Random musings

So, some fragmentary thoughts I've had during the three weeks of time here:

 

1.

Re-watched Howl’s Moving Castle. (Notice my background music..) Found out that the background for the animation is Alsace in France. And Alsace is now in my bucket list! Here's the list (I know it would be difficult to visit all of them in three months, but oh well. haha)

* Lavaux
* Montreux
* Bern
* Alsace (Strasbourg/Colmar)
* Rochers de Naye
* Chamonix Mont Blanc
* Yvoire/Evian
* Dijon
* Basel (Christmas market)

* Milan
* Paris
* Aix-en-Provence

2. 

Though I can’t really say I know French and German well, I realize that the usages of both languages here in Switzerland are slightly different from those in France and Germany. In office one day, I happened to sneeze and the secretary woman said, “santé!” I reflexively responded “merci,” but I was baffled; didn’t “santé” mean cheers in French? Why cheer for sneezing? Later I found out that in French-speaking region in Switzerland they say “santé” instead of “à vos souhaits” when somebody sneezes.
While talking to my colleagues I also learned that French speakers in Switzerland often say “ciao” when they say bye, just like Italians and Spanish people do. And also that German speakers in Switzerland often borrow words from French like “merci” or “adieu." Hmm interesting. Probably due to geographic proximity? On my trip to Bern, I could actually see the language changing from French to German (based on shop signs, writings on cars etc.) as I was looking outside from the northbound train. Even in the city, it felt so strange to see everyone using both languages at the same time, very flexibly, based on the circumstances they are in. To them it wouldn't be too great a deal; they must have been carrying on with their lives in both French- and German-speaking regions, taking trains back and forth several times a month, speaking to people all around them. These kinds of frequent contacts between the two languages over time must have shaped the particular ways Swiss people speak.

3.

Speaking of taking trains, I come across many kinds of people when I take the trains on weekends. The most unforgettable group of people were about five women, around their thirties, sitting on the aisle next to mine. I was wearing my headphones on so I didn't notice greatly- I only faintly heard some strange, brief shouts. It was after a while I realized that all these women were mutes- nonetheless they seemed to be having so much fun talking (in sign language) with each other that it made me curious about what they were talking about. As I glanced at them, being careful not to stare directly at them, I tried to guess from their hand gestures what they were communicating, but I couldn't comprehend any. It made me even more curious. They could not hide their excitements that from time to time they uttered out sharp cries like "UH!" or "OOH!" that could be heard from anywhere in the car, but they themselves didn't mind. No, they couldn't mind. Nobody in the car seemed to mind them either. They seemed to be the people having the most fun in the train, yet the quietest. After the train arrived in Genève I saw them walk away, still enthusiastically exchanging hand gestures and occasional screams, not minding a single thing around them.

 

4.

Not something I can interfere with, but I don't like the cars here. Or, at least, the ones people drive. Why choose such ugly designs instead of sleek and sexy ones? I really don’t see the merit of all the low, hatchback ones that congest the roads every day. They look all the same, regardless of the makers. Oh, also not to mention the color choices… Please, Swiss people, try to pick your cars more wisely! (I really do believe in your aesthetic taste! I can see it from the way you guys dress…)

 

5. 

Not having internet at home was at first suffocating, but now I feel liberated. Without it I can manage/control my atmosphere more easily and most of all, I can think more. I don't remember the last time I was so amused by a novel that I spent a whole afternoon reading it, but now that is all I do haha. I really think having internet at work is enough. (the side effect is that work never becomes the priority in the office though..)

6.

I do admire the beautiful nature here in Switzerland, and envy the people living here. But when I hear unfortunate stories it makes me realize the relative nature of happiness. Last week when I visited St. Aubin, I heard that the vineyard owner living next door committed suicide just a few days before my visit, also just in time for the grape harvest season. So the family - his wife and kids - were harvesting without him. Also one time, one of my collegues did not come to work, and it turned out somebody purposely jumped into the railroad and the train had to stop for a long time. The colleagues told me that "it does not happen often, but it is not the first time." 
It strikes me that people still choose to abandon their lives with the most breathtakingly beautiful scenery just in front of them. It would be erroneous to assume that Swiss people's high living standards and gorgeous, serene environment would just magically make them the happiest people on earth. The hearts of the richest people could happen to be wasteland. The visible, material things cannot simply make people happy, really. I met somebody at church whose parents are missionaries in Germany. At that time I thought, why would Germany need missionaries? Isn't Germany where Christianity is so deep-rooted? Isn't that where the Reformation had taken place? But after hearing these unfortunate stories I begin to understand why. Basically everyone needs God and we cannot survive without Him in our lives. It doesn't matter how well off you are, nor how much you are surrounded by modern technology. This whole thing reminds me of John 15:4-5 in which Jesus says,
"Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." 
It is a pity and an irony that the vineyard owner chose to kill himself without realizing Jesus' words on the very analogy of vines and branches.

7.

Lastly, Koreans I meet here: I realize that it is unusual for somebody to come to Europe straight from Korea. Most people here - about 90 percent I would say - have had at least some experience in English-speaking environments like U.S. or Canada. They have spent at least enough time to know how things work in those places. Then they come here. And I wonder why. Is it because if you get used to living abroad first in U.S., it makes living in a different place overseas easier, just like I experienced? Or is it because if you learn to speak English it makes European languages easier to learn? Why would people choose here as their second stop after U.S. or Canada? I did not figure it out yet, but I am curious to know.