First, my apologies for anyone who has been paying attention to this blog. I have had plenty of chances to write more, but I’ve been lacking the motivation to sit down and write about things I’ve already experienced. Blogging is like being force-fed deja-vu. (History in comparison is interesting, because I wasn’t around to experience it.) Also I have had some difficulty uploading images to the blog, which vexes me greatly and has given me further reason to boycott blogging. In fact, the reason I’ve managed to find the time now to write a little (other than the constant encouragement from folks back home), is that it’s raining, it’s Sunday, and I’m a touch unwell (just a mild cold or somesuch) so I’m staying home. I think that if I ever write a book, it would definately have a beginning.
[ed 09/09/2006: To my relief and your anticipation I have finally figured out a dodgy workaround for uploading pictures, and have added these pictures in retrospectively. Please bear this in mind as you read my bitter complaints about not being able to upload pictures, as they were relevant at the time, even though there are pictures now.]
SO, what’s happened since last time? Hrrm… heaps of stuff. Lets see. Went traveling around Switzerland with Max for three weeks, which was great. Got all the obligatory stuff out of the way, such as the compulsory health insurance (krankekasse), registering with the local council (gemaindecouncil), telling the military I’m here so they can draft me (sextionchef)… you know the usual stuff. Anyways, with Max’s help, by the time he returned to NZ I was pretty much set up (or at least, I wouldn’t be deported).
What else? Oh yes, Grosvater’s 90th birthday party. That was great. I have HEAPS of photos to show you all but… oh, yeah. I can’t upload them. Woo-friggedy-hoo. The party was great. I had no idea I had so many relatives all over the place. It’s kind of a strange concept. Later on I brought down my guitar (actually it’s Grosmoiti’s guitar which I’d restrung with strings given to me by Paul and Mike – thanks guys – which are now broken – sorry guys) and kicked some tunes. My cousins Karin and Nicole were my groupies, and the Asshole song went off, though I’m not sure how Karin took to being told to shut up and sing the song, Pal.
Job searching has been as productive as… well, something very unproductive. I got a job interview in Zurich a while back with an IT personnel company, but nothing has come of it. On Friday I registered with a temping agency, which if anything will get me some nice labouring job in a recycling plant. When I can I help my uncle Emil or his son (my cousin) Roger with schreinerei (woodworking) work, or else I’ve just been doing lots of firewood. Judging by the quantity of firewood we are storing, I had not previously expected the winter to be as cold as I now think it will be.
I’ve been to a few fests (festivals) and parties around the place. It’s ridiculous – there’s almost a fest every fortnight in at least one of the neighboring dorfs (villages). All I can say is that Paul was right. The fests are amazing, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen one like it in NZ without Swiss influence. You need: 1 marquee, several rows of tables and benches, possibly a stage if you have live music, a kitchen/bar, and several wandering waiting staff. Voila! People meander in and sit down (it doesn’t matter with whom), order something to eat or drink, and the night unfolds. It’s very social, and it’s great. Every now and then a large town holds a fest. I went to one in Biel a month back, and will go next weekend to a street party in Zurich. They’re different than the small town fests. They close down a portion of the town, and people come and set up stalls all along the roadside. It’s very interesting to wander around and have a look at the wares, but you really need to be with friends (fortunately, I was in excellent company).
I’ve done an overnight walk in the Berner Oberland with a friend Matthais that Max and I made while walking in Kandersteg. Again I have lots of photos, but if you want to see them you need to send abusive mail to admin@blogspot.com.
[ed 10/09/2006: I have rescaled and uploaded some of the images I took from the trip which begs more explanation, so I have included the next paragraph.]
We drove into the Berner Oberland (mountains around Bern) to the Grimselsee (Lake Grimsel). It's an artifical lake that forms part of a series of hydro dams in the valley, but is relatively quite high up and makes for good walking. We skirted around the true left side of the lake (the left side if you are heading downstream, which was our right) and walked accross the sandy plains before the glacier. We followed a well marked path onto the glacier (no ice, just rock so no crampons or ice axe required) and up a very steep moraine wall to the hut where we stopped for a bit. We watched a family of mountain goats licking a large (I would presume salty) boulder, asked the hut warden about crossing the glacier (which was apparently not wise) and headed down again to make camp on a quaint spot near the glacial river. Next morning we packed up and taking the warden's advice, headed back the way we came to the parked car. I was extremely tired, and fell asleep in the car. We stopped for a quick dip in a lake (I forget which) and headed home. Great trip.
I’ve done a quick search for Kung-Fu clubs, and found one maybe in Zurich, but it’s very traditional (I’m talking tiger claw, knife-strikes-bamboo kind of stuff), and… it’s in Zurich.
I’ve also been trying to find some roleplayers here in Switzerland, but being an English system DnD is not so popular here. I’ve spotted a few folks in Austria and Germany however but no dice yet, so to speak.
I think that’s about it for the moment. If I think of anything else I need to say, I’ll write it in my next post… whenever that is, if I remember it. Yeah.

Hokies everybody – take care and flick me a mail if you want to get in touch.

-Marco out.