That Time I Went Skiing in the Alps

What a weekend!

It was great to get out of Geneva for the weekend and head up into the mountains (only an hour away) for a little downhill skiing, and of course, some après-ski.  And best of all, I got to make another "tick" on my bucket list!

I teamed up with Cy for the weekend who was a complete beginner.  I hadn't gone downhill skiing since middle school, so I figured a refresher would be a good idea.  We made it to the lessons to find that we would be learning where all the little kids learn.  Oh joy!

Didn't really matter to us though.  We were just excited to get out there and learn!  So we put our gear on, with the help of the instructor, and made our way to the Disney sponsored "classroom".

Very excited for my lesson...so much so that I couldn't make a normal face.  

 After re-learning all the ski techniques, but in French this time, the instructor dared taking us on the bunny slopes.  When we made it to the top, I had her take a picture, just in case we didn't make it down alive and my mum was begging for a picture of me attached to skis.

See Mum?  Proof!

But we did make it down in one piece.  Many times!  It's amazing how fast a skill comes back to you.  Just like riding a bike, but not.

However, the instructor did have a problem with my lack of coordination.  It wasn't that I couldn't turn properly or stop, the problem she had with me was what I was doing with my arms.  I wanted to just keep them beside me.  She wasn't having any of that.  Instead, she spent half the lesson yelling up to me to put my arms out (like a starfish) and to raise one each time I turned.  It was then I decided to not understand French.  There was no way I was doing that.  I know, I'm a terrible student.  But once the lesson was over, I had no trouble going down the slopes.  I guess that's a pretty terrible moral of the story though.  So to all the youth out there reading this: listen to your teacher!  They know what they're doing!

We eventually made it to some bigger hills and got to enjoy a spectacular view.  Unfortunately the weekend was quite foggy, but that didn't get us down.  I mean, look at that view!

And after a few hours of falling off the lifts, crashing for no reason, and accidentally going down the hill backwards, Cy and I just needed to sit down.  So that's just what we did.

But a big thanks to Ecole du Ski Français for making sure we didn't kill ourselves, and all the small children on the hills.   If you're in Chamonix and have no idea how to even put on your skis, check them out.

And now for some shots in and around the ski school.  How lucky am I?

Some Updates on My Life as Une Jeune Fille Au Pair

It's hard to believe that I've been back for almost a month already.  To be honest, most of the time it feels like I never left.  And I don't consider that a bad thing, either.  I don't want my time here to end.  If I'm ever having an off day, I can always count on my host family to bring me out of my slump.  In all honesty, they make it pretty hard to be in a slump in the first place.

First I'd like to wish a (belated) birthday to N, my host mum.  She unfortunately wasn't home with us since she's in Davos for the week, yet that didn't stop us from celebrating.  I baked her a birthday cake for everyone but her to eat.  Then we gave her a call on Skype to sing her happy birthday, blow out her candles and eat the cake in front of her.  Aren't we kind?

Now a side note on the cake.  Since P (host father) can't eat gluten, I figured the cake we all ate in front of N had to be gluten free.  Baking without gluten isn't always the easiest thing to do.  Luckily enough, I found a recipe for an easy flour-free chocolate cake!  I was a bit disappointed there was no picture on the recipe page, but I figured I'd take a picture of my finished product and post it.  Then I realized why there was no picture.  The cake doesn't exactly look very...edible...straight out of the oven.  The "crust" turned out rock hard and looked like it has been shaken with earthquakes from the cake falling so much.  Oh, that's why gluten is so important...


In the end, all I needed was some Pillsbury icing (yes, gluten free!) to cover up the mess, and everyone was happy.  E even requested I make it again.  But not before asking if I screwed it up (he knows about my past baking experiences).  I of course answered, yes, I screwed it up.  He then said, "Ok, just make sure you screw it up again."  Gosh, I love that kid.

E has accomplished quite a lot this past week.  He won a tongue twister challenge at school, competed in a ping pong tournament with his best friend (and wasn't too bummed out when they didn't qualify), and has gone on a run every day (ya, a 9 year old that goes running.  You'd think I'd be inspired...).  To think that he's only 9, is so talented and smart, yet so polite and genuine, restores my faith in the future generation.  Maybe we won't all turn out to be useless couch potatoes.

Now as my week comes to an end, I'm very excited to pack my bags, and a borrowed set of skis, because I am off to Chamonix for the weekend to ski with three of my best friends!  We're loading up the "Soccer Mom Van" and heading out Friday night.  And luckily Groupon had a deal on ski passes, so along with our cheap hostel, it looks like it will be a fairly inexpensive weekend.

I'll be sure to fill you all in on Monday with pictures and stories while I'm lying covered in heat packs and complaining about how sore I am.

Have a great weekend everyone!