Diary: 5/19/2002

Dear friends and family:

This is it - the final diary entry written (mostly) from Switzerland and the entry that marks our full return to the US. Like many transitions, this one is bittersweet. There is the inevitable combination of what must be left behind, what awaits ahead, and all the could-have-beens that fall somewhere in between.

In Switzerland, Leon made the last trip to the house to pick up a few remaining items and tie up some loose ends. Just a few small things: some cords, a telephonse, a freezer. Stuff like that. It was a nice sense of closure, packing the car up and driving away.

The weather was pretty much beautiful all week - clear skies that showed off sunrises and sunsets, the lake turning from aqua to blue as the water warmed up, the mountains cold and imposing as the tops remained snow-capped even as the new buds on the trees began to turn the bottom halves into a swirl of verdant earth tones.

On Monday, a sad business was concluded as Leon turned in his beloved (ahem!) banana yellow Corsa. It was a terrible parting, to be sure, but somehow he'll find a way to get over it. Of course, he may still never get over all the teasing he took. Next to the "post-car", his used Ford Taurus will seem downright mundane and boring.

Tuesday Jeff and Paul shared a nice dinner and complained about life, work, the universe, and everything in between. A great time was had by all and they ended up staying out much too late.

On Wednesday night Leon shared another wonderful meal with the Knox's. It was wonderful to share another evening in a house that has provided us with so much comfort over the months, and to compare life now to the old neighborhood, and to engage in our favorite game: guessing the future.

By Thursday things had definitely started to wind down. A bunch of folks from work went down to the lakefront and shared some drinks and laughs. The gentle waves were an interesting counterpoint to the stream of people dressed up and bar-hopping down the shore.

After that, the Ayres', Martin, and Leon decided to get a pizza. There was an important lesson to be learned - pieces of squid, shrimp, and clams are not good toppings for a pizza. Unfortuntely, Leon learned this at 3:00am that night instead of 9:00pm when the pizza was being ordered.

Friday was the day for goodbyes. It was a quiet day, where nothing much seemed to happen and time fairly stood still. And then Leon and a couple of co-workers were in the car, driving to the airport and hearing about how both the Brussels and London air traffic control systems had been down for 4 hours. While Leon had high hopes that his flight would be OK (assuming nothing else crashed!) the other guys in the car were a little more subdued. However, everyone got onto their flights and home safely.

The flight home Saturday was pretty uneventful. As can be imagined, the reunion was both exciting and tear-filled. Then it was just a matter of lugging everything back to Nancy's house and collapsing for the night

We really haven't done much on Sunday, just spent the day hanging around the house and "decompressing" from everything that's lead up to this point. We are now counting down the days until we take posession of the house (10 to go) and until we move in (about 27, we figure). But the worst is definitely behind us as we work on this last leg of the marathon.

That's all for now. This week will be a busy one as we settle back into our usual routines. We'll let you know how it goes next week.

Love,
Debbie, Leon, Heather, Isabelle, and Joram

Diary: 5/12/2002

Dear friends and family:

Before starting with the Adato Diaries proper, we wanted to congratulate two different blessed events:

First, we wanted to wish Art and Barbara our best wishes on the birth of their son Ryan David Rosenfeld - born Tuesday at 11:45.

Second, the exact same wishes go to Paul and Rory on the birth of Kemmett Malaya Saunders Nazareth - born Thursday at 6:07pm

This week in Switzerland is Leon's last before returning to the US. There were a few more surprises left in store - like our final electrical bill. Just like our welcoming, the final charge was around $600. How this amount was racked up between March and April 24, I will honestly never know - especially since the house was basically turned off for 3 weeks of that time!

This past week was also a short one, the Ascension holiday taking up both Thursday and Friday. So the result was that the week at work was pretty much a ghost town. Unfortunately, Leon wasn't able to take those days off but at this point staying busy is better than sitting around.

The week in America was equally quiet.

Of course, Mother's day on Sunday was difficult on both sides of the ocean. Nancy and the kids made sure that Debbie was well-cared for, and some pretty stiff phone charges were racked up from Leon as well.

Aside from that, we are now just marking time until next Saturday (or, as the girls remind us - 6/7 of a week).

Love
Debbie, Leon, Heather, Isabelle, and Joram

Diary: 5/5/2002

Dear friends and family,

This note marks the second-to-last Diary entry from Switzerland. Only 12 days and a few hours left (depending on which time zone you are counting from) to go!

In America, Debbie and the kids went to see a concert with Sam Glazer at Temple on Monday. They actually got to hang out with him a bit and watch the rehearsal, and Debbie and Heather actually got to see two concerts in a row. It was a great time and everyone enjoyed it a lot. The CD is now required listening in the car.

Debbie continued to make arrangements for the house - we now have solid dates for the painter, carpet, security system, closets and we are closing in on the fencing for the back yard and Debbie's dream kitchen.

Over the weekend, Heather and Isabelle attended a girlscout campout. Isabelle just went for the day on Saturday, but Heather camped out with the rest of the troup. Everyone came home tired, relatively dirty, but very very happy.

In Switzerland, Monday was the etat de lieu on the house. To make sure this process runs smoothly, Nestle contacts a cleaning group to help put things in their best light. Leon arrived at 3:00 to find the house completely cleaned out, from the crumbs at the bottom of the bread drawer to the dust at the top of the doors.

To make a long and relatively tedius process short, everything went off without a hitch. Nobody had to buy a new oven, or had to stay late and wash windows.

On Wednesday, there was the "cadre" meeting, which is a twice-a-year meeting of all the Nestle staff. Just a small, informal gathering of 1200 Nestle employees, not counting the retired folks and "friends" who are also invited!

Other than that, the week was spent working with Martin.

Leon spent the weekend just hanging out with our friends the Ayres and doing a lot of relaxing. A welcome change from the 12 and 14 hour days during the week!

This coming week is a short one in Switzerland - Thursday is Ascension and Friday is an unofficial GLOBE holiday. Aside from that, both in America and Switzerland we'll have to see how things develop.

As always we thank you for your support, guidance, and friendship and hope that this letter finds you enjoying the Spring season (whether wet and grey or sunny and warm).

Love,
Debbie, Leon, Heather, Isabelle, and Joram

Diary: 4/28/2002

Dear friends and family

This is just too important not to put at the top. If you want our new address and phone number, here it is:
The Adato Family:
34091 Summerset
Solon, OH 44139
phone: 440-542-9659

OK. Back to the regularly scheduled weekly letter....

It was another exciting week, but relatively positive all around.

On Monday, Leon was able to finalize his return date to the US: May 17 will be the last working day, and he'll return after that, probably on Sat. the 18th. This was possibly only through the brilliance of Martin, who continues to soak up new information like a sponge. While it is "only" two weeks closer, every minute matters.

This week Leon worked with Martin via phone and email from the UK. This was because Leon would be out most of the week packing the house, and so it didn't make sense to have him out for just 2 days or to work without guidance. Also, this way Martin can tell his son Charlie more stories about oompa loompas and making chocolate!

Monday also saw the sale of Debbie's Swiss car, the Opel Zafira. Nestle purchased it back from Leon and the two parted ways in the afternoon.

Our friends from Solon, the Knox's, helped sooth Leon's sorrow and loss by feeding him to overflowing with dinner and then driving him home (since he was carless for the moment). These are the friends that welcomed us on the weekend we arrived, and have stood by us through everything. We can only hope that our families will get a chance to get together again.

The movers arrived on Wednesday morning, and by Thursday night the house was packed up into a remarkably small number of boxes. In the meanwhile, Leon had done some of his own packing and was fully moved into a one-room efficiency in Vevey. By Friday at 3:00pm, he truck was packed up (all 76 cubic meters) and driving away.

The rest of the weekend was remarkably busy - some co-workers were in from California, and Leon spent Friday night and Saturday running around seeing/showing some of the sights. Everyone took a run up to Gruyeres on Saturday, took in a movie in the afternoon, and dragged around Montreux for dinner. In between all that, we spent time at Paul and Rory Saunders eating pancakes, or pizza, or whatever. Rory is due to deliver their first baby within the next 1 to 2 weeks, so how she kept moving is beyond me.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
...OK, so Nancy's house is more of a bi-level than a ranch, but it was too good a lead-in to leave out.

