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On Ampelmänner

I meant to write about this in connection with our trip to Germany in December, but I guess it got lost in the holiday shuffle. At any rate, Ampelmänner are back on my mind, so today you’re going to learn about them (or stop reading this post – unfortunately I haven’t found a way to force you to pay attention to me yet).

The Ampelmann, simply put, was the man on the pedestrian traffic lights in East Germany. He came into existence in the 1960s in East Berlin, and lights with his likeness were soon installed all over the country. He stands out amongst other pedestrian crossing signs because of his big hat, dramatic gesturings, and all-around adorableness. The Ampelmann was so popular that he made the jump from traffic symbol to film star in the 80s, coming to animated life in road safety movies that were compulsory viewing for school children. Thus the Ampelmann became even more loved by the East German people.

Read moreOn Ampelmänner

Expat Hausfraus Gone Wild

So what do we former career women/trailing spouses do all day long while the bread-winning husbands are off working hard? Yesterday was margarita afternoon at Jill‘s house. There was homemade guacamole, chips and salsa, and a heavy-handed bartender (that would be Ali).We all ooohed and aaahed over the view from Jill’s apartment. We briefly considered … Read more

Punishment, cruel and unusual

Often, it’s a good idea to watch some local television in your host country. It can help you pick up the language and its idioms. It can teach you something about the culture in which you are living, and even help you assimilate. But sometimes, you turn on the TV and are greeted with things … Read more

St. Gallen and Switzerland appreciation

This weekend we decided to get out and appreciate some Switzerland. On Saturday we hopped on a train to St. Gallen, a city in the eastern part of the country. We chose St. Gallen because 1) we had never been there, 2) we had heard it was cute, and 3) it was only an hour … Read more

Who knew?

Since I wrote this post a mere month ago, “peeing” has become one of the 20 most frequently-used search terms for finding this blog. Usually it’s in a combination of search terms, such as “peeing often after drinking”, “peeing art”, or the ever-popular “Japanese peeing”. Now I’m not some naïve farm girl or anything… I’ve … Read more

Resolving

I feel like I’ve been down on Zurich for a while now. It started in the summer, with the ridiculously hot weather (and total lack of air conditioning), and just never quite recovered. I was looking forward to a cold, snowy winter to renew my love of this little country, but instead I’ve been given … Read more

Es guets neus!

Despite the rain, last night we ventured out with the rest of Zurich to go see the New Year’s fireworks display over the lake. After dinner at home (restaurants in Zurich get even more expensive on New Year’s Eve, with set meals starting at around CHF 80, not including alcohol), we headed to the tram … Read more