Phase Two

After the absolute chaos that was Verbier, I was actually pretty happy to touch ground back in boring old Divonne. Obviously, as per usual I was out of the house at the first opportunity I got. 
On Sunday, Krisztina and I decided to take a jaunt to Geneva. It was only short, but I was desperate to escape my host family and I think Kriszti was eager to get out and about again. We most definitely missed each others company during my week in subzero temperatures, so I was keen to see her again.
We parked what felt like a million miles away from anything, but that may have been because I was starving to death (going out without having breakfast was a rookie mistake, I'll do better next time.) The first thing we found was a lovely botanical garden, which I imagine is stunning in the spring or summer. Even in the winter, it has a certain charm about it. We walked and walked and walked. Into the city centre where barely anything was open. The both of us grabbed a little pizza each from Migros and I treated myself to a much needed chocolate muffin. After a while, we made it back to near the car, so we sat and ate our food while staring out at the lake. When our hands got freezing cold and the Sunday afternoon runners got a little depressing, we decided to make a move again.

We ended up back at the botanical gardens, but this time in the multiple greenhouses that they have there. Not only were there beautiful plants from all over the world, it was so lovely and warm, a refreshing change from the weather on the exterior.
I'm going to stop waffling on now and I'll just insert a load of pictures which don't give the place justice.

Unfortunately, I had to get back to Divonne for my two hour tutoring session *yawn*. It was hard to motivate myself after the weeks events, but I just kept looking forward to the extra money. Particularly seeing as I spent an absurd amount of money in Verbier...
David was super hyper, so it was hard to get his attention and make him focus. But, we got there and I managed to achieve some things, if not all of them. His family really is lovely and I even *accidentally* stayed for almost another hour just talking to them.
By this time, Kriszti and Jason thought I had died and were eager for me to pick them up so that we could go and get our Sunday fries. However, when we got there, the van was all dark and locked up, so we had to reevaluate. Thank god Jojo la frite was open or we'd have all starved to death! They weren't as good as the other ones, but at least we got fed.

All three of the kids were off school on Monday. Luckily, I somehow managed to palm Kevin off to one of his friends houses and, although I had to drive, I was glad of one less child to deal with. Mel stayed at home because she still had a lot of homework to do and football training late in the afternoon, so Marilie and I went to the park after dropping Kevin off. Honestly though, the amount of times I ran up and down the zipline there is mad. It completely shattered me.

Child labour

When we picked Kev up, the three of us went back to the park for a bit, until it got cold and I had to go back and cook dinner. Even though they went shopping on the Sunday, they didn't actually buy any real food, just snacks and things. Thankfully, they bought some pizza bases, so I just shoved those in and hoped for the best. Marilie and I created 'Marilie and Sara's Best Restaurant' where we served our guests a salad starter, pizza main and some kind of banana chocolate pudding. Everyone seemed very impressed and appreciative. Kevin even gave me a five-star rating (not Marilie because she dropped his slice of pizza on the floor - whoops.)

Marilie and I had to make an emergency trip to Carrefour on Tuesday. She insisted we bike, even though my bike was still caked in mud and the brakes don't work. Anyway, I brushed as much of the dry dirt off as I could and made do. The way there was fine, not too much moaning and we arrived reasonably quickly. However, on the way back something possessed Marilie to the point where she had to stop every five minutes to moan about how much her leg hurt. Ignoring the fact that I was carry ALL of the shopping... We made it back eventually and soon woofled down some lunch. It's safe to say that my patience wore very thin and my back ached from all of the food weighing me down.

Absolutely cream crackered

Kevin has recently discovered Pokemon Go and, although rather late to the game, it gets him outside which is some kind of miracle. When he got home from school, we took some snacks and wandered around the town trying to find Pokemon. I'm pretty sure he reached level 5 on his first day, pretty impressive. Him playing this game allows me to get some extra steps in on my FitBit, which is rather difficult when you're otherwise stuck inside doing homework all day.

On Wednesday, Marilie and I did some painting. She did a special kind of space-mouse that was floating on a galactic background. I chose a much more boring option: flowers. I literally can't draw or paint anything else, art is most definitely not my strong point.

