My New Life in Lugano, Switzerland

The entrance to my college. Not a bad view.
Lakeside walk. This road runs close to my apartment...

Hello everyone!!

I'm here in Europe, finally with a good power source and I can now run my computer. I've been searching high and low for regular adapters, not converters, for my computer, and no place seems to have them, or they're sold out. Finally this morning I was able to get a computer cable that plugs from my laptop into the wall and everything is working out just fine, finally! It's a relief to be connected with the world once again.

I arrived safe and sound after quite a long flight. I'm in the "Florida" residences, quite far from campus, but in fact closer to downtown and closer than anyone else to the nearest grocery store, so there are perks to living here! From here we have quite a hike to campus, literally. To get from my house to the Main Campus takes 20 min, all uphill, 15 to return home. Lugano is full of hills and step grades, but the cars are small and so are the roads. Not really looking forward to the cold winters, in regards to all the walking around us students get to do.

We have had a long orientation, the school is at 440 students this year and about 180 of those are new students. We have not only learned about all the services the school offers, but had a chance to explore the downtown area (which is your stereotypical quaint European tourist village, with small balconies with shuttered doors with window planter boxes) as well as some of the neighboring cities and valleys. On Sunday I climbed with a group up San Salvatore, the nearest mountain with the most breathtaking views. It was the most arduous climb for me to date, but the views from the top were worth it. I thought it was interesting that at the very top the best place to view the cities were from the roof of an old church. There is a funicular that runs from the base to the summit, but us students, being hardcore and awesome trudged up the mountain for two hours. I was definitely sore afterwords, but I feel like this will be my means of getting good exercise.

Today we went to Valle Verzasce, a two hour bus ride up north. Here, we stopped and ate lunch by the river which happens to be a glacial run off, so the water is crystal clear, tasty, and freezing. We climbed up to a beautiful waterfall where many of the students decided to go for a chilly swim. Not I. I waited until our last location, the big rock, to have my first chance at testing the frigid waters.
There is a bridge that you have to cross to get closest to the river, about 4 stories high, off which some people were jumping. Franklin students unfortunately were not allowed to jump from this height, it is quite dangerous. A local had a get at jumping from the bridge, doing a triple somersault before landing on his face, later getting a bloody nose.

I wanted to jump off the rock like many of the other students were doing. It looked pretty damn intimidating, the rock lied about 2 stories above the river and everyone was saying how chilly the water was. All my friends had already gone, so I forced myself to get up the nerve and give it a shot.
Being up top that rock put me in a both position of sheer terror, not only of the fall but of the cold water below, and that of me wanting to face my fears. I saluted my friends and peers, ready to jump, and froze. I just stood looking down at the water, so far below, so blue and uninviting. People started shouting "just do it! Go for it, jump!" So I did. When I landed, I opened my eyes underwater, purely out of bodily shock, the water cut my skin like ice. I surfaced and could barely breathe, perhaps amidst the dive I swallowed a bit of water. I swam over to the rock as quickly as I could and climbed back to my towel, feeling a sense of pride in myself for facing my fears, that I would carry that experience with me forever and thinking "thank god I'll never have to do THAT again!"

It's been good here. The town is becoming more and more familiar and having a new roomate makes getting aquainted a little easier.
I have to say I did suffer a bit of homesickness the first few days. I was without bedding, my converters didn't work, meaning my computer, iPod, and phone were all dead. But my little "cave" as I call it on the first floor of Florida residence is beginning to feel a little more comfordable, a little more like a home I might really enjoy. We will see what the new semester brings tomorrow.
I am majoring in Environmental Studies. I was originally looking into the International Relations major, but it included too much Econ for me to like it! Enviro studies is of interest to me becuase it encompasses Biology, Conservation Ecology, Energy Politics, and a little bit of Economics. Most of my classes are falling on Monday, Wed, and Friday, with one class being on Tues/Thurs, which means I don't have much of a weekend to take trips around Europe. I am taking a Computing class, Intermediate Italian, International Political Economy, Conservation Biology, Intro to Physical Geography, and my academic travel this semester will be in Sicily, Italy for two weeks in October.

So that's my life thus far!!! So much has happened in the first week, it's crazy for me to think about it. I'm finally adjusted to the time change here as well, that's a relief!
Here are some pics to be jealous of!!! Love, Lydia