Dec 1 - 5

With the newsletter out, I can now focus on updates and new additions to the site this week:

• posted new Employment Advert - English Teaching Assistant
• cleaned up the Classifieds AGAIN from spammers. Need to change system in 2009!
• updated English Classes at The English Play & Preschool to English4kidz

Nov 24 - 28

After 4 weeks in Tanzania (volunteering at an orphanage with my 13 year old son), I had just about 1,300 emails in my inbox! I thank you all in advance for your patience as I make my way through them all.

• First thing I tackled was to clean up the English Classifieds - taking off all the ads for work at home/ad entry/parrots/maltese dogs etc. Please note I do my best to take these off as fast as I can. And I ALWAYS ban the IP address of the user who posted the bogus ads.
• posted new blog called Basel or Bust under Swiss Blogs
• posted new Irish Pub in ZH called Shamrock Irish Pub under Pubs. Make sure to also check out all their regular Happy Hour features listed on the ZH Events page.
• updated all Events pages (which means going through ALL the emails!).
• Updated address for PCDesigns under Technology & Doing Buisness in CH/Computer Services.
• Updated all Go Beyond events listings on GE & ZH Events pages
• Posted new Employment Ad - Office Manager ZH
• Posted new Employment Ad - Sales Manager ZH
• Created and sent out November Xpat Newsletter
• Updated Survival Books "Living & Working in Switzerland" contact details & image

Oct 20 - 24, 2008

My last week before going to Tanzania! Lots of emails - help with the Classifieds. And the following updates:

• created new page under Events called 2008 Christmas/Holiday Shopping Events
• posted Time for Tea's Holiday shopping suggestions on above page
• updated title of 2008 Family Holiday Events
• posted Clay Hands Holiday Arts & Craft Classes on above page
• posted International Community Fair on Oct 25 under Zurich Events page
• posted Oliver Harris under Money-Tax/Financial Advisers page
• posted Employment Ad: School Administrator 20% ZH under Employment pages
• removed English Playgroup Zurich from Children/Playgroups page as per email
• posted Pilatesfit under Recreation/Pilates
• updated address for DMI Davide Malnati Interiors in ZH

I also sent 50 brochures this week for the American Women's Club Living in Zurich course. It's a great course with lots of information if you are new (and maybe not so new) to Zurich!

Oct 13 - 17, 2008

Lots of emails this week asking for quotes and lots of mini updates not worth mentioning here. I also went through and answered almost all of the questions that I get via email. Perhaps I should post those too! Below are some changes that might be of interest:

• took off Leena Kriegers-Tejura from Legal Advise as per her email.
• updated Zurich Events page
• updated Zurich Employment page - now just links of companies that hire in ZH area

Oct 6 - 10, 2008

Another week - lots of updates - Please email me with any you may have. Or if you find any information or links that are old!

Please also note that I will be unreachable from Oct 26-Nov 21 as I am going to Tanzania to volunteer at an orphanage and will have little internet access.

• posted Part Time Playgroup Assistant ZH under Employment
• updated address for Thea Colson Director Stylist in ZH under Beauty for All/Hair
• removed Helping Hands listing and page Under Children/Family Support Service
• posted Sax lessons in ZH under Education/Music Lessons
• took off Tandem Preschool's Oct Open House and posted Nov 1st Open House under Zurich Events
• posted Black Forest Christian Fellowship near Basel under Relgion/Evangelical
• posted Life Motivations in Geneva under Health Care/Acupuncture
• updated Viewfinder Digital Photo classes in Winti under several pages!

