My IFYE Reality/ Week 6

The reality of IFYE starts to become very clear the longer you get to stay in your country. Sometimes it’s not all peachy, and sometimes you have to go outside of your comfort zone to make things work. Once you pass the anxiety of the first few days, the shock of being in a new culture, and the fears of missing out on things going on back at home…that is when the beautiful part begins. I am six weeks, and halfway through my time in Switzerland. I am tired, taking on so much "new" constantly for that long is draining...but when I start to feel this way I remind myself that the reality of IFYE is that every day is a new experience, and a new chance to create relationships. I am just starting my time in my third host family. When I left the first family I wasn’t sure it could get much better. My three weeks with the Bieri family was amazing and memorable. Then I arrived at my next host family, my time here with the Neidhart’s was incredible, just as amazing as the first. Both families were very different. You get very close in three weeks, and by the time you leave, you know your way around the house, what is expected of you, and what your host family likes to do. When you come to a new family everything changes, and you adjust again. Something is so special about the first week with a new family. You really have to get out of your comfort zone, and go out of your way to ask them if you can help. I try speaking some Swiss German to make them and me more comfortable, but I also have to be comfortable with silence as they talk to each other in a language I do not understand a lick of. 

Another reality of IFYE is that nothing is promised, and you have to adjust and be flexible daily. I have recently found out that I will no longer be able to travel to Morocco for the last three months of my time as an IFYE. This was all a surprise I wasn't prepared for. I have been anxiously waiting to find out if I will be coming home to Colorado in September, or if I will be traveling to England to complete my IFYE program. Even though my heart aches that I cannot go to Morocco, I have no choice but to be flexible. 

The past week has been, of course, full of new great adventures. 

Since Daniela stays home with her holiday dog care, I was able to spend a lot of time at home relaxing and hanging out with her this week. I really enjoy this time because we have gotten to cook quite a few things, and got very close...or as close as two people who don't speak the same language can get. Shout out to google translate. Some of the trips I took this week included a trip to meet up with Dexter in Zurich, Basel, and the Gotthard Pass. 

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In Zurich, Dexter and I spent the day window shopping and rising a boat on Zurich Lake. It was a great opportunity to meet up and talk about shared experiences.

Swimming in Zurich lake.

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One of the exchange students from my time at FMHS (high school) reached out to me because she saw my posts on Instagram. Vera lives near Basel, and gave me a lovely city tour. We climbed to the top of the Basel Munster, it was an insane climb up many stairs through tight spaces, but it was so worth the view at the top. We also visited a few other places in Basel that have historic importance. 

The Basel Munster.

Built between 1019-1500 in Romanesque and Gothic style, the Munster was originally a Catholic cathedral that was converted to a Reformed Protestant church in 1529. The Basel Münster (cathedral) was consecrated in 1019. After an 1356 earthquake, the church was rebuilt along Romanesque and Gothic lines.

Vera and I

A view of Basel from the top of the Munster.

Trying new foods: Flammenkuchen. It's basically like pizza dough, spread very thin, topped with creme fraiche (like a creamy sour cream), bacon, and onions

These boats take passengers across the Rhine.

This is Rot house, which is the government building of Basel. Funny enough Rot means both red and government.

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The Gotthard Pass (Italian: Passo del San Gottardo) was one of the most important north-south connections across the Alps from the Middle Ages until the construction of the railway and motorway tunnels. The Gotthard axis is the name given to the traffic axis that is still important in Europe today, which leads in a north-south direction over the Gotthard massif or under it. The Gotthard Pass is one of the direct transport connections through the Central Alps, which only lead over a mountain ridge.

I visited this area while going with my host sister Martina to a Star Wars cosplay photoshoot she was part of. I got to explore while they took pictures. On the top of the pass there is an old WW2 bunker where they took the pictures. On our way home we also stopped at the Devils Bridge (Tefelsbruke).