On my way to the U.S.: Biel (12/4-6/1983)

P.S. I returned from India to Geneva, Switzerland.

(The journals pick up at the end of Sunday, December 4, 1983.)

I paid the bill of 26.70 CHF/$13 at Zia Carmela’s and we used the restroom. Super clean and with toilet paper available! The toilets even flushed!

We left to drive up to Evilard, to Fr Dr Jo D’s apartment where Marsha C is now staying. We had hot chocolate with marshmallows!

Marsha gave me a pillow she had cross-stitched with a nice long message. I gave her a pair of silver ankle bracelets and let her pick out a papier mâché bell. We also picked one out for Elisabeth J by closing our eyes! I also gave Marsha a can of diet Tab soda, which got her real excited!

Marsha showed me several gifts she had received, and gifts she was giving her family.

I was nice and warm under the duvet when I got into bed. In fact too warm, even though the apartment only has a heating oven in the hallway and space heaters in the bathroom and lavatory.

Monday, December 5, 1983

I heard Marsha C in the shower, but did not hear her leave for work. After breakfast and a bath, I put on my ski jacket and mittens and went outside. Once I got used to the inside of my nose freezing, I enjoyed the brisk cold temperature. I was looking for a garbage bin and found one down on the road behind the funicular station. I tossed in the Capitol Air bag with some clothes and the now filthy white sandals in it. I returned to the apartment and packed a box to send to myself in the U.S. Marsha came home at 11:15 and made lunch of a tuna casserole. Then Marsha called the hospital so that Frl M wouldn’t recognize my voice, so that I could talk to Elisabeth and we agreed to meet for lunch tomorrow. I got my stuff and Marsha drove me to Jan & Kirby’s. It was easy to say goodbye to Marsha this time, as we could say, “See you soon!” Jan was leaving for the dentist, but I talked a bit to Jan & Kirby and got letters from my mother and from Kent. I had already received one letter from Kent in the packet Marsha gave me yesterday.

I went downtown at 13:30 to mail the package to myself for 48 CHF/$24! I went to the bank to close my account and withdraw my remaining money. Then to pick up my skis, nicely edged and waxed, and the bindings set for 55 kilos/121 pounds. I took the skis to the train station to see if I could send them to Brussels. I could if I had a ticket. I had planned on getting a ticket to Höxter, Germany, and then from there to Brussels. The ticket lady couldn’t find Höxter at first. Then she couldn’t figure out how to get from there to Brussels. Finally she said she would do it later and I didn’t have to wait. She called the baggage people so that they would take my skis now. I had to remove the boots from the skis and thus had two packages to send. The baggage guy didn’t like that I put a U.S. address under domicile, but then it was okay when I put Brussels as the vacation destination. I paid 30 CHF/$15 for the service and got a receipt. After I left, I realized I didn’t know which station in Brussels the skis would end up. Oh, well. I returned to the Reisebüro/travel agency to ask for the ticket for tomorrow. It turns out there is no night train to Frankfurt, which I found hard to believe, and I would have to leave on a very early morning train the next day. I did some shopping, including finding clear photo corners for the Liens for 75 cents per 250 instead of the $2 per 250 I first saw. I bought 20 boxes. I got back to Jan & Kirby’s at 16:45 and unpacked my India souvenirs for them. Kirby came home and gave me supplies to package the photo corners for the Liens, and the chocolate and some clothes to send to myself. Jan came home after 18:00 and we sat down to a gourmet meal made by Kirby. I won’t pretend to know what anything was called or how it was made! We had tasty boneless chicken breasts, which Kirby said were dry, but were okay for me (non-discriminative palate!). We had sautéed zucchini slices and rice pilaf. Also a salad plate with marinated mushrooms, grated carrots, and avocado pieces with Nüssli salad. I have been eating really slow lately, probably because I am talking too much as people want to hear about India. We had lemon sherbet for dessert.

I gave Jan & Kirby a brass camel bell and a brass candle snuffer. But they were more excited with the papier mâché bell, and had such trouble choosing one that I gave them two. They were also excited about the Fig Newtons I brought them, even though they always seem to have a constant supply of Care packages coming from the U.S.! Jan & Kirby gave me a small gift and I was trying to figure out how to open it when they told me just to turn it over. You could see it through the plastic cover, a type of puzzle where you move the pieces by tilting and shaking the box. It was of a train. Neato! Kirby tried it out and we pretended to be able to read the Norwegian instructions. Jan and I went for a walk and she is still trying to make me feel more positive about myself. I can’t “argue” about it anymore, and just let her talk. She gave me my Zeugnis/letter of recommendation from Fr Dr B.

Tuesday, December 6, 1983

The plan, to be “fair,” had been to spend one night with Marsha and one night with Jan & Kirby, and now I was spending an extra night with Jan & Kirby. They were into the subterfuge of having everyone think I was leaving tonight. Kirby took me to the post office at 8:30, where I gritted my teeth and paid 60 and 7.40 CHF/$30 and $3.50 to mail the two packages. I tried to call Capitol Air to reconfirm my flight, but no answer. I went to the train station to pick up my ticket for 186 CHF/$93! I was left with 3 CHF/$1.50 in my purse! I changed 100 DEM to CHF. I returned to the Post Telefon & Telegraph/PTT to call Capitol Air to reconfirm, then I called Elke N to let her know when I was arriving. Was she asleep? I hope I am not imposing too much.

I went window shopping, and it took two seconds to get back into the Swiss mode. Only sometimes did I look right first instead of left when crossing a street! Or veered left instead of right when passing people walking the other way on the sidewalk. Got back to Jan & Kirby’s and re-read the letters from Kent, deciding to let Jan & Kirby read them.

I left again to meet Elisabeth at 12:15 at Mühlebrücke and we went to Pinocchio’s to eat. Elisabeth is one who has always listened to my complaints and been supportive, but I rarely heard any complaint from her! And it was nice to talk to her about India because since she had been there herself, she better understood what I went through. The negatives didn’t seem so negative, just factual. We had the fixed menu: Portuguese cream soup (tomato with rice), pork cutlets, creamed spinach and French fries. I had Henniez and she had coffee, and paid the 25 CHF/$12 bill. We talked until about 14:00 and walked back towards the hospital together. I returned to Jan & Kirby’s and tried to call Brigitte S. She wasn’t home and her father-in-law didn’t recognize who I was. Called Marsha to say goodbye. I foresee in the future that I will have more difficulties and not an easier time with human relationships (and I am not referring to Marsha). I think I have to learn to be brutally honest with myself first. Like my trip to India. Why do I tell all the negative things? Am I trying to sensationalize? Or did I really have a lousy time? I think I sat long hours stoically and patiently, and learned to accept the hassles of India, in order to remember the positive things. My mind is a jumble. I need a vacation!

Jan came home shortly after 18:00 and after talking a long time, she made a salad. Later we had marrone vermicelli/chestnut noodles and I whipped up the cream. We went to pick up Kirby from the Bergman School at 21:30 and talked until we said our goodbyes and went to bed. It wasn’t so bad the second time around, and I am glad I came back to Switzerland.