The Sunday Post #62 – Weekly Wrap-up
Welcome to my Sunday Post. Thank you to Kim over at The Caffeinated Reviewer, who is hosting this weekly event. It is the perfect opportunity to share what happened here on my own blog, as well as some of the happenings elsewhere in the Blogosphere.
During the night between December 11th and December 12th in 1602, Geneva fought off the French who tried to take over the city of Geneva. A few weeks before, one of the citizens had noticed foreigners who were measuring the wall around the city, and they immediately thought of a future attack. To counter this, during the night, the citizens built an extension to the wall, to make it higher, thus thwarting the French from being able to enter the city. When they arrived and couldn’t climb over the wall, they got another surprise as well – at one point, a woman was preparing a caldron of vegetable soup, and she managed to pour the hot soup over some of those soldiers who were still trying to enter Geneva. Nowadays, the tradition is that on the last Friday before that night, high school and primary school students dress up (it’s like our Halloween in a way) and on December 12th, we share a chocolate caldron with marzipan vegetables to remember the courage of those people over four hundred years ago. So there were a lot of fun costumes to see on Friday, the parc outside uni was full of kids who were already partying at 10 am, and we had our very own caldron-breaking with the chocolate yesterday 🙂
On Tuesday morning, I had an interview for a long term substitute teacher position at a high school not far from my house, and I got it! I’m really happy to know that from January to June, I will teach eight hours per week 🙂 And when I told them I had a trip planned in May – for Chicago and BEA – they said that was not a problem. And after I had prepared this post, I got a call from the school to let me know that if at all possible, it would be great if I can start on Monday. That is tomorrow!
We also have a terror threat in Geneva, so things are pretty tense here these days. On Friday, after my class at uni in the morning, armed policemen, four in uniform and four in civil clothes came inside, started running around… which made us go outside… and came back out 20 minutes later with a young man in handcuffs. Nothing about it on the news, so I have no idea if it had anything to do with the threats or not. My heart was beating so fast, my iWatch told me I did 35 minutes of sports.
We’ve also finally had some sun again (yup, I prefer to end on a positive note!) and here’s a picture of the beautiful sunset we had on Friday.
This week’s posts:
- [9 Dec] Waiting on Wednesday #73 – Away We Go
- [10 Dec] Thirsty Thursday and Hungry Hearts #45 – Controlled Burn
- [12 Dec] Stacking the Shelves #113 BB&B #63
- [13 Dec] The Sunday Post #62 – New Job, and Costume Balls
This week’s reviews:
- [7 Dec] Rock Chick Revenge by Kristen Ashley ★★★★
- [8 Dec] Hunted by the Others by Jess Haines ★★★★
- [9 Dec] The Pirate's Tempting Stowaway by Erica Ridley ★★★★★
- [10 Dec] Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner ★★★★★
- [11 Dec] A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro ★★★★
- [12 Dec] Heartbreaker's Bet by Donna Cummings ★★★★★
Elsewhere in the Blogosphere:
Bec @ Readers in Wonderland wonders Are Reading Challenges Effective?
Aila @ Happy Indulgence share Why She Reads Science Fiction.
Pixie @ Great Imaginations chats about Reading Slumps.
Rashika @ The Social Potato has an awesome (and ironic) post about Why She Doesn’t Read YA.
Cait @ Paperfury shares Ten Types of Characters She Loves.
What have you been up to this past week? Don’t forget to leave me a link so I can come visit your Sunday Post as well.
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you’ve enjoyed your weekend, and that next week will be filled with awesome!
Oh wow, that’s scary about the terror threats- I’m glad you’re okay with whatever happened at the university too!! You just never know!
Thanks for sharing your initial story. that’s so fascinating; that chocolate cauldron looks great. Congrats on the long-term job and that’s awesome they were okay with you going to Chicago in May. I really wish I could go and meet you! It doesn’t look like I’ll be able to make it though, with planning a trip to London in September.
