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Published: December 14th 2009
Right now I am on the train. I am heading to Bern. I think. After a two hour car ride to the Orlando Airport; a night flight from Orlando to London; then a another plane ride from London to Geneva; I am now in the Swiss countryside. But I am not positive which side of the county I am on.
After I departed the plane I breezed through customs. I actually was not even sure I was going through it at the time. I thought I was in one line which would lead me to another queue and then I would be in the main part of customs, but the one line was it. I was disappointed to because the man didn’t even stamp my passport.
Next I picked up my luggage and went to the train platform. I was in the right place and just had to wait for the train to come. In the meantime I tried to call my family, but I failed every single time. I don’t know what was wrong with the phone card. So now I am writing this and feeling bad that I had no way of contacting you Mom and Dad.
And at this moment in time you have no idea where the middle child is. But I will talk to you as soon as I reach Kandersteg!
So that leads me to where I am now. Somewhere. I am exhausted from the traveling and lack of sleep. Although I tried my hardest not to, I drifted off for a portion of the train ride. I am a bit concerned because when I fell asleep there was an older man sitting across from me in the aisle and when I woke up he was replaced with a younger gentleman. But no worries, I will get to Kandersteg some time.
Oh and there is a light blanket of snow on the ground! I was excited, but the elderly Swiss couple sitting across from me in our unit did not share with me the delight; only strange looks. Snow was pretty cool, but I saw a Harry Potter tree which was 10 times cooler! The plant that consumes Ron and Harry in their car was scattered through the hills. I am not a fan of the series, but that was easily the highlight of my day.
So I finally made
it to Kandersteg where I was picked up at the train station by a long term staff member along with a fellow pinkie. He took us to the center where we got out temporary bed assignments and met another pinkie. Then we had dinner and I was finally able to call home! Even though it was only 6:30 at night I was exhausted so I took a shower and went to bed.
December 13, 2009
This morning I woke up at 11; that gave me enough time to get ready for the day and check my email! Thanks for all the surprises I had waiting in my inbox! : )
For lunch we filled up on pasta and green beans. Then we hit the mountains! A longer term staff member invited the three future short term staff member to go on a snow hike! So we jumped at the opportunity.
I had to dress in my heavy clothes, with lots of layers to be prepared to go out on our adventure. Two pairs of pants, two jackets, a t-shirt, a tank top, gloves, wool socks, and a cap later I was all set. We all
met outside to strap on our snow shoes and hike. That is what we did; hiked, hiked, and hiked some more! It was very difficult to climb up the mountain. We trekked off camp property to private property, through woods, up mountains, down slopes, on paths, on our own trails. It was a intense walk, but we finally made it to our destination! The entire purpose of our trip was to get a good view of the village below, but on our hike up there it started to snow and by the time we made it to the lookout spot on the mountain the clouds had come down and it made it real hard to see anything. I didn’t mind that it was foggy at the top because our hike up there was spectacular. I have never seen anything like it in my life. The pure, white snow blanketed everything. It was beautiful. Although everyone else did not think much of the scenery, I could not stop taking pictures of the snow glistening on the environment.
The hike up was long and very difficult, but the way down was quick and a bit frightening. We decided to take the
short route which meant literally climbing down the edge of the mountain. The footing was not very stable, I had no idea what I was walking on half the time but it was very neat to go running down the Alps, in zig-zag motions on our way back to the town.
When we arrived back to the Centre most of the other staff members were already there. I enjoyed meeting all the people I will be working with for the next three months. It is quite a diverse group, and I am so excited to learn about everyone else’s cultures.
Our training started right at 17:00, in uniform. At first we met Mark, the director, and Jens, the second in charge, and took a tour of the Chalet. We then played some get to know you games with all the staff before dinner at six. Our meal was a traditional Swiss meal. It was like fondue with a grill. On the top grill you could cook bacon, chicken, or mushrooms. Then underneath that was individual trays where each person could melt cheese to put on their potatoes or cook an egg.
After dinner we had a meeting upstairs. In this meeting we were all given master keys for all the buildings. We were told to keep them attached to our bodies at all times. I am a nervous about loosing those keys, because that would be disastrous.
Then we had a mini party with all the staff members. We all mixed, sharing about our native cultures, especially sharing scouting traditions. We talked over wine and chocolates, something that would never be found in Girl Scouts USA. It was a very enjoyable night.
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Dad
non-member comment
In good hands!
Peanut, Glad to hear you made it to Kandersteg safe and sound. I enjoyed your blog and look forward to many more entertaining and exciting entries! Have a great time on your adventure in Switzerland! Be safe! XO, Love, Dad