It had been two weeks since Iwan and I had moved back to Busswil and now my time in Switzerland was nearing its end. Iwan had left for work early in the morning and I slept in. I assumed that Iwan's mother had left for work as well. Once awake, I plodded into the kitchen and saw that Iwan's mother had laid out a plate of golden peaches and a loaf of bread. She had placed each slice perfectly in its place and the sweetness of the fruit was even more exceptional because of it. I thought of her kindness and smiled. The bread that she regularly bought had easily become a favorite. I am quite sure that such marvelously aromatic loaves of breads do not exist in America and if money were not the issue, I would go back to Switzerland for just a tiny morsel. During breakfast I recalled everyone's hospitality and thought of things I wanted to do for them. Not that I needed to but it would be the way I could tangibly show that I cared about them. That subsequently lead me to think of the sadness that I and others will perhaps have to cope with when I fly back home.
After a bittersweet breakfast, I went online and chatted with Iwan about our plans for the day. We decided that I would take the train down to Bern and meet Flo and Janina and do something with them until Iwan could meet up with us. I packed my things and walked to the train station.
In Bern, Janina, Flo, and I walked along the Aare River and wandered into a zoo. Iwan had told me that this zoo was divided into a free and not so free zone. None of us wanted to pay so we did the best to entertain ourselves with the free things. It actually turned out to be an interesting afternoon. Flo told us stories of her childhood visits to this very zoo and which animals were her favorites. Janina on the other had learned the English word for 'Ibex.' I learned that beaver was biber in German and it sounded very similar to Justin Bieber. Perhaps there was a connection I thought. We marched up a few staircases and stumbled upon an area for the flamingoes. I was very fascinated by their strange legs.
We met Iwan half way back towards the apartment and stopped by the Marzili, Bern's public park area where people dive into the river, swim in the outdoor swimming pools and lay out sun-bathing. Nüssbu came and joined us there shortly. We laid out talking, jumping over each other, and laughing at the silly competitive games we created. It was a merry time. Then Iwan had the idea that we should take a dip in the swimming pool one last time. It did seem exciting except for the fact that it was rather cold and the wind had started blowing. No matter, we swam, dove, clenched our teeth, trembled and made new memories. And Iwan mastered his flips on the diving board.
Initially, I was going to cook dinner for everyone but that quickly was overruled when we all got very hungry very fast. Instead, we went to a Chinese take-out place. We enjoyed our food in downtown Bern in one of the open squares. I had a sense that it was going to be one of those evenings that you remember really well because everyone is in good spirits. We took pictures, horsed around, and conversed. We talked about the possibility of me moving to Switzerland and everyone else coming to visit America. The conversations blended well with the soft breeze of the evening. The windows of the shops and restaurants began to light up as though they were decorations for the celebration of old friendships and of new friendships being developed. It was a wonderful way to wrap up my trip to a country whose people were welcoming and accepting.
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