Sept 29 - Oct 3, 2008

This week's updates:

• updated the American Embassy address in Bern - thank you Diane!
• posted May Kay event on Oct 18 in ZH
• posted Bill Hovey's Foot Tours on Oct 4, Nov 15, Dec 14 in ZH
• updated the Mexican Embassy and Consulate information in Berne
• posted Simone Kriesemer under Health Care - Counseling & Therapists
• posted Executive Assistant (EA) 50 - 100% ZH under Employment
• posted Living in Zurich 2008 - American Women's Club of Zurich's Newcomer Orientation Program for 2008 under Zurich Events
• posted Dr méd. Kai-Uwe Schlaudraff under Health Care/Plastic Surgery
• posted Antanais Corp (Suisse) SA under Doing Business in CH/Computer Services
• posted Elayne Doughty MFT under Health Care/Therapists
• updated Kiely Schenkel's Birth & Parenting Preparation Course in ZH area under Children/Pregnancy
• posted Drama and Dance Workshop in Berne Oct 20-24 for kids (8-12) under Berne Events
• posted Wagner Steuerberatung PrivateTax under Doing Biz in CH/Starting a New Biz
• changed the homepage photo - thank you Les!
• posted Marketing and Operations Coordinator ZH under Employment

Car Theft In Zurich!

I just got this email from a visitor and thought I'd share it:

"I would like to inform the Xpat comunity of robberies which are taking place in Zurich. Yesterday afternoon arround 2:45 my car which was parked in the Fraumunster Car Park was broken into. The theives only stole the expensive items - my car was locked."

Anyone else?

Sept 22 - 26, 2008

Hope everyone had a good week - there were lots of updates this week:

• posted Antiques International on several pages - under House & Garden and Hobbies
• posted Nutshell Interiors in Geneva under House & Garden - Interior Design
• posted vet Kleintierpraxis Sevogel in Basel under Animal & Pets/Vets
• posted ICF Basel - International Christian Fellowship Basel
• posted DMI Davide Malnati Interiors in Zurich under House & Garden - Interior Design
• posted next UBS Briefing in Wolfsberg event on India under Events - Zurich, Zug & Winti
• posted English Moms & Kids Playgroup in Glattbrugg under Children/Playgroups
• posted English Daycare and Preschool in HGlattbrugg under Children/Daycare & Education/Nursery-Preschool
• created new page under Children called Doulas - Donas
• posted Doula Association Switzerland on new page
• posted English Playgroup in Zurich (Buchegg) under Children/Playgroups
• posted Geneva Scottish Country Dance Club under Clubs/Geneva Area
• posted Dr.med.Beatrice Wirtner in Richterswil/ZH under Health Care/Family - GP
• posted Uni Basel Center for Developmental & Personality Diagnostics under Children/Children & Adolescents - Educational Evaluations.
• posted Powerhouse International Church in Glattbrugg under Religion/Christian
• posted Antiques International Blog - A must if you into Antiques!
• updated listing of Katy Remark, Ph.D. under Health Care/Therapists
• updated Holiday Camp Info for Children First Association under Children

Sept 15 - 19, 2008

Fall is here. School is back in full swing as am I! Here are the week's updates to the site:

• Szena Hair and Beauty in Zurich under Beauty For All/Hair Care
• posted The Village Players under Clubs/Lausanne Area
• also updated their listing under Theatres
• posted Tandem Pre-School Open Day on Oct 4th under Zurich Events
• posted Moms & Kids Playgroup @ Powerhouse Church under Children/Playgroups
• created new page under Events - New Overseas Ballot Tool for US Election
• posted Four Forest Bilingual School Open Days under Luzern Events
• posted new Sunshine Playschool in Basel (opening Oct 6th) under Education/Nursery
• took off Second Hand Diplomatic Cars - was a dead link. Thanks Carol!
• posted Mr. Ji Ai Wang - Acupuncture Praxis under Health Care/Acupuncture
• updated address & Tel # of Smoothline (Botox Treatments) under Beauty for All

Sept 8 - 12, 2008

Since I only got back home late Monday night - there are LOTS of emails and additions that need to be made this week:

• created new page under Education called MUSIC LESSONS
• posted Piano and Music Theory Lessons in Zürich on new page above
• deleted classifieds and banned yet another user from http://www.englishclassifieds.ch/
• posted Polish Pottery under the Shopping pages
• posted Oct 4th US Voter Registration event on Lausanne Area Events page
• posted Toy Museum Davos/ Spielzeugmuseum Davos under Excusions/Museums

Remember: If you can't remember where something is - just do a search! You'll find the search on the top right of all pages!

