A Swiss Weekend & Obama Makes History

Ciao!

Currently I am swamped with the stress that is midterms week so I haven't had too much time on my hands to do updates or be online. So to fill things in, this past Halloween weekend I went to Bern, Switzerland! It was beautiful, the air was crisp, and our train ride went through the Italian and Swiss Alps which was epic. Switzerland however is extremely expensive. A typical Starbucks sized coffee is 7 to 8 Swiss francs which is approximatly 6 to 7 euro. ouch. And one day we were craving mexican food and found a Swiss Mexican restaurant but it was extremely overpriced and the food wasn't all that good. Everything was fried and nothing tastes right. Europeans don't know what they are missing when it comes to a filling and fantastic traditional mexican burrito. Also in Switzerland, I visited the Alpines museum and the Einstein Haus, the very residence of Albert Einstein and where he came up with his theory of relativity. neat. And Bern has a bear pit with live bears (the bear is the emblem of the city according to their folklore) and there was a rose garden I hiked up to with sweet views of the city with the Alps as its backdrop. Unfortunately my computer's memory is full and I am currently unable to add any pictures which is upsetting. But one of my favorite things I did in Bern was attend a service at the Munster cathedral, one of the original Luthern cathedrals in Europe that was around just after the Reformation. The service was completely in German (which made reading and singing from the hymnal interesting) but I thoughroughly enjoyed the gorgeous music of the choir and enormous organ that boomed from behind the pews and echoed throughout the gothic styled, stained glassed structure. It was an awesome experience.

Upon returning to Milan, me and my roommates have been frantically preparing for midterms but lacking in motivation. It's been rough. Last night we all went to bed in anxiousness and suspense because when we woke the morning we knew that we would have the results--America would have chosen its knew president. And how relieved we are! It's been a strange but great experience being abroad at a time such as this. History is being made in my country and I'm not there to experience but I am experiencing it from a broader worldview and seeing my own country through the eyes of foreigners, of the world. It's been one of the most beneficial things that I've learned while being abroad, how focused the world is on America and how what we do and decide matters, and it is one of the most important things I will brign back with me to the States. The man who works at our favorite coffee shop that we frequent before Italian class every wednesday and friday smiled at us this morning and the first thing he asked was, "Are you happy?" I've been asked that question a lot today.

With that said, Obama sure does have a load to inherit: wars, an economic crisis, a deteriorating health system, social security and education system. It's overwhelming, but things I think will get better from here.

I have one last midterm to study for tonight and to take tomorrow afternoon and then I'm off to AMSTERDAM for the four day weekend.

pace & amour