-lauren
It’s so weird, because there hasn’t been any mention of it on the news here… Oh well – at least we were all safe, and hopefully, whatever that guy was up to was thwarted.
Yeah, I love this specific celebration, who doesn’t love chocolate?
Oh, that’s too bad, Lauren. But London is really close to Geneva 😉 And I plan on going to conventions each year, when I can manage. in 2017 I want to go to RT again.
Thanks for stopping by xoxo
Nice sunset! And congrats on the job- that’s awesome. Good for you. 🙂 Love the story behind your tradition- that chocolate looks great.
That’s too close a call! Glad no one was hurt, whatever he was up to. It’s tense these days with not knowing what’s going to happen…
Have a fantastic week!
You know, in retrospect, it might not have even been a close call, it could be that everybody is on high alert, and the police preferred coming in with too many men rather than not enough. I’m not used to seeing our police with guns, though, so it was very impressive.
Thanks for stopping by, Greg!
So happy for you Lexxie! Congrats on the new job! 🙂 what a wonderful (and yummy!) tradition! Thanks for sharing the story. Can’t wait for you next Sunday Post to hear about your first week teaching at this new school 🙂 good luck!
I’m so happy about the job! It’s not all that easy to both study and work, so having found a substitute teaching position that also works around my classes at uni is perfect!
That’s cool, I love learning those random history tidbits. Is there a specific name for that celebration? And yay for the job. Good luck tomorrow … er… today for you.
The celebration is called l’Escalade – the climbing – which is pretty apt, since they were trying to climb over the city-walls 😀
It’s still Sunday here for a while, Christy, so the job does start tomorrow 😀 Thanks for the well-wishes!
I was thinking last night was Sunday and today was Monday. -sigh- See, I’m so freaking off lately. lol.
That’s such a great tradition. I had never heard that bit of history before either. I love reading these small bits of information.
Congrats on starting the job! And goodluck tomorrow!
It is a great tradition, and one of the reasons why we don’t celebrate Halloween, we have our own party just a month and a half after 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Myrthe!
Great Picture on the sunset…..I rarely see sunsets now a days because of my work schedule ( I sleep in late afternoon and early evening since I work at 2 A.M) but I do love the sunrises. Love the historic share you gave…it’s always great to see those traditions especially in honoring courageous people from the past. Funny tidbit about the iWatch though.
I love both sunset and sunrise – the change in the light is beautiful. Thanks for stopping by, Renee.
Congratulations on the job!
And I love the tradition! I just love learning random (to me anyway) bits of history. I would totally be there for the marzipan, I just can’t get enough of it. Unfortunately, I’m allergic to chocolate though.
As this tradition is very specific to Geneva, I’m thinking it’s new to most people, Lauren. And since it’s a big thing here, it’s fun to share, too. We’d keep extra marzipan for you, so you could get by without the chocolate 😉
Twitter: Mlsimmons
I had heard of the terror threats in Geneva, but not what happened in your school. When I heard about the threat, I immediately thought of you. It is a scary world we live in right now. I hope you stay safe.
I had know idea that I was in for a history lesson this morning. It was very interesting and I learned something new. That is so neat and I love your chocolate cauldron. I hope you enjoyed it.
You know, they didn’t say a thing about what happened at Uni in the news here, either. And yes, it is a scary world we live in. But we still try to just go about life as usual – if not the terrorists win by default.
Chocolate cauldrons rock 🙂 I love this tradition, which I had never heard of before I moved here. Thanks for stopping by, Melanie.
Very cool story and tradition! Yay for your new job – Congrats!! Love the picture you ended with. Have a great week!
Thanks, Grace! That sunset was even more gorgeous in RL 🙂
When I started reading your post, I missed the year (1602) and I thought this was currently going on. I really am out of it!!! It sure sounded funny, though, thinking the crazy French were invading Switzerland!
