This was a very different 4th of July than I am used to. Mostly because I spent the day working. I managed to get a burger and fries for lunch, which was delicious (the burger had gruyere cheese, they had to "swiss" it up somehow). My friend Katie had a 4th of July BBQon Wednesday evening. There were a lot of expats in attendance (but only 3.5 americans - the 1/2 being Steve who has dual citizenship). The BBQ was complete with all our american favorites - burgers with cheddar cheese, hot dogs, buffalo chicken dip, watermelon, pasta salad, cake with strawberries and blueberries in an american flag, and cookies with red, white and blue m&m's. I ate so much and it was all so yummy!
The majority of my free time this week and weekend was spent shopping for all the furnishings I'll need for my new apartment. Since I'm only going to be using these things for 2 years and then essentially throwing them away, I don't want to go overboard on spending. Luckily for me, there are a few expat websites where expats that are leaving to go back home sell all their stuff for very reasonable prices. Here are a few of the deals I've got this week:
Baskets and fan = 15CHF
Iron, ironing board, cupcake pan and cupcake holders, apple corer, peeler, colander = 25CHF
Pots/pans/skillet, cutting boards, cheese graters, surge protector, bread pan, cake pan, hanging light, and floor lamp = 24CHF
Saturday was the BIG trip to IKEA. My friend from work Daniela just recently moved to Zurich and needed a few more things from IKEA so wanted to come along for all the fun. After about 3.5 hours, I'd picked out the big items: a bed, mattress, couch, and wardrobe. I also picked up various smaller items which I'll be needing. This upcoming Saturday I am going to rent a van and actually buy all the big items and take them to my apartment where the real fun begins - putting the furniture together!
Saturday night I went to the Caliente festival with Mychele and a friend of hers from work and some of his friends. The Caliente festival is a huge latin festival. There were tons of people, a lot of delicious latin food, and plenty of salsa dancing to watch while enjoying a few caprianas. The caprianas kind of looked like margaritas, but tasted even better. Here's the recipe per chacha:
Capriana Cocktail Drink: Fill rock glass with lime pieces, add a little sugar water, mash limes with a muddler to release juice into sugar water, add ice, 1 oz. Cachaca liqueur, dash club soda, dash sweet and sour mix.
Have a glass of wine while putting the furniture together - it will make the process a little easier!
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