Polyglot

• adjective knowing, using, or written in several languages.

• noun a person who knows or uses several languages.

— ORIGIN Greek poluglottos ‘many-tongued’.
From the online Oxford English dictionary

Last Friday I realized how mixed up my brain connections were when I hopped into the shuttle and found my Italian and Spanish colleagues. Because they were aware I understood Spanish, they went on chatting away and making plans for the evening. I enjoyed the fluidity and running sound of the language, and was trying to switch my brain slowly to it.

Then syddenly I was even included in the conversation.
S:'Angie, vienes?'

Me:'うん, Si, たぶん (tabun)...'
My brain:'what the.., how do you say maybe again?'

N:'We will have dinner first and the others will join us for drinks or something'

Me:'OK. どこで？I mean, dónde?'
My brain:'just pick one and stick with it damnit, it's been a long day and am seriously cansada'

S:'no lo se. buscaremos para un lugar y le diremos.'

Me:'OK, see ya later then. じゃ　ね.'
My Brain:'Get away now, hear the silence'

S, N:'Ciao bella'

Driver:'Bonne soiree'

Me:'Merci, a vous aussi'
My brain:'Don't look back or you'll have to say bye again and who knows in which language it will be.'

I suppose I need to get used to it soon. I will be loosing more hair and my tongue will be tied, and my brain will have many short-circuits and lots of fumbling about. Having TVE, Italian TV, CNN, BBC and French channels at home does not help as I flip channel when my J-drama are not accessible online. Imagine if I also understood Swiss-German!!!

Listening and understanding fills me with joy and brings a certain satisfaction and wonder to the everyday chores and encounters. However speaking is an excrutiating exercise of the brain that hopefully will keep it fit in the long run.

4 ladies before the run

We did about 32-33min for 5km

First lady for 10km run Carouge

She did 10km in about 30minutes!

Run with me

Just got my number and waiting for my jogging partner to arrive, and the race to start. I have discovered that the soles of my shoes are flapping. i'm just hoping it will last the 5km and won't trip me.
The clock has struck 2pm and am desperately fighting a nap urge!

pouet pouet pom pom

Clocks

Something they have kept under short leash:time. Ther might be 5 clocks per block and they are all on time. Maybe that's why public transportation is always on time.

Views from the window

When work is stressful, a glance at the window brings my tension up!

Get a Swiss knife!!

And so I have settled slowly in my life in Geneva and really enjoying the walking distance to naywhere around town. My colleagues are not far, but far enough to enjoy some privacy. We got to do walk tot he sunday market at Plain Palais, tan at the lake, anf jog in the morning in thesun.

I even got the startled look of my colleagues when I told them I was missing a can opener: get a Swiss knife, they all said in chorus...

Since all shops close at 7:00pm, except your persistent newsagaent, I will have to wait until Saturday to find a Swiss knife that suits my taste...I also received 2 tablets of chocolate at work as a welcome gift, as well as a red and white mug. The chocolate re-appeared quickly around my waistline, and the mug is being used as my cereal bowl when I am waiting to find an apartment and receive my boxes from London.

I could get used to being drunk at 8:00pm and stumble back home 15min later by foot, on heels and paved roads..hehehe