australia day

26/1/15

AUSTRALIA DAY !

I might be in a different country, where the snow is falling, where everything is white, where the highest temperature it hit all day was minus five.  But I still celebrated the marvelous country I call home.  I was definitely not disappointed to be here in the cold however than at home, where it was 39 degrees, where my fellow Guide Leaders were out in force running the Arts Tent on the South Perth Foreshore.  They were melting they tell me...

  

Here at Our Chalet, we celebrated with tattoos and capes, Sarah even went the whole day wearing her socks and thongs (flip flops!).  Once again we were given our usual list of jobs, and we set to them.  Our main task was to clean the laundry in Stockli.  It seems to be the room of the Chalet where things get dumped when they have no where else to go.  

Between us we were able to move majority of the items which didn't belong there up to the Helen Storrow room, and then we were able to sort out and fold nicely what was supposed to be there!  I completely unstacked and restacked the linen cupboard... and then named it after myself! It was lonely as everything else in the Chalet is named and it wasn't.

Rachael and I finished our Australia Day the traditional way, with a cold cider from the fridge!

re-establishing main chalet

17/12/14

This morning I got my University results... I passed all Units for this semester, so bring on the last 6 months! If anyones interested... here they are... (sorry bragging! but I am so pleased!!)

After breakfast and our staff meeting, we started re-establishing and re setting up Main Chalet.  We spent the whole morning hauling mattresses and black garbage bags up the hill/stairs from Spycher to Main Chalet to re set up all the rooms.  The had been stripped to accommodate the builders who had been renovating the walls and insulation.   

Danielle stacking mattresses

A finished room

Making beds and cleaning the rooms took us basically all day.  However we still found time for lunch and singing practice for the Christmas Celebration with the guitar players who would accompany us.  Sarah, Schooley, Charlotte and I cooked dinner - Sweet and Sour Chicken with rice and salad.  Afterwards we had campfire training.  We scrapped the actually campfire and just discussed it as we were too tired after a full day of physical labor!!

On a side note - The Chalet is currently holding a competition to name our reindeer.

"  Thankyou for all your entries, we have had great fun trying to shortlist them.  Now is the time to vote for the photo showing the name you like best (there are 3 to choose from).  The photo with the most likes at noon (Swiss time) on Tuesday 23rd December will be the winner.  This is to allow her to be named in time to help Father Christmas on Christmas Eve.  "

Deirdre

Lisi

Swizzy

If you would like to go and vote please follow this link:

https://www.facebook.com/OurChalet/photos/pcb.745212192221489/745212105554831/?type=1&theater

and like the picture with your favourite name!

woodcarvers and adelboden hike

16/12/14

This morning was an early wake up… of a whole 7 am!  We had breakfast and then had to pack our lunch for our full day of programme.  Programme meeting was at 8.30 am, we planned our day and the route we were going to take.  Then we went outside and did our hiking checks for clothes, shoes and what was in our packs before breaking and heading off. 

We left just after nine, and got to the wood carvers just after ten.  We were told it would take a lot longer with guests!! Here's some photos I took along the way...

I found some Winstons!! (My old car!)

The Woodcarver's was thoroughly impressive! The have been collaborating with Our Chalet since 1945.  The business has just been handed over to the third generation, and they recently revamped the Our Chalet sign which can be found at the end of the drive way.  The ceiling of the shop is covered in badges from the people who have visited and we were encouraged to add more! I found a Australian Friendship one among them.

 There were so many things I wanted to buy, but as I am sure I will be back, I restrained myself to just buying a trefoil name badge with 'Mel' on it.  After the Woodcarvers, we walked a little down the hill to a little cafe called 'Cafe Blatti'.  A lovely German lady runs a cafe out of her house.  I had lemon cake and a cup of tea, and I would highly recommend it!!

