#the only feasible bus home comes at 4:50 am

[wavernot4love]

have been absolutely stressing about pulling off 2ourdust pittsburgh for a week straight, even moreso post-albany, but i am feeling a little better now because

this got announced!!! and as a western new yorker it is even closer to me than pittsburgh yippee!!! and also i have a few months to figure out how i am getting there! also jimmy are still here! + dashboard and the maine!!

[nyame-adi]

So the flavour of the month(year and forever because I just love this place) is still Switzerland and in continuation from last weeks post here are:

10 things I wish I knew before I moved to Switzerland

You do not have to carry the whole of the UK in your suitcase

Moving to a new country, you would want to prepare to make your transition as smooth as possible in real african nature  my mum had it in her mind that it is smartest thing to get me to clear out the shelves in Argos, Lidl, Ikea and Tesco- basically everywhere that would take our money! – Guys I went to this country with 4 suitcases a blender, a sandwich maker( I DIDNT EVEN LIKE SANDWICHES LIKE THAT TO CARRY ONE) cutlery, vaccum packed pillows and plenty packs of Maggie cube, the list extends,  but it was too much.Now, I’m not knocking being prepared for a big move and sometimes it is much cheaper to bulk buy, but I learnt the hard way…. you need to be reasonable with the lists you make. I made a list based of what I would need for university but in reality I  realised when my tenure ended(the hard way) that I packed wayyyyy too much. This included some things  I never used(not proud to say it) – coming home was misson impossible, getting on 2 trains with a journey of a duration of 2h30 from Lucerne to Zurich, navigating the airport before catching a flight to the UK with +4 suitcases BY MYSELF.Lesson:  You do not need to carry a sandwich maker unless you really like sandwiches otherwise then do you. okay well the main lesson is be kind to yourself and let the things you don’t need go.

Take ALL your seasonings with you

If you like flavour – just to do it, thank me later because the seasoning game in switzerland is WEAK, sorry not sorry. As someone who loves food and cooking I remember struggling to find common jerk seasoning – alternatively amazon is the plug for all your tropical sun seasonings – have no fear amazon is here. I did hear from my aunt that if you’re in Zurich you will be able to get supermalt, african seasonings and food items in and around Stauffacherstrasse, tram stop Helvetiaplatz, been there once or twice and there’s a nice little community of africans there.Lesson:  Jollof without Maggie/stock cube is not Jollof.

Time is your friend

I think that goes for everything – take time and settle into your environment because its not going anywhere, in my previous post  I mentioned I took quite a while to settle into my environment (which is normal) but rushing the process or feeling bad for not adjusting is not going to help anything if anything it really kills the vibe.Lesson:  Take time, Enjoy the View and settle in.

Almost everything closes on a Sunday – Don’t eat all your snack on Saturday

Self explanatory really, do all your shopping in the week and leave sunday for Church and chilling less commercialism enhancing the quality of life.Lesson:  Get Organised! Leave that packet of popcorn for tomorrow, you will not die. HA BA!

Make friends

NO ONE IS SAYING GO AND CARRY THE WHOLE NEIGBOURHOOD ON YOUR HEAD. BUT no interaction is done with only one person (As in yo, yourself and you). I’m an introvert so I can easily get aorund by being locked in a cocoon and coming out when I feel like it which is usually NEVER! Nothing good comes from being in a foreign land alone.Proverbs 13:20 : Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.Lesson: It easier to get around if you know people who can direct you accuratey and with love. No man is an Island and sometimes you can be your own companion of fools.

Home is where YOU make it

Get comfortable – HI HELLO WAKE UP, this is where you are at now! looking back at what WAS home will rob you from what is NOW home, focusing too much on where you want to be will steal todays joy. Buy that lamp you wanted! Create that chill corner! Do what you got to do. The worst thing for me was being somewhere I called home that didn’t feel like…home because I chose to blame my environment for not being like what I knew.Lesson: Get settled girl, take responsibility for your HOME – rest your roots and ease them out when it is time to bounce.

Stienhofstrasse outside my window

Stienhofstrasse accomodation

Stienhofstrasse

Should have been #1 – Your faith will keep you

Its easy to be very anixous when you are away from home and I can’t lie I did and still do sometimes fall into the trap. If you’re like me you’d think youself into oblivion and if you do not CHECK. YOUR. SELF. You’ll just spin into a web of fears. Take it easy! Foh Ril! this is a good time to get grounded and cling on to God replace those thought’s with His wisdom and knowledge all packed into His divine word.

What if i get lost on my walk? What if someone kidnaps me? What if i run out of money? What if i get ill? Who will care for me? What if i don’t make friends?

Lesson: Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Stay humbled and find peace, John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.                             

