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?
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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)

Diary: 12/30/2001

Dear friends and family:

This marks our finally note home for 2001. The week has been filled with

Monday and Tuesday were difficult to fill. If Switzerland "shuts down" on Sundays, then they roll up the sidewalks and move to another country for Christmas day. On Monday we stocked up on food and then walked around the old area of Vevey.

On Tuesday Leon, Michael and Heather abandoned everyone else for the cinema event of the year: The Lord of the Rings. Heather still insists that Harry Potter was a better movie. Leon, on the other hand, believes it was the best movie he has ever seen. Michael thought "it was a pretty good movie". Leon agreed to drive him back home anyway.

On Wednesday we visited the Castle of Chillon, right out of a fairy-tale. It was built onto Lake Geneva around 1000 ACE, and was restored around 1937. It is now a museum, party hall, historic site, and even apartment building (for the keepers). It is also in desperate need of central heating. It was bitter cold the day we visited, and the hot soup and fondue we had for lunch once we left was all the more welcome.

On Thursday we drove about an hour north to the village of Gruyere. Yes, that's where they make the cheese. Again we were struck by the relative normalcy of places like this. In America, many places like this would be sterilized into a historical village that is devoid of any modern life; or "disney-fied" into a character of the place it actually was. In this case, Gruyere is indeed a tourist location and sports a larger-than-usual number of restaurants. But each building has a set of apartments where real people actually live; a post office that is the same as any other village around here; and all the other amenities needed to support daily life. It just so happens that "life" in this case exists in a fortified castle structure with a 360 degree view of the Alps.

It had been snowing regularly all week, so on Friday Michael got to experience the Swiss Alps first hand. Luca, a co-worker of Leon's went up for a day of snowboarding and graciously offered to take Michael along. Without going into deep details, Michael quickly noted that there a few differences of scale between the ski slopes in Cleveland and those in Switzerland. We'll leave it to your imagination to fill in the blanks. However, Michael safely returned home with all his bones in the same shape as when he left.

Saturday dawned wet and stayed that way all day. We had planned to drive to Geneva and look around, but after 10 minutes there we realized it was much too wet for anything of the kind. We drove around the city for a little bit, and then crossed the border into France to go to a shopping area that Debbie knew about. Yes, we have done our fair share of Mall-hopping. You can take the American out of the US, but....

Sunday was bright and sunny, just the kind of day we needed to take another trip to France. This time, we went to a beautiful little village named Annecy. It's about 2 hours from the house, but was worth the drive. We timed our visit to coincide with the weekly market, and walked around the old buildings looking for bargains. It reminded us all of the town in Belgium named "Bruge" - canals and bridges separate different parts of the old part of the town, and the architecture in some cases is hundreds of years old.

In actuality, the whole week has seen a fair share of shopping - either for new foods we bring to the table in the evening or for interesting things to bring home. We are sure that Alison and Michael will leave with heavier bags than when they came!

This week we know that Monday and Tuesday will again be relatively quiet. On Wednesday we've planned a day trip to Milan (3 hours by train). Beyond that, we're just keeping our options open.

We hope that everyone reading this has a happy, healthy, and safe new year.

Love
Debbie, Leon, Heather, Isabelle, and Joram
(and Alison and Michael)

Diary: 12/23/2001

Dear Friends and Family:

It has been quite a week. We don't need to have any more "excitement" for some time.

The end of the story is that Joram is fine. (Don't you love stories that have to start at the end?).
Beginning of the story is that he was standing on a chair, the chair fell and his leg was caught between it and the floor. He couldn't stand up and was crying uncontrollably. Leon rushed ohm, we took him to the hospital (good thing we knew where it was!), and the doctors looked at him quickly.

In the end, he was back up and around (and climbing the kitchen chairs again) 2 days later. There was never any bruising, swelling, or visual indication of anything wrong. The doctors (who aren't as threatened by the thought of lawsuits as in the US) didn't take an x-ray. With experience now behind us we know it was the right choice. But it was very hard to feel good about the situation at the time. What if everyone was wrong? What if he needed a cast? What if what if what if what if.