I let Marilie do some baking on Thursday. She did it completely on her own (obviously I did everything to do with the oven). I was actually impressed with the results and equally flabbergasted that she was totally willing to clean up her mess. As in, she washed up all of the bowls and spoons - everything!

On Thursday, we also picked up the kids favourite au pair from the bus stop because she had a huge, heavy bag. She'd been travelling for seven hours, so I think she was thankful for a lift. 
She took Marilie out on Friday, so I finally got some freedom. Krisztina and I managed to grab some fries, although we were disturbed by the other two coming into the cafe. Later that evening, the two of us (the old au pair and I) completed a codeword from the newspaper she brought with her. It was the first time I've attempted and finished one, I'm well impressed. I'm basically a genius now.

The three kids and the two au pairs played a couple of rounds of Cluedo. Melanie won the first game, but she got tricked the second time and I ended up winning somehow. I swear I haven't won a game of anything since I got here, because the youngest two are always cheating.

By Saturday, I desperately needed some time away from the family. After two whole weeks with at least one child, I was exhausted and crying out for some time to myself. I arranged with Kriszti, Jason and Brenda to drive to Annecy for the 'carnival' there. 
Honestly, it was so bizarre. I've never seen anything like it before. Basically, there was a load of people dressed up in Venetian clothes, walking around to classical music. 
Otherwise, I had a great day. We spent the whole time laughing at each other and being completely stupid. I'm incredibly lucky to have friends like these, even though I can't understand what they're saying most of the time!

That evening, I met up with Ellen for a drink at Charly's. It was so lovely to just have a chat about anything and everything. Although we left at half ten, I didn't get in bed until about half twelve. We just spent the time sitting in my car, talking and talking (with the occasional yawn.)
The following day, we met up again. Our original plan was to go to the market, as it was her last opportunity to go. However, it was far too cold and windy to be outside, so we sought shelter in a cafe. We both ordered tea, in a futile attempt to warm ourselves up. It was totally useless because we had no choice but to sit near the automatic doors. That meant that every time someone came in or out, we were met with an icy blast of air from outside. Nevertheless, we kept nattering until it was time to go, then we reluctantly said our final goodbyes. I'm becoming much better at saying goodbye now, having to do it so often makes it a bit easier. Anyway, I'm sure that I'll see most of these people again. I will miss going to French with Ellen, but our teacher has enlisted me to keep her updated on how she is, so I will make it my personal mission.

Other than tutoring, my Sunday afternoon was uneventful. After seeing David, I had a long phone call with my mum, then headed to McDonald's (shame on me, I know) with Jason. I just needed some crappy food with good company to prepare me for the next week. It has worked so far, but we're only on Monday. Let's see how I survive for the rest of the week!

Winter Olympics

Welcome, welcome.
This is a somewhat delayed update after an incredibly challenging and busy week or so. Here's what has been happening...

Firstly, I'll start more or less where I left off last time. After the absolutely fantastic news that I can return home for even longer than at Christmas, I had to mentally prepare myself for the coming weeks. I'm unsure as to whether they will fly by or perhaps drag on and feel like an eternity. Clearly I'm hoping that it will be the former!

As I mentioned last time, Kevin left for a five-day ski trip with his school on 5th February. It makes me laugh that his school chose such a famous ski resort to go skiing at, but I guess that's Swiss private schools for you! If I'm honest, he did come back a little different, almost more mature, but I'm sure it won't last. I've never known a ten-year-old boy have a meltdown at the thought of leaving his 'Doggy and Bunny' at home, rather than risk losing them in Verbier. 

On the Thursday, Krisztina and I profited from our extended free time. We went on a bike ride around god-knows where, basically just riding along aimlessly and generally guessing what paths to take. There are actually some breathtaking areas around here, but you sometimes have to work hard to find them. It rained the day before, so any grass or mud was completely saturated. This provided us with a bit of a giggle when our bikes almost got stuck in the mud and we splattered half the field up our legs. About halfway through, my hands were blisteringly cold, to the point where they were cracking and bleeding. That'll teach me to ride my bike without gloves! I'm a tad worried that I've wrecked the bike, but I'm the only one who uses it so I should be okay...fingers crossed.