This is your passport in (to Germany, France, Italy, Liechtenstein)

Switzerland is beautiful nestled between other picturesque countries. Unlike the UK it is more feasible to access these places without having to do too much. Infact some countries do not even require getting on a plane to get there.

ZURICH TO MUNICH: 370 KM ; 3h30 on cars; 3h45 by Flixbus; 4hrs by train; 50 mins -1hr by flight

ZURICH to LYON: 419 KM; 4h51 by car; 5h by train; 1hr-1h30 by flight

ZURICH TO COMO: 235 KM; 2h51 by car; 3h by train; 55min flight to Milan and 40 min train journey

ZURICH TO VADUZ: 109 KM ;1h5-1h30 by care; 2h40 train; no flights …Lesson : This leads me to the next point.

Day trips for the win

Need a say more? I used to get so bored staring out my window wishing I could do more with my time. Its not until I took my first trip to Bellinzona that I realised that THIS DAY TRIP THING IS A SHOUT! All it requires is a little planning so you don’t miss your bus or train back home and this can be done pretty easily – when I had last visited Switzerland I took a day trip which took me through the North of Switzerland up until Stein Am Rhein( boardering Germany) and back to Zurich – We had multiple stops and our tour guide provided us with many a dead joke, jkjk, she brought the vibes and told us many a story paired with a couple history lessons –  I booked the day trip on the day  (early morning of course) at the ticket office in Carparkplatz Sihlquai 2 minuets from Zurich Central Station.

Lesson: Can’t put a price on the experience

No experience is too expensive

Especially if it will infrom your understanding of the world today.

So there you have it 10 things I wish I knew before I moved to Switzerland.

      10 things I wish I knew – Switzerland So the flavour of the month(year and forever because I just love this place) is still Switzerland and in continuation from last weeks post here are:

[elsaeckhardt-blog]

15 februar

Hello again!!!

It’s been a while since I’ve recapped on events that have happened over these past couple weeks, so I thought I’d do a timeline/bullet style entry to highlight the experiences I’ve had since February 2nd(ish) :)

feb. 3 (fri.): I got ice cream from an ice cream truck!!! I was sitting at dinner with my family and we heard a jingle outside, which I didn’t think much of it, but as soon as my host dad said “There goes the ice cream truck” I freaked out. We only have ice cream trucks in the summer in suburban areas in the U.S., so I felt like I was reliving my childhood in Connecticut for a split second. My host sister told me the truck would come back on our street, so we hurried outside to flag it down. I was so, so giddy, and am getting excited as I type just thinking about it😄🍦We bought a couple of boxes of “fotball is” and had them for dessert :))

feb. 4 (sat.): I went on an AMAZING hike with my second host dad, Gert, and his buddy. The hike lasted about 4 1/2 hours in its entirety, and every minute of it was so flott (great)!! We hiked in a place called in Langevåg, about ten minutes from home. I think it was about 10 km roundabout and the mountain was 800 meters high. The hike itself was called Vardane on Suja Mountain. As many of you probably know I love hiking and do it often in Vermont, but this experience made me appreciate the activity (dare I say lifestyle) so much more. To break it down, we began the fjelltur (“mountain trip”/hike) walking up a dirt path after parking on the side of the road, much like in the U.S. The path was pretty wide, approximately 3 meters, and super worn down due to frequent use. There were trees overhead and you could see the surrounding mountains through gaps in the trees every so often. We passed many, many people in that first part of the trip. Although people in Norway are very quiet on the bus, in school etc., it’s like a different culture on the mountain. Everyone says hello and smiles to each other. Although it was about 50 degrees F that day it was considered strange to wear shorts, so a few people chuckled and asked me if I was cold after their hello (I wasn’t) :) Towards the top we made friends with a couple who were curious about my exchange; we chatted with them consistently for an hour or so while nearing the summit. I love this social aspect of hiking in Norway so much- it creates such a special, sacred environment for the mountains. After the first part of the hike on the path we came to a spot with few cabins and benches that you can take a break on if you want. It also serves as a destination if you don’t want to hike the rest, because it is where the treeline ends and you get a 360 degree view of mountains. This spot was also where you could start to see the summit. I felt an intense urge to get to the summit, kind of like it was a challenge. Being able to see glorious mountains all around you and knowing that the top of one is feasible to get to is truly invigorating. The path becomes more steep and difficult to hike, which was undoubtedly a factor in the experience. The two people I was hiking with  (Gert and his friend) were enjoying the placidness of the setting a bit more than I was, and they took a few breaks for coffee/snacks (it was super funny to me that people eat more unhealthy food like coke and oreos on hikes), which I wasn’t very used to. I kind of pushed ahead and starting hiking up at a quicker pace, waiting every now and then to see if they were following (don’t worry, they did :)). The higher I climbed the more snowy and chilly it got, which was exciting. After another hour of walking up this path I reached the peak! Our friends from earlier were there as well as a few other hikers, taking in the insane view. It was so marvelous. Soon Gert and his friend reached the top, and we had some more food, took some photos and relaxed. It was utterly stunning; I’d never seen mountains so amazing in that capacity, and I’m so lucky I got to! Going down was harder than coming up and I did wipe out a couple times, but we were eventually back on the dirt path. I decided to run it, so I listened to music and got to the bottom pretty quickly. There weren’t too many people heading down because it was starting to get dark (we hiked from 12pm-4:30pm). I got to the bottom and the car was locked, so I sat on a little hill above the parking lot and meditated. Gert and his friend got down and we headed home. It was such an incredible experience, and I’m so stoked to hike more!!

