School

WOW! I think this word alone just about sums it up. The building itself is amazing. Very old on the outside but very modern on the inside. It was renovated last year the floor we work on has got two class rooms, and cleaning room, a polishing room and a lathe room with a few electronic lathes and milling machines etc. There is a floor above us which I have not been on but I believe there is another workshop up there for the other various shorter courses they run throughout the year. Down stairs is our large boardroom where we do our theory, admin offices and a large lunch room that opens onto a very large deck that overlooks the lake with the Alps in the background. Have only had a very brief glimpse of the Alps at this stage due to the weather which seems to be quite murky but it is going to be fabulous come spring and summer!

Some of you may have already seen my pic with my fabulous lab coat. It’s the smallest size they have and I still need to roll up my sleeves. (Yeah laugh I know you are). The tutor has a microscope on his desk that shows what he is looking at on a TV screen in the corner of the classroom. It is fantastic when he is showing you what you’ve done right or wrong and the whole class gets to be in on it too. Really it is a fantastic teaching tool! The work benches are out of this world with us each having a complete set of tools of at our finger tips and air blower and suction that you will see (the black pipes sticking out at the back in the middle like bug antenae) and our own timing machine also. The benches are just beautiful and are so functional. I WANT one, however the benches are apparently worth more than the course itself each so at this stage it’s a little out my price league. However I do know some cabinet makers back home and mum has the job of making me a lab coat (she just doesn’t know it yet).

First exam coming up this Friday, AARGHHH!!! Had a practice test today which I will get the results of tomorrow so hopefully I will have nothing to worry about. You need a four out of six to pass. It is only four hours which I discovered today does not give me as much time as I thought it would. Waiting for the cleaning machine to give me back my watch was the longest 16 minutes of my life. I know to put it in at least twenty minutes sooner for Friday. The second cleaning machine is currently out of action and the machine only cleans three at a time so this means I’m going to have to try and jump in ahead of some others.

There are six students doing the course, two from Bulgaria, one from Libea, one from Sweden, one from OZ and me from NZ of course. It makes for a very interesting bunch but we are all getting along quite nicely. This is a pic of our lunch last Friday. We had to go into town to sign our student permits so stayed out for lunch. The two at the far end of the table are the tutors and Serag from Libea is taking the picture.

Arrival in Switzerland

I am here after a lovely smooth train ride that runs exactly to the minute which turns out to be an advantage as when the train ride is 1hr17 you can work out which stop to get off at. Apparently it doesn’t normally snow in Neuchatel but the place has been blanketed with the white stuff since New Year’s Eve. Went for a walk today (10/01) to check out where the school is with some of the other students and it snowed on the way. My trainers are holding out at the moment as sufficient foot wear so am not going to get any snow boots at this stage. There are six people on my course, four of which are in the same accommodation as me.

My room is very large, alot larger than some of the others in the building which is very interesting as you pay different amounts according to room size. I was not given a choice so hopefully I am not paying more unnecessarily as I would prefer a smaller room and fewer dollars. It is too big and uncozy like.

Last night’s dinner was very yummy pasta, but way too much of it so am going to find out if I take a container if I can keep my left overs for lunch because it would just be going in the bin otherwise. If you are not going to be around at meal time you can leave a container and they will keep it for you so hopefully this will be ok. Just went to the shop only 5 minutes up the road (Denner) and got some cup of soup, half loaf of bread, nutella and four bananas which only cost 8,45 CHF. Meal times are different weekdays to weekends. Monday-Friday breakfast and dinner are served, Saturday breakfast and lunch is served and on Sunday it is breakfast and brunch (till 12.30pm).

London

London

Well I arrived at Heathrow airport safe and sound even if a little bit late, UK time 06hr30 on Tuesday 6th January 2009 after a very long time in the air and at various airports. Spending so much time in a plane was not actually as bad as I had expected and I have not been as affected by jet lag as one might expect. I think the worst part was the swollen ankles and still feeling like I was on the plane for a couple of days.

Tim and Louisa were both at work so I negotiated my way onto the tube, changing lines once I landed exactly where I should have, at their flat. It was 10.00am so I dumped all my stuff and went down the road to the Camden markets to explore. I did not feel like travelling anywhere else so going to London on the tube was out of the question. It was great wandering around the camera has already had a pretty severe work out!! All the buildings and houses are exactly like the English television programs. With sore feet I headed home mid afternoon for a bit of a relax and snooze and waited for Louisa and Tim to get home from work.

It is so weird that even though we are on the other side of the world to home it did not seem unusual to see them. We went to the pub for a drink where it was lovely and warm. I can now see why there is such a strong pub culture over here!!

Day two saw me heading into the big city to explore on a hop on hop off bus tour which works out really well because as a special winter rate the ticket is valid for 48hrs. The tube let me off right in Trafalgar square where once again the camera got busy. All the fountains had completely frozen solid so were not as spectacular as one might expect however it was special to see them this way as any of the locals I asked don’t recall it happening before. It is the coldest week London has on record for a decade, great timing!! Amongst other things I also saw the Tower Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral, Shakespeare’s Theatre, Wellington Marble Archway, the guards at Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park and loads of double decker buses. I visited Hyde Park at lunch time to see all the squirrels but they obviously think it is too cold also and were not about, however I did come across one very lonely squirrel that kindly obliged and sat at my feet to have his photo taken.

Day three was the second day of the bus tour. Today I went on a walking tour which went past the her majesty’s gates the only time the gate in the middle ever opens is when the queen herself is in the car and she and anyone else inside her car at the time are the only ones to ever pass through it. The tour also included the changing of the guards. It was great being on the tour because instead of waiting at Buckingham Palace with all the hoards of people we started at St James Palace where the guards are actually coming from. I spent alot of time today at Westminster Abbey/Big Ben the architecture is just amazing in alot of London’s old buildings. Unfortunately there was a gas leak and I could not get down the road to pass the royal gardens and whatever else was down that road, I had been fortunate to drive past the previous day on the bus thought which is some consolation I suppose.

Tim and Louisa had very kindly organised a surprise for me for my last night which turned out to be a dinner with Toni, Nicola and Pam before going to Greese the stage show, it was absolutely fantastic!! The understudy was playing Danny but other than that the casting were very close in looks to the film.

christmas

WOW!! What a christmas. It has been a very busy few weeks for me. Christmas day bought the very exciting engagement of Lee-Anne and Jade (my next sister up from me). Jade the sweety decided he had to propose before I left having asked my dad a month ago for Lee-Anne's hand in marriage. Christmas day was wonderful anyway having all the family together and lot's of good food of course.

Since then I had my leaving BBQ at Kulim park on saturday 27th which was also filled with lots of family, friends and great food! I am very spoilt to have such wonderful friends and family. Mum and the girls bought me a gorgeous green stone for safe travel, determination, love and friendship (so appropriate) and various friends bought me kiwiana luggage labels, t-shirt and earings. It was a wonderful afternoon that ended with Tina, Lisa, Hayley and I in town, but after hanging out with all the 18 years olds in Coyote we didn't last long. I had a wonderful day and thankyou to all those that made it such a special day.

Then on the 28th my darling sister Lee-Anne and brother in law Jade helped shift all my furniture and other STUFF from Hamilton to mums. I'm so very lucky to have had so much help and support with my latest ventures!

I hope everyone had a lovely christmas and got to share it with people special to them.