We flew into airport on Friday, and spent the weekend walking around the entire city. Rome is so different from Lausanne. The streets are bustling with crowds of people, cars honking in every direction, and the smell of freshly baked pizza seeping through the restaurant window panes. With frequent stops for gelato, we followed our maps to some of the major tourist sites including the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, Vatican City, Roman Forum, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, and the Fountain of Four Rivers.

Although quite a touristic site, Rome was a great first trip to adapt myself to the culture of traveling. It definitely set the tone for the rest of my trips in the semester. Most of all, I found it incredible to finally see the places I have studied in my humanities and art courses in real life. Having the background knowledge of the historic sites I was now visiting really helped me link the importance of each monument, and imagine myself physically present in the history of Rome. Understanding the impact of the history of a place turns even the most touristic sites into a unique, and special experience.

-Priyanka S.

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We boarded the bus and arrived to our Swiss Chalet on Friday morning, excited to
finally see some snow. Our climb up the mountain was absolutely breathtaking as
we drove through Swiss village areas and mountainside vineyards. About an hour
and a half later, we arrived in Villars, a sweet mountain village overlooking the
Rhône Valley. The village is actually home to the most expensive school in the world,
Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil, a boarding school, whose tuition alone costs
around 100,000 francs per year (That is 110,000 USD!) While we waited to check-
in to our chalet, we began our much awaited snowball fight! Going to school in
Malibu, this was something we never get to do. We spent the evening relaxing in the
house, building forts and snowmen, and bonding over hot cocoa, board games, and a
personal presentation from our professor.

The next morning, many of us decided to hit the slopes. I have never snowboarded
outside of California, so this was quite the experience! Switzerland is ranked in the
top areas in the world for winter sports. The fresh powder from a night of constant
snowfall was absolutely perfect for shredding the enormous trails. Unfortunately,
the runs are not labeled by color, so we ended up riding down (or sliding down)
probably what was a double black diamond our first run! The crazy thing was that
the 10-minute Gondola ride that took us up to the first base of ski lifts was only
maybe one-fifth of the way up the mountain! In fact, the ski areas reach altitudes
above 3000 meters! After an exhausting, fun day on the slopes, we returned to our
comfy, warm chalet to relax. For the rest of the evening, we enjoyed listening to our
professor’s evening remarks.

Prior to our departure back to school, we stopped by a nearby alpine ministry
organization, L’Abri, where travellers come together to discuss philosophical and
religious topics. We shared lunch and a delicious dessert banquet, and reflected
on our experiences from the weekend. After an exciting and tiring weekend, we
returned back to Lausanne to get ready for the rest of the week.

- Priyanka S.

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Over the past week, I have been exploring and adjusting to my new home in Lausanne.  Photographs alone don’t do much justice for this sweet, picturesque town sitting on the banks of Lake Geneva across the French Alps. Breathtaking is an understatement; you must see it for yourself! Places like this make me realize how much we take our surroundings for granted. When you see someplace new, you tend to notice the little details: the hustling of people at the train station, how the bath water makes your hair feel softer, the rugged feel of hand-paved roads through your sneakers, and the smell of crisp, cold air on your morning run.

Through the busy days of orientation, and first week of classes, I’ve caught some of these details and moments on camera. So here is a little introduction of what I have to share with you. As I continue to plan my travels for this semester, I would like to thank those who voted for my video for your gracious support, my parents for their never-ending encouragement towards all my endeavors, and Grand Trunk for providing a scholarship to support my travels around Europe this semester. Stay tuned for posts about my upcoming trips around the continent!

Highlights of the past week:

On our first day arriving in Lausanne, our program sent our group on a scavenger hunt around the city of Lausanne. It was kind of funny because most of us have never actually used a printed map to find our way around. I guess we’ve become so accustomed to having GPS systems in our cars, phones, or even conveniently searching directions on Google maps. We spent the evening getting to know the streets of Lausanne, and finally had the chance to use our French outside the classroom.

Unfortunately, je ne parle pas français bien! Let’s just say, I definitely overestimated the amount of people who speak English here. Switzerland is a multilingual country, with four national languages including Swiss German, French, Italian, and Romansh. Having to actually use another language for any sort of communication in Lausanne has forced me to push lingual boundaries, and is helping me gain confidence in my ability to speak French. Although most kindergarteners here speak better French than I do, I am hoping that by the end of this semester, I can at least return with un accent français correct! But seriously, it is the coolest feeling when you can actually have a full conversation with the barista at the local coffee shop, tout en français!

Our group had the opportunity to visit Cathédrale Notre-Dame of Lausanne, a 12th century gothic cathedral, with a private tour from our very own professor. The cathedral houses an enormous organ, weighing about 40 tons! I am quite tempted to attend one of the concerts held at the cathedral later this month.

On the last day of orientation, we took a day trip to Bern, the capital of Switzerland. We toured the Einstein museum, the Parliament building, played chess in the streets, and casually strolled around the city.

Best part of traveling = food! Okay, so I admit I am a total foodie and addicted to cooking foods from around the world. My first Swiss meal here was Raclette, home cooked by my professor and his wife! A typical peasant meal, Raclette is a delicious type of Swiss cheese, which is melted and then poured on top of veggies! Next up, cheese fondue!

My friend and I took a morning run down to Lake Geneva a few days ago. Swans treaded along the calm, clear water and the clear skies made the Alps look even more enormous! You can see France right across the lake, so we may hop on a ferry to check out what is on the other side sometime soon. Seriously though, the sunsets on the lake make me want to sit out on my balcony with watercolors and a fresh, white canvas.

Priyanka S.

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