Jun

28

Happy List

Filed Under Announcements, Education & Campus Scene, Faith & Values, General, Migrant Life, Travel/People & Places | 33 Comments


A week from now, I’m scheduled to leave for Ukraine to do some volunteer work with American teacher-missionaries. If plans don’t miscarry, I will teach English to pre-intermediate and intermediate adult students in a place where teaching resources are scarce, if not non-existent. I should therefore start preparing my lessons now before distractions — major and mundane — crowd my schedule this week. As it is, I’m already pressed for time.

But before I go on a two-month hiatus from blogging, I would like to share with you my personal “Happy List” (featuring my 101 simple joys as a resident of Switzerland), upon the suggestion of my older sister who knows my constant struggles with culture shock, language barrier, and homesickness as a relatively new immigrant.

So, here goes my list of “101 Things to be Happy About While in Switzerland” written in random order:

1. The good heart of my husband (a wonderful spouse who is forever patient with his chronically homesick wife) :-)
2. Lindor chocolate balls (let them melt in your mouth)
3. Playing with children in Sunday School at Christliches Zentrum Buchegg (Christian Center Buchegg)
4. Fast Internet connection (via cable)
5. Unlimited train travel with my SBB General Abonnement
6. Calida pajamas made of cotton
7. November in Switzerland
8. Victorinox Swiss Army pocket knives
9. Global Zone Carrier Code 10840 (makes overseas calls to RP cheaper than usual)
10. Pet owners picking up their dogs’ pooh using those doggie plastic bags found in designated trash bins (but I wouldn’t like to do this myself, ugh)
11. Shopping at Carrefour
12. Surprise letters and packages from the Philippines and the USA
13. SF1 weather forecasts
14. Antique fairs
15. “Aktion” signs in shops (it means products are on sale)
16. Bibliothek membership (I can borrow books and films for a year!)
17. Christmas markets
18. Caotina choco powder mixed with fresh milk
19. Seeing cute babies on ‘three-wheelers’ (baby trolleys)
20 Autumn leaves
21. Snow
22. The expatriate-friendly Swiss News paper
23. My friendly Turkish classmates in German class
24. Home-made Christmas cookies in decorative tin cans
25. Swiss lakes and ships
26. Talented street musicians
27. Music boxes
28. Supermarket chain COOP’s sticker collection promos (allowing you to buy selected Tupperware products or cooking pans at reduced prices)
29. Staeheli Bookshop in Zurich
30. Swiss precision
31. My Schmidt-Flohr piano
32. Israel products available in Pianolim and Bibel Panorama
33. Summer sale
34. Cuckoo clocks
35. Personalized “Thank You” cards (usually with original photos on card covers)
36. My Mondaine Women’s Round Evo wristwatch (with eye-catching red leather strap)
37. Dr. Oetker’s easy-to-bake brownie mix
38. UBS online banking system
39. Extended shopping hours on Thursday nights
40. Non-allergenic duvets (oh, how expensive!)
41. Eating out
42. Having good friends who cherish Christian values
43. Cheap haircut at Claudia’s
44. TEX-AID charity bags
45. Self-service, push-button scales/pricing machines in supermarkets
46. Fresh bread
47. Cable cars
48. Whole roasted chicken to go at Migros‘ take-away counter
49. Recycling
50. Postal stamp dispensers and mailboxes
51. Systematic garbage disposal system
52. Hydro-powered Biel vehicle (see picture below) and the Smart car (so cool!)
53. Big dogs running
54. Discounted movie tickets on Mondays
55. Wooden bridges
56. Asian markets
57. Basel Carnival (Fasnacht)
58. The Water Fountain in Geneva
59. Going on a fun pedal boatride in Geneva
60. Chocolate Easter rabbits on supermarket shelves
61. Open-air cinema in Nidau in summer (with sub-titles in German and French)
62. Smiling strangers who greet you “Gruezi” on the streets
63. Pedestrian crossings (all vehicles stop to let you pass)
64. Wooden coin boxes from Brocante fairs
65. Summer street exhibitions (e.g. “Teddy Summer 2005″ in Zurich)
66. Feeding hungry swans
67. Distinct taste of Rivella
68. The unique Swiss flag (they say that the Swiss are just as ’square’) :-)
69. Swiss chalets
70. Non-smoking signs on SBB trains
71. Chinese food take-aways
72. Foreign language courses
73. Switzerland’s electronic phone directory
74. Excellent customer service at Loeb
75. Multi-lingual environment
76. Shopping arcades in Bern
77. Art graffitis on walls
78. ‘Human statues’ and their stationary performance art
79. Swiss In-line Cup
80. Old buildings still functional (as offices or residential places)
81. Summer course in French language and literature at the University of Neuchatel
82. Free gift-wrapping services or materials in small shops and department stores
83. National holidays (Good Friday, Easter Monday, and Pentecost)
84. Great fireworks display on August 1 (the Swiss National Day)
85. Real Christmas trees adorning living rooms during the Yuletide season
86. Billing system (e.g. you pay the doctor or the dentist only after you receive the bill)
87. Good healthcare system
88. SBB’s reliable lugga
ge transport service (you can ha
ve your heavy baggage sent in advance to the airport by train)
89. Panoramic view of the Swiss Alps
90. Freedom to wear what you like, without being judged as a “fashion mishap”
91. Betty Bossi instant meals (you are three to five minutes’ away from a sumptuous meal by microwave)
92. “Happy hens” walking freely in farms, and not locked up in cages
93. Three Kings’ special cakes with a plastic king hidden in the bread, and a paper crown prize for the child (me) who finds the king
94. Swiss work ethics
95. Drinkable water from the faucet
96. Cleanliness and semblance of order almost everywhere
97. Free education in Swiss state schools
98. Clean air (unless heavy smokers pollute it)
99. Pre-seasoned meat for grill parties
100. Quaint old cities/towns with cobblestoned pavements
101. Sledging fun in winter

