We’re going a long way back today. This is from my year abroad, when I was studying French at the University of Neuchâtel. I spent every free minute exploring Switzerland and our day in Zermatt was one of my favourite adventures. It was the depths of winter. In fact, it was November 26th 2005. In … More Stay At Home Storytelling: a cold day in Zermatt
I’ve mentioned, ooh, about ten thousand times that I possess a degree in French and Spanish. A Modern Foreign Languages degree course, for an average student-age student, includes a mandatory year abroad in a country where your language is spoken. Or it did in my day, when we were a member of the EU and … More Stay at Home Storytelling: A day in the life of an international student
When I went to Pax Lodge for the Thinking Day weekend a few years ago – 2016? 2017? – I completed their challenge and the receptionist who signed it off said they’d never seen a challenge completed so thoroughly. I might do a blog post about it later in the year. It’s partly about Pax … More The Our Chalet Challenge
Friday was more or less a free day. All we had to do was pack and leave Our Chalet and then my flight didn’t leave Geneva until gone 9pm. It takes a while to get to Geneva from Adelboden but not that long so I intended to have a day out to play in Switzerland. … More Our Chalet: Friday in Switzerland with a suitcase
Thursday was our last full day. Really, it was our last day at all. We’d all be leaving fairly early on Friday morning, having accomplished nothing more than a quick breakfast and the last of our packing. We met at 9am at the flagpole with our hiking stuff because today we were going to the … More Our Chalet: walking to the woodcarver on Thursday
After our busy day on Tuesday and our late night, Wednesday started in a leisurely fashion. Instead of being summoned to breakfast at 8am by a bell, we had a casual drop-in brunch from 9.30. It had the usual breakfast items of toast and cereal but it also had two baskets of miniature croissants and … More Our Chalet: Lazy Wednesday
Our first full day at Our Chalet is Tuesday. Monday is spent flying to Switzerland, taking two trains along foggy lakesides and a final bus ride into increasingly perfect mountain views. Then we get settled in and introduced to our new home. On Tuesday we’re up early for the Pinning Ceremony, a celebration of international … More Our Chalet: Tuesday up the mountain
I’ve talked about my year abroad before – mostly in terms of the travel I did between my work and the places I went. I did a degree in French & Spanish. I don’t really speak any Spanish anymore; my French is a little better than I’d expected it to be. If you’re a normal … More How I survived studying overseas
This is the last of the Year Abroad stories – I’ve more or less reached the end of what I can remember well enough to write about. But I saved this one for the winter because it’s seasonally appropriate and it’s one of my favourite memories of my year learning French in western Switzerland. I … More Shrieking on the slopes at Chaumont
It’s that time of month again – another trip back in time to my year as a student in Switzerland in 2005/2006. Today we’re going down to the shores of Lake Geneva. I’d found some caves in my guidebook, semi-secret ones and I wanted to depart at the crack of dawn to find them. Unfortunately, … More Chateau de Chillon
I Am A Polar Bear 