Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Bears, beers, battle star galactica

    September 30th, it's almost October. That's absolutely crazy. What have I been doing since my last update? More of the usual. Wake up, Skype Hardy, eat, take the train,go to practice, walk back to the train, read, eat, sleep, repeat. Some days I pepper in laundry and cleaning my house. Listen to a french podcast. I can now sing a Christmas song that goes by the tune of "Jingle Bells". 
   Vive le ven, 
   vive le ven, 
   vive le ven d'hiver! 
I listen to Coffee Break French/Spanish which are great to brush up on your second language. Helps if you have already a little background but they say it's for all levels. Anywho, even though my daily routine is somewhat like "Groundhog Day", I have been fortunate enough to explore Switzerland a bit more and take in some local festivities. 
         Two weeks ago, I rode to Bern with a few of my teammates (Arrianne, Liticia, Magali, and Aurelia who we met there because she lives in Bern.) It was another beautiful day in what they call and Indian Summer or a the beginning of fall that feels like summer. During our 1.5 hour drive, we make a pit stop for a bakery that sells the infamous gâteau au creme. I don't think the freshman 15 is anything compared to the post-graduate 50 I'm about to acquire. The landscape is much of the same, passing farm after farm, cow after cow. Conversations in the car lead to correct pronunciation of English words because so often I cannot understand if Liti is talking about ships or sheep. It is also funny to explain how when some people try and say "oh shit" it sounds more like "oh sheet". Silly bedding materials.
         Our arrival comes around noon so our lunch just happens to be some of that pie from earlier. Life could be worse. You think I would take in the sights a bit more as we approach the downtown area, but the first thing I saw almost brought me to happy tears. My Seattlite senses were haywire as I gazed upon the most beautiful thing I had seen since I arrived in Europe....STARBUCKS. I'm pretty sure I made everyone jump as I cried out at this rare sighting of the green mermaid. Now, I know this goes along with all those stupid internet memes about white girls and their Starbucks but I couldn't help myself after living in the original birth place of this global chain for four years then being deprived of it for 2 months. Don't judge me. 
         Resisting my urges, we kept moving and explored the capital of Switzerland. I had know idea this was the case thinking Zurich would be capital. Really that was only city I knew of before I decided to move here. Kind of like how people who know nothing about Oregon think Portland must be the capital while Salem just sounds like something about burning witches at the stake.  Oh and another thing, NO ONE in Switzerland knows what Oregon is. Typical conversation when I meet someone
    Them: "Tu vien du?" (Where are you from?)
    Me: "Je vien du Oregon" ( I have no idea how to say Oregon with a french accent so I sound incredibly American to them when I saw this.)
    Them: *blank stare* "Ory-gone?"
    Me: (my go-to explanation) "Above California"
    Them: "ohhhh yes Cally-fornya!"
Honestly though if it were the other way around, I would have no idea what Neuchâtel is, let alone Couvet. I digress.
      I was able to see the Switzerland equivalent of the White House which has an incredibly view of the city behind it. You can see part of the river that is one of the well known fixtures here in the capital.
Walking more throughout the streets, there were quotes printed in each of the languages that are spoken in Switzerland: French, Swiss-German, Italian, and Romanche which apparently is a mix of all three used in a small area of the country. How cool is that?!  After a few more blocks, we made it to the main shopping area that is lined cafés and stores with doors that look to lead to cellars. Like so;
These are entrances to stores that are underground which completely blew my mind. They weren't open that day probably because nothing is open here on a Sunday but if I ever go back I would like to see more how these shops look.
    Meeting up with Aurelia for some food and a beer, we rested our legs for a bit before conducting the rest of our touristy day. What I noticed as I had been walking and observing is the theme of bears in Bern. Finally I asked the Bern expert what the significance was. Aurelia let me know that it is the state animal and if I wanted we could go see the real bears. To this I smirked because I figured "haha yea we're gonna go see some 'real Bears', more like statues." Imagine the look on my face when we crossed a bridge and on the other side were just a couple in the flesh, living, breathing bears chilllin in an enclosure right by the river. 
Apparently they use to live in a little hole called "the graben" which was a pathetic excuse of an enclosure. PETA would have a bitch fit seeing the bears like this in their new habitat which is only 3 years old but it's definitely better than the one that was made in the 1800's. Yea they have had bears living just outside of downtown Bern for a couple hundred years. Another side note: Bears and beers is another difficult word to pronounce for many people here which makes for a funny conversation when some asks "want to go get a couple of bears?" After some more exploring, we hiked up another stupid hill to an area that many other tourists were frequenting next to a garden. The view here was pretty spectacular,
But in true Swiss fashion, it began to rain, then it began to pour, and about two seconds after I saw lightning I heard thunder so we hurried to catch a bus back to where we started our day. Before leaving we decided to visit and have a drink and I was able to choose the location. 

