I dont know if I am just tired....

I have been saying it ever since Kim and Kate left but I think I want to come home.

I miss everyone too much. Its not enough for me to speak to my mum on the phone all the time.
It hurts too much now to hear about my sisters lives from a distance.
I dont want to be away from Mel and Mandy and D and Sahar (if shes still around) anymore.
Its just Lacey and I now and I am so lonely. Manda and Sara left and it feels like I wont make any more friends. People that I will love anyway. And if I dont love them then whats the point?
I love the kids I look after. I love the beautiful big house thats right on the lake. I love so much jumping on a plane for an hour and being at another stunning holiday destination,
I am just more sad these days than I am happy.

I miss you guys. I think about you all - all the time.

More goodbyes...

The weekend following the girls leaving was the actual last weekend in Switzerland that Sara, Manda, Lacey and I were together so we all camped at Laceys house and drank a heap of wine and made a tonne of nice food for the whole weekend!



We talked about going shopping or taking a hike but none of it happened. I think we really just wanted to be with each other, there were a few tears. Yet it wasnt the last time we saw each other. Just Manda and Sara had to say goodbye.



Sara then left for Ireland and it was Manda, Lacey and I left to celbrate the Swiss National Day on August 1st. Luckily it was a week day so we got the day off!
We celebrated in style by all buying Swiss flag t-shirts. We the made it down to the lake and spent the afternoon drinking my duty free vodka and having a nice lunch. My boss had also invited everyone to my house for a BBQ so we went there at about 6.30ish. We had a huge dinner along with my family, Catherines brothers family from Belgium, Beats mum and Manda's friend Miles.



We played in the lake for a while and once it got dark we let off fireworks from our backyard. It was amazing to be on the lake as we can see into the mountains and all up the lake so there was fireworks going on for kilometres - it was a great atmosphere. The kids had a great time even if Maxine was scared of the noise and then Beat offered us one of his famous Cuban cigars so I had a chuff of that.... blehhhhhhhh! Manda and Lacey though it was great because they have never seen one as cuban things are forbidden in the U.S.



After a huge day Lacey and I went to walk Manda and Miles to my train sattion yet we didnt make it so far as Lacey fell in a mud slide. She went over on an already sensitive ankle.... whats the date today? Oh yea 15th of August so two weeks has passed and my poor little Lacey is still limping!!



Catherines brother Fred and his family left to go home on the 6th of August and then my family left for Barcelona late Tuesday afternoon. I was staying here for the week and planned to go on a few day trips.

On the Wednesday after the au pair coffee that I attend Lacey and I met a new girl and took her shopping. As Sara's gift for me since she was leaving she gave me a 30 frnac voucher for the Freitag (Friday) store in Zurich. http://www.freitag.ch/ These are original bags made in Zurich and cost an arm and a leg so it is my aim to buy one before I go home! Thanks Sara for the cool present! So we spent half of Wednesday in the store looking at the bazillion of bags they have available.

Lacey then slept at my house Wednesday night. We invited Svetlana over for dinner and I made the girls a chicken curry, which was really good!!! After that we then began our Harry Potter marathon. I just started the book so I am really obsessed!

Thursday was spent dragging Lacey (who is still hobbling) across the city toone of the larger shopping malls in Zurich called the Glatt! I have not been to a mall here before so it was cool to be at the Glatt.... kind of like a Westfields!

I didnt go too nuts, just preparing for the party I am going to soon for my bosses 40th birthday. The theme is "be the popstar you have always wanted to be" so I am going as Beyonce! 1) because I love her music 2) because I can wear a short dress and not feel skanky and 3) because I want to have big hair!

So I got a dress and I am nearly ready just have to begin the fake tan process soon because people keep saying I am not black..... LACEY!!!



Friday then rolled around and I decicded to go to Strasbourg for the day which is in France but right near the German boder also about 2.5 hours away from Zurich. My friend Laura came also and we had a nice day exploring, sadly the weather became bad by the end of the day but it was still a nice day.




Saturday was spent organising meeting places, etc to go into Zurich for the would famous street parade. Simlar to the gay and lesbian mardi gras the whole city was alive. It started at 1pm and went through to 10pm. There was so many people there (at least 1 million) and everyone had earplugs in so you can imagine how loud it was. Massive trucks were driving through the city and on each truck was a DJ with heaps of dancers on the back just rolling through the main streets.



It was a good experience but way too many people on drugs. I saw a friend get sloshed with something similar to beer and decided it was time to leave after only about 2 hours... it was sweltering hot in the city so Laura, Kristi and I went back to Lauras house and watched a movie and then I went over to Laceys house at about 10pm.

Sunday was a definate slow day spent relaxing and planning trips (or discussing them anyway) Lacey has it in her head that we need to go to a beach somewhere... (dont think she knows Im an albino) so we are trying to head to Greece or Croatia or somewhere in the coming months.

Monday arrived and went without my knowledge as I spent the day doing my scrapbooks. Finally!!!

Then yesterday (my final day home alone) I went to the airport and said good bye to Manda. I had already actually said goodbye to her because I thought I was going away with my family and I wasnt going to be here to say goodbye but plans changed and I was able to see her off. It was so weird that she has been here for a year and now she is going home. I could tell that Manda was torn. Excited to be going home to se all the people that she loves. Yet also sad because she was leaving us and the good life that we had all built together.








I am not sure when I will see Manda next but we have promised to keep in touch and it is safe to say that Manda is seriously one of my best friends now who I will miss deeply.

Its so hard becuase now that she is gone I am worried about new friends, etc etc but I guess I will be ok. Lacey and I have made some new friends already it just isnt the same as Manda and it is hard to start again.

The remainder of Tuesday I went to Constance on Lake Constance, Germany (the third largest lake in central Europe - situated between Austria, Germany and Switzerland)
A great town it had a huge mall, where I got my hair all chopped off, and got to see all the pretty sites. I still think Zurichsee or Lake Zurich in English is the prettiest lake ever but it was still nice and I love the town. I will definately also go back there to do my shopping as it is so much cheaper than Switzerland.

It was cool though because the train actaully pull into the station and you are still in Switzerland but then you walk over the border into the German train station!

It took 2 hours to get there by train from my house so it wasnt too far at all. A nice break for the past week, the family is all home now after the trip to Barcelona. Nicolas was so excited after being on the aeroplane and Maxines hair is white and she has a great little tan.

Glad everyone is home. The construction on the house is still going so it is very noisy here but this afternoon we will all go into the lake which is crystal clear today since it is so hot!

Hope everyone is well back home. Going to dedicate some time to replying to emails soon... also just trying to learn some French at the moment so there isnt enough hours in the day.

Ciao xox