Discovering SWITZERLAND!
Student Text Page No. 2: "Within Its People"

Q.   When you study another culture, what can you learn from its people?
A.   You can learn about the beliefs they share, their lifestyles, their customs, Notice, too, what they take pride in, as a society. And what goals they share in common. Take Switzerland, for example….

KEEPING JOURNALS
Setting: Various locations in Switzerland
Characters: Lee and Kim Dow, young Americans who are keeping journals of their visit to Switzerland

KIM WRITES… (Day 3)
We're in Switzerland! Mom's cousin Max met us at Zurich's airport, and we're staying at his friend's house for a few days. Yesterday, we toured Zurich on bikes that you can borrow, rent-free. This city seems packed with historic buildings and modern shops. And banks! Max says Zurich is a hub for Swiss industries, so it works hard to limit pollution. That's where the bike plan comes in. When commuters from the suburbs know they can borrow those bikes to get around, they take trains (instead of cars) into the city.

LEE WRITES… (Day 6)
This morning, before we left Zurich, Max's friend gave us a book about Switzerland. Inside it, he wrote, "Pray and work." I thought that was an unusual wish for people on vacation. But Max told us later that they were the words of Ulrich Zwingli, who is very big in Zurich's history. Zwingli was one of the world's first Protestant leaders.

KIM (Day 6)
We finally arrived in Lucerne, at Max's place. He and his wife Ruth run a tourist business. We're glad they speak English so well. Their sons, Karl and Kurt, do too. Both K's are university law students. And they offered to show us around this summer. (Say yes, Mom!) I'm going to bed, now. I ate too much cheese fondue and rosti (potato cakes) today. The food here is so good!

LEE (Day 11)
It rained the last two days. We watched some TV, but it's hard to follow the action when everything's in German. I was glad when we took a boatride across the lake to Rutli Meadow today. Kurt said the flagpole at that site is a reminder of when Switzerland began to be a nation. Long ago, the leaders of three cantons (states) met at Rutli, and vowed to help one another fight off invaders. The Swiss have been free ever since. Kim and I read that story before our trip. But we didn't let on. Kurt seemed so proud, telling it.

KIM (Day 15)
A few days ago, we came to Interlaken. On our first day's hike, we saw a wedding party outside a hillside berghotel. The bride and groom wore traditional costumes, and some men played alphorns. (Nice!) Today we took the train to Jungfraujoch, one of the highest points in the Alps. Lee and I rode a dogsled on a brilliant glacier, more than two miles up! (Awesome!) On the way there, the train passed through two mountain tunnels. Mom said the Swiss must be excellent engineers. Another passenger said, "Yes. In the southern Alps, the Glacier Express crosses 291 bridges in about seven hours!" She was from Ticino, where Swiss people speak Italian.

LEE (Day 23)
Last week, we rented bikes and headed west. (Dairy-farm country. More cheese!) On the third day, we reached Bern, the Swiss capital. Karl told us that Swiss voters have a lot of power. With just 100,000 signatures, they can ask the government to make changes in the federal Constitution. (That's called taking an initiative. They need the backing of at least half the cantons, too.) Cool…. From Bern, we headed for the Jura Mountains, where the people speak French. Kurt said that Swiss watchmaking began there, centuries ago. Mom was taking pictures of all the beautiful churches.

KIM (Day 27)
We've been in Geneva for the last few days. Ruth joined us, too. We saw the Red Cross museum and the European headquarters of the UN. Ruth said that Switzerland has a strict policy of neutrality. (Meaning: The Swiss don't get into other people's wars.) And because of that, other nations trust Switzerland. So they often send their leaders here to work out world problems. Good idea!

LEE (Day 28)
Ruth gave us two going-away gifts — a Swiss music box and tour tickets to the CERN labs, near Geneva! What a great tour that was! Scientists from all over the world visit CERN, to study matter and energy! Maybe I'll come back and join them some day. I'd like to be a scientist. But right now, our plane is boarding at Geneva's international airport…. So: Auf Wiedersehen, Schweiz! Au revoir, Suisse! Ciao, Svizzerra! Goodbye, Switzerland! I'm glad we met!

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