Congratulations on your awesome new job!!! It sounds perfect for you! Are your kids in the same school??
I’m so EXCITED to hear you’re making the trip to the states for BEA!!! I will be there and we must meet up!! I’m staying at the hotel closest to Convention Center. If you want to meet, we’ll coordinate more later 😉 I’ve already got my convention badge and hotel reservations.
Oh yes! We will definitely have to meet up! I have my convention badge and hotel reservation, too. But I’m not staying in the hotel closest to the convention, I reserved my plane tickets and hotel back in August, and there were no links for hotels yet then. But I’m sure we’ll be able to figure something out! It’s so exciting to know I will be able to meet more of the bloggers I love visiting virtually 🙂
My kids are not in the same school, it’s the first time I’ll teach in this high school, and they use different books than what I’m used to, so I need to get myself ready. I’m really excited, though, because it will also help to have had yet another long-term contract when I start my MA in pedagogy.
Hehe, the French and the Swiss are mostly good friends these days, thank goodness 😀 But the history is still something that makes the celebration special.
What a fun tradition! I never heard of that before. And a chocolate caldron with marizpan veggies? That sounds yummy! And it looks so fun! It must have been fun to see all the costumes.
Congrats on the job, although that’s crazy you suddenly got a call if you could start tomorrow. I am sure you’ll do great and that’s ncie your trip to BEA wasn’t a problem.
That terror threat sounds scary. And that must’ve been scary with how the police came to your uni. Your weather looks better than here, what a ncie picture! We have had a bit of sun, but mostly grey and cloudy. I’ll check out some of those posts you linked to, they sound interesting. Have a great week!
It’s a great tradition, Lola, and we always look forward to it 🙂
When I was in for my interview, they told me they might need me earlier than planned, as the teacher was out on sick leave that day. And as it’s for a maternity leave, it also will depend on whether the other teacher can come back to work after the Christmas vacation or not.
It was scary to see those armed policemen for sure. But I’m also glad they check up on every little thing to make sure we are as safe as possible.
Having better weather has been very good for my energy levels, the week before this, we had fog and rain every day, and I only wanted to stay in bed 🙂
You had one hell of a week. Some good (congrats on job) and some scary!. Stay safe and good luck on Monday!
Yeah, my feelings have been all over the place this week 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Jennifer.
Congrats on the new job! I hope you enjoy it.
Also, thanks for sharing about your holiday! I love the idea of breaking open a chocolate cauldron.
I’m sure I’ll enjoy it, Samantha, and I look forward to starting 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
Congrats on the position! And I hope the scary threats are behind you.
I like that your iWatch gave you credit for sports…LOL
Beautiful sunset…enjoy your week! Thanks for visiting my blog.
LOL, yes that made me laugh, too, Laurel-Rain. Nothing like getting those heartbeats going 😉
I seem to recall the fun tradition from last year? Lovely cauldron:) And so happy for your new job and being able to have time off too. That sounds very scary at the university. Odd that nothing appeared in the papers about it. Stay safe. And yeah for the sunshine!
I probably did mention it last year, too, Laura, it’s always a lot of fun 🙂 I would have probably not taken the job if they said no for a week off – I already have my BEA pass plus my hotel reservation and my plane tickets… Thanks for stopping by.
Congrats on the new job!! I wish you the best of luck!!
Thank you, Ashley! I really look forward to it:)
Twitter: kimbacaffeinate
Thanks for sharing the tradition, I loved learning about such things. Congrats on the long term contract. I am excited you can still attend BEA. I am looking forward to finally meeting blogging friends! Have a wonderful first day!!!
You’re welcome, Kim 🙂 This is kind of like our Halloween, and it’s a fun tradition. I’m really looking forward to BEA, and am I right thinking you’re going as well?
Twitter: kimbacaffeinate
Yes I arrive Tuesday afternoon and will be there till Saturday.