As mentioned before, Nancy left Monday morning, and we had 2 days to straighten up before Alison and Michael arrived. Of course, Joram's impression of Evel Kinevel put a serious dent in our ability to focus on housework!

On Wednesday, Alison and Michael arrived without a hitch. The day was pretty quiet, as they were jet-lagged, so we didn't do much more than help them unpack and eat some dinner.

Leon was still working the rest of the week, but the girls were off for the winter break. So Thursday everyone (sans Leon) went down to a Christmas market in Montreaux to snoop around and see what kinds of neat things they could find. Nothing much was there, but they had a great time walking around.

On Friday they spent the day doing house-type stuff - shopping for the weekend, getting settled, etc. Leon finished the last of his work responsibilities early and came home. That night, Leon's boss Francisco came over with his wife and daughter and everyone had a very filling evening.

Saturday dawned white - it was snowing for only the second time this year. We decided to go down to one of the weekly markets - located in the heart of Lausanne in an area known as Place St. Francois. This market covers several sloping cobbled streets, and takes you past some wonderful architecture. Everyone managed to find something that was useful, interesting, or both.

After that, we went driving on the "Adato Historical Tour" - a drive-by of some of the places we have stayed or which was important in some way.

By the time we finished, everyone was pretty wiped out and it was time to get home and get ready for dinner. The rest of the day we spent by the fire, roasting marshmellows (Debbie managed to fling one across the room. "It was on fire" is her reasoning. We're sure the fire marshals will be impressed with that excuse) eating good food, and just catching up.

On Sunday, we were ready to do something more substantial. It was a fairly clear day, so we took a funicular from Montreaux up to Roches de Nayes - about an hour trip. The views were breathtaking as we ascended over the lake, right up until we got to the top. Then a cloud enveloped us, so that we had zero visibility. How the skiers managed to avoid falling off the edge of the mountain is a mystery to us all.

We had a quick snack and came back down, snapping pictures once we were out of the clouds again. Then we had a liesurly drive home and got ready for dinner (an appropriately Swiss meal of cheeses, bread, and fondue) and spent another night gabbing by the fire..

For the coming week, we are really playing each day as it comes. We know we want to get to Gruyere, Milan, Geneva, and a French village named Anisee. We also have some nearby things we want to check out. Michael also has definite plans to go snowboarding with Luca, one of Leon's workmates. (Debbie and Alison insist on adding "cute, Italian, drummer in a rock band" for those who need a better visual image). But we'll have to see how everything falls together by the end of the week.

We hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season, and that it is a chance to relax, recharge, and prepare for the coming year.
Love
Debbie, Leon, Heather, Isabelle, and Joram (and Alison and Michael).

Diary: 12/16/2001

Dear friends and family

!!IMPORTANT NEWS!!
Before we return to your regularly scheduled diary entry, we wanted you to know that Debbie and Joram are coming to Cleveland from January 23 through January 30 (yes, that's 2002). There is an ophthalmic seminar being given, and Debbie decided it was a good opportunity to combine continuing education with pleasure. The seminar is on Sunday, January 27. All other days are open. Please mark your calendars now and start making plans. As always, email should be sent to Leon (leon.adato@nestle.com) for prompt service.

OK. Back to real life....
Appologies are due as I cut short my description of last week, leaving out some of Sunday's events. That was a grave error, as I missed some excellent moments.

In the late afternoon, we traveled to the house of some friends, about half an hour away. They are from Solon, too, and with their greater experience, they have been helping us out with our adjustments to Swiss life. There we were treated to two very Swiss dishes - fondue and "raclette". Fondue should be familiar to everyone, except that there are special mixes here that are used, and the taste is very different from the "beer and cheddar" that we are used to having in the US.

