12 Months Later

No, this isn't a blog about some sort of sequel to the horror film series ("28 Days Later" and "28 Weeks Later"), nor is it a follow up to the Hugh Grant comedy film, "Nine Months". In fact, it has nothing to do with any films, no matter how gory or foppish.

Instead, the title is a reference to the fact that I have now been a Swiss resident for twelve whole months. One entire year. Three hundred and sixty five days. A period of time in which many things can change - and that has certainly been the case for me.

Since I first arrived here in the land of fine chocolates, delicious cheese, breathtaking scenery and real seasons that involve hot summers and cold winters (unlike English seasons, where in winter it rains and it's cold, and in summer it also rains but it's a bit less cold), my life has gone through many changes. I will be honest at this point and say that not everything has been easy; sometimes in life we have to fight for what we want and try to deal with whatever obstacles are thrown in our way, and the last twelve months have had their fair share of lows as well as some spectacular highs.

Finding Somewhere to Live - Part III

Early in the next week, the delivery company dropped off the sofa and the flat-packed bed and wardrobe as scheduled, and we asked Bernard and Chris’ cousin Stephane (a professional carpenter) to come over the following weekend and give us a hand building the furniture.

The plan was for us to construct the bed, and wardrobe on the Saturday, so that our first night of sleeping in the apartment would be that night. Chris and I were very excited about the prospect of finally spending a night in our own place, having had the keys since the start of the month.

 

 Above: Photos of our finished living room

Finding Somewhere to Live - Part II

Whilst back in Switzerland after New Year, and still awaiting further news from the estate agent, Nelly informed us that one of her colleagues owned several apartments in Lausanne and the surrounding areas, and that she had mentioned one that had become available in Bussigny, a village to the west of Lausanne. The price fitted into our budget, and it was described as a 3 pièce, so it sounded pretty good.

What sounded good turned out to look great – Bussigny itself is a nice little village, and the apartment was fantastically well positioned being only a 3 minute walk to the train station, plus local shops, bakers, butchers and restaurants only a short stroll from the apartment.

The building consisted of just six apartments, spread over three floors, making a nice chance from some of the more densely populated areas of Lausanne that we had visited previously. Nelly’s colleague, Anita, let us into the apartment and we could immediately see the potential.

Finding Somewhere to Live - Part I

When most couples take their first steps in their new married life, they usually move in together (if they weren’t already living together before) and start dreaming about all the things they can do as husband and wife, such as starting a family or planning holidays or home improvements.

Unfortunately, Christelle and I are not like most couples; our relationship has never been conventional – coming from different countries, meeting on the other side of the world, living in separate countries for two years, etc – and our married life would also start in an unusual way.

Two days after we tied the knot, I flew back to England and left my new wife in Switzerland, 580 miles away. Some couples who have been married a long time might be thankful to put that kind of distance between them and their partner, but for newlyweds it is somewhat more difficult. As September ended, so did my time as a UK resident, as it was now time to drive over to Switzerland to really start our married life, something else that perhaps makes our relationship unique.