My life as a first grader.

We (mostly I) have been functioning as a six year old for the past several months.  Some would say that's how I function in all areas of my life, but I think it's mostly just the following:

Address - It took me two months to learn our address.  Sometimes I still get mixed up on our 'post code' (zip code), but I got it down now!  They write addresses differently over here.  For example, if I wanted to send a letter to Big Bird:

Monsieur Big Bird

Rue de Sesame 12

3456 Creepy Town

Street # and zip code are in different places from US style.  You don't put what floor he's on nor do you put the country.  Unless he moves to China.  

Phone Number - I was just recently able to give my phone number to someone without looking at it in my contacts (last week).  This is a huge accomplishment!  Usually I have to ask Adam what it is, but after one too many 'looks' and sighs of disapproval from him, I thought it would be best if I learned it.  Swiss do phone numbers this way:

(+41) 12 345 67 89  (+41 is Switzerland's country code)

It also took us seven hours to figure out how to dial a +

or

012 345 67 89 (if you call from a Swiss phone)

This is Rocco and I practicing on a plastic phone Adam bought for me:

Just kidding.  I would never wear head-to-toe baby pink.

Money - I am now proficient at using the various bills and coins.  Having seven different coins to mentally and physically manage is difficult.  However, I can now go through the grocery line and use coins rather than just hand the lady a 100chf bill (which used to happen each time).  When I first tried using coins, I got death stares because it took me soooo looonnnng to count it out.  Pretty detrimental to confidence.  I'm awesome at it now.  

 

Time - We use 24 hour time (Army time) over here.  It's horrible.  Seriously.  When we arrived, I made a vet appointment for the boys and showed up three hours early because I got times confused.  When someone says "See you at vingt hour" (20:00) I have to mentally subtract 12.  Sometimes I even catch myself using my fingers.  At first I think 20:00?!  That's too late for dinner!  Then I realize it's only 8:00.  I can't tell you how many times I have been asked the time by strangers.  I ALWAYS freeze up too.  Not because I don't know what time it it, but I just don't know how to communicate it.  It's so weird.  I am hoping to master the time skills by the time we move back.  Probably won't happen.

Temperature - Celsius.  It sucks.  I seriously loathe (stronger than hate) using Celsius.  I just poke my head out of the window to get the weather forecast. 20 degrees Celsius means nothing to me.  I know that 24-ish is really nice, 30 is hot, and Phoenix is somewhere around 83.  I don't think I'll ever get the hang of it.

  

Thanks Anders Celsius.  

P.S. Your hair is ugly.

Conversions - Ahh the metric conversions.  I remember learning something in school about them and thought "Pfft, we don't use the metric system here so who cares?"  Funny how that worked out.  Metric is easy in and of itself.  However, going from cups/miles/feet/pounds/etc. (empirical system) to anything metric requires technical assistance and critical thinking skills.  I have an app on my phone (Well, did.  I recently washed it doing laundry... another story.) and I frequently refer to my Better Homes cookbook index for conversions.  Celsius fits in again here.  If someone said, "Hey Ashley, I need 4 deciliters of peanut butter.",  I would have no clue what that looks like.  Is that close to a cup?  A barrel?  A teaspoon?  Equivalent to a swimming pool?  Who knows.   I try to not do any conversions.  Or I just guess.  Hopefully no one will ever ask me for 4 deciliters of peanut butter.

Look at this witty comic I found.  Someone spent way too much time drawing out a cheesy joke.

French - Oh my gosh.  I feel like a toddler trapped in an adult's body.  I am learning French, but I have a very limited range of vocabulary and applicable phrases... equivalent to our 2.5 year old nephew's language skills.  That's actually if I can get the words out of my mouth.  Usually a French conversation induces heart palpitations and extreme palm sweat.  I know how to say random things like "It's snowing out. I am American.  Do you have any apples?  My dogs are both male.  Where is the bank?"  Honestly, though I can't just walk up to people and say "Hello!  It is snowing.  Do you have apples?"

I was 'talking' to a lady one day about the fur kids and she said "Ohh!  Voila! (vwah-la) and quickly stormed off.  It was awkward.  Really awkward.  I mentally retraced the conversation trying to figure out what went awry.  I said my French phrases again and figured it out.  I was trying to tell her they were male and kind of bad, but I wound up saying they were bad and very sick.  Oops.  Also, I may have misdirected an elderly woman asking for directions to the bus stop one morning.  I hope she didn't have anywhere important to be.  Like a life saving doctor's appointment.

I can only wish that one day I will be able to communicate as good as a French-speaking first grader.  I think Adam's given up learning French.  I don't blame him.

              

Au revoir!