To shake things up from all the hiking and running, we decided it was time to try something different – like volunteering!
This month, Kai and I dove headfirst into the whirlwind of volunteering at UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 – the women’s football championship that took over Zurich’s stadium, just 10 bike minutes from our place. Back in February, on a whim, we signed up. We were assigned to “spectator services” (whatever that meant), and showed up at training day in early July.
That’s when we found out we’d each be leading a team of 25 volunteers and were responsible for keeping the crowds calm and happy.
I was nervous – managing people and navigating big crowds is a whole different beast. But the atmosphere completely surprised me: the volunteers were buzzing with energy, and the crowd was relaxed, cheerful, and refreshingly low on chaos. Since it was a women’s tournament, there were noticeably more women and families than at a typical football match. At times, it felt more like a chilled Sunday at the zoo than a high-stakes sporting event. It was so enjoyable! (In case you were wondering, England won).
2. Swimming Across Lake Zurich (and Eating All the Risotto)
Also this month, I took part in Zurich’s annual lake swim with 9’000 other swimmers. It’s a 1.2 km point-to-point swim across the lake, and since Kai was away on business, I braved it solo – which also meant I got his risotto portion afterwards, too.
3. Time with My Parents: Cold Cinema and Cart Hauling
I’ve been spending plenty of time with my parents, taking them for walks and little outings.
Just yesterday, we took them to see Juror #2 at the outdoor cinema. Of course, it was freezing and rainy but we got a good view of “Zurich by Night” on the way home with the tram.
The great cellar decluttering project at my parents’ place is also continuing. We used to rent a van and haul everything to the recycling centre ourselves. But now the city offers a local collection point in the neighbourhood – a fantastic service. So we loaded up a cart with all the bulky items and wheeled it down the street.
Naturally, Dad insisted on pushing the heavy cart himself. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it all went surprisingly smoothly. Functional fitness at its finest!
4. Book Smuggling via Germany
Books are notoriously expensive in Switzerland, and second-hand English ones are hard to come by. The range in public libraries is limited. So I found a workaround: I ordered from a second-hand online shop in Germany and had the books sent to my mother-in-law. I even added a few French titles – hoping they’ll give my Duolingo efforts a boost. Let’s see how far I get!
5. Hamstring Negotiations and Weather Complaints
I’m looking forward to more bike rides! With my hamstring still grumbling, I’m planning to reduce running for a while – as soon as this stretch of cool, rainy weather lets up (three weeks and counting). If all goes well, I’ve got two marathons on the horizon next spring, and I need to make sure I’m in one piece when training starts. No room for niggly hamstrings!
- What was your last volunteering experience like?
- Are you currently learning a foreign language? How do you speed up the process?
- Have you started making plans for next year?
I’m joining Runs with Pugs and The Running Teacher’s link-up, Tuesday Topics. I’m also joining Runner’s Roundup with Mile By Mile, Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner and Runs with Pugs.
Liebe Catrina,
keine Langeweile bei dir, auch ohne laufen! Wobei ich vermute, dein Volunteer-Einsatz war sicherlich auch kein kleiner Spaziergang! Bei dem internationalen Event war es bestimmt auch sehr spannend und interessant, oder? Ich werde auch wieder in Köln im Einsatz sein, beim Triathlon und beim Marathon und freue mich schon darauf.
Ah und der Schwumm im Zürichsee stand auch wieder an! Es taucht auch Risotto auf, mir scheint, die Schweiz ist das Risotto-Land, so oft, wie mir das begegnet bei euch!
Schön, dass du auch nun wieder Zeit mit deinen Eltern verbringen kannst. Das Entrümpeln war sich auch mental eine kleine Herausforderung, aussortieren, sich lösen von manchen Gegenständen…?
Gebrauchte Bücher finde ich auch gut. Preislich, nachhaltig, und oft bekommt man nur so auch Bücher, die es sonst gar nicht mehr gibt. In der Schweiz in Steffisburg gibt es ja die spezielle gepflegte Bücherbrocki, so ein toller und Geldbörsengefährlicher Laden. Dort habe ich schon Fachbücher für 5 CHF gekauft, die im Netz antiquarisch bei 50 CHF liegen.
Juror #2 sagt mir nichts, danke für die Anregung, mal wieder ins Kino zu gehen!
Liebe Grüße aus dem kühlen Rheinland
Elke
Liebe Elke
Du hast recht – der Volunteer-Einsatz war schon recht anstrengend – meist kamen wir vor 2 Uhr morgens nicht ins Bett und es ware VIEL Lauferei! Aber das hat man während dem Einsatz gar nicht so gemerkt, so sehr waren wir “im Zeug”.
Wie schön, dass du auch wieder in Köln im Einsatz bist! Ich erinnere mich noch an deinen Bericht – das war ja auch sehr interessant. Ich wünsche dir jetzt schon viel Freude beim Helfen (und hoffentlich gutes Wetter!).
