May 5th- Aggies:1, Jet lag: 0

-

 May 5th- Aggies: 1, Jet Lag: 0


After our long nine-hour flight to London, it was time for our last connecting flight to Geneva, Switzerland. When our flight landed at Heathrow, we were exhausted from the considerable time change; however, we had to move quickly to make the connecting flight. As we made our way to our terminal, we stretched thin on time, trying to arrive at our gate on time. Fortunately, we could all make it to our terminal as the last group boarded the plane. 


Once we made it on board, we could relax again, enjoying the fantastic views from the Switzerland skies. Most of us slept or tried to! Dehydrated, excited, and ready to get on the road, we made our way to baggage claim in hopes of finding ALL our luggage there… which we did!!


We all loaded up in a charter shuttle and took in the breathtaking views of the Switzerland countryside as we all began to doze off for naps. It wasn’t until long after that we finally reached our first destination — the Swiss Hotel Management School in Leysin, Switzerland.


Dr. Sullins and Hayley on the shuttle!


Around 2 p.m., we arrived at the Swiss Hotel Management School in Leysin! They kindly fed us what we were told would be a “sacked lunch” but were graciously welcomed with hamburgers, fries, fruits, soup, salad, and sweet dessert! The students and faculty have been so kind to us! They posted us on their Instagram immediately after our arrival (pictured below). Follow them @worldofhospitality_2023. We then each found our rooms and got to settle in for about thirty minutes. Some of us showered, brushed our teeth, ate snacks, washed our faces, or just pondered how they survive without AC here! Just kidding– opening our windows easily solved that! The views here are absolutely breathtaking. From our room alone, we have a clear view of the Swiss Alps. 


Shortly after, we all reconvened to meet with the SHMS students for a campus tour and then split into our different teams (decorations, logistics, entertainment, etc.) We helped in any way possible, making decorations, printing papers, or providing moral support. One of our students, Lexi Rivers (me!!), will be playing a piano piece in tomorrow’s event, so she attended their rehearsal. 



Katie trying a kiwi for the first time!



Mackenzie, Logan, and Emma enjoying dinner!


We finished the evening with dinner and helped the SHMS students with the final details. We’ve made many new friends, and it is only our first day!! We are so excited to volunteer tomorrow, and we are thankful for the famous Swiss hospitality already :) 



Until next time, 

Lexi & Logan

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

May 15th- Coming home!

-
Image
 The general sentiment when leaving Switzerland was sadness, though some excitement about being home again. We started our early morning with another hotel breakfast (cold meats and cheeses with bread, croissants, donuts, cereal, bacon, sausage, eggs, and rice). After packing we all took turns weighing our luggage and playing tetris with all our treasures to try to stay under the weight limit! Our original bus broke down coming to get us, but another was soon on its way! After checking in and going through security we went straight to our gate to leave for London. We said farewell to Emma and Sara, as they had different travel plans from us. Some slept, some read, some watched shows for the two hour flight. After going through immigration and security again, we had two hours to explore Heathrow…except for a few who forgot to remove some liquids and got held up at security for a bit! When it came time to go to our gate, the line was quite long and a few of us were asked to take wh...
Read more

May 9th- Castles and (Olympic) Champions!

-
Image
 Howdy! Dr. Sullins here! It has been such a blast getting to know all these students so much better throughout this trip, as we have shared snacks, life stories, and umbrellas in the rain. I'm so pleased that all the group is getting along so well and truly supportive of each other on this journey. Hearing the moments of revelation, learning, and reflection as they happen in this very new and different place remind me why I take the time and effort to arrange these kinds of experiences for students! This morning we got to enjoy a traditional European breakfast in the hotel (which we love!) with sliced dried meat, cheese, and bread, croissants (many of us with Nutella!), fruit, and some cereals. They did make some hot scrambled eggs to please the visitors as well. We loaded up on the bus with Bruno, who has been our bus driver from the start, and drove to Chillon Castle. Dr. Crompton in RPTS shared with me that he visited Chillon Castle on a school trip when they were studying Lor...
Read more

May 10th - Beyond the Swiss Borders

-
Image
  Originally, we were going to spend our Wednesday morning exploring Lausanne, but we had a change of plans! Our group decided to make the spontaneous decision to travel to France. We took the ferry to France and landed in Evian-les-Bains, France. As soon as we arrived in France, we walked around, bought some souvenirs, and got ourselves to lunch. Of how big the city was, we broke off into our small groups, where some ordered some of the best crepes and stopped at a local cafe shop selling sandwiches and pastries, which were also delicious since we were all hungry.  We also got to visit the famous Evian fountain, where you can bottle as much water as you want. However, we could only stay in France for so long, and by noon we took the ferry back to begin our scheduled journey through Switzerland. Our next stop was Geneva, where we got a bus upgrade for the drive. The drive was well spent, with most of us napping, resting up after an exciting morning in France. Arriving in Genev...
Read more