Appreciating the little things in life is an advisable habit, especially if you’re a Filipino expatriate who left your Asian comfort zone to start a new life in a landlocked country found in the heart of Europe. It’s one of the sure-fire formulas to combat ’socio-cultural burnout.’

(Note: I’m sure there are more items I can add to my own Happy List above, and perhaps those familiar with Switzerland can enlighten me some more. Thanks.)

Jun

25

Train Thoughts

Filed Under In the News, Life & Leisure, Motoring & Transportation, Travel/People & Places | 17 Comments

Trains, I love. (Yoda talk)

I love the way my train arrives and leaves on the dot. I love the way it zooms me to my destination in style and comfort as I read a book, munch my packed snack, or doze off. I love the way it affords me a view of scenic Switzerland in its four seasons. I love the way the Minibar service rolls down the aisle with the person in charge offering, in his booming voice, hot and cold drinks plus finger food on board. I love the way the conductor in blue uniform nods and says “Merci” or “Danke” after checking my train pass with my old ID picture on it.

I love the way the seats are designed with foldable tables and small trash bins in the middle of a four-seater; it makes picnic-style eating a fun experience. I love the way I can put our filled-to-capacity knapsacks on the sturdy bag compartment on top of our heads. I love the way the electronic system announces the name of every stop in German and French. I love the way I can go to the W.C. (toilet) when I need to answer the call of nature or wash my hands.

And I love the way my encounters with co-train passengers — young and old, students and professionals, sporty and non-athletic, friendly and apathetic — give me a sociological glimpse of the interesting traits of the commuting public from all walks of (Swiss) life. In this context, your seatmates can either be a blessing or a curse.

If I had my way, I would like to embark on a train journey around Switzerland for a month or two — with just me and my ubiquitous backpack. After all, I have an SBB General Abonnement (Swiss general train pass) good for one year, and is also valid in buses, trams, and even ships nationwide. I can explore the German-speaking part of Switzerland in the north and east, the French-speaking part in the west, the Italian-speaking part in the south, and the Romansh-speaking part in the southeast.

But let’s face it: I’m not a full-fledged backpacker. I’m a housewife who has to take care of the household; a language student who has to study German and French for survival; a church member who has to attend to diverse commitments; and a missions trainee who has to fulfill her internship requirements in Eastern Europe soon.

Besides, after last Wednesday’s rail chaos caused by a nationwide power outage — an unprecedented event in the history of the ever dependable Swiss railway system – such backpacker dreams might just turn into nightmares.

People, who were on their way home from work last Wednesday at the height of rush hour (after 5 p.m.), were stranded for at least four hours. My husband, who was supposed to arrive home in Biel at 6 p.m., was stuck in Neuchatel for several hours, up until he got a free ride from a sister-in-law of another stranded officemate who called for help. He finally arrived in our apartment at 10:20 p.m., exhausted and hungry.

News source Swissinfo even said that “the Swiss are somewhat traumatized by the collapse of their famously reliable rail network for several hours on Wednesday.” After all, it was a first. And train lovers can just hope that there will never be a repeat incident.