Debbie spent the beginning of the week with the phone glued to her head. If it wasnt' contractors calling with quotes, it was Debbie making arrangements for the phone, gas, electricity, cable, and (most importantly) the internet access!

For those who like to keep track of things, our new phone number and address is (or at least will be):
The Adato Family:
34091 Summerset
Solon, OH 44139
phone: 440-542-9659

For those who have been emailing Debbie: Please do not take her lack of answering as anything more than the fact that she has had NO time to get to the computer. Leon is now printing and faxing her emails to her, just so she can stay up to date.

Next week
Monday afternoon is the dreaded "etat de lieu". For those who don't remember the last time we wrote about it in November, this is very similar to the Spanish Inquisition except that the Inqisitor doesn't even like their job, and a white-glove-test is thrown in for fun. Every speck on every wall, every nail hole, every smudge is recorded and compared to previous notes. Exceptions will be paid for by either the tenant or the owner, depending on the nature of the "issue". We've heard of people having to pay the equivalent of a new oven just because theirs wasn't clean enough. It can get pretty ugly. Leon has been busy scrubbing and buffing all week, and he believes we now have the cleanest fireplace on earth. No joke.

Aside from that, we'll just have to see how things pan out.

Love
Debbie, Leon, Heather, Isabelle, and Joram

Diary: 4/21/2002

Dear friends and family:

Given the amount of things to be done, this was a remarkably slow week for us, on both sides of the Atlantic.

Leon spent a large part of his time training Martin, his replacement. This went amazingly well, and they covered a great deal of ground in a short period. Of course, in the name of being a supportive team member and helping Martin to find his way around the area, Leon had to accompany him to dinner on several occasions!

Martin, who lives in England and travels to Switzerland each week for work, had some trouble getting out of the house. His youngest son, Charlie, didn't want to see Dad go. So this is what Martin said:
Also I have convinced Charlie that I work in a chocolate factory and make the chocolate (he is like his mum a little sensitive) so each time I go away he gets upset.

But spinning the yarn about the chocolate and the fact that if I don't go to work then no children would get any sweets as a result of that he seems more happy for me to go and the fact we watched Charlie and the chocolate factory about 10 times yesterday goes without saying.

Plus I told him that you are chief oompa loompa and we have to stay in touch so the chocolate flows all the time.

Aside from that, it was pack pack pack. There was also a chance to sell a few more of the Swiss things, so that the house is looking emptier and emptier every moment.

For Debbie and the Wild Kid Posse, it was a pretty regular week. The girls continued to settle in and get down to business at school, Joram continued to find new ways to get into trouble, and Debbie continued to negotiate with contractors, get plans rolling for the move into the house, and to make sure all her old shopping haunts were up to snuff.

Our friends, both in Switzerland and America, continue to be the blessing of our lives. Leon is well-fed and occupied in those quieter moments, and Debbie has found support in her moments of need. And for this we are deeply grateful.

This coming week should be exciting, as the house is packed and loaded on a boat. Leon then goes to a small apartment in Vevey, and will need to find some other activities to fill the empty hours (besides working, of course). This will hopefully yeild some interesting stories for you.

Love,
Debbie, Leon, Heather, Isabelle, and Joram

Diary: 4/14/2002

Dear friends and family:

Welcome to the first of (hopefully only a few) Schizophrenic Diaries. In these issues, you will hear about happenings from both the Swiss and US side of our lives. Hopefully in some kind of coherent order.

Back in the land of cheese and chocolate, Leon arrived home and found out, early Sunday, that all the windows and the cars were dirty. Really dirty. He didn't give it much thought until he saw the next day that many cars were equally dirty. After asking around, he was told it was sand. From where? The Sahara. I am not making this up. Apparently a wind blows across the Saraha desert, and picks up sand particles which flow all the way over mountain, hill, and dale to Switzerland. Sometimes, Leon was told, the sand is red. Go figure.

It has been a busy week, trying to get back into the swing of things at work, and sell off all the Swiss items which won't work or aren't needed in the US (microwave, TV, cars). He's doing pretty good, and we're down to just a few more items. Even one of the cars has a buyer!

Also on the "good news" side of the page is that Leon's replacement on the project, Martin, starts Monday. This means that he can get started training, and the project can continue on without a hiccough once he leaves.

Aside from that, the house is getting organized for the movers, who arrive on April 24.

From the world of the Blond Squad, Tuesday marked Heather and Isabelle's return to Solon schools. Their teachers welcomed them with open arms and everything got off to a great start. The girls were just happy to have some kids their age to play with, and that they didn't have to go house hunting any more!

On Wednesday, Debbie went to the new house and helped about 2 million contractors come in and give quotes on everything from paint and wallpaper to a fence for Tova. We're gathering the paperwork now and trying to set work dates so that we can get into the house as soon as possible after we take ownership (May 30).

Finally, it is good to know that the International Corps of Tooth Fairies is on the ball. They efficiently registered Isabelle's new location, and were able to find her on Saturday night after yet another tooth was yanked free. Isabelle performs this service of her own free will and with great zeal. No strings or doorknobs needed here!

Debbie had another chance to work in Isabelle's grade this week, since another teacher was out sick. All in all she's been able to move back into her routine as much as can be expected.

As always, we hope that this letter finds you in good health and better spirits. We are looking forward to the time (this summer) when we can open the doors to our home to you again.

Love,
Debbie, Leon, Heather, Isabelle, and Joram

Diary: 4/7/2002

Dear Friends and Family:

The rollercoaster picked up speed again this week, just as Leon was preparing to leave for Switzerland again.

The beginning of the week was very slow, with not much happening. It is hard not to let panic set in when you hit a lull in course of things, and we did our best to focus on what we could accomplish, and what we wanted to do as a family during this week.

On Wednesday, after the end of Passover, we celebrated Leon's birthday. For those who might not know, Leon's birthday is variable. It is scheduled to fall on April 3 as long as that date is not covered by Passover. If it is, Leon's birthday is pushed either earlier or later. One too many matzo-meal cakes, coupled with a deep-seated love of DairyQueen ice cream cakes with the fudge and chocolate crunchies in the middle are to blame.

By Thursday we had just about made up our minds to start the process of building a house. It would be expensive, and we might have to live on macaroni and cheese and peanut butter for a while (not many in our family consider that a down-side anyway), but in the end we would have exactly what we wanted in a home. We had already called the builder and set a meeting to go over the final details.

Then we got a call about two new houses on the market. We ran out to see them and, to make a long story short, put an offer in for what is probably the best house we've seen since our arrival. It has all the features we wanted, all the space we needed, and for a price that is far below a new-built home. Plus it already had a yard! There are some things we plan to change, but it's all cosmetic and we are very excited to have a firm picture of where we will live. You can have a firm picture, too. We're posting photos of the house on the web site (http://www.angelfire.com/home/adato) within the next couple of days.

We will also get into this house a lot sooner than we could with new construction, and that is a definite plus! We have already heard from friends that there are some great families on the street, and introductions will be made soon.

But the most surprising item came after we had bid on the house, and had come back for another look around - both the owner and his son work for Tivoli! They are on the sales side, but Leon had a nice time sharing some war stories and everyone laughed about keeping the house "in the family".

Having a house contract also meant we could enroll the girls in Solon schools (and not a moment too soon!). We had all the paperwork done for Twinsburg, but the Solon Board of Education was open Friday (despite this being a vacation week) and Leon raced down to get all the forms filled out. The girls are slightly nervous, but overall also very happy to get back into the swing of a "normal" day.

Also on Thursday, we found a car for Leon. While this was not on the immediate schedule, a sweet deal came up and we had to take advantage of it.

So what was it we said 3 weeks ago? Car, House, Cell phone. Check check check. Nice how you can wrap things up with a bow sometimes, huh?

