#6 The Paper is Different
In Switzerland they use paper that is about the same width
but much longer than your standard 8.5x11 sheet of paper in the US. It also has four holes punched instead of three so binders here are different as
well. Even the notebooks are different (a) they are the same extra long length
(b) It is near impossible to find lined paper, most of it is either blank or
gridded and (c) if you are lucky enough to find lined paper it is extra wide
ruled, something reminiscent of what we in the US might use as Kindergartners.
#5 “Do” Really Means “Don’t”
In America if you are not allowed to do something it is
pictured inside a red circle with a slash through it (think: no smoking sign)
But in Switzerland if you are not allowed to do something it
is pictured inside a red circle without a
slash. So at first glance when I look at a sign like this in a bathroom I
think: do eat, do drink, and do smoke. A source of much confusion among
tourists here I am sure. But with a little bit of context I quickly picked up
on the reversed meaning.
#4 Life Is Beautiful
For those of you who took AP Lit with Lake last year you
will especially appreciate this fun fact! I had my Italian class for the first
time yesterday and our teacher is Italian (naturally) and from a small city in
Italy. When we asked her where her city is near she replied that it is about an
hour outside of Florence and very small but known for being the location where
the movie Life is Beautiful was filmed.
#3 Gelato and Crepes
I have had trouble even imagining winter here while I walk
around the piazza in such beautiful weather. I have been dreading the day when it will be to cold for me to wander around Lugano in my sundress and sandals, walk up to a gelato stand and order (in Italian) the newest flavor I want to try.
But then just yesterday I learned that during the winter most of the gelato
stands turn into crepe stands that also sell the best hot chocolate you will
ever have. So excited! Although I will still miss this a little bit.
#2 The Traffic Lights
I am not sure if this is standard for all of Europe but here
the traffic lights turn yellow right
before they turn green, as well as right before they turn red.
#1 We Have a Wardrobe That Leads to Narnia
Well not really… but most likely!
There is a MASSIVE ornate wardrobe that takes up most of the
front foyer of our main academic building and when we passed by it on a campus
tour last week our guide casually mentioned that it has never been opened! When
Franklin College bought the building the owners said that the wardrobe comes
with it because it is too large to move out any of the doorways and so old that
there would be no way to dismantle it without completely destroying it. The
only catch was that they had long ago lost the key to it and it was locked. So
of course my automatic assumption was, NARNIA. But I also was suspicious of the
tale so after hours yesterday I went down to the foyer when nobody was around
and tried to figure out how to open it. There are no handles, no drawers, no
even markings where handles might have been, only a large key hole in the
middle panel, which I don’t even understand how one key would open up both
sides of it. I tried my best to see if anything would budge, but not even a
centimeter… Narnia will have to wait till another day I suppose.
(too big to fit the whole thing in one picture)
(close up of keyhole)
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