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.

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!

Why Ohio? - Part Two: After

This is Part Two of Why Ohio? For more context on why Why Ohio?, read Part One here.

Now that I have lived in Ohio for half a year, my reasons why I chose Ohio (and choose it again!) have changed. They have become a matter of heartfelt feelings rather than of rational decisions.

Long before I left northeastern Ohio, I knew I would come back. After all, I have found love there, why would I not want to return?

This love came in many forms:

- New friends, some more grumpy than others.

- Critters, of whom a cat who tolerated me (but probably plotted to assault me in my sleep one night), a dog who fell in love with me, and a horse who discovered dressage through me.

- Horace, my first own car, an old stick shift Honda, who has never let me down (yet), despite having some 300,000 miles on his engine.

- And, of course, J., who is my best friend, fiercest supporter (and motivator), and partner (in crime, too, he is that awesome).

My beloved critters.

My Morgan.

Alright, now you’re probably thinking “but this could have happened anywhere in the world, so why Ohio?”

Yeah. Why Ohio?

While most think Ohio is not worth a visit, I have made great experiences there. Here are my personal highlights.
(List is not conclusive, I will continue to make more great experiences)

Kent State University:

The school, at which I spent a big chunk of time, obviously.

Despite losing my sense of direction for some reason, I felt very comfortable at Kent State University. I may write a separate post about KSU, so I won’t spill the beans in this one. Let’s just stay with “I liked it” so far.

Liking KSU, experiencing a sudden ambition career wise, and wanting to return to my loved one(s) made me decide to apply for graduate school there. And I got accepted with a stipend. So why wouldn’t I want to return there?

One of the many gates on the KSU campus.

KSU's Taylor Hall in fall.

Northeast Ohio:

The area I lived in (and soon will be living in again!) is rural and thus beautiful with many lakes, forests, and trails. However, for Ohioans, a trail that leads you through the woods for a mile and circles back to your car is apparently considered a ‘hike’. I would have to walk 10 miles to consider something a ‘hike’, probably even more so I could avoid shaming my Swiss heritage. And then it is not even walking up a mountain, it is walking in a flat area. Short distance strolls through the woods.

Northeastern Ohio may have some hills, but they are not very tall. At least not tall enough to impress a Swiss, anyway. (When someone pointed out the Appalachian Mountain range in West Virginia to me a couple years ago, I really asked “What mountains?”)

Nelson Ledges Quarry Park

Nelson Ledges Quarry Park

West Branch State Park

West Branch State Park

Cleveland:

Urban life is not that far away, and even though I usually prefer to stay out in the country, there are a few occasions when it is nice to go to the city. Cleveland is about an hour away and offers several things to participate in. I know, Cleveland is known as ‘the mistake on the lake’, yet it is really not as bad as most claim.

http://clevelandphotos.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/cleveland-skyline-sm.jpg

Personally, the Cleveland Museum of Art is my favorite. Its art collection is world-renowned, and they have changing special exhibitions that make the museum worth a visit even though you have been there a thousand times (which is not a valid argument anyway because how can you get tired of looking at all these pieces?!). The museum is free to the public (thanks to a successful family of bankers), their special exhibits will have some admission fees. When J. took me there for our very first date, we were lucky enough to get tickets for an exhibition of impressionists called ‘Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse’. We saw Monet’s Apaganthus Triptych, I mean, how awesome is that?

http://exploregram.com/monets-water-lilies-agapanthus-triptych-is-reunited-for-the-first-time-in/

Cleveland is not only famous for its art, it is also famous for music. Cleveland is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which is definitely worth a visit. I have yet to go there though, it is still on my bucket list.

Then there are live sports: the Cleveland Cavaliers (basketball), the Cleveland Browns (American football), and the Cleveland Indians (baseball) all play in the highest league of their respective sport, more or less successfully (I can hear ya, evil voices. Yet the Browns probably have the truest fan base. You would not find many fans who jumped on the bandwagon with this team). The Cavs are currently in the NBA Finals for the second year in a row (facing the Golden State Warriors once more) and will hopefully have won by Sunday. If you can get tickets, go see a game! The vibe in Cleveland rocks.

When we went to a Browns game in Cleveland.

(PS: For hockey, I recommend the Detroit Red Wings. Michigan is not too far away. And they have the best team. Not debatable, even when loving Ohio.)

Hocking Hills:

About 3.5 hours south, in the southeastern part of the state, you will find the enchanted area of Hocking Hills, a very hilly area in the Allegheny Plateau. Voted as the most romantic spot in Ohio by many travel sites, it offers an abundance of wilderness, waterfalls, and wooden cabins with hot tubs.

I definitely recommend renting a cabin with friends and/or your significant other. There are cabins in all sizes and price ranges, so everyone will find their perfect one. Ours was tiny, but it had everything the two of us needed, with the hot tub being the highlight, of course.

The area offers a lot of ‘hikes’ (or short distance strolls for some people), truly beautiful nature, and impressive waterfalls. Among the most famous places are Cedar Falls, Old Man’s Cave and Ash Cave. We went there in January, so most trees had no leaves. It must be stunning in fall, when all the leaves take on their bright red, orange, and yellow colors.

Just make sure you plan ahead and stock up on groceries in the last town (most likely Logan) before the woods, or else you may have to drive 30 minutes to get food. Or something else you forgot. Although the ride up and down these steep hills, and around the tight curves, is an adventure and a highlight, too.

Cedar Falls, Hocking Hills State Park.

Cedar Falls, Hocking Hills State Park

Why Ohio?

Because, as I hopefully was able to show you a little, Ohio offers more than meets the eye of someone who hears or reads about it (if at all!), or is passing through on their way to a ‘better’ place.

This blog is meant to keep you up to date on what is up with your Swiss in Ohio, but I would also like to show you that ‘boring, empty, quiet, ugly, you name it’ Ohio has places worth visiting. I hope I will make you so curious about Ohio that you decide to pay this state a well-deserved visit and some appreciation.

After all, I have decided to stay in this state for a while, so why not visit your Swiss in Ohio?

I hope you do one day.

Love, Jen

PS: You can follow me on Facebook and Instagram