Swiss miss: Immunity

I'm now immune to:

1. Geneva's airport. I mentioned a couple of times before that I live near the airport. I never wanted to stay in our apartment balcony because I see planes flying off every five minutes from there. But because I go here everyday to take the next bus to work, and this being the only place where shops are open on Sundays, I really have no choice but BE in the airport. I just can not avoid this place. There were moments when I cry silent as I stand waiting for the bus to come. But now, not anymore. I even sent my friend off twice up to the pre-departure area when she left Geneva. No more tears.


2. QWERTZ, the Swiss-German kezboard. It has the Y and Z interchanged, plus umlauts (i.e., ü, ä), and some punctuations put in other places different from the English keyboard. Surprisingly, it is quite easy to navigate, as it is closer to the latter. In fact, I didn't bother requesting our Library's IT person to change my keyboard at work. Although I'm not so sure if I will have a hard time reverting back to QWERTY when I come home. That remains to be seen


3. Dead weekends. I dread weekends here. For some reason, everything stands still, especially on Sundays. For this, I thank my routines. They keep me busy during these days.


4. Peaceful bus rides. Everyday is the same: buses are punctual and drivers are respectful to passengers and pedestrians. I sometimes find it boring. No pounding stereos (in an afterthought, nami-miss ko na!) The next best thing to loudspeakers is the computerized voice announcing "prochain arret (next stop)...", prompting passengers get ready to hop off the bus if it is their stop.
   
   I have been secretly wishing to see a commotion to happen in the bus, just to distract the blissful monotony going around. And then one day, I got my wish. On my way to work one morning, the bus driver hit the brakes hard. He slid open his window and yelled at a private car. I didn't understand what he was saying, but judging from his gestures (parang charades, hahaha!), it seemed that the car swerved by the bus lane, something that private cars are prohibited from doing (buses strictly follow their dedicated lanes, keeping them prompt to arrive on all stops on schedule). As this excited me more than scared it me, I quickly turned around (I was seated up front) to check on my co-passengers' mixed reactions. "Uy, bago 'to!" I said to myself. Some were upset, probably because they can't afford a minute more of delay. But most were puzzled as if to say, "This can't happen. This is a peaceful bus."


5. Bag-your-own grocery. Unlike in the Philippines where there is a person being paid to sort out and bag your groceries while you pay, in Europe, it is no else' job but yours. The cashier is just the cashier. I usually panic when the cashier punches all my goods and when s/he's done, I haven't even teased my plastic bag open yet (at least here in Geneva, plastic bags are provided for free, but you will have to pay extra if you wish to get the reusable bags). I feel like I'm always in a race! But by virtue of constant practice and logical thinking (dairies go together, toiletries and dry goods on separate bags...), I have now mastered the skill. Hehehe.


6. My cooking. Wahaha! I don't really cook. But because I can't always afford to dine out (again for the record, everything here is expensive), I am compelled to cook and eat whatever it looks and tastes like. I just psyche myself that everything I cook is gourmet, so I would always end up with a clean plate. In effect, I eat a lot. I'm scared to go hungry. Hehehe.