I’ll break it to you coldly (pun intended) and quickly…. we’re moving to Zurich!
A long story short, Kera went through a long interview process and in the end, received a fantastic promotion. The end result is that she has a great new job and we’ll be moving to the Zurich, Switzerland area. Some things are developing quickly, others… not so much. We spent last weekend looking at some areas around the city to try to figure out where we’d like to live and we think we’ve got a decent idea of what is where. Of course, there’s always more to see and it’ll be interesting to see where we end up. In the meantime, we’ll be working with relocation people, movers and attempting to organize the zillions of details that will need to be ironed out over the next few weeks.
We’ll probably be looking at places in the next couple of weeks and then…. I ‘get’ to manage the move! Yes, I’ve received a promotion as well… my new title is Manager of the Move! As Kera will be busy settling in and learning about her new job as well as traveling some, I’ll need to handle a lot of the details in regards leaving here and arriving there. Once get moved, I’ll go back to freelancing as an English Teacher. In the research I’ve done, there’s a lot of work in the Zurich area so I should be able to start working as soon as schools will hire me.
Looking back on this a bit…. Living in Germany these last 8 + years has been amazing and it’s remarkable how quickly it’s gone by. Somehow, it’s hard to believe that a decade of living abroad will be rolling around the corner in the not-to-distant future. We’ve had some wonderful times living in Munich and also down here by Rosenheim in the Bavarian “Out Back”. One of the hardest things to leave will be friends in Munich and the great people we’ve met and befriended at our fitness center 37 Grad Celsius. As with many of our friends around the world, there’s a good chance that we met them participating in some sort of sport… primarily cycling; it’s no different here. We’ve been to Italy multiple times, ridden and hiked across the Alps with these people, run hundreds to thousands of kilometers, snowshoed, sweat gallons in spin class and shared massive frustration in attempting to learn how to XC skate ski. Thanks to Michi and the whole crew at the club for always making us feel welcome.
I have to thank the various schools who’ve given me work and all my great students. To this day, there’s honestly only one student that I’d decline teaching again.
Things that I’ll miss (not an exhaustive list and in no particular order. I know I’ll forget a number of things) –
1. Rosenheim.. for a small city, it’s pretty great. Other than traffic flow, I really like it.
2. 37 Grad Celsius – Great people and great fun.
3. Friends – most of which we’ll see again somewhere or when they come visit. The cycling ones we see in different parts of the world pretty regularly anyway
4. The Beer…. no one makes beer like the Germans… at least it’s not far to the German border
5. Going into any shop, restaurant, etc. and being ignored…. why? Well, because in true imported-German fashion, it gives me something to bitch about.
6. Bayerish… the local language. Often hard to understand, but I do… mostly.
7. More
Won’t miss –
1. Germans on bicycles in bike lanes… for people who’ve ridden bikes their whole lives, the majority ride like drunk idiots… when they’re sober!
2. See #1… I hate it that much.
3. German Post opening 99% of our packages just because we don’t have German names. Most of my German friends say that they almost never have the Green sticker showing that Zoll (Customs) has opened their packages.
4. Tractors and octogenarians on the road driving 1/3 to 1/2 the speed limit every-freakin’ time I get in the car!
5…. more, but I can’t think of anything else right now
Granted, I can experience any of these things, and will, inside of an hours drive to the border.
Now… to start learning Schweizerdeutsche which is the local dialect or language actually. At this point, it’s unintelligible… when I enter a shop, people ask me if I need help (yes, they do that in Switzerland) and I honestly can’t make out syllables, let alone actual words. That’s my first big hurdle. After that, it’s work and then I get to start exploring on foot and by bike.
Here’s a couple of links to get you started on your Zurich knowledge…
Wikipedia – Swiss RE (Keras employer)
Wish us luck and come visit us once we get settled! Oh, don’t forget to say…. Grüezi!
What the hell are they doing now? 
Bummer, hate to loose two great people in Germany. Luckily for us its the same distance to Zurich as it is to Rosenheim 🙂
Wish you guys luck in finding a cool pad.
Congs and all the Best for you both in Swizerland. I love the Suisse -One if our best friends live in a pretty small village in the Züricher Oberland – Ringwil near Wetzikon-approx 40 km to Zürich -excellent backcountry, best bike & xc skatetrails…if it us not too far and you’re lookin for a flat in this area- let me know to get you connected to these aboriginies . All the best Longo
What an awesome adventure. Best of luck in your new digs.
We actually found a place in Mettmenstetten which is just over Albis pass from Zurich and not far from Keras office. The movers will be here next week… FINALLY!