Hello,

Rosi and I are thinking of organizing some volleyball evenings this summer. If you’re interested to join us, let me know by commenting below or sending an email to info(AT)lausannemom(DOT)com. We are thinking to play at UNIL/EPFL. We haven’t decided yet on which evening we will play as we still have to find the people to play with! FYI, we are not good at volley ball, but think it will be fun. So, no previous experience is necessary. As long as you don’t have ball phobia, you’re in.

Thanks,
meta.

P.S.: This “recruitment” is open to all, including dads and non-moms.

*Image courtesy of hectorir, used under Creative Commons License.

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Have you been training lately? The annual Lausanne Triathlon will be held on the weekend of 21-22 Aug. If you want to participate, it’s possible to register and get the license from now up to one hour before your starting time (extra charge CHF10). Even better, this triathlon is not only for adults and professionals, your kids (born up to year 2002)  can participate, too. We saw this kiddie triathlon 2 years ago and loooooooved it. I was still carrying the bump back then and hope that our kid(s) will participate one day. But even of you don’t do the race, it’s fun to go there and cheer for the athletes. It’s even better if you know them of course. We cheered for our baby-sitter last year!

For more information on the categories, rules, race maps etc. click on this link.

*Image courtesy of indywriter, used under Creative Commons License

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The 21st edition of CEV Satellite Beach Volley competition will be held at the Place de la Navigation (Ouchy, just in front of the metro station) from 15-18 July 2010. Many European teams and a team from Brazil will participate in this competition, so it’s gonna be hot! Even better, it’s free entry!

For more info, here’s the link.

*Image courtesy of http://www.beachvolleylausanne.ch/

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You can read the “Part 1″ and the disclaimers here.

The D-day: I took the valium and went to the hospital. Hubby came with me. I went directly to the reception for surgery. The lady there checked the forms, explained the procedure, noted my husband’s cellphone number (so that she could call him later when the surgery finished about 2 hours later), and finally took me to the operation area.  There, a nurse took over. I was given sterile disposable scrubs and hair and shoe cover to change to. I left my clothes and shoes in a locker, then went to the waiting room where around 5 other patients already waited.

The surgery: The procedure was really quick and efficient. I was glad that my appointment was not the earliest, as I could see the other patients returning to their seats after the surgery, looking completely fine. I didn’t feel nervous at all, the valium certainly helped. I think I waited around 20-30 minutes before being called. The surgeon checked my cornea and then we went to the operation theater. As I already said, the surgery went quickly, smoothly, and completely pain-free. In about 10 minutes, I was out of the room. I went back to my waiting seat and was given a bottle of artificial tear drops, a prescription for another tear drops, an instruction on how many times I should use both teardrops, and certification of a 3-day sick leave (including the operation day). Back on my seat, I immediately felt that my vision had improved. I was myopic at -6.00 and -5.75, and by then it felt like a -2.00. The surgeon checked my eyes again and I was discharged immediately.

At home: We went home with public transport. I didn’t feel any pain at the hospital but it became painful when I was outdoor, most likely due to the wind that day. I had my sunglasses on and shut my eyes while clinging to hubby when walking to the metro station. As suggested by the surgeon, I took a nap (wearing plastic eye shields to prevent rubbing of the eyes) and after the nap my vision got MUCH better. It was still difficult to focus, but mainly due to the dilated pupils and not the myopia. They did feel uncomfortable sometimes, which can be easily fixed by the tear drops.

To be continued…

As already included in Part 1 of the post, here are some useful links:

• The website of the Jules Gonin Eye Hospital concerning the LASIK (inlcuding the fee): click here
• A YouTube video that I found very informative: click here

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There is another world-class event in Lausanne next week: The Athletissima! Many top athletes will compete in this annual athletic event, which will be held on Thursday, July 8 at the Olympic Stadium Pontaise (map). Maybe we’ll have a new world record then?

Tickets for all categories are still available. Click here for more details.

*Image courtesy of Athletissima.ch

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I know many of you are waiting for this post. I just had the 1-month post surgery check-up earlier this week and I will post my story in several parts (as I easily get bored when writing long blogs). And before I go any further, here are a couple of important things I should mention:

Disclaimer#1: I’m employed by the hospital where my LASIK surgery was performed. FYI, I work as a research scientist in a laboratory there and don’t have anything to do with the clinical area.

Disclaimer#2: As I’m employed by the hospital, I received a huge discount for the treatment (CHF2660 for both eyes, all inclusive).

I try my best to be objective and honest with my story, but given the circumstances, what I experienced might differ to that of a regular patient, although apart from the surgeon, no one else involved in the surgery knew me before.

Okay. So now, if you think you can still benefit from my story after the above facts, read on.