That pumpkin spice latte was the best thing I had ever tasted in my life.

      The following Friday, I had been invited by Liticia to go to her work and enjoy a picnic with her and her students. She's a middle school teacher and teaches French, geography, and history. I was excited to see what might be different and similar between US and Swiss schools. Arriving a l'ecole, I met a few of the teachers and all the students were outside waiting for the day to begin. But before that could happen, all the kids must first shake hands with their teacher before the day is to begin. I thought that was kind of cool to start each day with initiating some sort of greeting with each student. I had seen this previously with a P.E teacher before one of my practices but I thought it was just his style. I guess they do that everywhere. When I'm a teachers, instead of handshakes, I'll just chest bump my first graders. Much more my style. 
     After introductions, we began our walk to the destination. Now picture my outfit for the day: nice jeans, converse, a flowy tank top, scarf and wrap sweater. Casual school attire right? Yea well I looked around and saw all the adults wearing hiking boots and fitness wear. Began to have same the feeling  you get when you arrive to school thinking it's pajama day but everyone is wearing normal clothes.  What I soon learned was our walk to the picnic included a 3 HOUR HIKE UPHILL AND THROUGH MUDDY FARMLAND. It's a good thing Liticia is cute because I almost strangled her for failing to mention the true nature of the day.  Happy I did not bother wear my nice leather boats, I chatted with many of the students and teachers through broken French on my part, the kids' English they wanted to practice with me and many gestures. After many rest stops and a jaunt through a cow pasture, we made it to Bas des loges where the teacher instructed students to bring firewood to an area where he would make a campfire to cook sausages and other treats. After this they were free to eat and roam where they pleased in the nature.

       Now this is when the cultural differences began to emerge. First, as the kids spread out, I was offered a shot of wine. Wait wait wait hold up. You can drink in front of students?! I'm from the wrong country. Not that they were getting wasted, but I had at least a full glass worth of wine during our lunch. Second, there was no supervision of the kids who traveled far away from the fire pit. I'm pretty sure I was on high alert for something to go wrong because I know they didn't trust my middle school classmates that much. Maybe I'm exaggerating but I didn't see some of those kids for the two and a half hours we ate and visited. Third, I saw at least three knives brought by the students. And only one of them looked like a pocket knife. One I swear looked more like a hunting knife than something used to whittle some wooden sticks. But no biggie, because we were exploring the great outdoors. My anxiety was quickly rising thinking of all the lawsuits that would ensue if we were in America right then. Fourth, my sense of time is at a much faster pace than everyone here. I became pretty restless as we came to the end of our time here while the other teachers seemed so at ease to spend the entire day here
      More things I learned and ate:
-Saucisson de torrée is sausage wrapped in cabbage, then wrapped again in either tinfoil or damp newspaper. After wrapped and tied with string, it is placed under the fire and buried for 15 minutes. The result was incredibly delicious.
-this method is a traditional dish of the region area for the bucheron or lumberjacks back in the day.
-pain de bucheron is roasting pie dough on a stick then adding some sort of spread. Nutella FTW.
-it only took 45 min to walk back down but that was a sketchy adventure in itself.

     Finally, the event I have been hearing about since I arrived here is the biggest party of the year in Neuchâtel; la fête des vedanges. This is supposedly a wine festival but there is a whole lot more going on than casual fermented grape juice. The streets of downtown are closed down for the weekend as stands, food, attractions, games and dancing fill the streets from Friday morning till Sunday evening.  The ground is covered in confetti which I am told you find for weeks after the celebration ends. Kids run around screaming and laughing while spraying people with silly string and shaving cream. There are carnival rides avaialble, and the fair food includes crepes, ice cream and cuisine from all over the world. It is very jostling to see so many people in one area with drinks in hand because I'm so used to the "no open container rule" back in the states. Also, I am still not used to seeing a 16 year old drink a beer openly in public, let alone drunk as a skunk. I swear not all I do is drink alcohol here but I feel like it is very casual when you hang out with people to drink regardless if it's noon or midnight.  All I know is I made it through Friday and Saturday but grandma Parker couldn't make it to Sunday. Sleeping on my teammates couch three days in a row just didn't seem as attractive by then. What I enjoyed most though was how friendly all the people are. Drinking or not, everyone is there to have a good time and I had blast meeting new people and trying to practice my limited French over loud music.

   Until next time, here's a picture of the amazing view of the Creux du van just outside of Couvet.


Sincerely,

The no longer hungover American

P.S:I now have read at least 25 books. Wish I was this productive with my college readings.