Der Schwumm war wieder ein Highlight – ich finde, 1.2 km klingen kurz, aber irgendwo in der Mitte des Sees hat man das Gefühl, dass man überhaupt nicht vorankommt. 😂
Die Risotto (von Migros gesponsert) waren besser als die üblen Spaghetti am Swissalpine, da können die noch was lernen!
Die Entrümpelung ging zum Glück schnell, sie hatten alles schon aussortiert. Das ganz grosse Entrümpeln hatten wir letztes Jahr vor dem Umzug, jetzt ist es schon fast “Entsorgung Light”.
Uuuhi, deine Steffisburger Bücherbrocki klingt gefährlich! Da würde ich nicht mit leeren Händen rauskommen können!
„Juror #2“ ist ein Gerichtsdrama mit Clint Eastwood als Regisseur. Es war gut! Ich glaube, das würde dir auch noch gefallen. War ideal für eine kühle, verregnete Sommernacht im Freien mit Decken und Glacé!
Liebe Grüsse aus dem bedeckt-kühlen Zürich!
oh I didn’t know you can swim too!!! anything you can’t do!? wonder woman?
swimming in open water scares me so much.
I’ve always wanted to volunteer to a running race, just haven’t found the way yet, maybe I do it for upcoming brasilia marathon. it would be fun.
I’m learning Portuguese, not very focused though, I take private lessons, duolingo, and watch/listen Portuguese podcasts about work related topics and cats.
Ha, I should have mentioned – I’m a terrible swimmer! Slow, splashy, and highly inefficient. 😅
You’d be an awesome volunteer at a race, Coco! The Brasília Marathon sounds like the perfect chance to soak up the atmosphere without the pressure of running. And since you’ve had to pause your training, it could be a fun way to stay involved.
And hey, with your Spanish, I bet you’re picking up Portuguese faster than you realise. I really like your many-pronged approach – less pressure, more immersion. That’s how languages actually stick!
So many great things in this post! Time with family (you know how I feel about this!), volunteering at a big sports event, the swim, books.
Aren’t cities just so very magical at night?
Alas, I only speak English; living in Canada it is very easy to find books in English 😉 That said, we are a bilingual country and it’s to my shame that I have only a rudimentary grasp of French. My husband is from Portugal and speaks enough to get by (he moved to Canada when he was young). My SIL is Danish and she speaks (*thinks*) at least 4 languages fluently (Danish, English, German, French) and then a few more enough to get by.
A blogging highlight for me in July was learning more about you when you did your guest post for me! (https://optimisticmusings.com/gratitude-guests-catrina-keep-on-running/).
Thank you, Elisabeth! Yes – cities by night really are something else, aren’t they? Everything feels just a little more magical.
Ah, I didn’t know your husband is Portuguese! I just checked on your blog whether you have visited Portugal, of course you have! So nice that you’re surrounded by such a wonderfully multilingual family! I wouldn’t be surprised if your Danish SIL adds a new language every year, ha! And honestly, with all the English books at your fingertips, I don’t blame you for not diving headfirst into French – though I bet you know more than you think.
I absolutely loved being a guest on your blog, thank you again for the invite. That was definitely a July highlight for me, too, I should have added it to my post here!
Hallo, nach Zürich, finde ich toll, dass ihr an der EM der Frauen aktiv teilgenommen habt, helfen ist für uns doch eine Ehrensache, wo wir so oft genug hilfreich unterstützt werden, das Thema hatten wir ja gerade !! Dann noch eine EM der Frauen – besser geht es nicht !!
Und deine Eltern werden auch froh sein, strahlen so wie immer die Tochter, dass sie ihr KIND wieder in der Nähe wissen, man muss diese Zeit genießen !
Du wirst mehr Fahrradfahren, das finde ich gut, komme gerade von einer Tour zurück, habe diese Woche bereits über 80 km in den Pedalen ! Macht irre Spaß auf unseren Geheimwegen !
Meine letzte Hilfe war hier bei einem Lauf, der jedes Jahr im November stattfindet , und es ist Ehrensache, dass ich auch in diesem Jahr wieder zur Stelle sein werde !
Mein zweites Hobby neben der Lauferei und sonstiger Bewegung sind die Sprachen. Ich lerne jeden Tag englisch, französisch, italienisch und spanisch bei Duolingo, habe jetzt auch mit esperanto angefangen, ist fast so schön wie laufen !
Alles Gute für dich/euch im Svizzerland !
Liebe Grüße von der sonnigen, sehr windigen Ostsee
Genau, wir haben gerade gestern darüber “gesprochen”!
Du hast völlig recht – bei so einem Event zu helfen ist wirklich Ehrensache, besonders weil wir als Läufer so oft selbst von Freiwilligen profitieren. Es war eine tolle Erfahrung – viel entspannter, als ich gedacht hätte!
