First 4 months of expat life!

I have recently been having similar conversations with many people - what do you like about Geneva? What surprised you about Geneva? What do you miss about the US? - so I thought it would be a good blog post to summarize my thoughts and remember how we were feeling 4 months in when it comes time to look back.

Overall, we love it here - all of us have adjusted well and are settled into everyday life here. I take the bus to and from work everywhere, J has adjusted to working from home, and S is thriving with R and her new friends.

Many people warned me that the 'honeymoon' phase of expat life might end around 3 months in, but we didn't hit any major bump at that point - sure, there are times I am frustrated that I don't know where to go to buy something or don't know how to ask for something in French, but it's nothing that ruins our new life.

What I like about Geneva/our life in Geneva:

- It is clean and safe! The buses are really clean, there is minimal crime, and everyone does their best to keep it that way.

- Walking to the grocery store, bakery, and parks - the Co-op is 200m from our apartment, there are 3 bakeries (all are open on Sunday!) across the street, and one of the best parks in Geneva is adjacent to our apartment complex. 

- All of the new experiences we get to have, especially S - The travel is amazing - from a 1 hour drive to Chamonix to a 2 hour flight to Portugal, the opportunities for travel and exposure to new places is amazing. Ever since my first trip to Europe in 1998, I knew that travel would be a major part of my life and am lucky enough to have found a husband who likes to travel as much as me and a daughter who is a good traveler even as a toddler. Beyond the travel, there are great experiences for S, from trying all kinds of new foods to learning basic French to learning to deal with change and transition, and she is thriving.

- The freshness of the food - it's nearly impossible to not be healthier here than the US- there is an abundance of fresh foods and limited processed food. Sure, we have to shop more often, but it's just around the corner.

- FaceTime! No explanation needed. 

-  I am grateful for Slingbox and to my brother G and sister in law B for letting us keep our connector there! I get to stay up to date with Amazing Race, Revenge, Modern Family, and J's favorites too.

Challenges of our first few months

- French is hard. We are doing our best and people can see and appreciate it - there hasn't been a time that we haven't been able to get our point across, but it's still hard. I have been able to make appointments over the phone in French, which is a good start.

- Sunday closures- most things, including all grocery stores, are closed in Geneva on Sundays - it definitely took time for me to get used to this. Sunday morning used to be my time with S to finalize some errands, but no more. People promised me we would get used to it and even learn to love it - we are still in the getting used to it phase, but I do see the positives.

What I miss/don't miss about the US

- I miss Chipotle- we didn't go there often but it was a nice alternative to cooking and you knew it was fresh food.

- I miss Target and so does S - we enjoyed going there together on Sunday mornings- we'd buy any food we needed that they had, look for new clothes for her (I love the OshKosh Target line), and just enjoy the morning together

- I miss my KitchenAid mixer. I didn't want to chance bringing it here and using the adaptors, so I have been using a hand mixer for my baking.

- I miss seeing G and B and their two sons who live in Cincinnati too - it was great for all of us to be just a 15 minute drive apart - one of the many family members/friends I love to facetime with.

- I miss my treadmill! We had a treadmill in the basement that I would use in the evenings. My exercise schedule has taken some tweaking, but I think we finally have good balance and I have joined the gym at work so I can work out over lunch.

- I do not miss the political ads that are blanketing the US airwaves - my mind has been made up for some time- the ad is not going to sway me one way or another.

- I do not miss having to drive everywhere. In fact, I don't even have a car here! J drives me anywhere I need to go on the weekends :)

Most of all, I am thankful that this amazing opportunity came at this point in our lives and that we have been able to adapt so well. More to come on what I am thankful for in a late November post in honor of Thanksgiving from afar :)