My First Few Days

The first day I spent in Switzerland, I was awake for over 24 hours between traveling and orientation at my school. Some of the day is a complete blur, and some I will always remember very vividly. From the airport, it is a three hour bus ride to Lugano, Switzerland where I will be calling home for the next two years while I study at Franklin College. Lugano is in southern Switzerland very close to the border with Italy, and thus is an Italian speaking region. Lugano is absolutely beautiful, right in the middle of the Swiss alps bordering a lake that is as deep as the neighboring peak, San Sal, is high. It is rumored that the Swiss government keeps all of their national treasures hidden in the lake.

Our campus is located right in the middle of the neighborhood of Sorengo. Or rather, we don't have a designated campus; the building owned and used by Franklin College are scattered throughout the neighborhood, which is about a twenty minute walk to downtown Lugano and the Lake. It is very mountainous here; to go downtown, it is all downhill and there is even a tram that takes people up and down the slopes, which will come in handy when I have to go buy groceries from the farmers markets downtown.

I did not expect the Swiss culture to be so distinct and different, but my short amount of time here has made me realize that Americans stick out like a sore thumb among the Swiss. The Swiss in general place great value on respect and civil rights. There are many laws here that never would function in America, such as the police enforced national quiet hours starting at ten at night and ending at eight in the morning (the college regularly gets complaints about our failure to comply), or that it is illegal to walk barefoot or sleep in public. My personal favorite that I thought my Dad in particular might disagree with is that if you harm someone in any way, it is your legal responsibility to stay with them until an ambulance arrives. In other words, this means that if someone tries to rob me at night and I spray them with pepper spray and run away, THEY can sue ME for abuse for not staying with them. In general, the Swiss seem to be very pragmatic, respectful, and stylish people. They also have great cuisine, including chocolate and gelatto! Everything is very fresh and well prepared, if not expensive.

Even though I was homesick and exhausted after my first night, I love it here. I never felt this settled when I was at Lewis and Clark, and I am very excited to start my classes on Monday! I register for classes tomorrow and am planning on continuing my major in environmental studies.