july 10, 2010. biel. 02:12

On Friday night after the concert, Iwan and I went our own way. He went back home and I stayed in Biel with Sara. Iwan was still writing his thesis and the longer he was away from it, the more anxious he would grow. Of course, it was partly my fault for coming to visit at such a busy time but he did his best to balance school work and to hang out with me. I would say he was quite generous with his time.

Thus, after our Lake Biel bike ride on Saturday, Iwan decided to come back to Biel and spend the night at Sara's. We would both go wakeboarding with Hoschi the following day. Sara surprisingly told me that Iwan rarely comes to stay the night. In fact, when he has lots going on in his life, spending the night at people's house apparently stresses him out. Perhaps what she said was true or perhaps he actually missed writing about his transgenic wheat and woodlice, but it really didn't matter. All I could think of was how grateful I was that he was coming. It made me think that he valued the time I would be in Switzerland.

We slept outside in Sara's backyard with some cushions we found lying around her house. It wasn't going to be the most comfortable of nights but a little bit of excitement kicked in knowing that opportunities like this don't come often in Los Angeles. We talked for a bit and Iwan clonked out. It took a while for me to fall asleep. The next morning, I was woken up by Iwan and he suggested that we go back inside the house. So, like zombies, we walked in and I immediately crashed out on the couch until it was time for us to leave at around noon. Today was going to be my first time for two things: swimming in a lake and wakeboarding. I have actually never jumped into a lake and there was definitely some adrenaline rush. At certain times though, I thought about how deep the lake was and that there were living creatures that in my imagination could pull me down into the depths. Then I would freak out and climb myself out of the water until I forgot about those ridiculous thoughts. Definitely ridiculous. Wakeboarding on the other hand was frustrating and extremely difficult. I couldn't get up from the water and my arms began to weaken after being pulled twenty times or so and having the handles ripped out of my hands. What made it worse was that the two wakeboarding pros, Iwan and Hoschi, propped up as if it were in their nature to do so. I was terribly jealous. Next time I said to myself, next time.

Mid-afternoon, we picked up Sara and Domi and Captain Hoschi took us out on a gnarly boat ride. The sun began to disappear behind a blanket of clouds and rain shortly followed. We had barely made it to the docks when it started to pour. Eventually we scrambled to the car and then went to town for some burgers. The burger joint was definitely eclectic americana but so well decorated that it reminded me of home. Food was satisfying and I felt fully content how the day had gone. Domi, Sara, and I also had good conversations throughout the weekend and I began to feel comfortable and accepted. Don was happy.

july 8-9, 2010. biel. 13:50

It seemed as though Iwan and I were missing a lot of trains. I'm sure if he were alone, he'd be prompt and ready to be on whatever train he needs to take. It was probably me who could not get myself together to leave on time. Could I blame my California-ness? Back home, we are always late to functions and everyone seems to be fine with it.

We had already missed the train that came around six so we ran to catch the one that came at a quarter after. We sadly missed that one too. There was another one at the half and nothing would prevent us from getting on that one. Such an ordeal it seemed for something as easy as taking a train. I could not help but feel bad that I was lagging. Nonetheless, we got on and were finally on our way to Sara's house, an old friend of Iwan's.

Sara and Iwan have been friends since high school. She is a midwife now and lives in a charming house with her sisters. This particular weekend, she invited Iwan and I for dinner and also suggested that I stay in Biel for the weekend. She would take me around the beautiful lake and show me the nitty-gritties of her town.

Iwan and I rushed over to her house only to find out that another friend, Jans, was already running late. Everything turned out ok. Domi, Sara's boyfriend and Pädu, another mutual high school friend, had already arrived and were waiting. Sara began to bring out the most delicious of breads, pasta salads, and couscous, which I absolutely favored over the meats that we were being grilled. She is an exquisite cook. Domi started the barbeque and I acquainted myself with Pädu. Jans arrived a bit later and we all enjoyed dinner out in the backyard.

The next morning, Sara and I had breakfast and then biked to the station to meet Hoschi, another friend of Iwan and Sara. We were going to ride around Lake Biel and hopefully better my swimming abilities. We began along the vineyards and Sara showed me her favorites waterfront houses. Along the way, there was a quaint village-town that we stopped at and Sara and I took pictures. We continued and after about an hour took a dip in the lake to cool off.

Back on the trail we went and rode until lunch time. There was a small post that served hamburgers and hotdogs and we decided we were all too hungry to wait for a better restaurant. We sat down, got our food, and then became spectators of a comical scene involving four senior citizens. There were docks near our table and the steerer decided that he would park the boat there. It seemed that they were going to get some drinks and relax before continuing their adventure. Unfortunately, they had no sense of balance and one of them fell straight into the water. We tried so hard not to laugh. The waiter came out to help but now they were all terrified of falling. When it was time for them to leave, they looked paranoid and frightened. It took them a very long time for all four of them to board.

Although Lake Biel is the smallest of three lakes in this area called the Seeland, it is still very large and significant. The waters in Switzerland are also pristine - one can drink from just about any body of water and not run the risk of dying. It was in this lake that my right foot was sliced by the sharp rocks near the shore. I left a bit of genetic material in that lake. The bike ride took us about six hours and it was one of the nicest experiences I had. Moreover, on the side opposite of the vineyards are cherry farms. And as we neared the end of the Lake Biel tour, we purchased a bunch of cherries and enjoyed them as we rode towards the city.