Neighbours from Switzerland

July 12th today and it would have been my Mom and Dad's 65th Weddding Anniversary. My Dad died in 1987, a long time ago and he was only 70 years old.  I miss you Dad and I know you left us too soon and that you did not want to go.  I am glad that the boys got to spend time with their Papa and that they remembered you always.  I guess you and Brett had a nice reunion and are always together.  Whenever we have a little problem with putting something together or we are looking for a tool I think of my Dad.  Every time I think something has to be done RIGHT NOW I think of Dad.  He just got up and fixed, or did something or just made everything right again and I miss that so much that it still hurts.  Dad, you apparently instilled that characteristic in me, or maybe it is in the genes!  I have a one track mind and things have to be done when things have to be done or I don't feel right.  I know you get it Dad and if you were here and I mentioned that you would have said, "Well sure." 

Anyway, I guess that has nothing to do with our  neighbours from Switzerland except to say that I asked them for help and I struck up a conversation with them which is what my Dad would have done!

We pulled into our site yesterday - after we found it and after I did not read the site map properly - .  Whatever.  Anyway, it is a pull through so that makes both of us happy.  Cable t.v., water, sewer and power hook ups, swimming pool, free WiFi  but only available if you sit near the office, which is not very convenient but better than nothing.  I am sitting in a gazebo right now by the office at a picnic table and there is an electrical outlet right beside me.  I took my small laptop, my cell phone and my IPad and of course my go mug with coffee.  Prior to that I was up at 2:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. since Sarge was whining that he wanted out.  Poor little guy is on the limp.  While we were setting up yesterday Bernie accidentally stepped on his paw.  We are sure he will be fine.  He gets a little car sick as well which doesn't help the situation! 

So on to the people from Switzerland.  We pull into our site #38 and start the setting up process.  I am pretty much useless but I can at least connect the water hose.  So I get the hose out and first look at the water connection which I presumed would be near the electrical post, which it was.  It looked like a small water pump but it had a hook up.  I asked Bernie what he thought and he turned the handle up and no water came out so we looked for another connection.  There was a post with two water taps on it so I connected the hose to the one pointing towards our site but no water was coming out of it when I turned it on.  We tried various things, but no water.  Bernie pulled up an down on the handle of the pump like one by our electrical hook up, looked for switches, instructions, anything to help but could not find a thing that was helpful.

I noticed that the people camping two sites down in a small motor home were all hooked up to their water, etc. and they were sitting outside.  I wandered over and said hello! and the discovered that they were not from this country but did speak and understand English.  I asked to see their water hook up and by gesturing and body language and speaking (and I have to admit I always talk louder when I speak to people whose first language is not English, guilty as charged, I know it doesn't help any) , they understood what I wanted and showed me their hook ups outside.  They had a regular tap tat was situated exactly where our funny looking pump like thing was situated.  So the man started to explain how to hook everything up, which was fine, it was nice of him.  I said thank you and went back to our site to discover that Bernie had cranked the pump handle one more time and water started to trickle out and then it came out normally which is what we wanted to see.  At the same time our neighbours came over to see how we were making out and the gentleman helped Bernie to get the end of the hose hooked up, actually turned it for him which helped tremendously.

They hung around and we had a conversation.  I found out that they were from Bern, Switzerland on a holiday that started at the airport in Vancouver.  Then they got the motor home and made their way east.  They were headed to see his friend in Rimbey who he worked with at a farm with cows 20 years ago  I am thinking he was here on an exchange with something like IAEA. They have two daughters, one 12 and the other 10.  He is a carpenter and his wife is a nurse.  Well when I heard the word "nurse" I went into recruitment mode and asked if they were planning on moving to Canada.  They just laughed but that may have been because they were not on the same page as me.  We met their girls and they hung around a little longer while Bernie finished setting up and then they went back to their site.  It was great talking to the and I did ask if they knew any doctors that might be interested in coming to Canada because we had a shortage and we would certainly be interested.  Well, why not?  Can't hurt anything and I am all about marketing and promotion at all times!

So we had water, the power was on, the cable worked fine for the upcoming Rider game at 4:30 or 5:00 o'clock or whatever time it was - depending what you looked at.  Bernie was exhausted an feeling bad about tripping over Sarge's paw.  So he set the chairs up, made himself a nice cold drink, relaxed in his gravity chair with Sarge on his lap and Duke sitting beside him and just dozed.  It must have been about three thirty or thereabouts, so lots of time to rest before the game.  Honestly a person just loses track of the time and even what day it is.  (That reminds me, Friday has passed and I haven't checked my lotto Max number) 

While Bernie dozed I defrosted a package of bacon since he said he would like to have bacon and eggs for supper.  Or as he put it, "let's have tomorrow's breakfast tonight".  I puttered around but I still had our neighbours from Switzerland on my mind and the fact that she is a nurse and must know a lot of doctors since she worked in a hospital, and in Bern to boot.  I mean it is a city, must have some doctors there who are wanting an adventure and would like to live and practice medicine in rural Alberta! 

While I puttered I looked through everything I could to find my Town of Coronation business cards, pens, pins, ANYTHING.  Wow!  I found three pins, more than enough business cards, Town of Coronation pens (I am the Queen of Pens - that's why my purse is so heavy!) and some other pens as well.  I kind of cleaned them up because they were in thee bottom of my purse and in the camera bag and in Bernie's "purse" (his IPad case).  I also found some of Bernie's www.crownnews.ca business cards, so I was ecstatic!  I wrote my name, contact phone numbers, the Coronation Medical Clinic's recruit website address, crownnews website, even my blog website on the backs of several cards.  I wrote a little note saying how nice it was to meet them and wishing them a safe journey and of course signed our names.  Then I waited until I saw them outside again and away I went to deliver my "presents" to our neighbours from Switzerland.  I think the man understood and spoke English the best and as I was talking away and giving him these little things he took what I gave to him and was very overwhelmed.  Okay so I talked loud again and probably too fast.  I just basically said I wanted them to have something from where we lived and that they could just look at the cards and check out the websites later. Oh well.  When I was done, he said, "Thank you."  In disbelief maybe that someone would just come over and give them things, but like I said, very overwhelmed.  I said, "You're welcome.  It was so nice to meet you.  Have a safe trip!"  I wish I could have heard and understood the conversation that ensued!  I just hope they didn't think that they had to give us something in return.  You never know.  We did not see them again and they pulled out of their site and were on their way some time this morning.  Farewell to our neighbours from Switzerland and when you get home I hope you remember where you put those business cards so you can look us up.  When you do I hope you go to my blog and read this!  I also hope that you show the recruiting website address to all the doctors you know.  You just never know!