Still A Foreign Country

I'm sure people liked our blog posts a lot more in the beginning... everything was new and our stories were exciting. But now that our lives are routine, it's difficult to captivate. Take today for example. I got out of bed when Ryan left for work. I took the dog for a walk (we're dog sitting). I came back, got on the couch with a blanket, and put the computer in front of my face. This went on until lunch time. Then, I ate pieces of bread with tomato sauce on top (I tried to find something other than leftovers, hoping to make last night's dinner stretch to tonight, so I didn't have to cook again). I got off the couch and cleaned the refrigerator. It broke while we were in the US, and smelled atrocious. That took up the whole afternoon. Pre-Ryan coming home from work, that about sums up my day. Makes for an exciting post, right? I didn't think so.

However, every once in a while, I have days like when we first moved here. I get nervous, unsure of the language, and feel totally out of my element. You seemed to like those stories, so here goes.

Ryan bought a converter while we were in the States, so his new xbox could work with Swiss voltage. He was SO disappointed to learn it didn't work, and was very determined to return it, get a new one, and start playing Assassin's Creed II. However, I have to run most of the errands because I'm the one with no job. So, he found what looked like a UPS location in a city called Grancia (right outside Lugano - really close). We happened to have the neighbor's car, so he asked if I would take the package and get it mailed off. That's when I say "sure" when I'm really thinking - why couldn't we have done this on a Saturday?

I'm still nervous driving by myself around here because I just don't do it that often. So finding this place (even with GPS) was the first obstacle. Then, I had to communicate my needs somehow. Ryan just handed me the part... it still needed to be packaged and processed, which requires help.

Surprisingly, I arrive at the UPS building with no real problem. Then I have to park. That's a problem. Parking spaces are color coordinated, and I'm not totally sure which ones are public. So, I cheat and park down the block at a grocery lot. Someone braver would have parked in front of the actual UPS location, but I wasn't chancing it. I start walking towards the building and I'm not seeing any normal entrance. There's a loading dock type entrance with a truck blocking the way, so that can't be right. There's a side door that leads right into someone's office, so that can't be right either. After circling the building a few times, I decide to stop at the truck blocked entrance and ask for help. I say "posso" which means "can I" and point to the box, because I have no idea how to say "ship." He says something and leads me to a guy, who surprisingly speaks a bit of English. That's the best thing that could have happened because it turns out it's not really a "store front" location (just a warehouse), we didn't really have a proper label printed out for the return, and I really wouldn't have been able to do anything there without this guys help.

So, the story ends well. But at the start, I had a feeling that was very familiar to feelings in those first few days/weeks. As much as we are confortable here, it's definitely still a foreign country.