Friday, September 12, 2014

Little things

      Bonjour! Since my last update, my schedule has stayed consistent with few events that have thrown me for a loop. To start off on a more somber note, I am still trying to comprehend the passing of my great-grandma Simone. I had been told for some time now that she wouldn't have much time left but there was a part of me that desperately hoped she could hold off until the spring so I could visit her one last time. Unfortunately, life and death have their own calendar and I was subject to learning what happened over family posts on Facebook. I received a text from my mom around 1 in the morning here and thought it strange she would text me so late knowing our time difference. Had I remembered to reply before scrolling through my feed, I would have had the news sooner.  The reason I bring this up is because I realize that every choice can lead to un intended consequences. I made the desicion to fly 5,000 miles away for 8 months to try something new and different. What keeps gnawing at my heart is the reality I had a chance to visit this beloved woman while I was in Oregon over the summer. After coaching a team volleyball camp in Bend, I had the choice to either make the extra hour drive to La Pine or head straight to Eugene and soon after Seattle. Fueling my guilt is the fact I chose the latter due to my own exhaustion and excuse that she would probably be too tired to visit with me while I was there. Not that it would have changed the inevitable, but the fact I am here away from my family during this time is tough to swallow. 
    Something like this is exactly a type of fear I had before leaving for Switzerland. I knew I would have to sacrifice certain events and time with people I love to have this experience. It's not that I didn't have similar sacrifices in college.  I haven't been able to spend a birthday with my little brother for four straight years and after this spring, he'll be in high school!  But of course Seattle is a measly 5 hour drive back to Eugene.  I don't have the time or money to fly back for the memorial service which sucks because my grandmother meant a lot to me.  I know if I begged enough, I could get the time and find the money but I don't think she would want me blubbering in a small church about her. She was someone who wanted the best for her family. When I saw her last, I was extremely excited to tell her my plans to come to Europe and hopefully meet the family she had to leave behind in France. We talked volleyball and boys and she was so happy for me to learn my guy is much taller than myself. Her little mischievous smile made it seem like she wasn't sick at all. The only thing different since the last time I had seen her after I graduated high school was her white hair. She still had the cute thick French accent that could curse like a sailor. I wish I had asked her more about her life. I once interviewed her in middle school for an Ellis Island project on family heritage. I feel like I should have tried again to learn as much about her past and all of her favorite stories. I still remember listening to her sing a little French song that she would sing to all of us grand kids when we were young. I wish I had it memorized. 
    But at the same time I know she doesn't want me or my family to wallow in sadness. So instead I think of my favorite memories of her. Going to her little log cabin to visit her and grandpa Charlie. I think I watched the movie Milo and Otis every single time I was there. Cousin camp with the entire Campbell clan, up to three generations of extended family. This lady had 11 children, my grandmother being the oldest. When we get together as a big group, it's a party. The year I decided to take French in 7th grade and was so excited to have her help me learn my numbers up to twenty. (Un, deux, trois....vingt!)   I was very fortunate to have met her because I realize now how rare it is to have known and grown up with the parents of your own grandparents. (I guess having children before the age of 25 also helps but I plan on starting a new tradition myself...you're welcome mom and dad) 
   So knowing that her 5 foot nothing frame would kick my ass for moping, I am going to instead end this on a happier note. It has officially been one month since I landed in Europe. In one month a few days, we will have our first match of the season to go after the Swiss cup. I am really looking forward to playing in matches and seeing more of this country. Tomorrow, we are playing in a friendly scrimmage against a French team in Neuchâtel. I hope there is room enough for me to jump serve because I am itching to rack up some aces for the hell of it. Soon my roommate Vannessa will be joining me in the Shire during the days we have practice. I am pretty sure she is the Brazillian equivalent of me with her bubbly personality and wide smile. I am now in heaven because my dad and Shelley have sent me peanut butter and that's all I want to eat now. It's amazing the little things that matter. ("When I realize the importance of little things, I am tempted to think there are no little things"....not sure if that was the correct quote but it always pops in my head thank you UW volleyball.) the weather here has been quite temperamental going from sunny and 70 to loud thunderstorms with rain that pelts my roof relentlessly. Quite cozy weather when I all do in my free time is read. And just like that I only have 7 months and change left here. I can already tell once match play begins, I'll be back on a plane before I can blink. Living it up while I can. I wouldn't be here if wasn't for my family and friends.  Especially this  special lady who started it all with a trip across the ocean that would change her life and pave the way for mine.

A bientôt, Gabrielle Simone Parker 


P.S: Yesterday in remembrance of 9/11, I want to say thank you to all the; troops, police officers firefighters, and especially my family who serves for everything you do. I saw this quote in a tweet yesterday and felt it strongly appropriate for my mood this past week "On days like today, hug people a little tighter. Say thank you a little more. Repeat every day after"