Meine Eltern freuen sich tatsächlich sehr, dass ich wieder in der Nähe bin – und ich geniesse die Zeit mit ihnen ganz bewusst. Die Entrümpelungsaktionen gehören auch irgendwie dazu, haha!
Wow, über 80 km auf dem Rad – sehr stark! Deine Geheimwege klingen verlockend. Ich habe heute morgen 30km gemacht auf dem Rennrad – ich muss mich erst wieder daran gewöhnen, aber es ist ein gutes Training!
Super, wie du das mit den Sprachen machst, liebe Margitta. Hast du eigentlich die Bezahlversion von Duolingo? “Fast so schön wie laufen” – das trifft’s!
Liebe Grüsse aus dem kühlen Zürich an die windige Ostsee!
Nein, ich mache die kostenfreie Variante
Gosh Catrina, I am SO glad I found your blog (THANK YOU ELISABETH!) because you are such fun to read. What an amazing woman you are. First of all, yes I have been doing DuoLingo for (let me check) 1257 days now (lol, love how they track it) and my primary language has been Spanish. I am currently refreshing my high school French (turns out if you don’t use a language in 35 years you get rusty). I’m also learning Arabic, and last year before our Italy trip I learned some basic Italian. I think reading in those languages is very helpful, although I need someone to talk to me in a different language so I can practice conversation.
I don’t read much YA these days but The Fault in Our Stars is a lovely book – very sad and moving! I don’t generally enjoy male authors but I do like John Green.
Your parents are so vibrant and full of life! How wonderful!
I have all sorts of plans for next year – a couple of really great trips in the works, one to a place you have recently visited, South Africa!
I used to volunteer all the time at my kids’ schools, and before that with various charitable organizations. I haven’t done any volunteering since moving here in 2023, I should really get on that.
Wait, what? You are planning a trip to SOUTH AFRICA?! Let me know if you will be passing through Cape Town! We live there for most of the year, it would be so great to meet up!
Your Duolingo streak is inspiring, Nicole!! I’m at 41 days, ha, so far from your 1257 days!
That’s something to be proud of! I’m also impressed by your range of languages – Arabic sounds extremely difficult.
I agree, reading in another language definitely helps, but it’s the real-life conversations that make it stick. Best would be a full immersion, where you are forced to speak it.
I’m with you on YA books – not something I reach for often. I don’t think I’ve read “The Fault in Our Stars”, thanks for the recommendation!
Thank you so much for your kind words! And you’re right – I’m so happy my parents are still around. I’m treasuring every moment!
I hope you find a good volunteering opportunity again soon – I have a feeling you’d bring a lot of energy and heart to it!
YES YES YES to this look behind the scenes. July was a fantastic month. I see that we have similar views on the proper amount of cheese on risotto.
Volunteering is on my retirement list! The main contenders are: races, local tourist attractions, and animal shelters. I am not going to run out of things to do, that’s for sure.
I enjoy dabbling in other languages, but I’m not good at it and “lose it or use it” is very real. I think my approach should probably be to take it less seriously. I’m going to be spending quite a bit of time in Canada in the next two months, so maybe that would be a good reason to do a French refresh.
Haha, yes! Risotto without a MOUNTAIN of cheese just isn’t worth the fork work, is it?
I love that you have a list of post-FIRE plans – I’m picturing a spreadsheet with colour-coded tabs, fun-factor scores, and feasibility ratings. With all your sightseeing experience, I know for sure you will make an excellent and highly entertaining tour guide.
“Use it or lose it” really nails it. French is one of Switzerland’s official languages, so I do get the occasional chance to hear or use it, but not nearly enough to stay fluent. And wow, it sounds like you have several trips to Canada lined up! That sounds amazing! I hope you’ll make it to the French-speaking part – it’s the perfect excuse to brush up without any pressure. Bon voyage, Birchie!
Wie ich sehe, bestreitest du dein Leben noch viel, viel bunter als ich es ohnehin schon wusste 🤗
Zu den Büchern eine Frage: du liest offensichtlich in mehreren Sprachen. Welche ist deine Favoritin dabei? Ich gehe jetzt einfach mal von Englisch aus? Liest du alle gleich flüssig und wie viele kannst du sprechen / lesen? Und was ist deine “Muttersprache”? Ich weiß offensichtlich wenig von dir und bei Sprachen werde ich immer ein wenig neidisch weil sie zu lernen mir so furchtbar schwerfällt 😔
Ach Lizzy, wenn du wüsstest, wie bunt DEIN Leben auf mich wirkt! 😄
Du hast recht, am liebsten lese und schreibe ich auf Englisch. Ich bin in Schottland geboren, und als ich acht war, zog meine Familie in die Schweiz. Hier habe ich dann Deutsch „gelernt“ – ich erinnere mich nur vage daran. Zu Hause sprechen wir bis heute Englisch.