Awesome! I’m arriving on Monday and stay until Sunday… I need a day to get over jet-lag, and the Monday after is a day off here 🙂
Twitter: limabean74
Congrats on the Job! Very happy for you!.
Sorry about the scare, we have those a lot here, California and recently at a mall but they gave no details so I am not sure what happened. The world is a crazy place, Stay Safe.
Love that tradition, thanks for sharing, I love when people talk about things we don’t do here.
Have a great week, Lexxie! Happy Reading! ox
I’m very happy for me, too, Michelle 😉 We are not used to those kinds of scares, Switzerland is a neutral country, so we’re usually left alone, you know.
Thanks for stopping by, Michelle, have a great week yourself 🙂
Ooooh thanks for sharing about your tradition Lexxie, I’d never heard about this^^ I love learning about different customs like that! I’m so sorry that you had a terror threat though D: That’s scary! Stay safe and hopefully this week calms down on that front! xxxx
Sharing traditions that don’t exist somewhere else is fun! And I’m glad you enjoyed hearing about our Escalade. Thanks for stopping by, Micheline.
Beautiful photo!
Congrats on the job, that is fantastic news! *throws confetti* On top of school, family, and blogging, you are one busy lady.
What a fun tradition for your national holiday. Perhaps someday, these current threats will have something equally joyful as a remembrance.
Thanks, Bea! I’m really happy about my job, too 🙂 It’s always nicer to know in advance that I will have work, you know.
It’s nice to have a fun tradition like this one, and maybe you’re right – one day, these strange times will become something different in our memories 🙂
How scary! Glad you are OK. Thanks for sharing that interesting tradition! Stopping by from Sunday Post, visiting.
Thanks for stopping by, Carole 🙂 I’m glad nothing bad happened, too – and hopefully, things will be nice and calm this week.
Congratulations on the new job and I hope you have a great first day!! Your tradition was really fascinating and it is a fun way of remembering the history. That is scary and everyone is on high alert these days. I hope you stay safe and enjoy your week!
Thanks, Kathy! I’m pretty excited, even if only a Christmas movie with a little quiz is on the schedule for today 🙂
So glad your threat did not turn out more serious than it was! Congratulations on the job and may it be a great first day.
Yeah, I was happy when the police and their suspect left the premises, Nise’! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Thank you for linking up Pixie’s discussion!
That sounds like an awesome holiday! And the cauldron is so adorable. I love learning about other holidays from around the world. So I love it when you have a holiday update!
Congrats on the job! I am so happy for you!!
It was a great discussion 🙂 And it’s always fun to share – I know I miss some good posts so when other bloggers link to them, I can catch up.
It is a fun holiday, and chocolate can just never be wrong 😉
Oh, Lexxie – that is so scary! Even scarier that there was no mention of it on the news! No bueno. So glad the subbing position worked out for you! It’ll be fun to hear what you have to say over the coming months.
I am really wondering why there was no mention on the news. I know not many people saw what happened, but if something serious was going on, I think we should know about it.
I’m glad, too, Charlie, and I look forward to meeting my new students today 🙂
What an interesting tradition with the cauldron!! I think it’s awesome! I need to check out your review of Their Fractured Light soon! I’ll be posting mine this week! 😀
I look forward to reading your review of Their Fractured Light, too, Tracy! Thanks for stopping by.
Ah, nasty French people 😉 At least, thanks to us, you now have chocolate marzipans every year to celebrate, that picture makes me hungry ! And congratulations on the new job !!! We had alerts last week too : policemen came into the library, told us there was a car parked in front that was suspect – in fact, a few minutes later, a father came and tucked his baby inside, completely unaware of the fright he gave us. And a scared reader said she wanted to exit the library because there was a threatening Muslim reading a religious book at a table : the poor guy was homeless and dozing on the book, enjoying the warmth in the library. The reader left anyway ! And there were guns found in a building near my daughters’s college… We hear sirens every day… and keep working. Ah well… There’s sun today here too, it’s breaking through the fog surrounding my little valley 🙂 I hope that first day at your new job is fantastic !
