be when entering the lobby and gaze upon the impressive former museum facade, now enclosed in the modern glass structure. We visited old favorite pieces, and discovered new ones.

We later went downtown to stroll around the Public Square, listened to a live rendition of Frank Sinatra songs, and visited the Terminal Tower City Center. I like Cleveland for its relaxed, non-hectic atmosphere (partially due to not being as crowded as other bigger cities).

November

November was exceptionally warm and sunny. This called for lots of walks, like the one we took at Berlin Lake. Although we couldn’t walk as far as we initially intended to, as we ran out of daylight; the setting sun provided nice light for some pictures.

Northeast Ohio is home to many Amish families, so schools usually have buggy parking for them. I took a picture of one parking in front of Grand Valley Elementary on one Sunday in November. The family was there for a school carnival.

The end of November, J. and I accompanied J.’s dad on a little road trip to Florida. We drove through West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, before we reached southern Florida and Del Ray Beach. We got to spend a couple of hours on the beach, before we flew back to Ohio from Fort Lauderdale, where I lost my phone (I have a new number, in case I haven’t replied to you since the end of November!).

December

December brought us the first snow, and temperatures at around -20°C. The advantage of living in an area that usually gets snow is that plow and salt trucks are well coordinated so that the main roads are usually clear.

Minnie probably enjoyed the snow the most:

Wrapping up the semester was a bit stressful (because procrastination, mostly), but it all fell into place in finals week, and I had a successful first semester in graduate school.

As soon as school was done, I was able to focus on Christmas stuff. We decided to bake Swiss Christmas cookies (Brunsli, Spitzbuebe, Mailänderli, Zimtsterne), and they turned out very well!

...at least they were gone pretty quickly.

December brought us sunny snow days, but also lots of grey days. The temperatures have climbed to around 0°C (it feels warm!) and the snow is melting, just in time for a green Christmas…

Yet, sometimes the sun breaks through the clouds at sunset and gifts us with magical sunsets.

I hope you get to spend Christmas with your family (I miss mine!).

Happy Holidays, and a very happy New Year

from your Swiss in Ohio,

Jen.

<3


PS: I do post more regularly on Facebook and Instagram (@swiss.in.ohio), follow me there!

I Said Yes to the Dress (kind of) - Minus the Drama

Have you ever watched "Say Yes to the Dress?" ("Mein Traum in Weiss" in German), or any other bridal show? If so, you probably have a certain image coming to mind (same here!) when I tell you I went wedding dress shopping in the United States...

I really did. And I will tell you how that went...

I was dreading it. So much. One, I don't like to go shopping. Two, I don't like to change in changing rooms (oh, if I only knew...). And three, I don't like the whole wedding business. 
I initially didn't even want to wear white, but J. made a thoughtful remark one day: "Maybe you will regret not having worn white on your wedding day."
He may be right, I thought. It's a once-in-a-lifetime event. Let's get a white wedding dress. Let's do this the "right" way. Grr.

Where to go look for a dress though?
Luckily, I have a great support group, my crew. My maid of honor, J.'s mother and his sister. The trio was wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a better wedding dress shopping support group, really. It began with them giving me suggestions for stores. 

David's Bridal is everywhere, even in Ohio, so it was only natural to give it a shot. I looked through their dresses online beforehand to have an idea of what I absolutely don't want and what I might like. That turned out to be a good strategy.
I have always disliked the strapless/heart shaped dresses, the ones that seem to be very popular, because no matter how skinny you are, there always seems to be some 'fat' or excess skin hanging over the top. I don't like it. Straps, sleeves, boatneck, or halter for me, please.

Since our wedding is going to be held in a garden on a lake in August, chances are fairly high that it's going to be hot and humid. That means no opulent ball gowns or tight mermaid/trumpet bottoms for me. In fact, I wanted as few fabric as possible as to not to be sweaty and uncomfortable, especially since our wedding is less a ceremony than it is a get together with our friends. 

Bearing all these things in mind, we met up at one of the David's Bridal stores in the area. My very first time in a bridal store! Even though I did not set up an appointment with a stylist, they had one available. But before the stylist could join us, we were sent off alone into the forest of dresses on racks to pick dresses we like, or rather, I like because I am the most important person here, right?! After we figured out my US size (measurement units, temperature, clothing, shoes, all different!), my crew and I discussed what I would like the dress to look like, and embarked on a journey through the forest. Each of the dresses is trapped in a plastic cover, which makes it really hard to see what it would look like out in the wild. 