Französisch war damals ein Pflichtfach in der Schule, sechs Jahre lang – aber leider fehlt mir im Alltag die Gelegenheit, es wirklich zu nutzen.
Ich fand übrigens, du hast dich im Urlaub richtig gut auf Französisch geschlagen! Und du weisst ja: Je öfter man eine Sprache nutzt, desto schneller holt das Gehirn das verschüttete Wissen wieder hervor. Du kannst garantiert mehr, als du denkst! 😃🙌
I want to use my French and Spanish more…. It’s been awhile.
Le Petit Prince is my all time fave.
Your July included so many fun things. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, I just planned a trip to Asheville NC for March (for a half, of course.)
I can’t wait to start Le Petit Prince! It’s the next one after “Gone with the Wind”. I’m a slow reader!
Why am I not surprised that you’ve already planned a half-marathon for next year, Darlene?! 😂
It is nice to be on the other side of events sometimes by volunteeering. That swim sounds challenging and fun!
So true, Deborah! Volunteering is a whole different (and very rewarding) perspective. That swim really was quite a challenge – I’m not used to it! But it was great fun, too, especially when it was done, ha!
Wow, go YOU on the swimming! I would like to do a triathlon someday…just to check it off my bucket list. BUT, the swimming is SO intimidating. I don’t like water splashing on my face unless I‘m the one doing it, LOL, so that’s a HUGE comfort zone thing I’ll have to deal with. Also, great job volunteering! I recently volunteered at a race my club sponsored, but it wasn’t too intense of a commitment.
Oh, that would be so cool if you did a triathlon, Kim! I totally get that about the swimming, it’s not my favourite either, especially open water. But I think it’s also a matter of getting used to it. Can you do a relaxed sprint triathlon with a pool swim as an intro?
Nice work on the volunteering! Low-key commitments count just as much – it all keeps the race world spinning.
The UEFA women’s euro volonteering sounds like it could have been… anything. When I think of football cups I only think of riots and chaos! I’m negative, I know, and I know the matches are great and there can be a lot of atmosphere and good vibes. It seems like you had a smooth and even fun experience, and I love the photos! Too bad England won, haha!
I’ve been studying Italian on and off since 1996, and use it now and then since I have friends I communicate with online. I’m quite decent at it but my vocabulary and the more advanced grammar skills fluctuate a lot with how much I practise and use the language. Now I’m very much at the low end since my conversation class changed schedule and I had to drop out about a year or so ago. But I’ve found over the years that in periods when I don’t have any regular classes or other opportunities, writing, reading books and/or watching movies/news/YouTube regularly helps a LOT. I once downloaded a lot of Italian movies during a period when I otherwise didn’t use Italian much, and after seeing them and later having a chat with an Italian friend, it was like I could suddenly speak so much more effortless than before. And for me writing helps a lot because when I write I have the time to look up words, double-check grammar etc. I’ll have to go back to journalling in Italian!
Seeing your dad with that cart makes me understand where your badass-ness came from!
Haha, yes, but the Swedish ladies really played well in their games, too. And I liked the Swedish fans with their songs 😊
I totally get your image of football matches! Here in Zurich, when the local clubs play, it can definitely get chaotic. Fortunately, the Women’s Euro was a breath of fresh air: calm, friendly, and family-oriented, with lots of little kids around. The police were there, of course, but they didn’t have much to do.
Your Italian journey sounds fantastic and so relatable. The ups and downs of vocabulary and grammar practice are exactly how it feels for me with French. I love your strategy of watching movies and then chatting with friends – that kind of immersion really makes a difference. I’m sure you’ll get plenty of chances to brush up your Italian on your upcoming trip! Writing is often underrated, too. Journaling in Italian sounds like a brilliant idea – I must try that with my French!
And yes, Dad and that cart – some of my stubborn determination definitely comes straight from him!
volunteering I find is always inspiring, motivating and fun….even tough my job is working at a lot of events, but I manage to volunteer at two or three a year too just to give back….usually triathlons and usually a course marshall for the bike portion…I guess in my reflective safety vest and with a huge stop sign I look impossing?….the kids of steel triathlon is always great, watching young kids give everything they have…..not caring about pacing or hydrations or whatever…they just want to move
Warren, I totally agree! Volunteering adds a special energy, even when you’re busy with events. Course marshalling sounds great, and I bet that safety vest and stop sign give you some serious authority, ha!
Kids of Steel sounds fantastic – there’s something inspiring about watching kids give their all, no worries, just pure joy in moving. That enthusiasm really keeps the sport alive!
How nice of you and Kai to volunteer at the women’s soccer game. It sounds pretty daunting for such a huge event, but made it look easy! I used to volunteer a lot when our sons were in school, but have gotten away from it over the years. I really should change that.