On Saturday morning, Leon left for the airport and headed back to Switzerland. Once again we find ourselves divided by long distances. While it is something we've been through before, it never gets easier. We can only hope that things move quickly and that the final day in Switzerland arrives in short order.

To help keep track of the time, Leon's reset the countdown clock on our home page to show the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until he comes back.

Next week begins our schizophrenic diary entries, because we have to cover what's happening in Switzerland *and* the US. A short summary looks something like this:

Debbie has to get the girls ready for school, and then help them navigate that all-important first day. She also has to schedule inspectors for the house, and contractors for all the work she wants to have done.

Leon has it much easier. He just has to organize the house and get it ready for packing, distribute and/or sell the old Swiss stuff that won't work in America, and run around to pick up some last-minute souvenirs that we want, but don't want to carry back (ie: put it in the boat shipment.

As always, we appreciate the outpouring of love, compassion, and support you have shown us. It makes the load easier to bear and the road easier to walk.

As a reminder, you can email Debbie directly at
adatoda@yahoo.com

And Leon at:
adatole@yahoo.com
or
leon.adato@nestle.com

Love
Debbie, Leon, Heather, Isabelle, and Joram

Diary: 3/31/2002

Dear friends and family:

A wonderful, stable, quiet week was had by all, with no major breakthroughs but also no great complications.

Getting back into the groove with shopping, Debbie and the kids ventured to the Disney store. While we didn't really need much, it was fun to look. They did make one great discovery. Do you know "Peeps", those marshmallow sugar-coated chick-shaped things? Well, Debbie found marshmallow "Poohps" - same stuff, but in the shape of Winnie the Pooh. OK, ok, so it's not a discovery to rival cold fusion, but it brightened our day.

Cleveland weather welcomed us back. We've seen days bounce between 50 and nearly 60 degrees and then drop down below freezing, only to get 20 inches of snow dumped on us. Before you make any assumptions, we thought it was great. It's nice to be back in a place where you might have to use your heater and air conditioner on the same day.

Wednesday night marked the beginning of Passover, and we spent the first two nights surrounded by friends and familiar faces. For the last several years we have hosted the meal, but we figured we've had our own Exodus and it was enough.

Our house hunting continues. We have toyed with the idea of building a new house, or buying a home that needs significant renovations. What we finally have decided (at this moment) is that the market will pick up this week and next, as we believe people have been holding off listing their house until after Easter and spring break. The houses we have seen have mostly been on the market for months which means that they are, for one reason or another, not the greatest picks. We keep reminding ourselves that we have time.

Of course, this means that the girls will have to go to Twinsburg schools for the remainder of this year, and then we'll get them into Solon schools next year. While this was not our first choice, Twinsburg schools are not bad and will provide the girls with a daily dose of math, reading, and social interaction. We are sure the social interaction will be a welcome change. It will be a 3 week break by the time next Monday rolls around, which is quite long enough to spend chained to Mom and Dad and Joram! They have both had chances to play with friends, but nothing beats a daily recess to get the "utzies" out.

Coming up this week, we will celebrate Leon's birthday (but only after the end of Passover - no matzah birthday cakes for him!), and continue our hunt for the home of our dreams.

Leon leaves to return to Switzerland on Saturday, and the countdown clock will start ticking toward June 3, which is his estimated last day there.

We hope that your holiday week (whether Easter or Passover or your own personal celebration of choice).

Love,
Debbie, Leon, Heather, Isabelle, and Joram

Diary: 3/24/2002

Dear friends and family:

This week has been both exciting and calming, busy and quiet. We feel a great sense of relief to finally be home, but are also nervous and apprehensive about all the work we have at hand.

Our goals for this week were to make the 3 major purchases of adult life: a car, a house, and a cell phone.

We found the cellphone first. You can now reach Debbie at (440) 570-7411 (Debbie *is* Information, Please).

After much deliberation, we decided again on a Ford Windstar. Any color but green.

Househunting was by far the hardest task of the week. We have seen many, but are as yet still homeless. Debbie's Mom (also known as "Memah" around here) has opened her house to us, and we are working hard not to over-run the place. Except for Joram, who is running every where much to the consternation of the cats, since they are usually what he is running after.

We are reminded of George Carlin's "A Place for My Stuff" routine:
That's all your house is: a place to keep your stuff. If you didn't have so much stuff, you wouldn't need a house. You could just walk around all the time. A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it. You can see that when you're taking off in an airplane. You look down, you see everybody's got a little pile of stuff. All the little piles of stuff. And when you leave your house, you gotta lock it up. Wouldn't want somebody to come by and take some of your stuff.

On Thursday, Debbie, Heather, and Isabelle made a small decision which hopefully will affect several small lives: They had their hair cut. To be precice, they had 30 inches of hair cut and donated to "Locks of Love", which takes the hair and creates wigs for children with cancer.

Sunday marked a return to one of our most beloved activities: Sunday School. Debbie's teaching position had of course been filled, but she offered to to substitute teach and was assigned this week to her old grade (first grade). This was even more fun because Isabelle is also in first grade! Meanwhile Heather had a full schedule with Jewish studies, honors Hebrew, and conversational Hebrew. Of course, there was confusion with French (is it "lo" - no, or "l'eau" - water?). But she will sort it out soon, we are sure. Meanwhile Joram was busy helping re-organize the library and making sure that all the bagels were good quality. Of course, that meant touching and/or biting them, but he takes his job seriously. In all it was wonderful to fall back into that old rhythm, and to reunite with our friends and community.

This coming week we will have a busy time continuing our hunt for a new home, getting the girls registered and into school, and celebrating Passover. As always, we hope that this letter finds everyone in good health and better spirits

Love,
Debbie, Leon, Heather, Isabelle, Joram, Meemah, Macaroni, and Peanuts

Diary: 3/17/2002

(with apologies once again to Simon and Garfunkel)
Many's the time I've been mistaken, and many times confused
Yes and I've often felt forsaken, and certainly misused
Ah but I'm alright, I'm alright, I'm just weary thru my bones
Still you don't expect to be bright and bon-vivant
So far away from home, so far away from home

After days of activity and weeks of planning, our family is on the plane. *The Plane*.

This last week has been like living inside a tornado. What to bring now, what to pack for the air shipment, what to leave for the boat? What can we live without for a little while, what will we just buy again in the US? At least the uncertainty of IF we can find things, which we experienced on the way here, is missing. We know what we are going to find, what to expect. And this is one of the deepest comforts of all.

Our journey home began at 3:00pm on Friday, when the taxi arrived (an appropriately Swiss stick-shift conversion van with a trailer hitched behind. We left 2 bags lighter than when we came - the official count is 9 suitcases, 1 box, and 1 stroller.

Arriving at the hotel, we quickly settled in, had dinner (they served a French wine named "la grenouille" - the frog. It really wasn't that bad though), and crashed. We had to be up early the next day. 4:00am to be exact.

And I don't know a soul who's not been battered
I don't have a friend who feels at ease
I don't know a dream that's not been shattered or driven to its knees
But it's alright, it's alright, for we live so well, so long
Still, when I think of the road we're traveling on
I wonder what's gone wrong, I can't help it I wonder what's gone wrong

It is impossible for our thoughts not to travel back over the last 7 months here - over the last 9 months since we embarked on this adventure. Our very own "There and Back Again". And like Bilbo Baggins in that first Tolkein story, we too feel that we raced out of the house without so much as a handkerchief in our pocket, and are now returning to our warm hobbit-hole having experienced a great deal, both good and bad, and are richer for the entire thing.

Our conversations have returned time and again over the last few weeks to our reasons for coming here, our reasons for cutting the adventure short, our reasons for needing to come home. In looking back, it's hard to say that we wouldn't have made the same choices, but it's equally hard to say whether that would have been better in the end.

Everyone woke up on time and ready to go. There were really no hiccoughs along the way. We found breakfast, got past security without having to remove our shoes or any other articles of clothing, and boarded the flight to Copenhagen. As the plane took off both girls shouted "Meemah, here we come!".