However, by the time 'my' stylist joined us, we had picked some dresses. The stylist asked me about my preferences (and my budget, around $800) and picked out a few more, and then we went off to the dressing rooms. The outside of the dressing rooms is all mirror and the dressing rooms themselves are on a stage like podest, with your company sitting on chairs on the level ground. So this really is going to be all about me. Yay! Not. To make things much more fun, I got my own dressing room, marked with my name and the wedding date. 

My stylist opened the door, asking if I was ready to try on the dresses. "Never!" I was shoved inside and closely followed by the stylist. Wait, what? She is going to be in there while I undress? Totally. And even though I tried to tell myself she's probably seen it all, it didn't help. If I only knew, lol. She handed me a corsage and some tight underskirt, and once I had them on, she draped the first dress over her arms so I could dive arms first into it. Seriously, it is diving... and it took me a couple of dresses until I was able to do it in an non-awkward way.

My stylist then closed the dress and opened the door (there are no mirrors inside of the dressing rooms for some reason so nothing prepares you!). The first thing I saw were the smiles of my crew. Only when I turned around was I able to see myself. It was... weird. One, I never wear white. Two, I never wear dresses that formal. Three, I am usually not in the spotlight. As soon as you step out there, all eyes are on you. 

The dress I wore was okay, but definitely not what I wanted. My crew fully supported me (eventually, my face was their indicator mostly). And so, after my future mother-in-law took pictures for my mum because she couldn't be there, I went back in and had myself peeled out of the dress by my stylist. She was very nice, by the way. I started feeling comfortable undressing and dressing with her after a while. 

I don't know how many dresses I have tried on. Let me just say I didn't find 'the one', but I was reassured in what I want and what I don't want, respectively what works with my body (and personality), and what doesn't. So I considered this first bridal store visit a success.

The night wasn't over yet though. We saw another bridal store, Evaline's Bridal, and decided to give it a shot, since we, or I, were already in the mood. Yay! 
We went in there and I went to the desk to talk to the girl there. She was friendly and said she had time for me even though I did not set up an appointment with them. Apparently, bridal stores really like it when you set up appointments beforehand, but if you don't go during busy times, you should be fine without an appointment, like my unprepared self. When she asked me about my budget, and I told her $800, but the lower the price, the better, her answer was: "Oh, well, our dresses start at a 1000." I almost laughed out loud. And then I sighed. Alright. Since we're here, let's see what they have.

...

Yes, I felt very experienced in diving into the dress. 
No, I didn't find a dress I liked. 
And I was close to getting 'hangry' so we called it a night and went for dinner. 
In conclusion, it was a great first try out of the wedding dress stuff, even though 'the dress' was not the outcome. I wasn't traumatized and my crew proved to be truly awesome. It was so drama free, it was perfect. A little like reality tv, with the whole setting and the fuss that is made about you, the bride, but way more boring in terms of drama, I guess. 


Fast forward a few weeks later. We had heard about this huge bridal store, Catan Fashions, that was closing down by the end of the year due to the owner's retirement. 50 percent and more off dresses and shoes. Off we went!

When we arrived at the location, there was an almost empty parking lot and an enormous building. We all had an eerie vibe. We went inside and it was even more eerie. A hall like entry room filled with stacked chairs and rows of empty racks, a runway that shone with some past glory. Not a soul around. 

After standing around looking lost for a bit, we decided to head left (or east, as you would have needed a compass in there). The next room was filled with formal dresses in all colors, but clearly 'leftovers'. We entered the next room, and almost jumped to the ceiling when we met another human. There really was a lady working there. She told us that they were closed and everything that was still here was it. Since I have spent some time going through the dresses they had on the website and making a list of the ones I liked, I was kind of disappointed to learn that there was barely anything left. She still suggested I go look through her computer and see if there was anything left that I had on the list. There was one, but it turned out I didn't like it at all. By that time, I knew I didn't want anything heavy or with too much fabric (which turned out to be very difficult to even find in wedding dresses!). That dress was very heavy. 

The lady apologized for our inconvenience. And agreed, they should have made it more clear on the website that there were really only leftovers there. However, she suggested us trying out the local David's Bridal. And since we had driven for almost an hour to get to Catan's, we agreed. It could't hurt to look, right?