Expat Expo in Zurich

What a day! A huge thanks to Ed and Melanie for organizing this event!

It was good to catch up with so many old friends and faces and meet so many new ones as well!

I brought 3 lbs of various US candies, 5 bags of Reeces peanut butter cups, and about 150 twizzlers and they were all gone! Any other candy requests for next time?

On a personal note, I was thrilled to see SwissInfo there! After many years, it's wonderful to see them actively acknowledging and promoting to the expat community!

p.s. I would have had some photos - but I lost my camera hiking up the Rothorn on Saturday and to date - no one has returned it!

BlueSky Inspirational Luncheon

Thanks to Malar and BlueSky for organizing this luncheon! And thank you to all of you who came to hear me talk about The Xpat Xchange.

And thank you for all your feedback - I got some good ideas - and I hope that you'll see some of the changes in the months to come.

I could have talked all day about the site!

p.s. the food at Zum Gruenen Glass was delicious!

German Speaking part of CH

I just got this email sent to me. I am in no way endorsing this - but it did put a smile on my face and as many of you know - I LOVE SWITZERLAND!!:

You know you've been in (German speaking) Switzerland too long when:

..you think it's economically wasteful to have more than one brand of a product in a store
...you think sponteniaty is OK, as long as it's planned
...you think getting up early is good
...you get upset in the train when a foreign tourist opens the window causing a draft to go down your back
...you actually get interested in the local elections
...you know the words to the Swiss national anthem
...you expect the shop clerk to say goodbye after you purchase something
...you wait for the shop clerk to open the door to let you out of their shop
...you prefer to buy in small shops even though its more expensive
...you think joining clubs is an acceptable way of meeting people socially
...you start studying for a Nachdiplom
...you get annoyed when the car ahead of you doesn't turn off it's motor at a traffic light
...you look forward to Wildsaison
...you're prepared to pay for a local dentist
...you're not upset when a public holiday falls on a Sunday
...you try to defend cartel based economics to a visitor
...you think that plaid jackets with flowery ties don't look that bad
...you think it's fair that you can only wash clothes once a month
...you wonder why anyone would want to shop outside of working hours
...you buy Siwss.
..you get concerned about all the foreigners moving into the country
...you approve of school on Saturday mornings
...you don't mind spending all day in the restaurant at a ski resort, and wonder why all the foreigners insist on skiing when the conditions are less than optimal
...you know the difference between Cafe Traesh, and Cafe Luetz, and get upset when others don't know
...you become suspicious of people who think independently
...you decide on a vacation in the US, planning to buy a car and drive around for six months
...you can comment on the quality of english schools in southern England and California
...you consider taking a vacation to Florida, but then don't go, because it's too dangerous
...you think it's OK to drive slow on Sundays
...you pull out in front of another car, to reserve your place
...you reserve your table first, before getting food in a cafeteria
...you don't worry about your jacket being stolen in a restaurant
...you feel like you're broke if you have less that $300 in your pocket
...you get upset when someone pays with a credit card, instead of paying cash
...you dress up to go grocery shopping
...you wear white socks with black shoes
...you feel embarassed when your squash racket grip doesn't match your socks
...you wish the Swiss government would do something about their refugee policy
...you don't get upset about US politics, because after all they're American
...you hope Switzerland doesn't join the European community
...you consider food with garlic in it to be spicy
...you understand why Chinese food _should_ cost more than _normal_ food
...you get embarassed when a visitor asks for a doggie bag in a restaurant
...you prefer Swiss wine
...you are willing to pay higher prices, because it ensures higher quality
...you wish that your town had expensive garbage bags too
...you consider target shooting a 'sport'
...you assume that all blacks are foreigners
...you assume that all asians are refugees
...you start judging restaurants and hotels, giving criticism when your expections are not met
...you think it's OK for a Chinese restaurant to be run by a Swiss and staffed by Spaniards and Portugese
...you start refering to the French speaking Swiss as Welsh
...you start thinking, 'Why can't they just speak Schwiizerdutsch?'
..you don't mind waiting in restuarants