Swimming across Lake Zurich would terrify me, especially with other people thrashing around next to me. Eating all the risotto wouldn’t be a problem, though. 😉
It’s wonderful that you’re able to spend time with your parents. Did you enjoy the play despite being so cold? Zurich by night is stunning!
I somehow missed your grumbling hamstring. Is it a return of your previous injury or something new? Whatever the case, I’m so sorry to hear it’s acting up.
I love ALL the photos you shared!
Thank you, Debbie! Volunteering at the women’s soccer games was definitely a bit daunting at first, but it really turned out to be enjoyable – and the team made it feel much easier. It would be exciting to see what volunteering opportunity you will find – maybe some cycling event?
I totally get the swimming nerves – open water with a crowd is not my favourite, either. But the risotto afterwards was so tempting! 😉
It was very cold! But we were all dressed warmly and the cinema gave out plastic capes against the light rain. We still enjoyed it, though. 😃
That hamstring is like a background noise… nothing serious, but I don’t want it to flare up in something bigger. Now I have to learn how to take selfies on the bike! 😅
Sounds like you have been so productive this summer! Thats so nice to be able to volunteer and spend time with your parents. I hope your hamstring gets back to 100% soon!
I love the variety and volunteering was a blast!
The hamstring is already feeling a bit less tight – fingers crossed! I hope you’re having a wonderful summer too, Lisa!
Your volunteering gig sounds like fun–but what? They put you in charge? LOL My last volunteering experience was at the Chicago Marathon–something I plan to repeat this year! There’s a trail race that same weekend that I may also consider volunteering at. Why not?
We keep trying to get my parents to purge all their stuff, but my dad just won’t let it go. In fact, he keeps adding to it. Sigh…
Haha, I know! What were they thinking, right? 😄 I was surprised how well it went despite that! 😂
Volunteering at the Chicago Marathon sounds amazing! That energy must be electric. I say go for both if you can swing it – why not indeed?
And oh yes, the stuff struggle… I feel you. We got rid of tons last year and somehow, magically, we’re still getting rid of stuff this year!
I love that the city was able to incorporate soccer into the walk signals during this event! So cool! And kudos to you for volunteering! I am glad it all went smoothly. I haven’t volunteered for quite some time unfortunately but when I stop working in my 50s, I plan to really focus on volunteering and would like to get on the board for my county’s library since I’m very passionate about literacy.
I’m learning Spanish through Duo Lingo but my process is pretty slow. I feel like I need an immersion experience to really advance my language skills – another thing to put on the retirement list!!
Those traffic lights were so cool! The volunteering experience was new for us and we really loved it.
Your plans at 50 remind me so much of our my situation! As you know, I FIREd at 50, and I had a huge backlog of things that I had planned for that time. It turned out to be even better than I ever thought – finally getting to do all the things I really wanted to. You will thoroughly enjoy volunteering and that library board role would be perfect for someone passionate about literacy – they’ll be lucky to have you, Lisa!
And yes to immersion for language learning! DuoLingo is great for consistency, but nothing beats being surrounded by native speakers. Spain or South America in your 50s? Put it on your list!
Umtriebig wie immer. Könnt ihr nicht mal einfach nur rumhängen??! 🙂
Aber ok, als Helfer bei so einem Event, das hat schon was (wenn es auch nichts für mich wäre), find ich gut.
Deine Eltern geniessen vermutlich die Zeit mit dir, so muss es sein, ihr seid ja oft genug unterwegs.
Die Schwimm-Aktion hattest du schonmal mitgemacht, richtig? War das nicht ein unglaubliches Gewimmel?
Pass gut auf deine grumbling hamstring auf, ist vermutlich eine (sehr!) gute Idee eine zeitlang nur moderart zu laufen, du hast ja einiges gerissen in den letzten Monaten.
Achja, ich und Sprachen, abseits vom englischen ist das gaaanz schwer ohne tägliche Praxis 🙂 Deshalb halte ich so ein paar Basics aufrecht und freue mich wenn ich die Gelegenheit im Urlaub hab was neues zu lernen.
Bei Büchern bin ich ehrlich gesagt fast komplett auf eBooks umgestiegen (Tolino), nie bereut, lese mehr denn je. Nur wirklich schön aufgemachte Bücher kaufe ich noch als Papier, aber das ist selten geworden.
Pass auf dich auf, liebe Grüße aus dem “komisches Wetter”-Rheinland 🙂
Wir hängen mehr rum, als du denkst, Oliver! 😅 Heute zum Beispiel war ein richtig entspannter Tag – wir haben mit meinen Eltern einen gemütlichen Ausflug in die Innerschweiz gemacht. Sehr gemütlich! 😊
Genau, das Schwimmen haben wir schon mal gemacht – und es ist ein RIESENgewusel mit rund 9’000 Leuten, auch wenn der Start über den ganzen Nachmittag gestaffelt ist. Ich habe einige Schläge kassiert (und leider auch verteilt…).
