Settling In

So finally I really feel like I am living in Switzerland. And it's quite the shock to be settling down. My last 2 months have included the craziness of wedding planning in Vancouver, an exciting and friend-filled 2 weeks in Calgary, and then an adventure-filled 2 weeks in Baden, touring around Switzerland. And then 5 days ago I moved into my place in Winterthur. A University residence which is basically empty since most students are currently on summer vacation. So my first night here, was incredible lonely. Not lonely in the sad way, but more lonely just for the fact that it was empty of people, empty of opportunities for socialization. It was just different.

(me and some friends celebrating Canada Day by the campfire)

My residence room is really nice though. I have a private bedroom and sink, and then I have a shared bathroom, shower, living room and kitchen. Everything is decently large enough such that I don't think it will get crowded, even once the building is full again. I am living on the 3rd floor (which in Canadian terms is the 4th floor because they have "Level Zero" here) so I get some exercise taking the stairs everyday. Otherwise, I have a gym right within my building that I can also use. There is even a common porch off the 2nd floor with a propane barbecue and all. On top of that, my place is about a 5 minute walk to work, a 5 minute walk to the grocery store and about 10 minutes to the train station. So overall, I am very pleased with my accommodations.

(my room in Winterthur - not quite done unpacking yet!)

I have also started work. I have only been working for 3 days, so I'm still not sure exactly what I am going to be doing, but I think I am really going to enjoy my job. I am working on engines that go in very large ships, mostly doing cost analysis stuff. So, when the engineers in the research and development area have designed a part of the engine, they will bring me the engineering drawing and ask me to figure out how much it will cost relative to the old design or to the competitors' designs. Beyond that, I think a lot of my work will be "intern work," where I get to do the menial tasks that don't involve a lot of thought. But I am perfectly fine with that. And it's been really neat learning about how engines work, since prior to this job I had very minimal knowledge. I also found out that the cruise I took with my family over Christmas 2007, our ship actually had a Wärtsilä engine in it!! Very neat. My boss is nice, and the hours are flexible. I am even allowed to work longer days, bank up time, and then take more days off to go and explore Europe. :)

That is about all in my life right now. This past weekend, me and 7 other Canadians took a trip down to Zug (about an hour south of Zürich). We hiked about 4 hours from Zug to the lake Ägerisee and went for a nice swim. It was an adventureful trip where we got lost about 5 times, but we still had lots of fun! Plus while lost we stumbled upon a beautiful waterfall, some ruins in the forest and a quaint little town in the beautiful rolling hills of Switzerland. So although we took the long way due to poor sense of direction, in my opinion it's more about the trip there than it is about the final desitnation! :)

(me with the waterfall in the background)

(a group shot at the ruins we found along the hiking trail)

ps. Happy Birthday to me! What a better way to spend my 21st birthday than in Europe!! :)