Raclette is hard to describe. It is made on a small grill, where you melt squares of cheese and then pour it over small boiled potatoes. You also grill different meats (sausage, chicken, etc) and vegetables to eat along with cheese-potatoe mix.

In all, it was a very filling evening, and between the food, the wine, and the company we had a hard time forcing ourselves to leave.

On Monday we made another round of acquisitions, courtesy of an expat family leaving for the US. Beneffiting from their departure, we picked up a freezer, raclette grill (yes, we are hooked), gas grill (for when warmer weather returns), and a few swiss-to-us power converters.

On Tuesday night Heather and Isabelle had their winter program at school. The performance was wonderful, and you could tell all the kids had worked extremely hard to put the show together. Of course, none of the teachers or parents did anything at all. (grin). But evening was a lot of fun, both for the folks on stage and the family in the audience.

Thursday came and Debbie and Nancy made a foray into the wilds of France again. There are limits on the amount of stuff you can bring back across the border (1 lb of fresh meat per person, 2 bottles of wine per adult, 2 liters of milk per person, etc) so it was important to use Nancy to our full advantage while she was here! This also gave us the chance to bring back stuff to fill up that new freezer!

We had our first snow on Thursday night - driving was an interesting adventure. It wasn't enough to make a Clevelander worry, but we didn't know how the city services would hold up. It turns out that there was a small delay in the salt trucks, but by morning everything was clear. It's just bitter cold right now (-13 celsius, or +9 farenheit).

Saturday we met up with some friends and went up a funicular - a kind of train that can handle 45+ degree angles. It was a foggy day, so the view was less than spectacular, but the company was great and the kids had an exciting time.

On Sunday evening we went down to the synagogue in Lausanne. Leon had met up with another gentleman at Nestle, and there is apparently a deep and thriving Jewish community in Lausanne that we weren't able to find up until now. We were introduced to families that more closely match our level of observance, and we also found out about programs like after-school Hebrew lessons, weekend programs, etc.

This week we also discovered another quaint little Swiss custom - speeding tickets by mail. Remember, the key here is efficiency. It is inefficient to have police tied up watching cars all day. Much better to have cameras placed everywhere - at each stoplight, on highway lamp posts, etc. All set with motion detection equipment and other technical paraphenalia. When you are going too fast, or moving through a red light - click! We received a ticket for 40 swiss francs (roughly $25.00). Our crime? Going 57 kilometers in a 50km zone. That's about 4 miles per hour over the limit. Needless to say, we are watching our speed VERY closely now.

We wanted to let everyone know that Debbie hasn't had a chance to check her personal email since we moved into the house - we are getting to bed around 11:00pm and getting up at 5:45am, with lots to do in-between. We are still waiting for the full internet connection, and then she will be able to fill her quieter moments checking stuff out online. For the moment, Leon is printing out emails and she is avidly reading them, she's just not finding a chance to reply like she had a month ago. Be patient and things will calm down, we are sure.

Some people have asked for more details on how the kids are doing, so here goes:

Heather has been improving her math skills by leaps and bounds. We have to work very hard on our math facts to keep those skills sharp. But when she is able to focus and think clearly, the new skills like division, fractions, and decimal math are all coming quickly. It's those moments when she can't focus or doesn't take the time to think clearly that still trip her up. With so much to do, Heather's French is coming slowly. There is also the fact that, in her grade, French class is divided between "beginners" (kids like Heather who have just arrived) and "advanced" (kids with one French-speaking parent, or those who have been here a while). So she is less exposed to her peers speaking French than we had hoped. Socially, Heather is in the thick of things as she always has been. Her circle of friends is as big as her class, and she runs out of days in the week before she runs out of people who want to come over or have her over their house.

