Matt, Greg, Verity & Delilah Hodgson-Fopp (2 guys + twins)
With multiple used face masks and two very excited little girls, we were escorted off the A350 by officials dressed as astronauts. We were greeted at Sydney’s International Airport by two very excited Grandparents and 14 days in isolation. That’s when it hit me, in 24 hours our life had changed forever. It was awful but it was awful for everyone everywhere!
Read MoreWe’ve missed so many Christmas’s, birthdays, weddings, arrivals of nephews, anniversaries, saying final goodbyes and the list just goes on. At what point do you go “That’s enough, we need to go home?”, how do you make that decision when you have two 5 year olds…
Read MoreGreencity is still rather grey, although as spring arrives some of the trees are getting leaves and things are getting greener. Maybe with time they’ll plant some lawn. Lol. The apartment is good though and is exactly what we wanted.
Read MoreHave you visited Greencity? Are you as confused as I am about the name? Wouldn’t a more appropriate name be Cobblecity, Pebblecity, Greycity, Graycity or even Cementcity? Why the 50 Shades of Grey?
Read MoreThere’s lots of procrastinating happening and lots of mess appearing but most of that is the twiglets. Heaven help us when we do actually start packing boxes and throwing out rubbish. I can just see the drawing and painting on the cardboard boxes.
Read MoreLet me explain how the Santa tradition in Switzerland works. In the evening of 6 December, the Samichlaus (or Santa Claus) visits every family with his helper Schmutzli, who is usually dressed in all-black clothes with a blackened face. [Note from Matt: Why the blackened face?]
Read MoreThere is a system in Switzerland where you can basically pay half the usual rate on the public transport of all kinds if you have a “Half Fare Card”. All the machines that sell tickets, like the tram and train station ones have a button…
Read MoreChristmas as expats can be a funny thing. Some years you go home and other years you stay in your adopted home.
I find staying in Switzerland can be lonely as a lot of time, expats being expats, leave to go home. Most of our friends are expats which doesn’t help. Don’t get me wrong we always have a fantastic day with amazing friends but it’s not the same as going home!
I personally would always go home but sometimes life just doesn’t allow it. Christmas for me is not only about being with Greg and the twins but also being with Mum, Dad, Kelly, Callum, Lachie and Ollie and of course Greg’s parents, Darryl and Fizz. Then there’s my lifelong friends who I want to see over this period and can’t. It’s what Christmas is all about to me; spending time with people I love, the most important people in the world to me.
So it’s bitter sweet. I enjoy Christmas in Zurich and it has the advantages of not spending 30 hours on a plane but I miss my family so incredibly much that it almost destroys the holiday season especially Christmas Day. All I want to do is be with them.
It’s such a hard call. Bitter sweet.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all. Hard to believe it’s 2019 soon!!
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