At David's Bridal, I got assigned another lovely stylist and there I went again, diving, walking out of the dressing room, and showing off. We went through so many dresses, yet again. Some I liked, but all of them had bottoms that were way too heavy and had way too many layers of fabric. How was I supposed to feel comfortable in such a dress in hot and humid August air when I already broke a sweat inside of a store with A/C?

And then the stylist had an idea. How about I try on this one formal dress that matched my needs, and, conveniently enough, came in ivory? 

I tried it on, not in ivory but in a color with the fancy name 'Biscotti', and boom.

I had found my dress.

Not a -designated- wedding dress, but a perfect -bridesmaid- dress. Light, with only one layer of fabric, and $170. Perfect.

The stylist at David's Bridal asked me if I was saying yes to the dress ("I guess, kind of... Don't make me do this...") and if I wanted to ring the bell ("No, thank you.").

So, all in all, it took me two evenings to find a dress, I am happy with it, and I didn't pay a fortune. There was no drama, no tears, no trauma. 

Now for some reason it takes forever to order your dress. I will see it in ivory, in January, hopefully.

And if you want to see it, join us August 12 next year. 

See you then!

Love, Jen

And just for the fun of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRRTvqUjccU

PS: You can follow me on Facebook and on Instagram (@swiss.in.ohio)

Gini - Almost Like Coming Home

I have been here for almost 20 days and have been incredibly busy settling in and getting everything in order before adult life begins. Apologies for not writing an update earlier, there was just too much going on. 

The first couple days, I spent with my fiancé J. at the house on the lake. In fact, my first morning, Ohio greeted me with this:

During these days, I finally made it to the Lake Erie shore. The Great Lakes are so amazing!

These pictures have been taken at the Headlands Beach State Park, where you could go swimming, too. Connected to the beach is the Mentor Marsh, a National Natural Landmark, and worth a hike (we got lost).

After a week on the lake, I moved back to where I initially started out in Ohio in 2015, closer to campus, in a Victorian house full of friends and critters. It did feel like coming home, although once I realized that this was it, there was no way back, I had a rough moment. I have always been struggling with changes, and this certainly is a big one. It helps though, that I already know the people and the area.

Horace, my 2000 Honda Civic (who has just passed 233000 miles, yay!), had busted brake lines, so for the first couple of days, I went on long walks and slowly settled in. (A week later, the exhaust pipe broke at the muffler, so I'm currently driving a car that sounds like a racing car but really has the speed of a snail).

And then, on August 16, Gini came along. The blue-eyed Siamese flame point (she might be a mix, though) kitten was found by my landlady H.'s co-worker outside underneath a bush, completely abandoned. Of course we would take her in! H. and I always wanted to get another kitten to go along with orange tabby Aries. We immediately fell in love with this tiny tatter, and I named her Gini in honor of my sister (even though she thinks it's a stupid choice of name), so I always have a Gini with me.

At the vet, it turned out Gini was only four weeks old! She would still be with her mother. However, turns out the little princess is very smart. It took her a day to figure out the litter box, a day until she started munching on crunchies, a couple days before she started playing with dog Minnie and cat Aries, a week until she started drinking water (although she still likes milk better), a week until she started climbing stuff to be with you.

I am so in love with her. 
Everyone is so in love with her! 

So here are a couple pictures of the overkill cuteness:

At university, we had a whole week of orientations, which were more or less interesting (the tendency is "less", except for the information on teaching). And then I had to start adulting and actually stand in front of a class and teach them German. Teaching is fun (so far), but along with the classes I have to take for my Master's, I'm sometimes on campus for 12 hours. Long days. But it's going to be okay. 

I actually wore tie dye for the first time on Labor Day weekend for the family's annual Musicfest. And I saw my first real life bald eagle flying across the lake (and heard freedom ring!).

That's about it, folks. I am doing well, and I am looking forward to starting horseback riding again in two weeks. Next week, we will continue our hunt for THE wedding dress. The struggle is real and maybe worth a seperate blog post.

Anyway, hit me up if you have any questions. I hope I get to write again soon.

Take care! I miss you (yes, I really do!).


Love, Jen


PS: Follow me on Facebook and Instagram (@swiss.in.ohio)