...your German is better than the waiter's
...you insist on speaking German to people that are obviously English speakers
...you take a foreign language course, in German
...you have trouble finding English words
...you stop going out on Monday and Tuesday nights, because you have to work the next day, but always go out on Thursday nights
...you don't think it's funny when someone confuses Switzerland with Sweden
...you get upset when someone thinks Switzerland's forth language is English
...you know the difference between a Landsprach and an Amtsprach
...you stop liking peanut butter
...you start capatalizing Nouns, and joining Bigwords together
...you think that Generalversammulung is an important event
...you start preparing costumes for Fasnacht
...you join a Guggimusik band
...you think Thursday night shopping is really convenient
...you buy Swiss eye glasses
...you entertain in restaurants
...you decline an invitation because you have to clean your apartment
...you think it's normal for a family with kids to live in an apartment
...you don't take part in a sporting activity, because you're not dressed for it
...you consider it normal to make reservations to see a movie
...you are glad of the pause during a movie, so that you can smoke a cigarette and buy an ice cream
...you think that large American cars are 'cool'
...you think it's cool to drink expensive imported American beers
...you prefer fizzy mineral water to tap water
...you expect a slice of lemon in your coke
...you worry that you don't have the right sort of glasses for the drinks you are going to serve
...you throw a party and expect everyone to leave by 11:30 pm
...you clean up during parties
...you expect dinner guests to help with the washing up
...you think that air conditioning makes people sick
...you begin to understand the subtlity of the Swiss cusine
...you appreciate the differences between the cantons
...you don't get mad, you just answer 'Bon appetit' when someone asks you what's English for 'En guete'
...you don't mind drinking Panache
...you feel really hungry if you don't start eating lunch by 12:00
...you start disliking fast-food
...you prefer plain chocolate to candy bars
...you have breakfast cereal for dinner
...you consider it healthy to eat lots of milk products and lean red meat
...you say Gruezi to everyone, and consider it impolite when they don't say it back
...you don't mind paying $12 for a paperback book
...you think that PTT approved telephones are better
...you buy a new one instead of getting it repaired
...you realize the subversive implications of doing something 'just for fun'
...you think that 3% unemployment is high
...you think it was through their own efforts that Switzerland stayed out of world war two
...you think that milk and butter prices should be regulated
...you worry about the economic hardships that Swiss farmers face
...you consider getting goats and sheep to graze in your backyard
...you think that wood is 'Heimlich'
...you start to think in kilometers
...you think that a pound is 500 grams and not 16 ounces
...you don't feel embarassed when you order something non-alcolohic in a bar
...you only eat fondue in winter
...you complain to your neighbor about the noise when he flushes his toilet after 10 pm
...you become interested in the myriad of insurance offerings
...you call the police when you see someone washing their car on a Sunday
...you start complaining about the breakdown of traditional Swiss values
...you think that Sunday should be a day of rest...you take part in Jass tournaments...you get interested in Schwingen
...you volunteer to help organize the Dorffest
...you buy a new TV because the old one doesn't match the new furniture
...you expect to be delayed by road works
...you aren't surprised when a perfectly good road is torn up and repaved
...you buy a new ski suit every year
...you feel comforted by public safety announcements
...you prefer hamburgers without the bun, and eat them with a knife and fork
...you think that only foreigners use catsup
...you expect bacon to have bits of bone in it
...you wonder why anyone would want such a big refrigerator
...you become concerned about the color of your neighbor's curtains
...you put Aromat on all your food
...you start judging the quality of the whipped cream
...you become offended when reading this
...you think that Switzerland's conservation efforts make a difference
...you think it's OK to wear red Levis
...you refuse to leave messages on answering machines because it's too impersonal
...you start complaining about the difficulty of finding really good Bauernschnapps
...you expect beer prices to go up after midnight
...you worry about getting a cold when there's a draft
...you refuse to tell someone your salary
...you think that hard work is responsible for the stability of the Swiss franc
...you read this far

