Zurcherin

For the benefit of Ms. Cupcake (and any other people who don't know me who find themselves here), I suppose I will take a moment to explain myself (in much the same manner as Ms. Cupcake herself brought us into the world of the Princess of Darkness, though with a little more exposition on my part).

My Swiss Connection

My dad likes to tell people that he picked up and moved the family to Switzerland upon George W. Bush's "defeat" of Al Gore in '00. But that's just the story we tell people we want to think us hardcore...

Once upon a time, the family Mohan lived in a small town in New Hampshire. Dad works for A Big Corporation With Offices All Over The World. Fast-forward a couple of years, when yours truly is a Sophomore in college. Dad applies for a temporary expatriate transfer, for career-advancement and wealth of cultural experiences for the Young Mohans (as well as recycling experience for Mom Mohan). For a brief period, the new homestead was to be in Utrecht, Holland, but the Dutch didn't want us, so we were between Munich and Zurich (someday I'll sort out my umlaut, dearest Cupcake, but not today, so don't judge my Deutsch spelling) - Two of the most beautiful 'ichs in Europe. The Swiss had scissors and the Bavarians came up with paper, so the family prepared to vacate our home of 18ish years. Some nice men came and packed up our belongings. Then, on August 6, 2001, the family Mohan, less the eldest daughter (me... who was off to Morocco for a semester abroad) boards a plane for Zurich, the capital of Kanton Zurich (though not the capital of Switzerland, which is Bern).

And there the family home has remained lo these 4 years. Sadly, I never got to live there full-time, being a college student when the whole thing began, but I usually get to visit twice a year. Thus my obsession with the country, the city, the people and the cows has flourished. Also, true to the purpose of moving there, we've had some great experiences. My dad has run circles around me at high altitudes, only to have elderly Swiss run circles around us both at higher altitudes. My younger sister has cultivated an obsession with photographing European pigeons. My youngest sister has had four years at an international school, where the school trips are to places like Greece and Holland. My father makes my mother carsick on switchback Alpine roads. We have a section in our kitchen cupboard for chocolate. I come home and raid said cupboard.

T-minus 14 days and I'll be there, adoring the trains and the cheese and the chocolate. I'll likely hijack the family camera in order to post some highlights of the trip.

Here are a few past posts on matters Schweitzer:

The Artful Roger's Done it Again

Helvetica Uber Alles

Erratum

Josh, gas up the Gulfstream. We're going to Davos.

We interrupt your Red Sox-related programming...

Oh, and finally: We do not have Krampus in Switzerland (I think - perhaps my more informed family members can confirm this). A Google Image Search for Krampus reveals that I find it terrifying.