Jan. 5-6

The 7-hour plane ride from Dulles to Zurich was not nearly as painful as I thought it would be. We got to nap, watch movies (Moneyball and Dolphin Tale) and were provided with a fairly unsatisfactory meal which we all agreed could have looked and tasted better. All in all, though, it was a pretty easy trip. When we (approximately 40 students) arrived in Zurich, a shuttle took us to the main airport where we met David Brinberg (our trip leader) and proceeded to take a bus to the place we now call home: the Monterina.

In the United States, I had David helping me carry luggage that far exceeded any weight that I am capable of handling. This became very apparent when the bus dropped us off at the bottom of a rather large hill, leaving us with our bags, expecting us to get to the top on our own. Let’s just say that my legs are still burning, and I have some pretty serious calluses forming.

After being instructed not to nap in order to overcome jet lag, we forced ourselves to explore our new town- Lugano. We walked around the beautiful lake that the Monterina overlooks, window shopped, found our Swizz University where we will be taking classes and people watched. January 6 is a holiday (among many in Switzerland), so the people watching was slim, but the people who drove/walked by us were staring plenty- apparently a group of 40 Americans sticks out a little bit…

Anyways, that’s all the updates I have for right now. Tomorrow, I will be shopping for groceries, getting a phone and planning our first weekend adventure (to Interlockin!). And Sunday is our first hike up the Swiss Alps. Should be a fun weekend with lots to report.