i feel like time is just slipping through my fingers. everything is going by so fast..
it's already november and i've been in switzerland for 4 months now. i think this was a great decision for me. i feel right at home. work is going great, i'm getting more and more comfortable with my living situation and i got paid for the first time this weekend. that means i can stop paying the train to and from bern in small change and actually get a libero (106 ChF per month to ride as much train and tram as i want). a good investment, i think.
i have now been at the Metzgerstübli for 3 weeks and have enjoyed all of it. it's so much more informative than applebee's ever was. i'm learning so much about wine and service, it's amazing. for the first three weeks of 'training', i didn't get any tips, but saturday night was my first night all by myself and i got tip. yay.! at our restaurant, we take the total tip that was made from when we open at 9am until close and divide it among everyone that was working that day. i feel like that's very fair. we all made 60 on saturday. which is pretty good if you can remember how people tip in switzerland. well, i've actually realized that evenings are a lot different than if people are just coming for coffee or lunch. a co-worker got 30 in tip on saturday night - which is AMAZING here. heres a problem though: now that i know the menu and everything, they're making a new one. we get a new menu every two months so that we can cook seasonal foods, usually from the market in bern, for our guests. it's good, but now i get to start all over again with ingredients, how things are cooked and all the other tiny details. from november 14-15, our boss' are taking us on a wine seminar - i think to the 'süd tirol' - it's supposed to be a surprise, but people that know, talk. and gabrielle, my one boss, accidentally let something slip once during dinner. she didn't realize and would have kept going if andres didn't kick her under the table. it's going to be fun, not only getting to try all kinds of new wines, but also getting to know my co-workers a bit better. i think it's important, especially in such a small establishment with so few people working, that everyone gets along and everyone knows each other.
that's all i've got for now. i've just been working a lot and enjoying the time i have off. starting next week i'll be on my usual schedule, which means i get sunday & monday (we're closed then) and thursday off (thursday because i'm working 80% not 100). now i'm going to go look for a laptop so that i don't always have to use theirs. :D
did i mention that we are making a thanksgiving dinner here in switzerland? it was Katrin's idea. she came to the Metzgi with vera and asked if that would be a good idea. so, on november 28th (it's the sunday after thanksgiving i believe) me, vera and marlen are going to be making a huge turkey for the entire family. with the stuffing, trimmings and the pies. it's going to be much fun, but that reminds me, this is switzerland and if grüsch wants pumpkin soup i have to reserve a pumpkin now because everything here is so seasonal that there won't be any come the end of november. it's going to be fun, sharing something that i'm used to with the rest of the family.
hope you all had an awesome halloween, enjoy the november chilliness and thanksgiving festivities.
i love you all to pieces.
xoxo
carolineli.
