Switzerland

1/25/2012

Serena on top of Uetliberg, with the Swiss Alps in the background.

It is a warm and beautiful feeling to catch yourself smiling,while riding with people you love, in an old but efficient train, with the view on the left overlooking the Zurich Sea, and the view on right reflecting the shadows of the Black Forest of the Swiss Mittellands.

From 1997-1998 I was an AFS Swiss exchange-student with an open heart and a terrible grasp of the German language. During my short time in Switzerland, I fell in love with the country, and each time I leave, I develop a terrible case of Heimwie (homesickness) for Die Schwiez, and a better grasp of the language.
I need to begin this week's blog with a big "Thank-You" to my friend Emily, my host-sister Eveline, and to all the thoughtful Swiss, who lifted my luggage on and off trains, onto buses and into airports from Germany to Switzerland. My injured wrist thanks you. Danke viel mal, fur alles - I wouldn't have made it without your help!
Normally, when I visit Switzerland, I have an outline of the trip, what I will do, what I will see, who I will visit. This time, my only plan was to spend evenings with my exchange-family, Familie Andres, some of my favorite people.
Sunday afternoon, when I arrived at the train station, I had the pleasure of meeting with my Swiss schoolmate, Britta Joller. We attended Kanton Schule Zurcher Oberland (KZO) together. She is doing fantastic! She is 1/2 way through completing her residency to become an official doctor! Meeting with her, it was exciting to learn that many of the students in my class are becoming doctors and engineers, have families, and are doing well. That night, my Swiss-sister Eveline made a delicious Alpermacarroni - noodles, potatoes and cheese - a great filling dish for a cold day.
The next day I wandered through Zurich Altstat, and rediscovered some favorite haunts. I explored the St. Peter's Church, with his Reformation-white interior, the Grossmunster with her beautiful stained glass windows from the middle-ages contrasting with her contemporary stained glass windows from the 1970s. I walked the Limmat, where, in 1998, my Swiss-sister Michele, her best-friend, and I took a 01:00 nostalgia and giggle-filled swim, just hours before I caught a Swiss-Air flight back to America - no longer an exchange-student.
Monday night, I had the pleasure of eating Raclette with my Swiss-brothers Christian and Benjamin, Christian's girlfriend Monique, Christian's house-mate Thomas, and his upstairs neighbor Sophie. I highly recommend having a Raclette party as a team-building exercise. A true Raclette is a community meal, with cheese, meat, and vegetables, where everyone at the table helps the other to cook and fill the others plate. This party was no exception: Chrigi and Beni are Raclette masters. Tso guaet! (Zurich-Swiss-German: So good!)
My Swiss-brothers are doing great, Christian just completed his masters degree and has an interesting and challenging job in international agriculture. He is based out of Zurich, but will travel to Bolivia, India, and Kenya, and is adjusting to the life as an employee. Benjamin is in the middle of finals at the University of Bern, and will soon receive a degree in sports. He took a snowboarding test for school last week and received the only top score, a "6", most of the other students received "4"'s. He wants to become a sports teacher at a Kanton Schule.
Wednesday I took the train to Chur to visit my Swiss-parents Peter and Iris at their beautiful Alpen Haus (mountain house.) Iris took me on an amazingly beautiful trip to view a huge canyon in Kanton Graubunden. The canyon is the Swiss version of the Grand Canyon. We also visited the house Iris and Peter are building, conveniently located next to where they cross-country ski, do OL (running with a compass), and where Iris plays tennis (I love their priorities!) We walked through the woods for a few hours, and I had the opportunity to see crystal snow for the first time- gorgeous! The view of the Alps from their home is as amazingly beautiful as ever, and Iris's cooking is still fantastic. She made a delicious Rosti with grilled veal in a rich creme champillion sauce, and also introduced me to the cafe macchiatto. I was so intellectually challenged by all of the German and Swiss German with Peter and Iris, that I went to bed early- and missed seeing Peter before I left the next morning. Next time! In the morning, I took Iris's Pilates class (the class was in Graubunden-Swiss-German, the favorite and toughest Swiss dialect!) with the Alpen housewives of Maladers -those women are tough, and yes, there should be a tv show. My stomach muscles are still sore.
Wednesday, Evi and I went on a great walk to the top of the tallest hill in Zurich, Uetliberg (Zurich is in the Mittellands, where everything is pretty flat.) At the top of the hill, you are able to see most of Kanton Zurich to the north, and the beginning of the Swiss Alps to the south. We were lucky, it was a clear day and we could see forever, while passing farmhouses, cows, and green fields along the way.
Evi and her fiance, Thomas, are building a house outside of Zurich. Evi is an 80% Teacher and 20% Principal of a school in Oerlikon, and Thomas manages a team that facilitates banking software programs around the world. His work is based close to Zurich, but requires a lot of travel. Their new home is in a little town, close to a little forest, is easy traveling distance to work, and will be finished in August. They are getting married in the Spring and are preparing for a lot of life-changes!
While in Switzerland, I also had a chance to visit Danielle; her and I were exchange-students together at KZO, and she is from Honduras. She migrated to Switzerland a few years ago and now lives in Winterthur, with her husband and two children. On top of having a 3 year old and a 5 month old, Danielle is studying music at Zurich University, and hopes to become a music teacher at a Kanton Schule- maybe even at KZO in Wetzikon!
So, overall my time in Switzerland was "wunderschon" (wonderfully beautiful.) I was able to visit family and friends, explore the country, and learn new things. In the words of Peter Andres, "Mann muss immer lernen." (It is important to always learn.) So, as I fly over Egypt, I say tschus to Switzerland and look forward to a rich and learningful experience in Kenya!