Meine Hamstring macht mir tatsächlich etwas Sorgen. Jetzt ist definitiv der richtige Moment für eine ruhigere Phase, oder für eine paar Velofahrten.
eBooks: Ich lese ein paar Bücher auf dem Kindle, finde aber kaum noch wirklich preiswerte Titel. Am Anfang, als ich die ersten paar e-books kaufte, waren die richtig günstig, aber jetzt kostet fast alles 10 Euro oder mehr. Du hast da bestimmt ein paar gute Tipps – wir müssen uns mal austauschen.
Liebe Grüsse ins Rheinland! Hier ist’s immer noch kühl und wolkig. Morgen ist bei uns Feiertag mit Feuerwerk – zum Glück ist Otto nicht hier!
Liebe Catrina,
kennst du von Van Morrison das Lied “Piper at the Gates of Dawn”? Der Refrain lautet: “There’s the wind in the willows, and the piper at the gates of dawn” – wunderschön! Es ist auf meiner LieblingsCD von ihm (The Healing Game) und hat mich erst auf dieses Buch gebracht, das ich bis dahin nicht kannte.
Gute Buchquellen zu haben, ist wirklich viel wert, habt ihr den in Zürich keine gute öffentliche Bücherei mit englischer Literatur?
Aber auch sonst klingen deine/eure Unternehmungen ganz herrlich. Aber dass du Kai arbeiten schickst, um sein Risotto zu bekommen, ist schon ein kleines bitzeli fies! 😀 Vom Fussball-Einsatz hast du ja schon berichtet – wie oft wart ihr denn dort eingeteilt? Klingt so, als wäre das nicht mit ein oder zweimal hingehen, erledigt gewesen.
Schön, dass du die Zeit mit deinen Eltern noch so gut nutzen kannst. Das werden sie auch sehr genießen, dich so nahe zu wissen.
Ach du bist auch eine Duolingo-Französich-Lernerin? Hihi- ich auch, seit ziemlich lange, momentan komme ich gerade an meine Grenzen, weil da jetzt schon so einiges auftaucht, was mein Schulfranzösich übersteigt. Aber dem Hirn tut es gut!
Oh wow, danke für den Lied-Tipp! Ich kannte es gar nicht – wirklich wunderschön, mit diesem typisch irisch-nostalgischen Klang. Jetzt muss ich unbedingt das ganze Album suchen.
„The Wind in the Willows“ hat uns mein Vater früher vorgelesen – ich bin gespannt, wie es sich heute anfühlt, es mit erwachsenen Augen wieder zu lesen.
Ja, in Zürich gibt’s zwar die Pestalozzi-Bibliothek mit englischen Büchern, aber die Auswahl ist ziemlich begrenzt. Neuere Titel fehlen oft ganz – oder man steht ewig auf der Warteliste. Und in Cape Town… na ja, die Bibliotheken dort sind seit den 90ern stehen geblieben.
Ha, vielleicht hat deshalb SEIN Risotto noch besser geschmeckt als meines! 😅 Unser Helfereinsatz waren 6 Tage und jeweils gut 8-10 Stunden. Meist waren wir erst um 2 Uhr morgens im Bett – aber es war eine spannende Sache!
Ich bin sehr dankbar für die Zeit mit meinen Eltern. Gerade gestern waren wir mit ihnen in der Innerschweiz unterwegs. Es ist viel wert.
Oh la la, Doris, da sind wir beide ja gleich weit! Ich schaue manchmal Netflix auf Französich, komme aber kaum mit dem Lesen der deutschen Untertitel nach. 😅 Aber du hast recht: fürs Hirn ist’s wie Fitness!
Herzliche Grüsse und viel Erfolg mit dem subjonctif und wie sie alle heissen! 😉
Je peux essayer d’écrire un commentaire (?) en francais. Mais ca va seulement trés court! 😉
J’ai le même problème! Ma réponse et aussi court, et je suis sûre qu’il y a quand même plein des erreurs! 😅 Bon week-end, Doris!
Your volunteer job looks like so much fun! Definitely something different for a runner! Though I still think Beatles > Abba (just my opinion, though). It’s nice that you’re getting to spend time with your parents. Definitely one of the perks of being back in Switzerland.
Thanks, Debbie! It was a fun change of pace – and surprisingly physical, too, just without the running shoes. 😄
Haha, Beatles vs. Abba… a classic debate! I agree with you – but I nearly changed my mind when I heard the Swedish crowds singing their Abba songs!
And yes, time with my parents is definitely the biggest upside to being here. I’m making the most of it while I can.
Your parents are too cute! I love the photo of you with them walking. Decluttering isn’t easy but it needs to be done. I am curious which marathons you plan to do next Spring.