After our late morning tea break, we hiked down to the river.  Chloe made us walk almost to the bottom of the gorge, before she realized the path through the gorge was closed, then made us hike all the way back up again.  When we reached the river side it was time to have more food, lunch! However before we did that we all completed another section of our Staff Challenge by standing/kneeling in the rive for five seconds.  It wasn't that bad on your toes as such, however once it hit your knees and shins the water was freezing.  It was a lovely feeling to sit and put our shoes back on the feel your arteries and veins vasodilate, and return blood flow to your feet.  It kinda made them feel all warm even though they were freezing.  

After finishing lunch, we continued on into town, where we met up with Jen.  Here was where we got to organize our ski hire!!  We had organized to hire from a company called InterSport in town.  They decked us out with ski boots, skis and poles.  Apparently you can only hire a helmet if you are under 15.  The guy laughed at me when I asked him... So it looks like I will either have to borrow one from the Chalet or buy my own!

After we moved all our gear to the van... there was a lot of gear to move, when you think 8 people with boots, poles and skis, then begun the Adelboden Scavenger Hunt.  We had to find things such as the cow (bonus points for making it moo), take a photo in front of the town fountain (bonus points for getting your noses wet), how many steps between two shops which I can't spell the names of, how many public toilets can you find, and take a funny photo on the childrens playground.

Us in front of the town fountain

Our funny picture on the playground

We also went to the Co-op to buy some more snacks and chocolate... you can never have enough of Swiss chocolate, before meeting at 4.15 pm and heading back to Our Chalet.  We managed to get a couple of shots of all the Vollies together and the Vollies and Interns.

Once we got back to Our Chalet, half of us split and finished setting up the attic of Spycher and the cooked dinner.  Then after dinner we had the evening off! Finally our internet was working (kinda), so I caught up on the news (omg Sydney!!) and talking to people at home.

At about 8 pm we headed over to Jen and Mara's house for hot drinks after they invited us at dinner.  It was nice to sit on the floor and talk about nothing!  Half headed back before the rest of us, and Charlotte, Chloe, Katrina and I headed back last at about 9.30 pm.  When we got back, Chloe stood in front of the fridge trying to decide if it was to late to have food (shes a bit of a food/sweet junkie!).  When she opened the fridge there was a bit of a surprise! 

 Needless to say, she screamed (waking up all of Stockli in the process) and we all thought it was hilarious!  She ended up on the floor for about 5 mins trying to control her self, and we eventually calmed her down when Katrina bought out chocolate.  

"The mood-enhancing properties of chocolate are well known in both the Muggle and wizard worlds. Chocolate is the perfect antidote for anyone who has been overcome in the presence of Dementors, which suck hope and happiness out of their surroundings. Chocolate can only be a short-term remedy, however. Finding ways to fight off Dementors – or depression – are essential if one is to become permanently happier. Excessive chocolate consumption cannot benefit either Muggle or wizard."

—Description of the effects of chocolate, Harry Potter.

The funniest bit was, when we were all sitting at the kitchen table after we had all stopped laughing, Chloe got up and opened the fridge and almost scared herself again!!

they gave me an icepick

12/12/14

First thing this morning, we woke up. (Thanks for the input Danielle!)

Breakfast and morning meeting followed where we found out what we were doing for the day.

Today we were cleaning the upstairs of Spycher.  We deeeeeeeeeeeeeeep cleaned the Guest rooms and set them up ready for guests.  I was in charge of cleaning windows and mirrors, and hence I had an awesome view...

Found this whilst cleaning

After lunch we had grounds and maintenance training.  We ended the training by shoveling snow ... this is where they gave me an icepick... Even though it got to a whole 5 degrees today, the snow was only slowly melting and there was a lot... a lot, of ice.

Dinner was accomplished between Schooley, Rachael, Ana and I.  We made chicken carbonara and apparently it didn't taste that bad!

