tuesday's child...

So I had this whole plan to update this blog every Tuesday. Why Tuesdays? Well, I like Tuesdays. I was born on a Tuesday, and strangely, I've noticed quite a few significant things in my life have happened on Tuesdays. I like to think they belong to me somehow.

But Tuesday's child is full of grace... not discipline. :/ So... here I am on a Saturday. It was going to be my first visit to the alpine slopes this morning, but since it's raining, here I am catching up with myself instead. There's nothing very exciting happening today. Nevertheless, the whole point of this blog is to give you a regular window into my life, so... boring or not, welcome to this one.

I've been back in Switzerland almost a month now, with a long list of good intentions... (Tuesday's child is apparently also overly optimistic about her own capabilities). Printing and mailing a newsletter was one of them -- catching up on all my emails, exploring my new surroundings... Not to mention learning French and making fabulous strides in my new job.

Well... the newsletter IS coming, I promise. I've made a satisfactory dent in my inbox, and also in the beautiful Swiss countryside (sometimes I feel like I'm living in a postcard...). My French... well, I'm starting courses in a few weeks so I can say something besides "bonjour" and "enchanté". And the fabulous strides in my new job? Every day the nebulous cloud clears just a little bit more and I can see a step farther. But just a step or two. Then every now and then, this rare ray of light comes through and I catch a glimpse of the bigger picture and I know distinctly what I'm doing here. That vision keeps me going on the cloudy days.

How strange it is to find oneself in a new place, a new country, a new job... Who am I when so much is unfamiliar? Who am I when I can't speak to people? Communication, language, words -- are so important to me. I'm finding the exercise in identity good for the soul... when the familiar is stripped away, you discover what's left underneath -- who you really are.

I'm finding myself at home... A new and different home. There's snow on the ground and the days are (mostly) sunny and the nights cozy in this big old house... I miss the ship in odd and random moments, but I miss my friends scattered around the globe so much more. I'm thankful for technology that keeps me connected -- phones and fiberoptics and satellites... Mostly, I'm thankful for words that translate across oceans when nothing else will.

Tuesday's child prays for grace...

:: "All that I can, I will" – French saying