Alice in Switzerland: Arrival!

Our Apartment!

A group of about 16 of us from the Pamplin School all flew together from Washington to Milan. Once we arrived in Milan we met a few more people and found the bus that Daniela had booked for us. The bus driver did not speak any English and none of us knew enough Italian to truly communicate; so there were a few problems. First off, we had too many suitcases and they would not all fit under the bus. After moving things around, we ended up sitting with some of our suitcases and got on our way. The ride was very smooth until we reached Switzerland. After that, the bus driver had no idea where he was going. We went up a mountain to then come back down and on these small roads that we had to reverse out of. The bus driver ended up looking up directions on his phone while driving, which was quite dangerous, but we made it to Villa Maderni. Upon arrival we all checked in and received our laundry card, swipe card for the villa, and apartment key. I live in an apartment with seven girls from the business school. It is extremely close to Villa Maderni. All we have to do is walk through the garden. We have three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, a laundry room, and a kitchen. All of us spent about an hour or so unpacking and getting settled. We then headed to the Villa for dinner and orientation. For dinner there are volunteers every week that help to set the tables, bring the food out, and clean up. We all have to dress semi nicely for dinner, because it is part of the culture to embrace and respect the food. During orientation we also learned many other rules and traditions that the program and Villa Maderni have.

During our free time, I took some time to walk around the town of Riva and it is absolutely gorgeous. One aspect of the town that did stand out was the shop hours; they usually close in the afternoon for an hour or so and then open back up. This is definitely something that I will have to get used to, because in America I usually do not think twice about whether or not a store will be open at a specific time. While in the grocery store, I noticed that items are definitely more expensive here. The exchange rate from the Swiss Franc to the U.S. Dollar has only about a two cent difference. I went to buy scotch tape and ended up paying about three dollars for one roll, which to me seemed pricey. Exploring the town has been very interesting and it will definitely take a few weeks to get used to. I still cannot believe I will be here for four months, but I could not be more excited!