An Unforgettable Weekend - Day 1: Interlaken

This past weekend was a weekend of "perfects." It was absolutely spectacular and to be quite honest, the entire experience still seems surreal and feels as if it never even happened.

What is ironic is the fact that the weekend almost didn't happen. After minimal planning for the trip, I woke up Saturday morning after 3 hours of sleep and an incredible desire to just stay sleeping in my bed. It took every ounce of strength and will power to wake up and shower. After frantically packing food and clothes, I joined the group going on the trip. Sprinting to the train and boarding it just as it was beginning to leave, the five of us collapsed into the seats, panting.

Sleeping for the majority of the train ride, I woke up to a view of our destination: Interlaken. In the German side of Switzerland, Interlaken is nestled between two beautiful lakes and surrounded by an imposing set of mountains. As we pulled into Interlaken, I saw one of the lakes, Thun, from the window. Gasping in complete awe, I was left speechless by the lake. The color of the lake was absolutely mesmerizing and I could not tear my eyes away from it.

Once our train arrived in Interlaken, we grabbed a quick lunch and walked to the nearest paragliding company and made reservations for 5 people for a few hours later. As we walked down one of the main streets in Interlaken, I noticed the wide variety of cuisines available in the city, including an Indian restaurant which seemed quite tempting. It took us about 30 minutes to walk through town, through derelict streets, and through abandoned trains to reach the other lake, Lake Brienz.
I have never seen anything so pristine. There were private summer houses around the lake, although the entire area seemed a bit empty of people, making it seem even more serene. The five of us found a small, private concrete pier and the three guys in the group jumped into the lake. The feeling of the water in the lake was unlike that of any other; the chilly water felt unusually clean and made me feel as if I was contaminating the water by being in it. The water
had a deceivingly strong current, forcing me to swim aggressively back towards the pier. After jumping in a few more times, we lay out under the sun, the lake at our feet and the mountains surrounding us.

We fell asleep for about an hour and after waking up, we hustled back to the paragliding company and rode in a van to the top of one of the mountains, next to an old barn surrounded by trees swaying in the wind. As I strapped into a large backpack and a helmet, I saw that there were parachutes lying on the ground, one for each of us. I was the third one to take off - a pilot strapped onto my backpack behind me, we ran down the dirt launch pad, and before I knew it, the parachute had caught a gust of wind, my feet were leaving the ground, and I was flying!

As we flew away from the mountain, I could see below me the small houses of the village, the two beautiful lakes, mountains near and in the distance, endless rows of trees, and my own feet! The pilot maneuvered us so close to a mountain that I could almost feel myself brushing against the trees. We continued flying around the mountains and over the town, the wind sweeping against my face. Near the end of the approximately 15 minute flight, my pilot started spinning us in a circle faster and faster, making my stomach lurch. It was an incredible feeling, as if I was on the highest roller coaster ever made. Finally, we descended and I landed comfortably in a grass park where the others in the group were waiting for me.

Still in awe from the paragliding experience, we started a hike up one of the mountains to a Swiss restaurant at the top. After 2 hours of a tough hike, we met someone from the United States who was hiking down the mountain. He told us that the restaurant was closed, as it was 7 PM...we were disappointed and hiked back down the mountain. At this point, we could think of nothing but food, as we hadn't eaten in hours. We walked down the main street of Interlaken, passing exceedingly tempting restaurants because we were on a mission to find a particular Swiss restaurant that we had seen in the Lonely Planet Travel Guide. Finally, after 40 minutes of walking, past all the bustling streets and past all the tourists, we found Steinbock, a Swiss restaurant, tucked cozily in the corner of the city. It was quiet back here. A river was running in front of the restaurant and there was a gorgeous view of the mountains from the restaurant.

Although the restaurant smelled very uninviting, it looked extremely cozy. It was actually a house and there were only about 5 tables there. A few locals were sipping wine and eating ice-cream casually on one of the tables. We ordered cheese fondue as an appetizer for the five of us, along with wine. As we drank our way through more bottles of wine, we also enjoyed our own dishes, which for me was roasted chicken with potatoes and other vegetables around it. We were quite loud, but we all were having a fantastic time. The conversations flowed freely and we were all laughing uncontrollably. It was one of the best dinners I have had, but not just because of the food; the wine was delicious, the atmosphere was great, and the company was the best part about it.

At this point the sun had set and we all stumbled out of the restaurant because we were so full from the food. It was 11:00 PM at night and we hadn't found a hostel yet (remember, there was minimal planning). So we wandered through the city for an hour in search for a hostel to spend the night at. We were lucky and found one that offered us a tent because all of the dorms were full. If any of you have seen Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the tents were set up as they were at the beginning of the movie during the World Cup. There were around 25 tents lined along a grass path. An outline of the mountains was visible under the full moon. Each tent had three bunk beds and was equipped with a blanket, pillow, sheets, and air conditioner. After a day that I still cannot believe happened, we all passed out in the comfortable tents, undisturbed until the next morning.

One Week and Three Days

It has been a week and 3 days since I have arrived in Lausanne, Switzerland, and more than anything it has been a time for me to absorb all that I can. Although I have tried to be keenly cognizant of the differences and similarities between the culture here and in the U.S., the disparities and the unfamiliar environment are often quite overwhelming. These 10 weeks will be the longest time that I have been away from home and, compounded with the fact that I have never traveled for an extended period of time without someone I know, it will in the end hopefully provide for an extremely enriching experience that I will always remember.

The first few days that I was here were quite trying. Within the first 24 hours I got lost twice. The first time I was carrying throughout Lausanne two bags that felt like they were industrial size and full of dense rocks. The second time was at midnight, when I wandered aimlessly for an hour through unlit streets, abandoned alleys, and lanes full of individuals I did not want to associate with. Unable to speak French, I eventually began jogging around this foreign city, reaching home thoroughly exhausted from the walking and the 20 hour journey from the U.S.

After a mildly rough start, I have enjoyed this city thoroughly. More than anything I am enjoying the diversity of people in Lausanne and specifically where I live. Planete Bleue, the name of my residence, has a floor solely for students and young professionals working in Lausanne and its surrounding areas. It is a mix of an apartment and a dorm building. I have 3 suite mates: 2 from Spain and 1 from France. My first day here, in addition to my roommates, I met a Turkish guy and a Canadian guy. Our conversations flowed quite freely, changing between English, Spanish, and French (I just carried a clueless stare when French was spoken). I was and still am fascinated by the many languages and cultures present just on my floor and how receptive everyone is to new people. My first two days here my roommates and other individuals on my floor made food for me and we ate together, a very welcoming gesture.

Although I will spare the details of the weekend, it was definitely a great time in which I explored the city and went out with people I had met. Work started on Monday, at which point I finally learned what I will be working on this summer. Very briefly, I will be helping to create a regulatory map of the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. I will be using a relatively new technology known as ChIP-on-chip to do this. The lab in general is leading a 5 year project to discover new drugs for tuberculosis. I am happy with the position that I have received, as it is in public health.

The people I work with are exceptionally welcoming. Not once did they allow me to feel like an outsider. The Italian postdoc that I work with, Claudia Sala, is a great teacher and very understanding. I met the 28 other students in my program last Monday and they are from all over the world, including Serbia, Lithuania, China, Hungary, Brazil, Egypt, and numerous other countries. They are all very accepting and friendly. In regards to my work, I had to make a presentation this past Friday (already!) in front of the program directors and the other students about what I will be doing this summer in the lab.

That's all I'm going to write in this post...I have loads more to tell, but this post is long enough already. I'll give more details of my past week in the next one!