Ich bin Iron Man

I tried to post this last night, but my internet crapped out on me:

So, before I go to sleep (which I really should, because it's a little after midnight right now), I have a few things to list about what I have noticed during my first week here in Switzerland:

1. HOLY COW THERE ARE MOUNTAINS! This is kind of where I pull a Sarah Palin, except that instead of being able to see Russia from my house, I can see the Alps on my walk to work (as well as the pre-Alps).

2. Everyone is tiny. My theory is that a. everyone smokes (see #3), and b. the food is super expensive, so they never really eat anything substantial (see #6).

3. Everyone smokes. Almost any time I walk across the university by where I live or into the dorm, there are people smoking by the doors. Part of me feels like I should follow suit, but I think I'll remain content reluctantly breathing in second-hand fumes.

4. There are lots of cows (that's saying a lot, because I grew up in the Ohio valley). There is kind of an eau d'Switzerland, at least as you approach the outskirts of town. It smells like cow. The upside to this is that everything dairy-related tastes better. I'm pretty much in love with the yogurt.

5. Everyplace I go reminds me of something out of history or an IKEA store. There is really no in-between. My apartment is a good example of something straight out of an IKEA catalogue. No joke. When I get the chance to post pictures, you'll see!

6. Any time I buy something, I feel like it's highway robbery, because life in der Suisse is more expensive. For example, I did a load of laundry this morning. Basically, I have decided that I will be air drying everything, as the wash alone cost 2.50 CHF. EW! Maybe Case spoils me, but I doubt it. Grrrr.... ALSO, I went to see Iron Man II with Gina and Frosty this evening. We met up a few hours before so we could wander around Bern (in order to see a movie in English, you have to go to Bern to see it) a bit. I took pictures. However, the ticket to Bern was around 12.80 CHF. We then had to hop on another train to go to the mall so we could actually catch the movie. This was about 5.20 CHF (these numbers are based on the round trip fares). The movie itself was around 14.50 CHF. Fortunately, the movie was good. If I were male, I would have been salivating the entire time. Not only were there lots of explosions, but it also had Scarlet Johansson (sp?) kicking butt. I don't know that her character was necessary, but I'm sure many of you males out there would disagree. I was also constantly amused by the French and German subtitles at the bottom of the screen. Best line: I AM IRON MAN auf deutsch (I have no idea whether or not I'm saying that correctly) is ICH BIN IRON MAN. I found that amusing, hence it being the title of this post.

7. Beer/wine/liquor is sold everywhere, including in the movie theaters. I took a picture as proof.

If I thought about it, I'd probably have more, but for now I'm going to leave it there and catch some shut-eye. Bonne nuit!