Spring Break 2009 - Switzerland

Saturday, 7. March:
I finally made it to Luzern! From Vienna to Luzern was about 10 hours, and even though I thought I'd be bored to death riding on a train for that amount of time, the landscape of the country is so impressive and stunningly beautiful. The time almost "flew by" and my eyes were glued to the window the entire time. Switzerland was unlike anything I've EVER seen: the natural beauty, calm lakes, towering mountains, and sturdy wood houses were all breathtaking. I also started reading Barack Obama's "Audacity of Hope" and also "Der Vorleser" [recently made into a movie "The Reader"] Both are extremely well-written, even with the language difference! There was a 30 minute delay with my train, and I was definitely way CLOSE to missing my train!! Once I got in, it was so crowded that I entirely gave up lugging my boulder of a suitcase through the aisles and took a seat on the stairs. It was then that I realized how different Swiss German sounds. Everyone that I ran into was very nice though - several people stopped and gave me directions to the hostel after seeing my frustrated and lost expression, and I was very grateful for such generosity. I'm realizing that it's not that way in every city, and it was nice that people were so willing to point me in the right direction. As soon as I found the hostel, the receptionist was very nice and friendly - not to mention fluent in what seemed like a billion languages! (It was great that people spoke German to me; most of the time, people are so anxious to practice their English that I get out one word of German and then it's over) I dropped my bags and then turned immediately to the most important thing: finding FOOD. The food was delicious, and in the proccess I met two recent college graduates from Tokio who were touring through Europe - they were also in complete awe of Switzerland's beauty. We all thought to ourselves, "They get to see THIS every day?!"

Monday, 9. March:
I spent Sunday and the majority of today taking a scenic trains throgh Switzerland and also in the mountain town of Interlaken (where the highest point of Europe is located) - and it was just amazing. I walked around that place and thought, "God, how did You do this?" The beauty of this place in unparralled, and my eyes could hardly contain what was before me. Only one thing went not so good: as I was checking out a souvenoir shop, my purse bumped into a table, breaking a statue that was worth over 300, - Euros! Ja, not good. I barely had enough money to pay for the damage, and was positive that I'd have to deal with an overdraft on my account. When I got to the hostel to check on my Internet banking, I was exactly $4.45 away from an overdraft charge.

God is good.

This whole business about"travelling the world" is not as easy I would have thought. But I'm convinced that it will be one of the best experiences, and surely Spring Breaks, of my life, and will be remembered fondly for a long time. Sunday night I arrived in Montreaux, and couldn't read a blasted thing! There were no maps or indicators about the transportation system. I took the taxi, and to my surprise it was only about 10 CHF, not bad as I was expecting.

The hostel was pretty nice, but getting up to my room was a bit frustrating. Some teens were just hanging around near the staircase, staring at me as I entered, and didn't offer at all to help with my broken suitcase. This was the turning point of my trip --
I realized that I've been pampered in a way. It's much more common in the U.S. for people to stop what they are doing to help someone who looks confused. It seems that, at least in most of the cities I've visited, asking comes before help. It's a tough thing to process at first; the first thing I wanted to think was "Could someone at least OFFER to help me find this room? My suitcase is 30 pounds, I'm soaked from the pouring rain, and 'I, I, I'"...." But after I got the chance to sit calmly and rest, I became grateful for such an experience. The level of maturity and independence, self-confidence and understanding of the world that I gained in this one small incident would prove to be enough to lift my spirits and work in unseen ways for the remainder of the week.

By this time, I have introduced myself what seems like a billion times. The question that's been the most interesting is "Where are you from?" I respond: "I am from the U.S., but studying in Vienna." But somehow that doesn't satisfy me. It's a bit easier, I must say, now that Obama is the new President. Even so, I am aware of the great privilege and responsibility that I carry as a United States citizen. People I meet will judge my entire country by what they see in me. They will judge every other American they meet by the way that I present myself, by the way that I represent my nation.

... of the people that I shared a hostel with in Montreaux, there were two very sweet university students from Spain. One of the girls had very good English and the other struggled a bit but was still great. She seemed a little embarassed because she didn't know all the words she was fishing for, and she took her time in thinking of the best way to express the ideas she had. She taught me something in doing that: that I don't have to always be "perfect" with German, that I can take my time, that I can admit that there are still some things I don't know yet. For a language major like me, who constantly strives for perfection - especially with German, this was an important and valuable lesson.

[Photos: 1. the lake-side city of Luzern, 2. the view of the shimmering lakes and snow-capped mountains on the train ride to Interlaken, 3. the Swiss alps rising mysteriously out of the thick fog right outside the hostel in Montreaux]