After dinner and dinner clean up we met in the Helen Storrow room to decide our room mates for Stockli, the staff house.  Well, we didn't really decide, Chole had the most round about way for us to fairly decide.  We had to draw names out of a hat, and the name which was drawn, that person had to then roll a die and the number they threw coordinated with a room.  Just to make it even fairer, Tanya (the World Centre Manager), had to pick between orange and yellow, the two colours of the dice, which also coordinated to particular rooms.

In the end, we all eventually had a room in Stockli!

Lastly we finished up with making snowflakes for the Christmas Celebration next week!

introduction to deep cleaning and swiss night

12/12/14

This morning was our introduction to deep cleaning.  Deeeeeeeeeepp cleaning.  Sarah (now to be called SCHOOLEY), Katrina and I cleaned the T-Bar in the Main Chalet.  Whoever designed the wooden boards on the wall is an absolute idiot.  They were definitely going for looks rather than practically.  It took basically all morning.  The others were incharge of cleaning the Laundry and the Boots room in the Main Chalet.  Sarah decided that she was going to wipe the walls, and then ended up scrubbing them completely.

Sarah, SCHOOLEY, and I were in charge of lunch.  At least all it was was reheating and salad stuff.  We cleaned up afterwards and then SCHOOLEY and I went for a much needed walk.  SCHOOLEY needed to get over the 'cabin fever' as she put it!

Here as some of the photos of the view....

Then we begun guest program training....

We played a couple of starter games to begin with.  One we had to all stand on a tarp which was about 1m by 1m and turn it over to the other side, without falling off onto the snow.  Another was we had a long piece of rope which was very 'sticky'.  Once you touched it you couldn't remove your hand from it! We had to unknot the rope without moving our hands once we touched it.  It proved harder than it sounds.  

After that we were introduced to the Staff Challenge.  Like the Guests Challenge, the Staff Challenge consists of a list of tasks and challenges we can complete during our time here to accumulate points.  To complete the challenge we need to collect 80 points.  Some are easier than others.  SCHOOLEY and I completed two today after receiving it:

- Do 20 push ups and 20 sit ups

- Find out a fact about Switzerland that no one else knows

The fact one was quite hard because obviously everyone had taken the obvious ones!!

Here's some of the random facts we found out though:

- You can not own only one Guinea Pig in Switzerland, you must own them in pairs

- The Swiss Franc's abreviation is CHF because Switzerland's name in Latin is Condoederatio Helvetica (Hence the CF) and F for Francs

- The last legal execution of a witch in Swizterland was in 1782

- In 1471, a chicken laid a multicoloured egg and was proclaimed the 'devil in disguise'.  It was put on trial and was burned at the stake.   

The last two were the ones SCHOOLEY and I used to do the challenge.  

After dinner it was program training for Swiss Night,  We started with a song: Vogellist.  Its about a Girl from Adelboden and the beautiful scenery surrounding.    

Next was a Game of Jeopardy.  We split into two teams - SCHOOLEY, Sarah, Rachael and Ana on one, myself, Katrina, Charlotte and Danielle on the other and we competed against each other.  We ended up winning, 5,500 CHF to 5,300 CHF.  

We got an Orange as a prize, and the other team got a plate of fondue.   Though they did end up having to share with us to finish the night!!

ending with crafts

10/12/14

Woke up to this sky this morning...

It was minus five degrees...

All the fog had gone - and hence it was photo time after the morning meetings.  We took our photos for the 'Wall of Fame' and for the Our Chalet Website.

All the Vollies and Chloe (Program Intern for Winter)

Then it was the 'Magic of Housekeeping' session 2 (we learnt how to clean the communal areas).  Lunch and clean up next, followed by Health and Safety Training by the Program team.

At 4 we began dinner prep - We had Alpine Macaroni with Apple sauce... surprisingly good!

After dinner we did some more singing and then craft! Sarah and I made the angels we saw at the christmas market. I think we did pretty well!!

Mine

The ones at the fair!