That evening a few of us headed to Charly's to say a final goodbye to the utterly hilarious pocket-rocket that is Marta. The people of Divonne have lost a true character in her and she will be sorely missed. I'll miss her funny stories, her obsession with anything Disney and her fiery red hair. Good luck Marta, you'll be the best teacher ever!

I also went a little mad on Thursday and booked some flights for summer. The first one to Slovenia was problem free, good airport, cheap, ideal times and dates. However, I booked my flight from Budapest VERY late at night (Friday morning) and massively messed up. So, when I come back from Hungary I will be flying to the cheery seaside town of Southend. Moral of the story: don't book hasty flights! Every cloud has a silver lining though, and I can either get a train home, stop overnight (depending on the weather) or my parents will join me at the seaside. 


When it comes to our trip to Verbier, it's much easier to split the events up into their respective days. So here goes.

Saturday
On Saturday morning, I woke up, got dressed and packed the last minute bits and bobs into my bag. There was no real rush to get there because we couldn't get the keys until late, so we were all pretty chilled about getting ready. We ate breakfast and lunch at home, to use up the leftover food and then we bagged up the rest to take (cereals, biscuits, tea - the essentials.) Eventually (quite a bit later than expected) we set off, with the car all packed up and me crushed into a seat. I went well prepared, with a phone full of music, a portable charger in case my phone ran out of battery and Me After You by Jojo Moyes. I finish the first novel, Me Before You, on our last trip away to Provence. It didn't take too long to get there, thank god. The roads around Verbier were winding, steep and snowy. F.A.N.T.A.S.T.I.C. My absolute favourite conditions combined together! 
When we arrived, the six of us got unpacked, had tea and a snack before heading out to dinner. The lovely guy who came to sort out our WiFi (which is a must in a house with kids apparently) recommended a restaurant not too far from our chalet, which was ideal. We later found out why he suggested it, he worked there! Nevertheless, the food was pretty decent but super expensive, that's Switzerland for you. Not that I was paying for any of it...
Only bad news (and by bad I mean absolutely bloody awful, could not have been worse) was that I had to share a room and bed with Melanie...again. And it was even worse than last time!

Sunday
Not phased by the amount of snow and subzero temperatures, we had a little wander around the village/town/whatever you call it. The girls and I took many a Boomerang, in the middle of the street, trying to avoid recording all of the strangers. 

I also took the time in the afternoon to rent my ski equipment for three days from the local shop. The people there were utterly lovely and really helped encourage me and ease my nerves. Definitely go to Evasion in Verbier if you ever need anything while there!
In the evening, the bajillionaire invited us all out to dinner. We went to a restaurant called La Pergola, which offered a pasta dish they named 'spaghettata.' This was an unlimited pot of spaghetti with six varying sauces; gorgonzola, pesto, carbonara, bolognaise, tomato and a mixture of pesto and tomato sauces. You're supposed to share it between two adults, but I shared with Melanie and Marilie. My god I felt sick afterwards. The other eight people all had pudding too, I have no idea how they managed it. When half of the 'ladies' went to the bathroom, the bajillionaire paid for everything. NINE MEALS AND EIGHT PUDDINGS! She didn't even bat her perfectly preened eyelids, like it was pennies for her. Absolute madness!
That night we walked all of the way home. I swear, I've never been that close to chucking up in a snowy driveway in my life. For some reason, the free busses get much less frequent the later it gets, so it made more sense to walk than wait. Somehow I kept about a kilo of pasta in my stomach and didn't die when I got back, so I think the walk helped cure my very unsettled stomach. Success!

Monday
We couldn't manage to find any lessons for me to take, but somehow they managed to squeeze Marilie in for a five-day course in the afternoons. This meant that the oldest two needed to teach me how to ski in the morning. In actual fact, they were both quite eager about it. Originally, it was supposed to be Kev teaching me, but he soon gave up because he couldn't quite find the words to explain exactly what I needed to do. Therefore, the responsibility fell onto Mel's shoulders, who was much clearer in her instructions and before I knew it, I was away. I have to admit, I absolutely loved it. Even though I was surrounded by toddlers more experienced than me, the feeling of *almost* whizzing down a slope is completely invigorating and anyway, everyone has to start somewhere.