Isabelle is has hit a growth spurt, and is now suffering a bit from the fact that you can't find "Winnie the Pooh" cloths in her size. Her solution is to keep wearing the old stuff, even if there are holes in the elbows and knees and seat and the legs stop 3 inches above her ankle. Debbie's solution was to buy some fabric and sew Pooh onto some new pants, which were presented to her this week for Chanukah. School for her has been a constant adventure. She is reading with a vigor that only comes from watching her big sister and wanting to be just like her. No concept seems to baffle her for very long. Being younger, French is coming easily and she is acquiring a nice accent as well as the words. Her grade is also taught together, regardless of level, so she has more role models to work from. Like Heather, she is also having a great time socially. There are birthday parties almost every week, and the tendency is for all the kids from the class to be invited. So she has a very
active social calendar.

Joram is no longer a baby, and is every inch a toddler on the move. Being in Switzerland, he understands that mountainclimbing is a way of life and so he attempts to scale any handy obstacle - the steps to the basement, the kitchen table, the highchair, the bookshelves, etc. He is a very animated speaker, using his hands and gesturing wildly. It's a pity nobody has a clue what he is saying. He is using sign language consistantly for the important things - more, finish, drink - but everything else is a guessing game. He has a great time shaking his head "no" when we guess wrong, and nodding vigorously when we finally figure out what it is he's trying to ask for. Knowing what happens when children begin to talk, we are happy to keep him doing his Harpo act for a little longer.

For the coming week, we will have some tear-filled farewells on Monday when Nancy returns to the US (she probably needs a vacation from this vacation after all the running around we did!). Then we have to clean up the house and get ready for our friends Alison and Michael, who arrive on Wednesday. The girls have only half a day of school that day also, so the rest of the week is going to be filled with sights, activities, and everything we can do to avoid the work in the house.

Love
Debbie, Leon, Heather, Isabelle, and Joram

Diary: 12/9/2001

Dear friends and family

Generally, this was a better week than we have seen in a while. Things are not what we would call 100% normal yet, but on the way up.

First, this past Monday shall henceforth be remembered as "Debbie is not crazy day". The owner of the house, plus a representative from the management company, plus about 300 contractors all descended on the house at 8:30am to go over the things we've found to be broken, inadequate, or just plain weird. Many of the things we thought were just quirky Swiss issues, but it turns out that they are more than that. Included in the list of items soon to be fixed are:

• the range top that takes over an hour to boil a pot of water
• the dryer that needs to run 2 or 3 times to dry the cloths
• replacing the (butt-ugly) wallpaper in 3 rooms
• fixing up a banister wobbly banister

Also on Monday, we "arrived" in the village. In parts of Europe, it is necessary to announce your arrival when you move from place to place. You go to the community center and answer a slew of incredibly personal questions, which are copied down by a vaguely disinterested clerk and then sent to Zurich for storage. At least, that's our perception of the process. Why do they need to know Debbie's Mother's maiden name? Beats the heck out of me, but we won't get proper garbage service until we tell them.

Last year, about 30 people from the Neslte-Switzerland research and development center were transferred to Solon. We can only imagine the confusion they encountered when they dutifully showed up at the community center, telling the receptionist "I'm here! I am a protestant. My father's name was Jean-Claud. " etc.

Some of you have asked how French lessons are coming along. The reality is that we haven't had a chance to start them up again since we've arrived here - just too much stress and work until now. However, we are going to begin lessons after the New Year and we hope our survival skills will improve along with that effort.

In the meanwhile, Leon's co-workers have been teaching him important French phrases. They include:
* Tu est vache avec moi ("you is cow with me", meaning you are giving me a hard time)
* C'est y pas beau ca ("It is not there beautiful that", meaning "way cool")
* @+ (used in email, an abbreviation for "a plus", which is in itself an abbreviation for "a plus tard". Meaning "later" or "see you later")

This being a high-stress work environment, they are teaching Leon other words and phrases as well, but they are not reprintable here.

But the high point of the week had to be Nancy's arrival. The anticipation nearly killed the girls, but somehow they made it to Thursday. She arrived around noon, and her bags (Santa would be proud of the amount she had packed into such a small space) were slightly delayed but made it eventually as well. After locking herself in the guest room to sort through the things she brought far from small prying eyes, she emerged with several valuable items: peanut butter, boxed brownie mix, and marshmallow fluff among them.

