ONE WEEK IN
ONE WEEK IN…
One week into Swiss life, and we’re officially leaving the “Where is the adapter?” phase and entering the “I wonder if we’re recycling this yogurt container correctly?” phase.
The beauty here is stunning (although I guess it’s very abnormally dry due to high heat and no rain).
Within minutes of leaving our front door, we’re walking down cobblestone streets, passing vineyards, castles on the hills keeping watch, and cows and goats proudly wearing bells. It’s impossible not to smile.
This week we finally welcomed our dog, Brooks. He arrived about five days late because the USDA and German officials seem to have a difference of opinion on filling out a form. Of course, they also can’t accept a digital copy in 2026… so they hooked up the horses and got the form back to Germany. Brooks likes looking at the goats and cows too.
At the airport in Zurich.
Home is starting to feel… well… home-ish.
Our house has everything we need, but right now it reminds me of a guy’s first apartment after landing his first “real” job. (Speaking from experience.) You buy the never-used-before couch. One chair. A dining room table. A bed. A dresser. Real grown-up furniture. The problem is none of it actually fits the space, so everything just sort of echoes. We have plenty of room… mostly because we’re still waiting on our sea shipment. It’ll get here.
Then there’s recycling.
The Swiss recycle like… WHOA.
If you are a Minnesotan composter and recycler, Switzerland looks at that and says, “Hold my glass container.”
There are categories, subcategories, and what feels like subsets of subsets. Every meal now begins with a logistics exercise. Where does this wrapper go? Is cardboard different from paper? We’ve developed an entire household supply chain—from dinner prep to our little recycling station in the garage, into larger bags, and eventually into my cart for the trip to the neighborhood recycling center.
School shopping turned out to be one of the highlights of the week.
I piled all three kids into the car, and we drove across the border into France to shop at a larger store with more options. First, to get a cart, you insert a coin to unlock it. There isn’t an English sign that explains it, so Lindsey and I just wandered around for a while before, two trips later, I figured it out. If you’re reading this and knew that, why didn’t you tell me?
One of the funniest parts about grocery and school shopping over here is realizing you don’t recognize about 90% of the brands. Shopping becomes a game of educated guesses followed by panic purchases. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you confidently buy sugared ginger thinking it’s dried pineapple.
Have you ever watched Mr. Bean? It’s ridiculous.
Well, I was featured in a live version: American Idiot Getting to Know His Car.
It featured me trying to put a grill, some IKEA parts, and a TV into the car. The guy we purchased everything from insisted it would all fit. So, confidently, I wheeled everything out to the car in 93-degree heat, fully expecting to slide it all in by myself. After trying every angle—every door, seat up, down, forward, and reclined—I was dripping with sweat.
Another person parked next to me. I asked if he spoke English (he did), and I asked him for help. After five minutes and finding the exact right angle, we were able to get everything into my car, with a grill riding shotgun. We had a great grilled meal later that evening!
School starts soon, but before backpacks replace suitcases, we’re soaking up every minute together.
Up next? Swiss National Day.
