Switzerland

I have arrived in Switzerland and it has been exciting and overwhelming at the same time. When I walked around the first day here the words to a favorite song came to mind,"I wasn't odd or strange just quietly rearranged. Sometimes the biggest change stays out of sight.". As I take on this new adventure I have thought about how this experience is already doing some, rearranging, of my thinking and my perspective and I find myself craving my comfort zone..

After I left Mark at the airport I walked towards my gate, the security officer looked at my passport and ticket and then said just a minute. He came back with a box of kleenex and said, "Don't tell anyone I have a reputation to uphold.". My leap of faith was looking a bit wide and I had a hard time hiding it.

My adventure began in Salt Lake when my flight was scheduled for 8:30 and at 9:00 I talked with the airline to see what to do about my connecting flight in Denver to Zurich-- worried that I might miss it. She told me that if we didn't leave by 10:00 then I should come back and we would have to figure something out but luckily right after talking to her the plane came and we were able to take off by 9:25. Whew! I had to run in the Denver airport to make my flight. I was seated next to a young Swiss girl from Bern on the plane and we chatted for a bit. She was a nurse and had been on a trip to Hawaii to ,"Surf and work on my English.". Her English was really good and she was able tell me what to expect and where to go next.---grateful for tender mercies

I got my bags and headed out of the Airport when I spotted a sign with my name on it, another big whew, and it was a driver from the school to pick me up. He was a tall dark haired man who is from Russian. As we walked to his car I said a quite prayer and then smiled thinking how I am just trusting that he is from the school and not some crazy slave trade thing. His name was Bobby and he was so nice, letting me use his phone to call my mom and let her know that I was safe. Bobby had keys to my apartment and when we got there we saw an older woman and she immediately started chatting in German and then she was gone. Bobby turned to me and said, I think that is your landlady and she said that if you need anything just let her know. I laughed, imagining that conversation. After Bobby left I found myself close to one of those ledges wondering what I had signed myself up for. This was a point for some perspective change and the intense reality that I needed to depend on the things that anchor me pretty quick--- looking heavenward!

My apartment is clean and nice but the previous renter must have smoked so it has a bit of a cheap motel smell as you come in but this will be home for awhile. Before Bobby left I was able to make contact with my buddy from the school and she was able to meet me in the afternoon. When she said she could come right away, I know it sounds dramatic, but I felt like the rescue party was being sent out and I was so relieved for help in this beautiful place where I was surrounding by a language that I didn't understand. It was operation employ the positive self talk: you're fine, this going to be great. Followed by a few thoughts like: what have I done!

Rachel and Amy arrived and brought some needed things, they have been down this road and knew just what I might need: towel, toilet paper, blanket, and lunch. I hadn't eaten for a while and I was starving! They were great and brought wine and apple juice to celebrate my arrival. I wasn't quite ready to celebrate this wild ride yet but I could certainly celebrate my gratitude that everything would work out. I am reminded of a student in my class talking about the theme of hope in the book he was reading when he said, "it's like hope is a survival skill.". Thanks Will I needed that......some hope rising