Fortunately, train operations are back to normal now. My husband and I can attest to this after going to Zurich by train last night. The SBB train, which took us from Biel to Zurich and vice versa, arrived and left on time as planned. On our way back home, in between Zurich and Biel, we slept like a baby. Two Lausanne-bound ladies, sitting across us, did the same thing.

My husband got yesterday his “sorry rail voucher” worth CHF10.00 (USD7.80) from SBB to compensate for his “suffering” last Wednesday. (Around 200,000 compensation vouchers were distributed all over Switzerland.) He said we could use this voucher to buy drinks and potato chips from the mini bar on our next train journey to Zurich.

As my love affair with trains continues, I dream of going on another adventure train tour of Western Europe (the first time I did this was in 1999 with my parents and younger brother; talk about ’stressful fun’!). This time, I want to tag along my husband, and pray hard that there will be no more power failure that will cause trains to stop, and travelers, to be stranded in tunnels in the company of grumbling strangers.

Jun

21

Snail Mail

Filed Under Family & Friends, Life & Leisure, Mailbox, Society & Culture | 16 Comments


Amid the comforts of high technology, I have reverted to “snail mail” mode just recently to send messages to my family and friends. No matter how proficient I am now in sending e-mails with photo attachments, or an e-card with special messages, I’m still a sucker for good ol’ tradition that lasts.

So despite the gnawing pains that come with tendinitis, I have been scribbling personalized notes, sorting out nice pictures to send, scouring for updated contact information, and labeling envelopes with names and home addresses.

To date, I was able to send 12 cards to friends based in the Philippines and Switzerland, thanks to the self-service ‘post office’ on the corner street which spits out stamps according to the equivalent amount you press on the button panel. I still have to send two more greeting cards: one for my parents on their 39th wedding anniversary day, and one for an old friend on her 39th birthday.

These days, I do miss the look and feel of snail mail. Of late, it’s no longer a joy to run down the stairs of the apartment building to see what the French-speaking Swiss postman on scooter had left in our mailbox at 9:30 a.m. (just like clockwork). More often than not, what awaits me are useless fashion catalogs, solicitation letters from different organizations, and a pile of bills, reminding us that it’s time to pay the tax, the insurance premium, the phone and internet service, the traffic violation fee, or the doctor’s bill. True, they do fit under the “snail mail” category — but of the unwanted and impersonal kind.

My family and friends, just like many of us, are busy with life’s plethora of concerns that prevents them to send letters and/or packages on a regular basis. I just have to be contended with e-mails or SMS messages for now.

Sometimes, I feel that the handwritten letter tradition is fast becoming a novelty. But I’m glad that there are still stationery shops around open for business. This makes me feel good and secure. There are days when I’m glad that not everybody has an e-mail account or a cell phone number.

But I do have wonderful, wonderful post office memories I can always go back to. Those times when, as a fresh resident of Switzerland, I saw familiar handwritings scribbled on colored Hallmark envelopes, or when our doorbell would ring, and voila, the German-speaking hunk from La Poste would announce in his impressive English with an American twang that I had packages from the Philippines or USA. Almost always, my heart would do the dance of joy every time I signed the acknowledgment receipt on the mini electronic gadget of this tall, muscular package officer. And not because he’s a hunk, mind you.

Here are some of the treats I received from my family by express post: office barongs, blouses, piano notes, and even some important documents (e.g. diplomas, transcripts, and work certificates) from my Mom; Bible study booklets and VCDs from my older sister (she knows how much of a film buff I am); Back to the Bible diary planners (my favorite) from my older brother; pictures, books, shirts, pants and sweaters from my younger brother from California, USA; and bath towels and a personalized photo album from my aunt in New Jersey, USA. (As for my Dad, he could just send his warm greetings through my Mom; he cannot write anymore due to Parkinson’s Disease.)

Old friends were thoughtful, too, and took time to send me postcards, greetings cards, and gifts as well (dried mangoes, Goldilocks polvoron, Entrepreneur and Food magazines, an indigenous necklace, and a VCD), despite their busyness in the family and workplace.

I’m so much of a sentimental fool that my ever so practical Ate (older sister) told me once — nay, a hundred times — to get rid of my tower of shoeboxes containing old postcards and letters, some dating back to my grade school days. They are so dust-friendly, she said. I have yet to consider her suggestion which will never happen. Who knows, I might become a famous person someday, and some of my correspondence will become “Ebayable.”

Seriously, though, snail mail is such a blessing to the heart; it makes its recipients feel so warm deep inside that it moves me to be one of its firm advocates no matter what technology brings. It’s a classic that should never go out of style.

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