The first couple of days in Europe usually spell trouble—the jet lag makes everything a little more difficult and, typically, your brain hurts from referencing your “internal foreign language file.” At least mine does. Usually, I end up remembering random Spanish phrases from high school language courses (¿Dónde está la biblioteca, Pedro?) or spitting out German when pressed for a quick response. While such thoughts are entertaining, they’re not entirely helpful in the French-speaking region of Switzerland.
Once my family and I arrived in the region, our first order of business was to decide where we wanted to live. Brad and I were eager to explore our new environment and loaded our precious cargo into the rental vehicle. We headed out for a drive on the “Lake Road” or Route Suisse, which hugs Lake Geneva and winds through a string of small towns and vineyards from Geneva to Lausanne. The road is peppered with the occasional château and the scenery is breathtaking. On a clear day, you can see France and the Alps on the other side of the lake. The waterfront of each town is lined with shops and sidewalk cafes, and bustling with families and couples enjoying a snack or a walk.
It sounds picturesque, right? In reality, I spent the first three days spontaneously crying and wondering to myself, “What the heck am I doing here!?” Remember: I had a baby only four weeks prior to our arrival in Switzerland. I blame the hormones for most of my behavior. In fact, I still do.
Our new baby Addi and our dog Tycho peered out the window at the mountains and lake as Brad and I had an epiphany: When did we become adults? We started laughing as we looked at ourselves, driving an enormous vehicle with a dog and a baby. We didn’t feel any different from when we lived in Europe before, but circumstances had certainly changed. If it were just us, we would have settled ourselves in the city, like Geneva or Lausanne, where theater, shopping, English language movies, and—in the occasional homesick moment—Starbucks are within our reach. But, as things are different, we decided to live in Nyon, which is a quiet town and can be considered “family friendly.” Yikes!