2 short hours later we flew past the modern, gigantic windmills standing in the water of the Copenhagen harbor. We had just a little while to wait before our flight to New York began.

And I dreamed I was dying, I dreamed that my soul rose unexpectedly
And looking back down at me, smiled reassuringly
And I dreamed I was flying, and high up above my eyes could clearly see
The Statue of Liberty, sailing away to sea, and I dreamed I was flying

We left with a crowd of other people, all bound for different parts of the world but whose paths brought them to Newark, New Jersey. The flight was overbooked by 30 people, and we were very happy that we had gotten all our paperwork done ahead of time.

It was a long flight, to our perception longer than any other we had taken. As we came closer the flight attendants began serving a second meal. Heather asked why and we reminded her that, in America, it was about lunch time.

"But not all these people are going to America" she said.

"Heather, I can guarantee you that everyone on this plane is going to be in America for at least a little while." Leon reminded her.

"But I thought we were landing in New York.".

Hmm. Perhaps more emphasis on geography is needed.

We flew past New York, past Lady Liberty, and we were reminded about how suddenly things can change, both big and small.

This is also a time to look forward. Where will we live? What will we do for work? Where will we go to school? Who will be our neighbors? (Heather decided that since we lived near horses in Switzerland, we should live near cows in Solon. This was vetoed by the grownups however. Spoilsports.) Where will we be sitting in just a few months, on August 30, 2002 when we look at each other and say "remember what we were doing this time last year?"?

Feelings of excitement, concern, optimism, and fear mingle uncomfortably in our stomachs. But this is a road we've traveled before, and we know that it will come out all right in the end, even if we can't see that end at this moment.

But we come on a ship they called Mayflower
We come on a ship that sailed the moon
We come in the ages' most uncertain hours and sing an American tune
And it's alright, oh it's alright, it's alright, you can be forever blessed
Still tomorrow's gonna be another working day and I'm trying to get some rest
That's all I'm trying, to get some rest

Our flight was late, and it took a great deal of time to navigate our 10 bags and 5 people through immigration, customs, and security again. We arrived at the gate for the Cleveland flight with just 15 minutes to spare. And that was when we were treated to American hospitality at work.

This flight was also overbooked, and it had been declared "open seating". Which meant that while there were 5 seats available, none of them were together.

It was obvious that one person would need move over so that Debbie and Joram could sit together. And someone gave up their seat graciously enough when they saw her coming down the aisle. (Although a couple of college-age girls did offer to hold Joram throughout the flight. They ended up sitting in the row behind him and kept him entertained most of the time).

But when Leon began trying to find places for himself, Heather, and Isabelle, you could see the dubious looks on people's faces. Heather certainly looked big enough to make it though a 1.5 hour flight on her own. Isabelle, less so but perhaps if Leon just sat close.... You could see people weighing the situation in their minds. And then...

One person moved to a middle seat. Then the person next to her. Now Leon and Isabelle at least could sit together. The last man in the row looked up, and with a sigh offered his seat too. The flight attendant was near tears at people's generosity. Leon offered deepest thanks to those who moved (usually to a seat in between two larger people), and then pointed out "odds are that the girls probably wouldn't throw up during the flight, but this might be best choice for everyone!". People laughed, the flight took off, and we were heading on the last leg of our 16 hour odyssey home.

We arrived at Debbie's Mom's house. The first order of business was dinner - Chinese food, something we haven't had since leaving the US. Debbie was also re-united with Macaroni, who was surprisingly lenient in scolding us for leaving him for so long. After a few seconds of pouting, he proceeded to sit down next to Joram and purr loudly. Joram lovingly proceeded to attempt to pull the cat's ears and gouge out his eyes. Macaroni didn't seem the least bit disturbed.

After getting to bed at 7:00pm, Joram awoke bright and early at.... midnight. After all, it was 6:00am according to him and why let good play time go to waste. By 4:00am everyone (except Nancy) was up and moving. It is remarkable the things you can get done with so little sleep. Bags were unpacked and organized, journals entries written, breakfast eaten, etc.

At 11:30 Debbie and Leon left to find the house of their dreams. The girls had the better end of the deal, spending the day eating Meemah out of house and home, and generally helping her remember why motherhood (especially motherhood with 3 children) is best left to the young.

Debbie and Leon returned at 8:00pm, after seeing many many houses and placing an offer on the one that "spoke" to them the most. At the time of this writing we don't have any details on whether the offer was accepted or not, but we will keep everyone posted. We will talk to you all very soon.

Love
Leon, Debbie, Heather, Isabelle, and Joram

PS: For those who would like to call, Nancy's phone number is: 330-405-1357. For our friends in Switzerland, please remember that we are 6 hours *behind* Central European time.

Diary: 3/10/2002

Dear friends and family:

Yes, many of you have noted that a note went out on Thursday, and dated for March 17. Leon would love to blame it on a bad flux-time capacitor that accidentally sent a future issue back over a week through the space-time continuum. Or a surge in the number of chono-particles in this part of Switzerland.

But of course, the real answer is that Leon just hit "send" when he meant to hit "save". An unfortunate accident, but when you are trying to stay organized it was inevitable.

This week saw activities mostly related to our preparations to depart on Saturday. On Monday, we had the surveyors come to look over the household stuff and tell us how it would be packed (in true Swiss style - efficiently to the point of anal-retentivity. While this is not desirable in a resturaunt, it is refreshing to see in a moving company.)

Of course, the girls are very excited and have been counting down the days. Heather, who is studying fractions in school, took time to explain the concept to Isabelle (who is not) - "we have 1 and 3/7 weeks before we go home". It is important to make new concepts relevant, don't you think?

Thursday was a day off for the kids, as there were parent-teacher conferences being held. Both girls are doing well, and the teachers were very positive about the progress they have made this year.

On Friday night we had the Saunders over for dinner, and began our last weekend together in Switzerland.

There was a carnival all weekend in our village (the Carnival of Morons... oops Morrens). As carnivals go, it wasn't much. But there were a few rides, some fireworks, and a cabaret-type karioke bar. Not that we stuck around to see the vocal talents of our neighbors. Some things are best left to the imagination. The fireworks were a surprise also. But this being a small village, we discovered them went they went off directly over our house at 10:30pm. The fact that most of us were asleep at the time is a minor detail.

Sunday was relatively quiet. We had pancakes, packed a bit, did more laundry, and took a walk in the warmer weather (it's up to about 50 here) down to a park so the kids could run around a bit.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone next week and beyond. It is not too soon to set up a date. (hint hint)

Love
Debbie, Leon, Heather, Isabelle, and Joram

DIary: 3/3/2002

Dear friends and family:

The outpouring of support, warmth and friendship from last week's note was truly overwhelming. We feel blessed to have people in our lives that care so much. Thank you.

At this point our countdown clock is set and we are watching the days, hours, and minutes tick away. There is a lot to do, but still a lot of waiting also, which is the hardest part.

I want to take a second and mention that Paulette Powell is a really nice person.

This week the kids went back to school. This was both good and bad for Debbie, who didn't have to worry about entertaining them, but also had a very lonely week without them. However, she kept busy scanning the web for houses, and of course, Joram made sure she wasn't too bored. Toddlers are good at that.

Speaking of Joram, here's the latest on his personal adventures (no, he hasn't leapt from any tall places, spiked fevers that threatened to boil his brain inside his skull, or attempted to rewire the house with his bare hands. That was last week, remember?). As I think we mentioned earlier, he is cutting about 4 teeth at once. It would be so... what's the word we need here?.... "Normal" to do just one at a time. He also has had time to watch his sisters and their bathroom habits. While he has always been fascinated by the toilette (his attitude seems to be "why keep a perfectly good bucket of water around if you can't stick your hands in it?"), he is beginning to understand the function. So during each diaper change, he insists on having a sit. He looks extremely proud of himself (well, as long as his hands don't slip and he's not folded into the fetal position with his toes jammed into his ears and 3 inches of butt floating in the water). And on Sunday, he even peed. This a
ctually took everyone by surprise (including Joram) and the cheering actually startled him a bit. But overall it was a dramatic and life-affirming event.