feb. 5 (sun.): My host parents took me on a mini trip a little outside of Ålesund and showed me some cool spots :) I’ll have to ask my parents for the names of the places, but we went to an old farm and walked around (it wasn’t really a tourist destination, just a pretty piece of property that you can poke around) and walked along the sea on a boardwalk in another spot. It was really fun to be in their company and explore tucked away parts of Norway that I wouldn’t have the privilege of seeing if I was a tourist. Since it was Sunday everything was kind of sleepy and calm which made it a really enjoyable experience.

feb. 6 (mon.): After a fun weekend I headed back to school to a new class. Like I mentioned earlier, my normal class was in Italy for the past week, so I got to follow the schedule of another class in my grade. I was nervous, but I had a few friends in the class before I joined. Like many experiences I’ve had here, my nervousness for class/introducing myself as the American to a whole new group of people was excessive and eradicated almost immediately after I joined the class. I made some friends (bra jobbe elsa!! 👏🏼 👏🏼) and became close with some people from the class over the course of the week- it’s always nice to have a few more familiar faces in the hallway :)) While Italy looked really fun, it was healthy/rewarding to go a little further out of my comfort zone for the week.

feb. 7 (tues.): On Tuesday I had the opportunity to go alpine skiing for a SECOND time !! A class from the grade above me goes on an annual ski trip to Bjorli Mountain for the day. The person in charge (also my geography teacher) knew I was an avid skier and invited me to join them. At first I was hesitant to go because I had just met my new class and wanted to get to know them better, I didn’t know anyone at all on the trip and I didn’t have all of my gear. However, I was encouraged by many to go, and I decided to join :) I rounded up all needed gear somehow (well with the help of my awesome parents, that’s probs how) and went on the trip. Once we got to the lodge I put my stuff down with a few girls at a table and introduced myself. They were super great company to ski with. It was the perfect day to go skiing- bluebird sky, perfectly firm snow, chilly but sunny, bountiful amounts of corduroy and absolutely empty except for our group. I can’t express in words how utopian the conditions were. The scenery was unreal and the trails were ideal (buy my mixtape on iTunes). I also had totally functioning gear, and while I missed my sharp race edges, corduroy is corduroy (arc city). I’m so so thankful I got to go on this trip- it was such an amazing day for skiing & of course wonderful to meet some more neat people 🙃 🙃

feb. 8 (wed.): A little after middag (dinner) I made American pancakes with my mom ! Apparently the fluffiness of American pancakes baffle Europeans, so she was very curious to try them out. We made them with blueberries, raspberries and chocolate and hot dang they were good!! I hadn’t had pancakes/Vermont syrup in a while, so it was veldig fint å spiser dem med min norsk Mamma! (very good to eat them with my Norwegian Mamma!) Unfortunately we didn’t save any for Helge or Frida, so we will have to make more soon ;))

feb. 9 (thurs.): After fotboll training on Thursday night Frida picked me up and we went to Fjellstua with her (/our 😊) friend Martine. Fjellstua is an outlook in Ålesund City where you can see the whole city, and it’s soo breathtaking. Although Frida stole my Stan Smiths (type of tennis shoe) and I was stuck with my soccer cleats, it was fun to take photos of the beautiful city & share some laughs ❤️ ❤️

feb. 10-12 (fri.-sun.): On Friday night Frida and I went with some family to their hytta (mountain home/cabin) for the weekend to ski some more!! It was a total experience and very, very fun, but I’m going to dedicate another post to it within these next few days :) ❄️

feb. 14 (tues.): Yesterday was Valentine’s Day!! It’s not really celebrated here, but a couple friends and I enjoyed it anyway ❣️

feb. 15 (wed.): And today is the most exciting day of all- HØNEMAMA’S BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3 Gratulerer med dagen bestevennn ! 😚 😚 🎈 🎂 Takk for alt du gjør for meg :))

Thanks for tuning in to this very overdue update!! Vi snakkes! (TTYL!)

Elsa :)

[bernardmusselman-blog]

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