Blog #4: Feel the Bern

After long consideration I have decided that it is only right for me to discuss my Swiss heritage, given today's date. Many of you may not know it but today is Swiss National Day- essentially Independence Day for Switzerland.

I have come to know, through your blog and discussion posts, that many of you have much closer and probably more interesting ties to where you and your families are from. But, being Swiss, even if I was not born there, is still very important to my identity. Even if it is just another way of saying that I'm white.

I'm actually half-Swiss, my Mom was born there, but I still get to have dual citizenship. My Mom grew up in Bern, the capital of the country, and almost all of my family lives in the surrounding area as a result. Bern is in what can be thought of as the "Swiss-German" quarter of the country. The other quarters, split along language and neighboring country lines, are French, Italian and Romansch. This means that the German I am learning in school is understood in Bern, but looked a bit down on as it is not in the Swiss dialect.

I have never been a big traveler, so I won't lie and say that I don't dread leaving and look forward to coming back home. But I will say that traveling to Bern is one of the few places I miss once I have left. Perhaps this is because I have been there so many times throughout my life that I am finally able to piece the old town together in my head. Or that I can identify where photos or artwork that we have throughout the house was and what we did there. Or maybe it is because I am finally old enough to connect with and remember family members that I haven't seen in years.

Some of my favorite memories involve dipping my feet in the Aare River (it is hotter there in the summer than in San Diego sometimes), feeding the bears carrots (the bear is the symbol of Bern, hence the name, so bears are featured in an enclosure on the bank of the river [I'm not usually one for enclosures myself but they have created a very large new one that even allows them to play in the river water, as opposed to the medieval "bear pit"]), having pizza in an outdoors with family, and just generally walking the old streets and seeing the architecture. No, it does not include fondue because whenever we are there it is usually 90 degrees.

So, on this Swiss National Day, my Mom and I are not going wild with fireworks or parties or what have you. But we are showing our appreciation with some decorations, a special meal, and greetings to our loved ones. Hopefully, in the short course of this class, I will get to learn more about who you all are and where you are from.

In the mean time, have a great weekend!

The Aare River with the old town across the bridge and the bear enclosure behind us.