Maybe it’s the fact that I love being outdoors. I think
there is a certain beauty, a certain energy, and a certain calm that comes from
being outside. I read recently that psychologists believe there is a direct
correlation between the amount of time spent outside and the level of reported
happiness. I believe that is true.
On that subject, Switzerland has to be the most beautiful
place I’ve ever been. Every lake, field, mountain, and town is a masterpiece.
Each view seems like it’s been plucked from a canvas and ready for a postcard.
And after jumping from city to city for the past five weeks,
it was so nice to relax. Sleeping in, eating in, and taking simple an adventure
each day was perfect.
I honestly can’t say enough about my time with Mary and Dale,
nor can I thank them enough for their friendship and hospitality. They have an
amazing and warm family and I felt so welcomed into their home. While we only
met five days ago, I totally feel like I’ve known them for a lifetime. I feel
so blessed to have met them on my adventure.
It feel funny to admit, but on some subconscious level I
really expected Switzerland to be “little, rich America.” After hearing stories
of politicians with Swiss bank accounts and seeing fancy cars and clocks, I
assumed that Switzerland was the kingdom of excess and the safe haven for the
world’s wealthiest. What I found was completely different.
The Swiss culture fascinated me. I’ve been trying to glimpse
the local culture everywhere I go, and I feel like I got a pretty good view of
it this time. On the surface, the Swiss are very reserved and shy. I think this
probably comes from their long history of self-reliance. When you do everything
for yourself, you don’t need to interact with other people. At the same time,
being self-sufficient has a lot of perks. They are able to set and maintain
their own standards. This high quality lifestyle covers everything from
chocolate production, to customer service in restaurants, to how people cross
the street. They demand perfection, and this is evident in both their
government and justice system.
And the lifestyles are not flashy at all. Walking around
Zug, I saw very ordinary people living very ordinary lives. They were
organized, and they clearly had their own views on the world (perhaps a bit
more xenophobic than other cultures I’ve been in—again, the isolationism would
account for that) but they were not ostentatious. They were just people…laughing
with their friends, going about their lives, dreaming about their futures.
It makes me laugh a little. This should go without saying
(but it doesn’t) but I have to the realization that there is no grand “European
culture.” Every country, every city, and every home reveals people living lives
according to the way they understand the world. If nothing else, these
differences show us a little snippet of human nature…of what we want, what we
feel, and what we are searching for in life.
Once again, I can’ thank Mary and Dale enough for having me
and touring me around the city and countryside. I am so grateful for their
friendship and for the awesome weekend they shared with me.
My travel will be dying down a bit now so I can start
focusing on finals. Still have a few more adventures left, but I’m also looking
forward to sometime back in Prague (my new home town.) 
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