Yes, we all need to find a hobby, or read a good book. We're working on it. Honest.

The word went out this week that we are on our way back to the US. People have been stopping by regularly to offer their hopes for the future, to express their friendship, and to scope out the stuff we might sell. Not that we are going to make any money from this trip. It's more of an extended garage sale, where you just try to find a price that someone will accept, but one that will also leave you feeling like you aren't the biggest heel in the world for either fleecing a friend or throwing good money out the window.

Along with the sale of goods, one family came in looking for stuff and left with a rental contract. It seems that they have been cooped up in a little apartment, but hoping for someplace better, and our place just happens to fit the bill. It's a huge relief to know that we won't be leaving the landlord high and dry, and that someone can benefit from this whole event.

The end of the week saw a bunch of visits from various friends - some from the US and some local. It was great to spend time with everyone, and it kept our minds busy so we didn't just sit and watch the clock tick down.

This week should be another quiet one. Just work, some pre-packing, and getting all our ducks in a row.

To answer a question that several people have asked, we intend to keep this letter going on a weekly basis at least until we are all in the US for good. After that, we desperately hope that life will become so boring that any email we could send would be useful only as a cure for insomnia.

As always, we hope you are all in good health and better spirits.
Love,
Debbie, Leon, Heather, Isabelle, and Joram

Diary: 2/26/2002

Dear friends and family:

We had a small debate this week on whether to save our biggest news for last, or to put it at the beginning of our note so that people who just scan these quickly wouldn't miss it.

In the end, it is more important for you to know than for you to hear things in chronological order.

To make a long story short, we are coming home.

For those who would prefer a little more detail:
No, it wasn't the dryers. Nor was it the car accident, the trips to the hospital, the weirdo workmen, or the 1000 franc electricity bill for our first month here. In the end, our decision to come back home was based on a multitude of elements, many of them positive and some less-so. It will be a hard journey back, but we know it is worth the effort for the entire family.

So what are the travel plans exactly?
On March 16, everyone will fly back to Cleveland. We will all spend 3 weeks settling in - looking for a house, getting a car for Debbie, etc. We'll also have a great time celebrating Passover among family and friends. There have been too many empty holidays for our comfort of late.

Then, on April 6 Leon will return to Switzerland. At this moment, we are not sure of the details of Leon's work. There are several options that Nestle is deciding upon.

However, what we do know is that Debbie and the kids will be back in the US for good, and settling life there while Leon settles the details in Switzerland.

OK. So how was the week?

As we mentioned last week, this was a week off from school for the kids. This is true of many of the schools in France and Switzerland, and many people take this week to go skiing. Of course, the weather didn't oblige very much, as the snow has all melted (even up high) from the unseasonably warm weather we've had.

We decided to stay close to home, and spent the week visiting friends, going bowling, etc. There was something to do nearly every day, but it was low-impact.

On Wednesday Debbie and Karen Ayres attended their second French class, and were promptly dumped. If you think being dumped on a date is bad, it's nothing compared to the rejection you feel when your French teacher, who speaks nearly no English, tells you that it's not you, it's her, but she still wants to be friends.

Actually, like many dating experiences, it was the children that drove them away. After being painstakingly clear that Debbie and Karen could not take a class unless they had childcare arrangements, and after obtaining vehement assurances that this was not a problem, the ladies arrived only to be asked "You still have the children? I thought you were going to do something with them" (what "something" they were supposed to do with the children is still vague, and has sinister undertones). In any case, they were told that they could not return to class until they had made alternate arrangements for the kids.

Which, given the fact that there are only 20 days until our return, means that Debbie at least will not be returning to class.

On Friday Debbie met up with the Knox's for the afternoon, and then Leon and Pete joined them at their house after work. A lovely fondue dinner followed, and we left far too late in the evening.

We then woke up early on Saturday and met up with our Paul and Rory, and took a road trip up to Fribourg. Fribourg is a larger city, but is distinct for a few reasons. First, the river running through it marks the separation between French-speakign and German-speaking Switzerland. It also is home to the Gutenberg museum.

It must be noted that, on the doors to this building, the words "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" are engraved. We never would have imagined it.

After the late night Friday and the long day Saturday, we were ready for a quiet time on Sunday. Just some laundry, homework, cleaning, and writing this note.

Everyone is in good health and spirits. Well, except perhaps Joram who is cutting 3 teeth at the same time.

Love
Debbie, Leon, Heather, Isabelle, and Joram

Diary: 2/17/2002

Dear Friends and Family:

Believe it or not, this was an extremely quiet week.

Debbie was still recovering from her illness, but managed to make it through the week without too much strife. By Friday, she was tired, but definitely better than a couple of weeks ago. Let it be said, however, that a 1 1/2 year old is not the best companion while recovering, as they are unimpressed with excuses like "Mommy has to go throw up now". We are working on Joram's compassion and bedside manner, but right now med school is not looking like a good choice.

Wendesday marked the beginning (finally!) of Debbie's French classes. While exciting, it was also a little bit hard to get into the swing of things. There are only so many times a grown person can recite the A-B-C's before becoming embarassed, frustrated, or both. We are hoping for a better (ie: more intellectually stimulating) class this coming week.

On Saturday night we were invited over the neighbors house for dinner. They have children roughly the same ages as ours, so a good time was had by all. Of course, the neighbors do not speak a word of English, so it was a little awkward at times. Until their oldest boy decided to liven things up by putting his hand in his armpit and making farting noises. There are some things that are simply transcend language.

Having made an impression (positive for the kids), the girls invited the neighbors over to play on Sunday too. Happily, it was a fart-free affair.

Friday was the start of a week of vacation for the girls, and there is a full schedule of play dates set up for this coming week. Hopefully that will generate more interesting news than this week.

Talk to you all soon.
Love
Debbie, Leon, Heather, Isabelle, and Joram

Diary: 2/10/2002

Dear friends and family

On the one hand, a quiet week. On the other, it was another one of those "We don't want a week like this again" weeks.

Debbie and Joram spend all weekend, and most of the week, getting over their cold/flu/creeping crud/whatever it is. For Debbie it manifested as extreme exhaustion, coughing fits, and headaches. For Joram it was stellar fevers, runny noses, and a light cough.

So it seems that the week Debbie was in the US was a "dress rehearsal" for this week. Through sheerest luck, Leon was able to manage everything in the house and give Debbie the breathing room (no pun intended) she needed to recover. But that was only because Debbie had done such a good job of preparing him from before the US trip.

It was also a good thing that our SKY satelite box (british TV) was installed. That way Debbie had something to watch that didn't require non-stop interpreting. This allowed her to discover "Ready, Steady, Cook" (http://www.qwertyuiop.co.uk/gs/atoz/programmes/r/ready_steady_cook/). "Emeril Live", this ain't. To give a brief overview of the show, you:

Take two normal people from the studio audience, who are asked to purchase 5 British pounds (approximately $7.00) worth of food. It can be anything. One guy bought nothing but a big bar of chocolate. Most people opt for a potatoe or two, some type of vegitative matter, and perhaps meat or something in a can. Then two "celebrity chefs" are invited on and given 20 minutes to come up with something to cook from whatever was brought. The audience member is supposed to help, which is why most chef's require lots of boiled water. The audience member usually gets in the way even doing that. The chef who comes up with the most original and best-presented idea wins. Wins what? It's not terribly clear. Nor does anyone appear to care much. The point of the show seems to be "See, with just 20 minutes and some basic items, you can make this lovely meal". They always forget to mention that you might also need a chef with years of experience. Where can you get one of those for less than 5
pounds?

Did you know that 104 degrees farenheit is the same as 40 degrees celcius? Why do we mention it? Because that is the temperature at which you should bring your child to a hospital for medical attention. Yes, on Wednesday afternoon Joram decided things were too quiet, and gave us a scare by spiking his fever so high we thought his brain would boil. So Leon rushed him down to the hospital (at least we know where it is now!) to see what to do.

