A Year in Switzerland

The Fulbright conference in D.C. was very stimulating - 400 Fulbrighters in one room all passionate about living abroad, and wanting to share their passion, their questions and their answers for others. Sophie and I were finally able to meet face to face after months of e-mails to each other. I came back to Cary with her and we made full use of those 10 days giving information to each other, introducing her to people, and helping her buy a car.

ON THE WAY TO SWITZERLAND!

My plane trip to Switzerland was great, but the train part presented some challenges. I had two bags and a heavy carryon. The train station was right below the airport terminal, so that was no problem, but when the train arrived it only stayed in the station for about 30 seconds, really! All that I had time to do was to get my bags into position by the door, and then it was gone! I just stood there with my mouth open. After some help from curious spectators to my plight, I got on the next train that arrived about 30 minutes later. The train ride was the quietest and smoothest that I've ever experienced. We need some Swiss help in the States. All was well until I reached Lausanne where I had to change trains. I lined up my three bags by the door so that it would be difficult for anyone to pass. Guess what, I got more help getting them down!

Sophie's mom (Madame Macchi, pour mes élèves de français) was at the train station in Vevey to pick me up and help with the everpresent bags. (A note to all tourists, one carryon bag when you travel in Europe!! Je ne blague pas!) She brought me to her beautiful house in beautiful Vevey, and we had a lovely lunch of fresh salad and fruits. After a leisurely repast, she drove me to Bex. Of course, I need to mention that all of the scenery both from the train and the car was outstanding!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The town of Bex...I don't know where to start or how to express my emotions. I am enchanted, bewitched, amazed by my good fortune, and for the first time in my life I feel like I'm in a dream and that I might wake up and all will disappear. Bex is a charming, small, old, beautiful town where flowers tumble forth from window boxes and gardens. Every view through my lens is an inspiration to me. Bex is in a valley, so from every vantage point there are mountains which serve as a background to charming Swiss architecture. (Don't worry, one of my next goals is to figure out how to add pictures to my web page.) So my first day in Bex, I began by finding a cafe where I could enjoy a coffee and croissant and enjoy watching the passage of Bexiens(?) Then for the rest of the time I biked, walked, took pictures, bought some necessaries etc. After Monday I know that I will no longer be anonymous in this small town, so I thought that it would be a good time to do some heavy picture taking.

August 23 PARADISE NOT LOST!

Well, I'm still in Paradise, and I haven't woken up yet, so it must not be a dream. Also, I'm not anonymous any longer. We just finished our first day of school. The students are very pleasant, so I think that this is going to be a great year. My main adaptation will be getting used to going to a different classroom each period. I need to be very organized. I'm teaching 7 different classes and team teaching another one. It took me a long time and colored pencils to figure out what I'm supposed to do, with what materials, and when.

At the moment I'm typing at school. It's early evening, and no one's here except me and the humming computers. I'm sitting in the laboratory facing the playground/courtyard. The policestation is to the left on the other side of the courtyard, and a beautiful old church is to the right with the ever present mountains in the background forming an incredible view. The churchbell just rang the half hour--7:30.

On the weekend I left this quiet haven to go exploring. On Saturday I took the train to Vevey, which is a city on Lac Léman (Lake Geneva to anglophones). It was a beautiful day, although a bit windy, inhibiting people from walking on the promenade directly along the wall. It was a festive weekend as the streets were filled with jugglers, actors, etc. On Sunday I went for a hike with Sophie's parents in the mountains. It was, of course, positively breathtaking. The hillsides were dotted with chalets as we walked along an ancient irrigation ditch. We stopped at a cafe where I had a beer mixed with lemonade and a local polenta dish topped with cheese. This area (Sion/Upper Nanda) is a well known ski resort which I'll be coming back to in the winter!

THE MOUNTAINS IN SWITZERLAND

There was a time when the Swiss people never went to the mountains. They believed that it was populated by demons and monsters who would throw down rocks and boulders and cause avalanches. But now, I can see that people are taking full advantage of them. People of all ages are strolling about, some more seriously, toting ropes and carabiners, and others wearing inappropriate shoes for the terrain which they had to deal with. Yesterday was my third foray to the highlands. I went a little further away than normal, so it took a while, 2-3 hours to actually get to the top where you can see the glaciers. (3 trains and a 15 minute cable car ride. It cost me about 35 dollars round trip--not bad to see wonders of the world! I ran into another lady who was by herself, so we spent the day together hiking. She was 78! The feeling of being surrounded by so much natural beauty is hard to describe. The only sound that you hear is a symphony of cow bells as they graze on the hillside. I expect to be spending a lot of time in the mountains throughout the year, but there are also so many other places to explore that it is difficult to make choices.