Tuesday
Tuesday marked my first day of solo skiing. I took myself off to the baby slope and spent the entire morning going up the 'carpet' and down the slope. The carpet is pretty cool for beginners like me. Basically, all you have to do is go to the bottom of this conveyor belt, align your skis so that they are parallel and hop on. After that, it just drags you up to the top where you disembark and slide down the hill. All I kept repeating was 'pizza, pizza, pizza' which is the move you do to slow down. Essentially all you have to do is put your skis into a 'v' shape (or pizza slice), then shift your weight between your legs. For example, if you want to go left, put more weight on your right leg and angle your skis a bit, and vice versa. Simple...in theory. I'm proud to say that not once did I fall over, which is somewhat of an achievement for me. I think it's because I know I won't get the chance to do it again, so I really did try hard and make the most of it.

That afternoon, the host mum and I made the most of the lovely weather and took a cable car up into the mountains. When we got halfway, we stopped for a very tepid 'hot' chocolate and a pancake. I cannot believe I paid 9CHF for a pancake with caramel sauce in it! Ridiculous. Although, I did enjoy the view across the slopes (the view inside the restaurant wasn't half bad either!)

In the day, my host dad and the two oldest kids met up with some family friends who had driven from Divonne to Verbier just for the day. We invited them around for pasta that evening, to fuel them for the drive back. They graciously accepted and we had a lovely, relaxed night. 

Wednesday
Wednesday wasn't too eventful. It was my last ski day so I headed up the tiny slope one last time for a couple of descents. I met a really lovely English guy called Chris, who must've been able to tell I was British just by looking at me. He told me that he'd been visiting Verbier since he was 19 and had enrolled his son into private lessons (virtually everyone who goes to Verbier is minted.) When the bus came, we got a bit split up (the busses were usually packed) but I got the chance to wish him well for the rest of his holiday. During that bus ride, some woman crushed my right foot by stepping on my little Primark boots with her huge, heavy ski boots. OUCH!

 
Thursday
On Thursday, the weather wasn't so great. This was the perfect opportunity to explore the town a bit more and relax. We came across a little toy shop with a rather large bear outside, so naturally we took a few touristy snaps. 

In the early evening, we went to a pub called Mont Fort, which is apparently kind of famous. There was a woman called Faye McAdamy playing the guitar and singing a few familiar songs. It was great to listen to live music again, it's been far too long now. After that, we ate dinner at a restaurant called Chez Martin, where I chose pizza as my poison, followed by a banana split that I shared with Melanie. 

Coolest bar light ever!

Friday
Four out of the six of us were skiing pretty much all day on Friday, so the host mum and I had another mooch around town in the afternoon. We found a little chocolaterie, where we indulged in a gorgeous cheesecake (I chose caramel sauce, she chose raspberry) and for me, an orange juice, for her a cappuccino. 

When we reunited with the others, we all went to the Milk Bar to meet the aforementioned billionairess and her youngest son for a milkshake. My god that mikshake was heavenly. Kevin and I both chose the Oreo milkshake and we were by no means disappointed! It was a bit heavy though, and when it came to eating our dinner, I had to take it really slowly. We went back to La Pergola, but this time I opted for a scrumptiously cheesy lasagna. It was DELICIOUS!

I need this light

Saturday
By Saturday, we were all a tad exhausted. We rather leisurely packed up our stuff, ready for our return. It was so leisurely in fact, that we were only just leaving by the time the cleaners came! Whoops. Anyway, because Melanie was in the back on the journey there, I got to sit there on the way 'home'. As you can see, I was more than a bit squished, but I got to read some more of my book in peace, without little hands trying to touch me, or not-so-little mouths trying to tell me some useless information.

All in all, I really did cherish my time in Verbier. I'm clearly going to be at the next Winter Olympics, my skills really did shine through this week. 
It's always interesting to see how the other half live, even if it's unobtainable for the vast majority of us. Switzerland rarely fails to make me smile, but I still have a small heart attack every time I see those prices! 

Hopefully next week is less eventful...I can't deal with all this excitement.