Zurich, Switzerland
July 2014

Coming to Switzerland I felt as if my blog would deteriorate. It felt as if no one talks to anyone. But I was wrong. This month has led to some interesting conversations. And it feels as if it is only the beginning.

On a Sunday I was waiting at the tram stop reading my book. For some reason this is a bad thing to do, listen to music or read a book because it seems to be more of an invitation for others to talk to you? Why. I have headphones in for a reason. A. Music is nice. B. I don't want to hear anyone else crying or screaming into their phone at 8 AM.

So a very lovely, drunk man comes to close to comfort speaking in Swiss German, until he naturally switches to English when we realize this communication is just not going to work. Its 11 AM, remember this as well. A Sunday. So he starts talking literature. How there is this one Swiss author to check out and a Mexican one.

He gets on the same tram, and says only one stop. But he is so into talking about the Latin American culture and scientology that he misses his stop. The whole time he is swaying back and forth in the tram. Drinking + tram = chaos.

He decides to get off at the next stop and so we continue this journey. He is very happy we talked books and we shake hands. He says he won't follow me he just has to go pee over there.

Zurich, Switzerland
2013

Around the tram station, I look out my window and see two men in Robin Hood costumes. Shoes, hat, tights and all. Green and brown. That same week or month, driving back when I stop for some pedestrians crossing. It doesn't click until after they have fully walked across, that these two guys are in robes, in the middle of winter, with some rain boots on.

Zurich, Switzerland
May 2013

Driving from the dry cleaners I believe, I look over to my right some guy is standing and waiting for the bus. He has a red clown nose, no big deal.

Zurich, Switzerland
May 2013

Got on the train, this is probably the time I rushed to catch the train and did not finish painting my nails. So I did them at the train station, outside, in the dark. There was one lamp post. When I got on the train I could not believe what I saw. Let's just say, Miriam never do this again. This is the second time I have painted my nails and it looks like a baby did them.

I sat down and across from me there was a couple. They were not making out, they were not reciting poetry to each other. The girl was combing her boyfriends' hair. He had such long, luscious blonde hair. You know those Romance books old ladies read? The cover always has some overly buff guy and he has long hair and is standing on some sort of cliff or boat and it is blowing and slightly wavy. Yes, that hair.

At first I thought it was kind of weird, but they were cute in a way as well, and he got very shiny hair because of her help.

Rome, Italy
June 2013

A good Samaritan. As I mentioned before, getting around the city was pretty simple for the most part, however things always come up, and sometimes you need a direction or help.

I got to one station and I placed my ticket in but it would not come out. I could not cross to the other side, and would have to buy another day ticket. Some lady noticed and called one of the Metro security over to help me. He tried but nothing happened and let me come to the other side. But I told him it was a day pass not a 100 minute ticket.

So then 2 people standing by saw, and passed over their ticket to try to push it through. Did not work, the other one took out a heavy duty xacto knife, because we all walk around with those in our bags, and it did the trick! They missed their first train unfortunatly, but were very, very kind people. Kind people still exist.

Rome to Zurich
June 2013

Taking the plane back home, was a bit tired from the day and just wanted to finish my book and relax on the short flight home. A man sat beside me but left a space in between and in that seat put his bags. Or man purse.

But at take-off he moved to the middle seat. And doesn't matter if you're reading a book, listening to music, picking your nose, people will still talk to you. So he begins by saying if I am from Switzerland and if I liked Rome.

Then on and on about his life, how he has been in Zurich for 3 years, how he likes it better. How old am I? Why am I not married? Why do I want to not live in Canada...

My book has like 3 pages left, come on!

And the best question for last, this is where the conversation stopped.

Do you like disco?

What??

Do you like to go to disco?

No.

Headphones in, Sean Paul till landing.

Rome
June 2013

I had just left the place I was staying at and headed for the Metro to go into the city/new place. I get there and see there gates are closed? Strange, head to the next one and realize the LED sign saying Strike! On just the line I need!

But no worries, bus is along the route. Luckily I realize I am on the right side of the road/direction. I get to the stop and ask a man about how to get to the city. He speaks on Italian so somehow we manage to understand each other. I really don't know how this always happens. I have learned a lot this year through hand signals and basic words...surprising how long these conversations can go.

So, when he tried to explain as much as he could he asked the other lady who was waiting at the stop if she spoke English. She said she spoke Spanish too, I told her the one Spanish line I know (ok there are more..) but this didn't help.

More people arrive, some don't bother to wait, one girl takes a taxi others just start walking towards the city.

So we waited..and waited..more people came..a lady..a lady with a baby..a guy talking on his phone nas trying to hitchhike after waiting..3 buses passed with deposito! I was ready to just grab a taxi. After waiting over an hour and 15-30 minutes a bus came! We all sighed with relief, I was ready to say Mamma Mia right here..and guess what. It is packed! Like a can of sardines!

But no way the lady and the man from the start we try to get close to the door. Then the man grabs me and the lady and people from behind start to push us in. But we are on the edge of the bus, the doors cannot close. There is a man telling the people in the back to move back more. We made it! The poor lady with her baby/carriage did not or the others.

I have not stood this close to people in public since 2002 after World Youth Day in Toronto. It was hot,  you could not even fall over because there was just no room to fall over and I had my bag. The people that were at the stop waiting for us we collected along the way! They had walked so far from the stop! There was also the smallest, cute lady ever.

There was also some ladies that began to fight with each other, one slapped the other one over the head. I just kept laughing because I had no idea what was going on, everyone was just yelling and talking. There was a lady who kept banging on the glass to come in and even the bus driver yelled back at her, there was just no room! There was an old man who started to talk to me. The man from the bus stop and I looked at each other, he knew I knew no Italian. But I kept replying, si, si back to this old man. After he realized I could not speak.

In the end I made it to the city. Ran off that bus and onto another bus, a bit packed but not as crazy. Did not pay for any bus fares and made it to my appointment, sweating like crazy in a leather jacket.