I have officially been overseas for a full 24 hours now. I left Eugene at 2am, flew out from Portland by 6am, was in D.C for my layover at 2pm eastern time but didn't take off until 7pm or so with heavy rain. When I landed in Geneva 8:30am local time here, I was due for a coffee or a nap. The layover was delayed over an hour, we had the worst turbulence I have ever sat through which doesn't help my fear of flying, and sat in front of a child who proceeded to kick my seat all flight long. You can imagine I was more than happy to land in Geneva. While in a heavy downpour, a bus picked me up from the plane and drove us passengers to the main terminal where we stood in line to have our passports looked at. I think the official had fun messing with me because all I could say was "bonjour" as he kept asking the same question over and over until I finally comprehended the question "Vous allez?" Any other time I may have understood that as "Where are you going here in Switzerland?" but all I heard was "French French French French haha you silly American you can't understand me." All with a smile no less but you can only guess as to what shade of red my face turned into.
Thankfully the rest of my day ran much smoother. I feared that with my current luck, my bags would be lost too but I was proved wrong. Looking for a woman with a volleyball, I found my ride quite easily. Magali, who is the sister of the president of my club, greeted me with the common greeting of kisses to the cheek and chocolate. I liked her immediately. I soon found out she also would be my teammate and setter which means we need to become good friends. Friends set their friends right? The drive to Couvet is about an hour and a half from Geneva which meant lots of time to find things to talk about. The scenery here is extremely reminiscent of the northwest, especially Oregon. Green trees everywhere, rolling hills and lots of rain! After sitting in 100 degree weather (or 40 Celsius), I am loving the need for a jacket. Due to Couvet's small size, we soon turned off the main highway and took the backroads. The views here are beautiful, and on a sunny clear day I am told you can see the Alps. We drive through small villages and they remind me of the buildings I saw last year with the UW team in Itay, Slovenia, and Austria. The homes are built with stone and have cute weathered shutters. A sign that says Nuchatel means we are getting close. If Eugene is anything like Couvet, Nuchatel has Portland as its equivalent but only 30 minutes away. With some windy turns up a mountain that remind me of the drive over Badger mountain to Florence, we make our way into Couvet, pop. 3,000.
Before heading to my temporary home, we stopped by a pharmacy where I had to take a photo for my train ticket passport. In a small town, certain shops have more than one use. Just across the street we head to Magali's sister's flat where I meet Joelle the president and her very sweet family. Her three children are lively and have been so cute they made "welcome to Couvet" cards for me. If you know me, I am already smitten. All the adults are kind enough to speak English and translate when needed, but the young girls I don't think understand that I can't understand them. The oldest daughter at 4 years old, first acts shy and doesn't want to talk to me but observe this new person in her home. By the end of my visit, she is speaking a mile a minute (kilometer a minute doesn't roll off the tongue as nicely) in French and asking when I will visit again and that I can stay with her. Next to the scenery, that was also a nice and familiar sentiment.
By the afternoon, we headed to where I will temporarily be staying until my permanent home is ready and met my coach Alex. The first hurdle in that ordeal was carrying my backpack, full duffle bag, and two suitcases up a flight of stairs that rival the ones between Hec Ed and campus. Mentally chastising myself for forgetting my inhaler, I was able to with labored breaths introduce myself. I learned Alex is from Brazil and is an incredibly gracious host which makes my transition here that much easier. The rest of my day consists of unpacking, some food and a long ass nap before I went to bed again for the night. In between comas, I was able to catch up with the world and browse the internet for a long while. It seems that the best times to catch up with everyone back home are early mornings and late evenings. Already, Hardy and I seem to miss each other by an hour every time we find some wifi to sit and send an email. Should be an interesting experience figuring out this whole time difference thing. Happy three years gingy!
Today started out easy as I slept in till 10 and decided to explore the area. With Alex as my tour guide I have been able to get a coffee and croissant, a little grocery shopping then hurry back home as a sudden downpour fell on us. Just like home. Now with all my free time, I sit on my phone and do anything I can think of to pass the time until all you people wake today. Tonight is my first practice and all I can say is I hope they don't send me back home after watching my attempt to play volleyball with the international ball.
That is all for now. Till next time here's a shot of my view from one end of the village you can see the other.
Gabbi
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