WEEKEND FUN - September 20

Weekends certainly mean "new cultural experiences" for me. I love it. Last weekend I began with a 10 kilometer hike through the woods and vineyards of Bex. There was a 5, 10 and 20 K route which was laid by some folks here. You pay a nominal amount and follow the arrows. That's it! On the way, you enjoy a relaxing hike through some beautiful areas that you never knew were there. I had always wanted to go wandering about those vineyards that are on the hill behind the school, and actually, just about everywhere around here, but I just wasn't sure if my presence would be tolerated among the ripening grapes destined for the green tinted corked bottles. Anyway, after spending the morning at that endeavor, I took the train to a very quaint village on the Lake of Geneva. In this village there was wine tasting and classical music being played and sung in small town squares and niches throughout. I continue to feel like I'm living in a fairytale here.

Sunday I felt desperately that it was time to take a trip to France, so I once again mounted the train, and went to Annecy - again another quaint town. I was a rainy day, but that didn't matter; I was ready for a cultural shift. There was still the end point of a street market going on there. I was pleased to note that the prices there were quite a bit cheaper than those in Switzerland, so I loaded up my backpack with cheese. I even bought two pork chops. Meat in Switzerland is very expensive!! Yes, I'm losing weight.

This past weekend was my first real trip, not just one overnight, but four, in Solothurn, Switzerland. I had to take Friday off in order to go to this meeting of exchange teachers, and Monday (today) is a day off. It was really fun and relaxing to get together with old friends (Rick and Gail who are in Lugano), and to make some new friends. Solothurn is a beautiful city. I stayed at the youth hostel in the old city, which still looks very medieval. The high points here were the Saturday market which was very lively and beautiful, sitting on the steps of the old cathedral, going to a concert of a boys choir, going up the mountain with my new German friend Eva, and taking the train to the capitol, Bern. There I rented a bicycle free at the train station, and was able to cover a lot of area. Now I'm back, but I think that I'll get my schoolwork and bring it somewhere nice to grade.

CREATING A LIFE

Athough living in Paradise is fantastic, taking trips is one of my definite highs, and school keeps me very busy, it's time now to create another aspect to my life. In the States it was friends, tennis, yoga, Sierra Club outings, visiting my daughter, singing, book club, Healthbridge etc. You get the idea. This is what I need now to create before it's too late! I need exercise, and I need friends. A month has already hidden itself behind the calendar! So I'm making inquiries. There's no indoor tennis club, and there apparently isn't a hiking club, so I think that I found a health club that I like in Montreux that responds to my need for flexibility, and last night I tried out a Salsa lesson. It was quite interesting and fun! I followed the directions that I was given by phone. After leaving the train station in Montreux (my favorite city in the area), I had to go past the police station, walk up an alley, cross a bridge that spanned the railroad tracks, descend another alley and go into a nondescript door. I was told that I would see a skating park, but it was not what I expected. It was an indoor skateboard area which looked like it had been thrown together last night with makeshift wood. There were a couple of guys making a racket as they were making full use of this tiny area. I thought I must surely have missed a door, or stairs, or something. I turned to leave and saw what looked like it could be a door. I hadn't noticed it before. I opened it and expected to see a back staircase. I stepped into a very attractive room with a dance floor, bar, tables and chairs. It was decorated with an island theme. Well, I had arrived, and I couldn't hear any of the racket in the skate park outside of that thin door. Well, for the next hour and a half we all salsa'd. I was fortunate enough to have an excellent dancer as my partner, and he had me doing turns until I couldn't even remember my name. It was such fun, and I learned a lot from Jean Pierre. He was a good teacher. I must admit that I did wake up in the middle of the night with cramps in my calves, and I remembered today that I was going to take good care of my ankle so that I can go skiing this winter (remember my fall this past summer?). Well tonight I may return to Montreux and give the health club a try, and Friday I have set up to again return to Montreux for a yoga lesson. So, I guess I'm on my way!