On Friday, Debbie and Nancy, along with a few school Mom's went over to the Montreaux Christmass Market, and spent way too much money but had a good time.

Saturday, Leon and Heather went out hunting for ski equipment. Here again they learned important French phrases: "moins chere" (less expensive) and "plus chere" (more expensive). 500 francs later they understood the difference. But Heather is now completely outfitted to be a ski-bunny in training.

Sunday morning dawned clear and bright and... oily. The grease was flying as several batches of latkes were made, and then as a round of french toast was made up for the now starving crowd. After wolfing down a fair share of both, everyone sat around expectantly waiting for the festivities to begin. To make a long story short, Chanukah arrived loudly and with great gusto. when the smoke (and the wrapping paper) cleared, many wishes had been fulfilled. We can't imagine what the rest of the week will hold in store. Probably just socks and pencils.

Speaking of the coming week, there is a variety of things in store for us. We found an American family returning home, so we are going on Monday night to pillage their house for useful stuff (freezer, grill, etc). On Tuesday night the school is putting on their winter program. And so on. But that's the subject of another email...

Diary: 12/2/2001

Dear friends and family:

This note marks our 3rd month here, and so it is a good time to take stock of where we are, how far we have come, and even how far we have yet to go.

While we would like to report that we are thriving, that everything is wonderful, that would be a lie. It would also be a lie to say that we are miserable, and that we spend each and every moment weeping in despair.

The reality is somewhere in-between those two extremes. It has been a hard time, to be sure. Every task, no matter how small or mundane, requires enormous amounts of energy, thought, and time. Some of this is normal for any move. Some is normal for any move when you are going to a completely new location (without language or culture differences). And some of this is absolutely related to language and culture changes. The 3 together are what has made this move so much more complex than anything we've ever attempted before.

When the dryer breaks, how do you call the repairman when you cannot find a yellow pages; when the yellow pages is sorted by village rather than by profession; when the person answering the phone speaks a different language? At home, just calling the repairman and scheduling the time to come out was a chore. But these new elements make the task a world unto itself.

The answer often lies in friends and coworkers. We were never people who were able to easily ask for help. It was against our nature and (for the most part) rarely a need. But we are learning! What is the name of a good repair person? Will you call them for me? etc.

So where are we in the new house? Well, we have the bedrooms unpacked and organized, including building 6 new wardrobes since houses here don't come with closets. The bathrooms are all set up and the extra toiletries are in a cupboard in the basement. Ditto all the food and dishes in the kitchen. We've hung ceiling lights in all the rooms so we can remove the floor lamps (houses in Switzerland do not need to come with any lighting fixtures - not even a bare bulb on a wire!). The satellite dish is FINALLY set up!!! Deepest and most heartfelt thanks needs to be given to Paul Saunders, Rory Nazareth, and Chris Ayres, without whom we would be lost upon the uncharted seas of satellite minutia. With the satellite in place, we finally can get some English channels, catch up on the news, and even let the kids watch Disney, Discover, and "that cooking show" again.

What is left to do?
We have been extremely blessed with Tupperware, and it our organization of it needs to be... refined a little. We have room in the kitchen and room in the basement, but we need to optimize each. The guest room needs to be organized. The office area and all the computer equipment needs to be arranged so that the grownups have a workable space. We need to do the same for the girls' desks. Once the DSL line is in place, we need to get the home network running. After that, we are down to the normal "hanging pictures and re-arranging furniture" tasks that haunt every new move for months after it is technically finished.

Of course, the big excitement for the coming week is that Debbie's Mom arrives on Thursday. We are already making our plans for each day, visiting markets, seeing sites, and generally showing off the country. We're also getting ready for Chanukah - putting up decorations, making sure we can find all the important items, etc.

As always, we hope that this letter finds everyone in good health and better spirits. Take care and write soon.
Love
Debbie, Leon, Heather, Isabelle, and Joram