Thanks, Zenaida! I’m so glad we got that walking photo – it captures the moment perfectly. 😊
You’re right about decluttering… it’s never fun in the moment, but it always feels good afterward.
As for spring marathons – I have London on my list – let’s see if I can get in!
Oh, I love this! And I love that you get this time with your parents! They are adorable! Juror #2 was a fantastic movie.
I just resigned from all my volunteer positions, but the last time I volunteered was at a car wash for A’s band. It was maybe 20 people, and I just dug in with the washing. Good times.
Thanks, Jenn – I really do treasure this time with my parents.
Oh, you saw Juror #2! Such a great movie – I liked how it explored all sides of the case. I actually felt for the juror, even though he clearly wasn’t acting with integrity.
And yes, sometimes the best kind of volunteering is just rolling up your sleeves and getting stuck in – no meetings, just hands-on help. I’m sure A’s band loved the clean cars and the solid parental backup!
I was looking for a photo of Canada amongst your UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 photos, Catrina. 😀Though I am not sure they would have had a team there. Ice hockey is the biggest sport, both men’s and women here in Canada. I am glad everything went well for you and Kai.
It is good to read about the local recycling centres there now. Making it more convenient for the residents would help diversion from items being thrown out as garbage. Here in Canada we have curbside pickup of recycling on a biweekly basis. It alternates with garbage pickup, which is the opposite week. On top of that every week is compost which includes things like food waste and soiled paper towels and Kleenex. Despite all the convenience my own province of Ontario shows in their audits that 30% of what could be recycled or composted in Ontario is ending up in landfills. Which is really staggering. 🌎
Haha, Carl, no Canada team in the Women’s Euro photos – although it would have been nice to host them! Thanks, I’m glad things went smoothly for Kai and me too.
I agree – making recycling easy and convenient is crucial. Your curbside system sounds really well organised. It’s frustrating, though, how much still ends up in landfills despite all the efforts. 30% is a lot. I guess behaviour change is the hardest part, even when the infrastructure is in place.
Here in Switzerland every garbage bag costs money, so people have an incentive to reduce the size of their garbage and recycle more. Still, we could be better – there’s always room for improvement.
I do like the concept of every garbage bag costs money. Here the garbage carts are 250 liters and is no charge for the bi-weekly pickup. Additional bags need to have tags affixed, which are $3 each. The recycling carts are 360 liters. If you have more than than on your bi-weekly pickup you can put it in clear bags beside the cart at no charge.
My next door neighbour was doing renovations in his house and had extra garbage. He put his recycling in clear plastic bags and knowingly filled the 360 liter recycling cart with garbage. The driver dumped the cart into his truck bin and then realized what had happened. He had to jump in his truck bin and pull all the garbage out. Neighbour was charged.
Carl, that’s quite the story about your neighbour! At least the system caught him in the end.
I think charging for each garbage bag really does make people think twice before throwing things out. It’s not perfect, but it does nudge habits in the right direction. Your setup with large recycling carts and extra clear bags for free sounds like a good balance. Sadly, there will always be a few who try to game the system!
Liebe Catrina,
oh, oh, jetzt habe ich aber lange gewartet …
Umtriebig, umtriebig! Tolle Aktionen, die du da beschreibst und vielen Dank für die vielen tollen Bilder! Und wenn ihr euch so ins Zeug legt, hätte eure Nati ja ruhig ein bisschen weiter kommen können! 😆
In Anknüfung an Doris: War die Risotto-Portion denn so klein, dass du zwei brauchtest, oder hast du befürchtet, dass Kai nicht satt wird? Der Arme musste arbeitet, während du dich mit anderen zum Spaß geprügelt hast! Tse! – Aber Käse muss immer sein und wenn es frischer ist, dann auch mächtig viel draufgeben!
Ja, genieße die Zeit mit deinen Eltern und lass den Paps ruhig beweisen, dass er noch einiges drauf hat! 😉 Mein Vater hatte auch bis (fast) Ende 80 seinen recht großen Garten selbst bestellt; Rasen im Schnelldurchgang mähen, Bäume beschneiden und das Holz häckseln etc.
Kino reizt mich nicht so, seit das Heimkino so vielfältig ausfällt. Da schiebe ich dann lieber ne DVD rein! – Aber die Kurzbeschreibung von Juror #2 liest sich interessant!
