Lost in Translation

Living in a country where English is the secondary or even third language has its ups and downs. We are physically immersed in a language we have little comprehension of. Thankfully, our intuition is often strong, we’re able to muddle our way through most situations., and thankfully we seem to have the seventh sense, “get your arse out of here”, or “go ask someone you pillock before you end up requesting for bail”. Today has been one of those days that highlights just how lost in translation we are here in Switzerland! 

On the way to the Accident and Emergency on the only day that suits our setup! No support means illnesses need to be scheduled on appropriate days where both parents are available, so the sick parent can be relieved of duties temporarily to seek repair, heaven forbid we’re both sick at the same time, if man flu is a contender, I lose….cue eye roll…so today is apparently a national holiday here in Switzerland. Perfect for me to get myself seen by a doctor. Enroute we’re waiting at a tram stop and no trams are showing up, but the electronic display is indicating there’ll be one along in 8 minutes….10 minutes later nothing….this is so unswiss, you could almost set your clock using the transport schedule as they’re usually so punctual!! ….but there’s no sign anywhere, I’ve made that mistake before, sitting at an out of service bus stop behind a large bright orange sign in German saying out of service….so I’m not making that mistake again!! 

Nope this time it’s different, something’s going on….but no clue what!! Intuition and a large dose of impatience means we’re never caught out for long in a situation like this, but it’s oh so frustrating when apparently there’s a demonstration which has closed off the city centre, so we need to abort our plan and find another doctor! I bet that’s what all those annoying announcements were blaring out on the way! Typical….no bloody idea! I know a little high German, and that gets me by mostly. And I’ve considered getting private lessons but Swiss German is spoken out here and you can only really learn that on the streets…and it’s nothing like high German

People often ask me why we moved, are we home sick, what is it like living in a different country, do we consider it home yet? My answers to these questions often vary depending on who’s asking, why, and what time of the day I’m approached, but for the most part we are adventurers. We love exploring, travelling, learning and expanding our horizons and know that the world has so much to offer if we just open our eyes, and step out of our comfort zone. Adventures are stories that we can’t predict, they’re exciting, scary, risky, fun and open doors that we never thought we had access to and in that vein create the art of the possible. Possibilities create hope, they fuel passion and ignite a zeal that no one can quench. We live by the mantra that you only live once, and you should grasp opportunities with both hands and run. Opportunities don’t always approach you, waving and beckoning, opportunities also need to be created. Create opportunities and make things happen, say yes more, and do things that excite you. 

Adventures don’t last forever, things change, life happens, and we ride the waves and keep it moving. We all need to pause sometimes, take stock, change direction, re-evaluate where we are and where we’re trying to get to. We win some, we lose, and that’s ok. it’s ok to pause,

We set ourselves apart from the crowd by choosing courage over comfort, love over solitude. Our risks don’t always pay off, but that doesn’t matter, we keep trying, keep hustling, keep showing up. We love the thrill of the journey, the memories we create, the lessons learnt, the history created. We wouldn’t trade it for a stable paycheck or loyalty points. Stability suits most but our priority is to live, and sometimes these two components are incompatible. Our foundation is strong so a few branches pruned and splintered along the way is fine. Keep your core strong, lean into possibilities, and block out all the noise. It’s in blocking out the noise of the concrete jungle that you’ll truly begin to understand that we are all one, sometimes no need to even translate, just be. Be you.

What adventures do you dream of? Made any plans? I’d love to hear from you. Please comment, follow me, like and share!