We would like to state, here and now, that the Swiss fascination with sticking things up their rear end is nothing short of a sick twisted compulsion for which the entire medical community ought to be locked up. 3 rectal temperatures and 2 medicinal suppositories later, Joram's temp was certainly down. Personally we think it was because he realized they were going to continue to stick things up there until he got healthy. No wonder nobody in this country get sick! Who would want to go for treatment? Definitely the Marquis de Sade school of medicine. Oh sure, they say that the temperature readings are more accurate and the medicine works faster that way, but a whole world full of people popping pills stands in silent testimony to the contrary. If medicine really worked faster that way, you would be able to identify junkies by their permanently bow-legged walk.

On Saturday, we spent most of our time watching the Olympic opening ceremonies on TV. That same day Leon started coming down with his own version of the creeping crude, so this coming week should be another fun time.

Finally, on Sunday we went over Paul and Rorie's for pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, and an afternoon of good company and conversation. It was a chance to finally get out of the house but not risk pneumonia at the same time.

For those looking for a little dose of Swiss-American humor, here is a list going around the Nestle teams lately. It mentions some fairly standard Swiss practices. We are happy to explain any that don't make sense. OK. So all of them may not make sense, but we're still happy to explain what some of them mean.

You know you've been in Switzerland too long if:
=============================================
you think getting up early is good.
you throw a party and expect everyone to leave by 11:30 pm.
you clean up during parties.
you expect dinner guests to help with the washing up.
you actually get interested in the local elections.
you become concerned about the colour of your neighbour's curtains.
you expect the shop clerk to say goodbye after you purchase something.
you try to defend cartel based economics to a visitor.
you think that plaid jackets with flowery ties don't look that bad.
you think it's fair that you can only wash clothes once a month.
you wonder why anyone would want to shop outside of working hours.
you think it's OK to drive slow on Sundays.
you feel like you're broke if you have less that SFr. 300 ($184.00) in your pocket.
you dress up to go grocery shopping.
you understand why Chinese food should cost more than normal food.
you prefer Swiss wine.
you wish that your hometown had expensive garbage bags too.
you think it's OK for a Chinese restaurant to be run by a Swiss and staffed by Spaniards and Portugese.
you start thinking, 'Why can't they just speak Schwizerduetsch?'
your German is better than the waiter's.
you think Thursday night shopping is really convenient.
you think that large American cars are 'cool'.
you think it's cool to drink expensive imported American beers.
you prefer fizzy mineral water to tap water.
you begin to understand the subtlety of the Swiss cuisine.
you appreciate the differences between the cantons.
you feel really hungry if you don't start eating lunch by 12:00.
you have breakfast cereal for dinner.
you say Gruezi to everyone, and consider it impolite when they don't say it back.
you don't mind paying SFr.16 ($9.80) for a paperback book.
you think that Swisscom approved telephones are better.
you buy a new one instead of getting it repaired.
you think that 3% unemployment is high.
you believe it was through its own efforts that Switzerland stayed out of World War II.
you consider getting goats and sheep to graze in your backyard.
you only eat fondue in winter.
you complain to your neighbour about the noise when he flushes his toilet after 10 pm.
you become interested in the myriad of insurance offerings.
you volunteer to help organise the village festival.
you expect to be delayed by road works every summer.
you put Aromat on all your food.

Love
Debbie, Leon , Heather, Isabelle, and Joram

Diary: 2/3/2002

Dear friends and family

A comparatively quiet week this week.

First, to answer the question upper-most in your minds, the dryer is doing fine.

Monday-Wednesday were fairly uneventful. Work, school, dinner, bed. A pretty straight routine.

Debbie arrived Thursday morning. The flights had been long but without problems. Debbie was just happy to be home. She also wasn't feeling 100%, but it was nothing to worry about.

After getting settled in, and distributing the 1 million things she had bought in the US, we called it a night. But by friday morning, she wasn't feeling too good, nor was Joram. The cold that has been going around (both in the US and Switzerland) seemed to have caught up with her. So she spent the day trying to take it easy. Right.

Around 10:00am, the electricity completely went out. "Not again" we thought. Going next door, we were (slightly) encouraged when we discovered their power was out, too. "Oh yeah," they told us "this happens once or twice a month. It should come back in about an hour." Lovely.

The plumber showed up, which was a complete surprise. During the owner's visit 2 weeks ago, Leon had mentioned that the toilet seat needed to be replaced but he would take care of it. Apparently the owner wanted to seem efficient, so the plumber was sent. He took the seat with him and prepared to leave.

Debbie stopped him at the door - "When are you coming back?" she asked.
"Oh, not today. This is a special order part." (which meant we wouldn't have the seat all weekend, at the least).
"But I need the seat if I want to use the toilet"
"Oh no, it will work fine without this."

At this point, Debbie maintained a vice-like grip on the man's overalls, while dialing the phone with her other hand. After a brief but emphatic conversation in Fren-glish, Leon managed to convince the man that, indeed, his wife and 2 daughters *did* need the seat in order for the toilette to work correctly. True to his word, the plumber returned at 2:00 and said that he'd come back again when the replacement was in stock.

Where do we find these people?!?

The weekend was quiet. The girls spent most of their time finishing homework, rollerblading around outside (it's in the 50's here), and helping around the house. Joram went from high to low and back again as the adults kept him on an Advil/Tylenol yo-yo regimen. Debbie did her best to participate, despite the fact that the people who got trampled during the running of the bulls still felt better than she did.

For his part, Leon tried to keep the house moving and everyone as medicated as they needed to be. When naps co-incided, he managed to sneak up to the PC and get the family web site updated. Check out http://www.angelfire.com/home/adato for new pictures, archived copies of the Adato Diary, and more.

And now, it is time for another installment of the Adato FAQ (frequently asked questions). These are based on your emails to us!

Adato FAQ #2
=================
Question: Can you get Swiss Euros for me? Can you get the starter packs?
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Answer: As many of you are aware, beginning January 1 several nations stopped using their national currency in favor of the "Euro" (do NOT call it a "Euro-dollar" if you want to live very long here! People are very sensitive about that). The paper is the same from country to country, but the coins are different on the back - they bear the original coin face of the country where they were minted. So it is possible to get a "French" euro that is different than an Italian one. For more information, you can check out http://europa.eu.int/euro/html/home5.html?lang=5 .

Switzerland, ever the snobbish exclusionists that they are, have not joined the United Nations or the European Union. This means that they will not use the Euro as their currency. So there are no "Swiss" Euros.

The starter packs were sold the week before January 1. They were bundles of bills and coins that sold out within 2 days. No other starter packs will be produced. Basically, you have to shell out the money for one of each kind of bill and coin (for a full set, that would cost 888.88 euros, or $765.41 at today's exchange rate). If you left out the 500, 200, 100, and 50 euro bills, you would spend only 38.88 euros, or $33.48.

Question: Is the snow too much for you? How are you coping with the weather?
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Answer: While half of one season doesn't allow for an expert opinion, this season has been very similar to Cleveland's. We had 3 real snowfalls, some sub-zero (celsius) weather, which is in the 20's and 30's farenheit, and rain. And fog. The fog here is much more frequent and thicker than in Cleveland. Otherwise, it's about the same.

The key difference is the hills and the streets. There are a LOT of steep hills everywhere, and the streets are fairly narrow. So even a little snow or ice can mean a problem if you aren't careful. The city services (snowplow and salt) are good, but because it's hard to get around the existing traffic, it can take a little longer to clear the streets.

The other key difference is the tires. No all-weather treads here. You either have summer tires or winter tires. And even for a Clevelander who is used to hard winter driving, trying to get around on summer tires can be harrowing at best, life-threatening at worst.

