You may have noticed that Ian's posts have become less frequent of late, likely as a result of his (nearly) round-the-clock work schedule, and so I have initiated a takeover of his blog while I'm here in Lausanne. Really, it's for the best -- Ian's updates on Forensic Accounting for Nerds and Geeks are no match for my Daily Observations, Swiss-Style.
I arrived on Friday afternoon after a rather...interesting flight -- my seat partner, Hilde, from Germany, served as a valuable object lesson, demonstrating why Ian and I shouldn't live apart long term:
Hilde: What are you going to do in Lausanne?
Laura: I'm visiting my boyfriend -- he just moved there for school.
Hilde: Oh, that's nice. You'll have such fun. [Pause] I'm leaving my partner of six years. He lives in Winnipeg. [Pause] Winnipeg is far from Germany. And I hate Winnipeg.
To her credit, Hilde gave it an honest go (she moved to the 'Peg in October), but...still. As you might imagine, there was much discussion of long-distance relationships (Hilde says one year apart is "nothing" and I shouldn't worry, but six "is just crazy" -- I am not to let it get to that point...and I agree), and the conversation was fuelled by a few drinks... By the time we landed in Frankfurt, I knew a lot more about the perils of international dating, and Hilde was crying uncontrollably. Lesson learned, methinks!
Made it to IMD, which (for those of you who are feeling like you need more authenticity in your lives) is the "real world":
Ian's colleagues are very nice and I very much enjoyed going out with them to the local IMD watering hole, The White Horse. Everyone encouraged me to hook up with the "Partner Program" while I'm here. As I've said to a few of you via email, I think "Partner" is a synonym for "Wife," and "Program" is a euphemism for "Stepfordization." It seems to me that, in general, men come here for MBAs, and their wives come here to take cooking lessons and tobogganing day trips... That said, a few Insta-Friends would be nice while I'm here...and I like toboganning...so...I am getting an ID badge and now I'm on the listserv and already signed up for some "transition" (?) workshop on Thursday and possibly some yoga on Friday... When in Lausanne, right?I've also done a little window shopping (no boots yet, Brenda!), but my favourite store has got to be the "Bazar D'Ouchy" -- it puts the bizarre back in bazaar, that's for sure, and it is an excellent example of several Swiss stereotypes in (fully automated!) action:
(Note: if this video shows up sideways...I don't know how to fix it)
The food here is leaving a little to be desired. Our trip to "The Pirate" (which came highly recommended!) was particularly instructive: do not order $24 wieners. They are expensive and not that tasty. We failed to bring the camera, but I think you can visualize it yourself. Imagine a wiener on a plate. Then imagine paying $24 for it. Yar!Anyway, all is well here and Ian is working like a dog. I will have more insights into European culture tomorrow. Bonne nuit.
LB
PS Language skills improving...in part thanks to my cosmopolitan cell phone, borrowed from one of Ian's Danish friends, it speaks to me in German and has an Arabic key pad. Learning, learning...
1 comment:
Hilde was crying because she was leaving Winnipeg, which is an awesome place. They have tasty burgers from a little hut, they have an awesome record shop, they have a mural of The Guess Who (which I have posed beside for a photo), they have a gorgeous train station, and many other things. Okay, it gets cold and the next nearest large urban centre is 8 hours in any direction - the Chicago of the North thing didn't quite pan out. But they're doing okay with what they got!
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