Haha, Iza. I don’t think anyone actually think about the French as nasty! But the Duc de Savoie was probably viewed very differently.
*sighs* It bothers me the most that many of us (and yes, in some cases, myself included) become afraid of other people. And suspicious 🙁 It’s sad, really.
I’m glad the sun was able to pierce the fog, Iza. Bisous.
Twitter: kbaby81
That cauldron looks yummy. Congrats on your teaching job, and stay safe.
It was really, really good, Lekeisha 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
I greatly enjoyed your story about the wall and the chocolate cauldron. It’s so neat to me to learn about other cultures. It was a story I had never heard before, but sounds like a ton of fun to celebrate. Congrats on your job!! It’s good to know you’ll have some stability there with the length of the sub job. I live in the states and still have never made a BEA. I hope you have a blast!! And crazy about the terror threat and young man being arrested. Stay safe!!
It is always a lot of fun to celebrate, Jaclyn 🙂 I’m very happy about my new job! And I hope you’ll be able to come to BEA or RT one year so that we can meet 🙂
Have a fantastic week.
WOW. Your week was packed with…things. Stay safe and congrats on the job.
Definitely packed, yes 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
Twitter: Mollykatie112
Your story about from the 1600’s was fascinating and you are right it is sort of like Halloween. And the terrorist thing is really scary. Now that I live about 40 minutes from Washington D.C. and ten minutes from the NSA, things are even more scary when I hear things like this. I am glad it all worked out okay! Glad you got the job, and I hope you enjoy it!
Oh my, Lorna! That sounds very scary indeed! I’m glad it’s usually very quiet and peaceful here.
Whew that’s scary! And congrats on the new job! That’s really awesome 🙂
I’m really happy about the job! I had been doing short stints here and there all fall, but it’s so much easier to have a long term job, where I get to know the students, and can choose some of the content of the lessons, too.
Congrats on your new teaching position, Lexxie! It’s fantastic that they asked you to start early. And that they had no issue with your trip to Chicago in May. 😉
Scary times we’re living in…my kids’ school was on lockdown status last Thursday. I had Sky with me, as I’d taken her to get her allergy shots, but Berk and Jax were still in the school. It turns out a kid claimed to have a gun and threatened to start shooting. He was arrested and all was okay – but very scary considering he was right across the hall from where Jax was.
On a happy note, I have a snow day today! As do the kids. 😀 We’re all home enjoying a fire while watching it snow. The kids have a study day since finals start tomorrow. 🙂 **BIG HUGS**
Oh my gosh, Brandee, I loved that they didn’t have a problem with my trip. That would have made me say no, I’m sure 😀
I saw that there was a lockdown on Thursday, it’s really bad, and I’m sure Berk and Jax were scared, too! Why would a kid claim to have a gun in school? I just don’t get that at all.
I hope you had a fun snow day. *BIG HUGS*
Wow, you’ve had a pretty exciting week! Congrats on the new job! Your photos are beautiful. Thanks for showing your chocolate cauldron. Such a cool way to keep history alive for kids.
Yeah, there was definitely a lot going on last week 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Tiffany.
Yay! Congrats on your new teaching job! I hope things go well for you!
Thanks, Ronyell 🙂
Woo hoo! Congratulations on the new job! Wonderful news! I know you’ll be fabulous!
Thank you, Xyra 🙂 I hope I will be fabulous – the students are really cute, they were so shy – hopefully, they’ll stay quiet, but still participate.
Yay! Congrats on the job! That is great! Scary about the threat at school though… I would’ve just gone home! lol You can have some of my sun… we have plenty right now!
Thanks, Naomi, I’m really excited about it! The weather has been a little better these days, but it’s far too warm – I want snow now 😉