Question: How far do you have to go to see the mountains?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Answer: Out of bed. Or, as one of our friends answered the comment "just look at the view" - "What do you mean look at it? You can't get away from it around here!". The mountains dominate every look out of every window. Houses are bought and sold based on their view of the lake, the mountains, etc. The landscape is an ever-present part of the mentality and the ongoing conversation here. How low down the mountain did it snow last night? What are the conditions for skiiing and at what altitude? When do the cows go up to the high pastures? When do they come back down? Which train goes up which mountain to view the surrounding countryside at which angle? Etc.

That's about it for now. Hopefully there will be more funs stuff and less weirdness to write about next week. Take care, and please keep your emails, cards, and letters coming.

Love
Debbie, Leon, Heather, Isabelle, and Joram

Diary: 1/27/2002

Dear friends and family

First things first: Debbie is having a fantastic time in Cleveland - it seems that the sales are in full bloom and ripe for picking! While she is away, and unable to edit what I'm writing, I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge something:

Many of you have written to say that things here sound hard, to wonder how we are making it, to ask how we can keep a sense of humor through some of the things that have happened. The answer is simple: It's all Debbie.

I would have been on a plane, tail between my legs a week after we arrived if hadn't been for her love and good humor. She is the strongest person I have ever known, she has surprised me in ways and at times I could not have imagined. She has had days that would have sent me over the edge, and she has handled them with grace and finesse.

She is a walking, breathing, living miracle, and it's about time I took a moment and acknowledged it. I've tried before, but those attempts ended up being "backspaced" away into the cybertrash.

So now we go back to the week in review:

As you can imagine, this was a quieter week.

After the "star spangled dryer" performance on Sunday, we were on the phone bright and early Monday to see about a replacement. Things were getting down to the wire with Debbie's packing - and some of the stuff she needed was wet in the washer!

We had assurances that the new dryer (number 4, for those who are counting) would be delivered Tuesday. Which was cutting it close, but we'd make it.

On Tuesday afternoon, the repairman called me to ask if we wanted to do some wash over at his place. Meaning, of course, that it wasn't going to make it. We took him up on the offer. He is actually a neighbor, so it wasn't a big deal and he feels very embarrassed and responsible for the situation somehow. Of course, this isn't his fault. But if you are offered a Bauknecht dryer - run in the other direction!

Tuesday night we held Isabelle's birthday dinner. For her cake, she took a page from our friend Michael's book and asked for a chocolate-chip cookie dough cake. Yup, another raw one. It is a sad and twisted statement to make, but Debbie is actually getting very good at making these. This one actually had a vaguely cake-shaped form as it sat on the plate. Isabelle was in heaven. I'm just thanking God that none of us are prone to diabetes.

On Wednesday morning we dropped off the girls at school, and then drove out to the Geneva airport. Everything went smoothly, even security. They did ask Debbie to remove her shoes - and Joram's shoes!!; and they weren't sure whether to allow or confiscate Joram's baby spoon and fork (they didn't). On the one hand, such things are a hassle. On the other, they are doing their job and a little hassle is worth it in times like these.

The 8 hour flight from Geneva to New York was relatively uneventful. The plane was partially empty and Debbie had an open seat next to her. Joram was awake the entire way, until 5 minutes before they landed (of course!). But Debbie managed to get him loaded into the stroller and keep him asleep. And the security folks at JFK bent the rules a little and didn't make her take him out to put things through the x-ray. Again, they are doing their job, but being human about it too.

On Thursday the dryer arrived, but it wasn't until Saturday that had time to run a load of cloths. So far, no sparks. We will keep everyone posted.

On Saturday we celebrated Isabelle's birthday again. This time we went over the house Chris and Karen Ayres (and their daughter Elyse). The girls had fun playing, the adults had fun complaining about life, work, etc, and everyone had some birthday cake. A great time was had by all.

Sunday was mostly spent cleaning and finishing homework. Heather had a birthday in the afternoon - with a Harry Potter theme. We dusted off her costume from Halloween and off she went. Isabelle and Leon spent the afternoon watching "The Princess Bride" and eating popcorn. Then Leon finally caved in, wimped out, and bought McDonald's for dinner. Up until now things had gone so well!

As I mentioned before, Debbie is having a wonderful time. She is actually at her main class right now as I type this. She has had a chance to see some of her friends and family (but not enough time, and each visit is painfully short) and also get some necessary shopping done. After getting used to Swiss cars, roads, shops, and houses everything seems oversized and stretched out. But this is not a difficult adjustment to make.

This week will hopefully be uneventful as well. Debbie leaves the US on Wednesday, and arrives here Thursday morning. Other than that it's the usual stuff - homework, cleaning, organizing, etc. Hopefully the dryer will not enter the conversation!

As always we hope that this letter comes at a time that is calm and healthy for you. Please drop us a line if you have the time and desire.

Love,
Leon, Heather, and Isabelle (and Debbie and Joram of course!)

Diary: 1/20/2002

Appologies for the lateness of the diary this week. Some last-minue developments have gotten in the way of normal life.

Starting on Monday, the wallpaper hangers arrived. We can't say that they were the best we've ever seen. In fact, they were probably closer to the worst. On the first day they came in and were clearly told to begin work in Joram's room, and not to start anything until that room was complete. They immediately moved furniture out of 3 rooms, took all the face plates off the electric outlets (Jorma had always wanted to see what was in those), and to go into Joram's room. Where they proceeded to smoke while they worked. "Furious" does not come nearly close enough to describe our reaction.

In the end, the work was done and we now have some brighter rooms. But the process of getting there made for a very rough week.

Also new this week is our dryer. After looking at the "old" one (dryer #2, delivered 2 weeks before) the service tech stated that there was no way the machine could ever have worked. Just out luck that *we* got the special one.

Also during this week the window repairman came. Nearly every window handle in the house was defective - they didn't close all the way - and the weather stripping had to be replaced as well.

On Wednesday, we celebrated Isabelle's birthday with all the girls from her class. Actually, the party was held at Isabelle's friends house - Joana. We combined parties to save on costs, headachs, and stress. For the most part, this plan worked. Although we're not sure if you can ever reduce stress when inviting 14 6 and 7 year old girls.

On Thursday we received a rather rude shock - our first electricity bill. This covered our first month, from mid-November to mid-December. The total was 1,075 swiss francs (roughly $662). Talk about sticker shock! We are still working with the rental company to work this out. The previous tenants paid an average of 350 swiss franc a month, so we assume that there is a problem in the electrical (heating) system. At least, we HOPE there is a problem.

On Saturday there was a hot-air balloon festival in the village of Chateau d'Oex. We've been to the festival in Chagrin but there was no comparison. About 75 balloons were launched at this one, all of them floating gently in the cold still alpine air. Some of the pictures should be spectacular.

We had some friends over for dinner Saturday night, which was a great way to end a lovely day. Then on Sunday we went over Leon's boss' house for a traditional Spanish meal. It was a great evening.

But one more surprise lay in store for us. When we got home, Debbie wanted to dry some cloths so that she had everything she needed for her trip this coming week. After putting the close in, she turned it on and was treated to a beautiful display of sparks and fireworks. The lights in the house went out as the main fuse tripped.

When the smoke cleared and the lights were restored, we were left with another dead dryer!

For those who read this and think that we must have been in tears, you should understand that this week has been too overwhelming from the start. By this point, it was down right surreal! We shut everything down, packed up for the night, and figured we would handle it in the morning. How, we are not sure.

This coming week is going to be intersting.

Of course, Debbie is flying out to Cleveland on Wednesday. For those who want to check in with her when it's not an international call, the number is 330-405-1357. And she flies in on Wednesday Jan 23, and flies back again on Wednesday, Jan 30.

This will leave Leon to fend for himself against all manner of strangeness - from what to serve for dinner to getting the dryer fixed. We hope.

Love,
Debbie, Leon, Heather, Isabelle, and Joram

Diary: 1/13/2002

Dear friends and family:

Considering the activity from the last few weeks, this was a quiet and slow time for us. Not that the change from break-neck action was unwelcome. It was nice to have some space to breath and let things get back to normal. And it's not to say that the week was without any highlights at all!