Bücher gönne ich mir zu wenig, obwohl ich eigentlich gerne lese, aber Sprachen lernen … der Zug ist für mich abgefahren. Ich hatte mich immer schwer getan und nach der schulischen Pleite in Französisch war ich ein wenig traumatisiert. (1. Halbjahr Französisch durch Umzug versäumt, nie mehr aufgeholt und ständig miserable Noten kassiert! 😥 )
Zu solch großen Helfereinsätzen habe ich mich nie durchringen können, da ich den Aufwand fürchtete, so wie du schreibst 6 x erst gegen 2 Uhr ins Bett, puh, da ist man ja fix und foxi! (u. a. habe ich als Student die Gelegenheit sausen lassen mich für die LA-EM in Stuttgart 1986 zu bewerben. Die Chancen wären über die Uni in Mainz sehr gut gewesen!) – Jetzt überlege ich mal bei einem MegaMarsch als Helfer dabei zu sein. Mal sehen ob, wann und wo ich es umsetze. – Hier in Darmstadt helfe ich meist im Halbjahresrhythmus bei lokalen Läufen mit!
Nächstes Jahr ist doch noch sooo weit weg! 😆
Liebe Grüße Manfred
Lieber Manfred
Ja, unsere Nati hätte ruhig noch eine Schippe drauflegen können – so viel Einsatz auf den Rängen und drumherum, da hätten wir ein besseres Ergebnis verdient! 😆
Es kann nie genug Käse sein! Und Kai’s Portion habe ich runtergemampft, das hat besser geschmeckt als meines!
Dein Vater war super fit! Mein Vater ist zwar geistig voll fit (beide Eltern), aber er läuft recht schlecht. Und weigert sich natürlich, einen Rollator zur Hilfe zu nehmen… aber schön ist, dass er immer dabei sein will und gern unter Leuten ist.
Juror #2 war richtig gut gemacht! Kino ist auch nicht so meins – aber Openair ist was anderes. Es ist recht cool, unter dem Sternenhimmel zu schauen… wenn es nicht regnet.
Französisch: Ich verstehe dich! Im Moment macht’s noch Spass und wenigstens kann ich es ab und zu in der Schweiz und in Südafrika anwenden (Kongo).
Dein MegaMarsch als Helfer wird super sein – du hast die Erfahrung und die Ausdauer, die es dafür braucht. Da wird Oliver dankbar sein!
Liebe Grüsse aus dem warmen Friedrichshafen!
I remember that from my time living in Europe- how hard it was (and expensive) to find books in English. You got a lot of good ones! Your workaround is brilliant.
This all sounds really fun. I would be up for that lake swim, although I wouldn’t look very pretty while doing it. And, those photos of Zurich are beautiful- it’s such a nice city.
I haven’t done any volunteering in a while, but this post is making me think I need to. Your experience sounds fun and rewarding.
Thanks, Jenny! Yes, the English book situation hasn’t changed much since your Zurich days – you were here in the early ’90s, right? – they are still pricey and hard to find!
The lake swim is such a unique experience – and trust me, no one comes out looking glamorous! 😄 It’s all about the fun of it.
I’m glad you enjoyed the Zurich photos – as you know, the lake is the main attraction, especially in summer.
And yes, volunteering like this is definitely rewarding. I’m excited to see with what you come up with!
Well done on all the volunteering work Catrina and Kai. It’s rewarding, fun, and for a great cause.
The Women’s Euro still looked rather busy for my liking, but I can imagine it was a lot more chill than a typical event! I’m not a fan of huge events, but can deal with my crowd discomfort in the name of fun once in a while.
My last volunteering experience was long and arduous, but as I mentioned above, rewarding. It was a 50 mile race, with no cut-off times.
I am always learning small phrases and bits and pieces, but really, to learn languages well, we need to immerse ourselves in them and speak them with those fluent. This is what always stops me. I started Welsh on Duolingo and learned quite a lot of phrases and basic sentences, but stagnated with lack of speaking. Most native speakers are in the North, not where we are.
And I have no plans for running or adventures next year, though I am mulling over the idea and goal of summiting Kilimanjaro…
Thanks, Sean! Volunteering at the Women’s Euro was such a cool experience. It was busy, but at least very peaceful and happy.
You volunteered at a 50-miler? With no cut-off? Uff…. that must have been a tough one! I bet it got boring after a while, ha!
I agree completely on language learning, you need to get immersed in it to truly learn it. Duolingo is fine for building a base, but without real-life conversation it’s hard to progress. Welsh must be fascinating to learn, though!
And Kilimanjaro? That’s an incredible idea! We have considered it but then threw it out again because it gets so awfully cold… not my cup of tea, ha! Can’t wait to see how it all maps out!
Oh good! I’m so glad the soccer volunteer duties went well. Sounds like it was enjoyable! I saw those traffic lights. So cute! Wow congrats on the Lake swim. It’s so cool to see your pics and say I’ve been there! Yay! Hope your hamstring settles down for you. They can be ornery, as you know.
Thanks, Marcia! The soccer volunteering was definitely a fun change of pace – and those traffic lights made me smile!
The lake swim was such a great experience – even better knowing you’ve been there too!
And yes, I’m treating the hamstring with care. As you say, they can be temperamental, so I’m trying to keep it happy for the long run – literally!