here is a link to the original - Click Here

Sept 1-5

• new Employment Ad - Research Associate ZH
• updated Events & sent September Xpat News
• updated Winterthur Events
• posted Praxis Daoling (Akupuncuture) under Health Care
• posted Piano and Voice lessons for all ages under Education/Kids' Classes & Adult Ed
• posted Agence Julia Steiner under Children/AuPair
• new Employment Ad - New Home-Party Business - Beauty And Wellness!
• posted Girls Chorus under Children/Classes and Education/Kids' Classes
• updated Girl Power Classes under Children/Classes and Education/Kids' Classes

Always plenty of emails to reply to, questions, mini changes to listings throughout the site. Just sent out the newsletter - takes several hours to make sure it's all there. I am sure I always forget something each time.

Also preparing for trip over - leaving tomorrow, arriving Thursday am.

Side note: As of October 26th, 2008 - I will be completely out of email communication. This is a second! But it will be for the longest amount of time since the site went live in 2001. I will be traveling to Tanzania with my 13 year old son to work at an Orphanage for 3 weeks! If you are interested to learn more you can visit the page of the Children's Rift Valley. I hope that people will be patient and know that I will be responding to all emails upon my return.

August 25 - 29, 2008

School has begun! And I am full force back at work!

• posted Viewfinder Photography Center (formerly Atelier McCartney) with Sept Classes listed
• posted new Employment Ad Office Administrator ZH
• updated Ellen Reiter's listing - Ellen Reiter & Ryan Larson E.A.
• posted Class1 Language School in Nyon
• posted Oct 3rd Wolfsberg/ZH event "What is Really Happening in the Chinese Economy Now?"
• updated South African Embassy details
• updated Boy Scouts Troop 682 Geneva contact details
• posted AES International under Money Matters (was Abbey Expatriate Services)
• posted **NEW** Berghotel Wanna under Travel/Swiss Holidays
• posted new Employment Ad Database Coordinator
• updated Know-it-all Passport - new 2009/2010 edition!

Don't forget about the search funtion top right on every page of http://www.xpatxchange.ch/!

August 18 - 22, 2008

My last free week with my children at home so took the week off! (well I never get any time really off - I have my Blackberry, can read all emails and am always checking into the Classifieds system. Replied to a handful of emails but did no updating.

• posted Employment Ad Playgroup Leader & Playgroup Assistant ZH

August 11 - 15, 2008

• new Kindermusik listing for Zurich Wollishofen under Education/Kids Classes
• took off an old cooking classes listing as per email request
• updated Events, cleaned up Classifieds and answered A LOT of questions
• updated Employment section

August 4 - 8, 2008

Still lots of updates:

• dogwalker in Lucern
• new email address for Open University
• words of praise for dental Hygenist R. Scott
• New beautician who does it all - Kosmetikstudio Lebensgefiihle in Basel
• created new page under Children called Family Support Services
• new listing Helping Hands who offer "Experienced, Professional Family Support Service in English" on the new page!
• posted new US voter registration info on Geneva Events page

There are also plenty of smaller updates, deletions, corrections made daily. As well as cleaning up the classifieds and banning those scammers!

Emails and Updates - Wednesday

Ok - just back from 3 week holidays and about 800 emails. Had to delete plenty of Classifieds and ban at least 20 IP addresses! Even had to take off the Add an Entry form - getting a spam email every 5 minutes for the last 24 hours was just too much. Another one will be made soon.

Am slowly making my way through all the emails - but here's a list of what I changed/posted today:

• updated Basel Events
• updated Centrepoint Basel July & Aug 2008 schedule of events
• updated Transpack GmbH contact details on Moving Companies page
• updated Go Beyond Events on Zurich Events page
• posted A Slice of Saturday by Upstart Entertainment under Basel Events
• posted Museum of Fine Arts Berne 2008/2009 schedule of English Events
• posted MC Communication & Editorial Services under Business in CH/Marketing

Not to mention replying to at least another 30 emails and other small changes throughout the site.