On Monday, Allison and Michael left for home. We had an amazing couple of weeks with them, and got to explore some parts of Switzerland that we may not have chosen to do on our own. Everyone was very sad to see them leave, especially Joram. He has become very attached to Michael ("Ma" as Joram called him). For days afterward, Joram would eat very little, and wandered around the house calling "Ma! Ma!" - you could see that he really thought Michael would jump out any minute. It was heartbreaking to see, although he seems to be better now.

This week marked our return to "regular life" - work, school, laundry, groceries, etc. It also marked a chance to finish the cleaning and organizing that we've been putting off since the beginning of December. We are finally storing the last of those items we realize we don't need, pulling out those that we found out we need (when we thought at first we didn't), etc. The desks are getting straightened, bills are getting paid, and computers are finally getting sorted out.

Speaking of getting the computers set up, our DSL internet is FINALLY set up. What this means is that Debbie has her laptop back and can get onto her email whenever she wants! In the next few days I'll be setting up the girls with email accounts. For now, if you want to contact us via the internet, you can use the following:

Leon's email (duh): leon.adato@nestle.com
Leon's instant messenger screen name (AOL or Yahoo): adatole

Debbie's email: adatoda@yahoo.com
Debbie's instant messenger screen name: (AOL or Yahoo): adatoda

This also means that I can start updating the web site again. I've started by posting all the "Adato Diaries" and pictures will be coming soon. The site already has a good collection of things from before the move. You can take a gander at http://www.angelfire.com/home/adato .

On Wednesday, more US friends came to visit. Doug and Janis were helping Doug's Mom fulfill a lifelong dream of skiing the Alps, and they took a day off from the slopes to come over to our place. It was a very low-impact visit - just some food, drink, and conversation. But it was great to see familiar faces and hear about their experiences at Zermatt - the site of the Matterhorn and a really nice ski resort.

For those who are keeping track of the never-ending saga of our house and the problems in it, we finally got the cook top fixed (it had been shattered since the day before Christmass. The dryer is still not working right, even after they replaced it with a whole new model. While the repair guys were supposed to arrive Monday, it was a no-show. Tomorrow (Monday) the wallpaper folks will finally come to change 3 rooms. This had been planned since we moved in, but with the holidays they didn't have time before now. We are still waiting to hear when the people are coming to fix the tile, the window handles, the shutters, and the broken glass in the winter garden.

On Friday, Heather went off to her first day of skiing with school. Imagine *this* as your normal school experience: Starting in mid-winter, you get every Friday off - completely off - from lessons, and go to a ski resort instead to practice on the sloaps. Can you believe it? Heather started off in the most beginner group (I don't think the kid has ever been on a toboggan, let alone skis!). But by afternoon she had moved up a group. We are excited to track her meteoric rise and have visions of her eventually challenging Picabo Street.

Saturday was "toy" day for the grownups. Leon went out and bought a new flat-screen monitor that is to-die-for, plus a printer to replace the one damaged during the move. After seeing how nice and warm Heather's ski coat was, Debbie stopped at the sporting goods store and bought herself a similar one. Then we spent the day cleaning, organizing, and hanging out.

On Sunday we didn't even leave the house! After pancake brunch we had an informal Sunday school session, and then spent the rest of the day straightening up some more. The housework just never seems to end.

This week should be relatively easy. Leon has some new contractors starting at work so that should take up a lot of his time, plus his boss and project manager both return from vacations. On top of the "normal" work it should be a hopping time!

Isabelle is sharing a birthday party with another girl on Thursday, so that will be exciting. The other girl wanted a "purple" party. I'm assuming everyone here knows what Isabelle wanted for a theme. So they compromised on a Purple Pooh Party.

And of course, we have to get ready for Debbie and Joram's trip the following week.

Please take care, keep the cards and letters coming (especially to Debbie's email now that it's running!), and let us know if there is anything we can do for you!

Love
Debbie, Leon, Heather, Isabelle, and Joram

Diary: 1/6/2002

Dear friends and family:

We hope that everyone's New Year was enjoyable (whether that means a quiet evening with friends or raucous partying with strangers). Ours was definitely closer to the "quiet evening" side of things, but that's jumping ahead...

Monday was New Year's Eve of course. However, we really didn't have any huge plans. Following the Adato tradition, everyone got to "order" their choice of New Years meal. Heather requested brussels sprouts. Isabelle asked for brownies. Michael wanted exotic fruits (starfruit, pomegranite, passion fruit, cumquat, pomello). Leon asked for a brioche bread with brie baked inside. And Debbie and Allison agreed on borscht (admittedly a do-it-yourself job as Manaschewitz does not exist here). Since Allison shared her idea with Debbie, she also got an avocado. We all got a good taste of everyone elses's food, and went to bed early (with stomach aches. WE have no idea why.). Actually, Leon and Debbie went to bed around 11:30, and Allison and Michael stayed up to ring in the new year (no Times Square though - midnight here is still only 6:00pm for Dick Clark).

For New Year's day we decided to climb a mountain. A ski resort in Leysin features a "resturaunt tournant panoramique" - it's literally a round glass building that overlooks the alps, lake geneva, and some incredible ski runs. The resturaunt inside turns slowly in place, so that you get to see everything around you as you eat. It was breathtakingly beautiful and pretty cool to boot.

We took our big trip on Wednesday. Waking at 5:00am, we quickly drove down to the train station and headed south-east to Italy. It was only 2 hours and 50 minutes to Milan, so we spent the day exploring. It was relatively warm (40 degrees), sunny, and everyone was friendly and helpful. We picked up a few nice souvenirs and even got to see Leonardo DaVinci's "The Last Supper".

Thursday Michael had another chance to go snowboarding with Luca, the wild and crazy Italian. While he risked life and limb, Debbie Allison, and Joram ventured back to Montreaux for some power-shopping and Leon stayed home with the girls to clean, organize, and veg.

By Friday everyone needed to recharge. The big delimma was that we had to prepare for Shabbat dinner. Our solution was to have a "breakfast for dinner" Sabbath. Pancakes and eggs. It was quite a site.

Saturday was Michael's birthday. As a gift to him, we did NOT drag him to the stained glass museum. Instead, he was left home alone. Everyone else had a fun time looking at some breathtaking windows - some from as far back as the 1100's and others from contemporary artists. The museum itself is in a castle in the village of Romont, so the drive and the area were also fun to see.

When we got home, we had to prepare the birthday feast. Most of the meal was not far out of the ordinary: lamb, potatoes, and green beans. However, we had a special birthday cake planned - cookie dough. Not baked cookie dough, mind you. This was a huge globber of uncooked chocolate chip cookie dough formed into a vaguley cake-shaped mound and topped with candles. Not only tasty, it was entertaining too as we watched the kids bounce from wall to wall after they ate a slice of the stuff.

Today was Allison and Michael's last day here, so they needed to spend time packing. We ran up to a local zoo to get out of the house for a couple of hours, and then spent the rest of the day getting organized for the week ahead.

Of course, this week will mark our return to reality. The kids go back to school, Leon goes back to work, and we have to focus on all those things we've procrastinated on: changing addresses with various companies, getting the dryer fixed (nope, it's still not right), getting the stove top fixed (the top shattered when the guy came to fix the burner 2 weeks ago), etc.

We get a small break on Wednesdy when Doug and Janis come in from Brooklyn, Ohio. They've decided to spend a week skiing the Matterhorn (the resort is named Zermatt), which is only 3 hours from here. So we're going to hang out for the day and ignore our work some more.

And, of course, we're now getting ready for Debbie and Joram's big trip home. For those who missed the details, they are:
Flying home January 23 (arriving that evening)
Flying back January 30.

During that time Debbie has to shop for all those things we can't find here, take a couple of ophthalmic courses, visit every doctor we've ever known to update prescriptions, and visit every person in Cleveland. So if you haven't gotten on the list yet, hurry up.

We hope this letter finds everyone in good health and better spirits.
Love
Debbie, Leon, Heather, Isabelle, and Joram
(and, for another few hours, Allison and Michael)