Goodbye Lausanne – with gratitude

Our year is over, we’re packed up and leave tomorrow for one last week of cycling through France before we head home. We feel tremendously blessed to have had this time in such a beautiful place and hope to carry a bit of the Swiss life back to California with us.

We have much to be grateful for – Nicholas, who made it possible for Doug to come and work here for a year; old friends Debbie, Marie-Odile and André, who have become like family to us, new friends made along the way, miles and miles of gorgeous cycling routes, and a wonderful house to live in with a garden and unbelievable views of the lake and French Alps.

I’ve had the good fortune to be able to do some volunteering while I was here in Lausanne – with Magasin du Monde, a fair-trade store in downtown Lausanne, and also with Mercy Ships, an organization that operates a hospital ship and provides free medical care around the world.   Both organizations rely heavily on volunteers and I’ve learned so much working for them.   I’ve seen how these organizations value, respect, and honor their volunteers, and invest in their development. 

Magasin du Monde at Place Ripone in Lausanne

Artisanal fair-trade items from around the world

 Mercy Ships headquarters in Lausanne - a 10 minute walk from our house

Mercy Ships in the winter

The view from Mercy Ships headquarters - Roveréaz

Mercy Ships event

I’ve so enjoyed watching the Swiss political process this past year.  I saw a funny TV commercial the other day that I thought summed up the social and political life here in Switzerland.  A man was at the cash register at a grocery store, and the store clerk, after looking over what he had on the counter, asked if he planned to serve the food and drink that he was purchasing in the same meal.  The line at the cash register was long, but no one seemed upset at the long conversation.  The clerk asked the folks in the line if they thought it was a good choice, a debate ensued, and someone suggested that they take a vote on the man’s choices.  A parody, yes,…but with a hint of truth to it.

So, with 365 days of our lives in Lausanne behind us, goodbye Lausanne, it’s been great and we will never forget you.  Thanks for everything…