Pre-LASIK examination: I got a slot for examination within 3 weeks of calling the department. The reason was that I had to be free of contact lenses for at least 10 days before the examination. On the day, I had to wait around 15 minutes before my turn. The optometrist made a complete examination of my eyes that took a couple of hours. There were MANY tests, each lasted several minutes, where I moved from one machine to another. For some tests I had to open my eyes for many seconds and it was practically the hardest part of the whole examination. Upon completion, I waited some 20 minutes before seeing the surgeon (Dr. François Majo). He showed me a brief animation on the procedure, and recommended me to take the Femto-LASIK. This is the most advanced LASIK which involves a femtosecond laser to make the flap on the cornea (instead of a blade used in the original LASIK). He also explained the possible side effects and that if the post-surgery correction should reach less than 80% correction, a second surgery can be performed free of charge. Btw, Dr. Majo speaks English very well, but the optometrists didn’t.

Scheduling the surgery: I could book the surgery directly after seeing the surgeon, but as I had to consult hubby’s schedule first, I only returned a few days after. The surgery was only done on Monday mornings, btw. Once I set up the date and time, I was given an envelope with a form of consent that I should fill, a bank slip for the payment (to be paid a month in advance), and a written explanation of the surgery procedure, what to expect the day of the surgery and after, as well as the possible complications. In addition, they also gave me valium, that I should take 1 hour prior to the schedule of the surgery.

To be continued… read Part 2 here.

Before I end this part, here are some useful links:

• The website of the Jules Gonin Eye Hospital concerning the LASIK (inlcuding the fee): click here
• A YouTube video that I found very informative: click here

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I just received a copy of the newest programs of the Espace Prévention in Lausanne. That means the registration for their classes has now begun. I know that the “Gym Maman-Bébé”, “Gym Parents-Enfants” and the “Massage pour Bébé” are very popular, so if you’re interested you should register ASAP. The complete program booklet can be downloaded here. You can find the complete list of classes, the days and time, as well as the price. Registration coupon ca be found on page 21 on the booklet (or you can do it online at the same site).

FYI, I took the Gym Mère-Bébé class at the end of 2008 and really liked it (see my previous post).

Espace Prévention
Pré du Marché 21-23
1004 Lausanne
Tel: 021 644 04 24
Fax: 021 644 04 26
prevention.lausanne(AT)avasad.ch

*Image courtesy of Espace Prevention

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Three weeks ago hubby, tot, and I made a bike tour around Lausanne. We rent the bikes from Lausanne Roule and this post summarizes our experience.

The process: I rent my bike with a day pass. A deposit of CHF90 was made on my credit card and the whole-day rent itself cost CHF6. I got a Velopass magnetic card that allowed me to pick up and return bike at any bike station around Lausanne. My husband used the special bike with a child seat on it. The rent was CHF10, and for this bike, we could only rent and return at the station in Flon. We brought our own lock and helmets, but otherwise it was possible to rent those things there. FYI, you can reserve the bikes and the accessories online here.

The bikes: We were happy with our bikes. They were in very good condition. Mine had a basket where I could strap one of our backpacks. The bike with the child seat was a bit too tall for me (I’m only 1.54cm tall), but the regular bike was a perfect size. Btw, the station in Flon also has child bikes.

The end of the day: I returned my bike with the Velopass at the self-service station in Ouchy. It worked perfectly. So, I could then take the metro while my husband biked uphill to return his to the station in Flon (he could have taken the metro but obviously was intrigued by the challenge to bike uphill)

The final conclusion: We had a lot of fun and the process was really hassle free. It’s also a cheap and healthy way to spend a nice sunny day. We can highly recommend this. There are also possibilities to have annual subscriptions, and even ones with Mobility CarSharing option (click here for price and details).

We’re now so looking forward for another sunny weekend for our next bike tour!

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Bike season is here. Here are some rules about transporting bikes inside the public transport:

In the bus: Hop in through the central or back door, only if the space permits.

In the m1: There are 2 doors per wagon that can be used for bikes. Hop on only if the space permits.

In the m2: A maximal of 3-4 bikes, again if the space permits. Bike is only allowed at the Ouchy end of the metro (the South end).

And for the tickets: Normal ticket price for a bike transported by an adult, A reduced ticket price for a bike transported by a child (6-16 y.o.) or by a holder of Swiss Train Half-Card. Free for folded bike inside its bag as well as bikes of little children (<6 y.o.).

So, happy cycling and don’t forget that in case you get too tired going uphill in Lausanne, you can always count on the public transport to bring you home!

For more info on public transport in Lausanne, check here.

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I’m not really into soccer/football, but I’m a sucker for FIFA World Cup or UEFA European Football Championship. I’m totally excited about that the World Cup is only a few weeks away! And this year I hope we can join the crowds to see some of the matches on the giant screen. In Lausanne, the place to be would be at the Place de la Navigation in Ouchy, from 11 June to 11 July. The City of Lausanne website said it could hold up to 8,000 people! It will be huge!

For map of venue and other info, take a look at the official page from the City of Lausanne here. And, btw, of course it’s free entry.

*Logo of FIFA World Cup 2010 courtesy of FIFA

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