From broy@dplanet.ch Wed Nov 5 19:51:38 2003
From: broy@dplanet.ch (Barbara Roy)
Date: Wed, 05 Nov 2003 20:51:38 +0100
Subject: [Culturechat] A Swiss Nun Story
Message-ID: <3FA954CA.6050300@dplanet.ch>
Last Saturday, I went to a full day English
teachers workshop in Zürich. It was a long day but well worth it.
When I arrived back in Sachseln, on the train, around 7 PM, I noticed a
very young looking nun, dressed in a full habit, disembarking with a medium
sized suitcase on rollers. I had my car at the station so walked the short
distance to where it was parked. As I pulled away from the station, I saw
the sister again looking quite lost. So I rolled down the window on the
passenger side and asked her, in my all too imperfect German, if I could help
her or give her a ride. She said some other sisters were
supposed to meet her train but didn't show up. I am not accustomed
to offering rides to "strangers," but it seemed like the most natural thing
to do in this situation.
I must look very honest because she very quickly put her suitcase
in the back seat, got into the car and said she was going to Flüehli-Ranft,
the birthplace of Switzerland's patron saint, Bruder Klaus. It turns out
she had traveled that day from her Sisters of the Holy Cross house in Innsbruck
Austria, planned to spend the night at their convent in Flüehli,
and head out the next morning, by car with some other sisters to go to Fatima
Portugal for a week. I could understand enough of her German to "feel"
her excitement about the trip. Having been educated in Catholic schools,
I remembered having heard the stories of Fatima, where in 1918 ,the Blessed
Mother is said to have appeared 6 times to a group of school children.
We drove the short 10 minute ride "chatting" about the miracle at Fatima
and how, after all these years, the world has still not achieved peace.
It was unclear if she knew any English, since we only spoke in German. This
young woman, who couldn't have been more than about 22, was truly beautiful,
both inside and out.
When we arrived at the convent, I got the biggest smile and thank you
imaginable. She shook my hand, thanked me and, in perfect English, said
"God Bless You. I will say a prayer for you at Fatima."
I have felt blessed ever since and am glad to have had this encounter.
It was just one of those special moments, never to be repeated. Sadly however,
I don't even know her name.
From rwm1029@chartertn.net Wed Nov 5 21:56:28 2003
From: rwm1029@chartertn.net (Robert W. Miller)
Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2003 16:56:28 -0500
Subject: [Culturechat] Subscribe
Message-ID: <002d01c3a3e7$ad805ef0$0ff69718@NEWPC>
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Please add my address to the subscription list. rwm1029@chartertn.net. =
Thanks.
Bob Miller
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charset="iso-8859-1"
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Please add my address to the =
subscription=20
list. rwm1029@chartertn.net. =20
Thanks.
Bob Miller
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From jclancy@billtrak.com Wed Nov 5 22:51:05 2003
From: jclancy@billtrak.com (Gerald J. Clancy, Jr.)
Date: Wed, 05 Nov 2003 17:51:05 -0500
Subject: [Culturechat] A Swiss Nun Story
In-Reply-To: <3FA954CA.6050300@dplanet.ch>
Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20031105173434.020268e0@mail.njd.xo.com>
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Barbara,
Good for you. You must have been a Girl Scout. It is just this kind of=20
serendipity that makes for great stories on travels. One of the Fatima=20
girls is still alive, I believe, now a nun and there is some controversy=20
(maybe too strong) regarding whether or not Pope John Paul was the subject=
=20
of one of the visions (more specifically, his shooting in the '80s, as I=20
remember).
You story reminds me of the two times (at least) that I picked up=20
hitchhikers in Europe. I did this once in Madrid where the U. of Madrid=20
student I picked up on his way home personally gave me a tour of Franco's=20
tomb in the mountain (Escorial). Since I spoke no Spanish we conversed in a=
=20
limited pidgeon French. As a reward for his kindness I just drove him to=20
his home.
On another occasion I had just driven off the ferry at Halsingborg, Sweden=
=20
(from Denmark) at a time when they still drove on the "wrong" side of the=20
street. After grabbing coffee to steel my nerves for the upcoming overnight=
=20
drive to Stockholm, I stopped for a hitchhiker on the way out of town. As=20
he approached the car I told him, "Get in. You're driving."
No Swedish, so again that pidgeon French. Handy language.
The next year Sweden was to switch over to the European side of the street=
=20
(vs. the British Isles) and the running joke at the time was that the first=
=20
year they were going to test it by just having the lorries (trucks) switch.
Jerry
At 02:51 PM 11/5/2003, Barbara Roy wrote:
> Last Saturday, I went to a full day English teachers workshop in=20
> Z=FCrich. It was a long day but well worth it. When I arrived back in=20
> Sachseln, on the train, around 7 PM, I noticed a very young looking nun,=
=20
> dressed in a full habit, disembarking with a medium sized suitcase on=20
> rollers. I had my car at the station so walked the short distance to=20
> where it was parked. As I pulled away from the station, I saw the sister=
=20
> again looking quite lost. So I rolled down the window on the passenger=
=20
> side and asked her, in my all too imperfect German, if I could help her=20
> or give her a ride. She said some other sisters were supposed to meet=20
> her train but didn't show up. I am not accustomed to offering rides to=20
> "strangers," but it seemed like the most natural thing to do in this=20
> situation.
> I must look very honest because she very quickly put her suitcase in=
=20
> the back seat, got into the car and said she was going to Fl=FCehli-Ranft,=
=20
> the birthplace of Switzerland's patron saint, Bruder Klaus. It turns out=
=20
> she had traveled that day from her Sisters of the Holy Cross house in=20
> Innsbruck Austria, planned to spend the night at their convent in=20
> Fl=FCehli, and head out the next morning, by car with some other sisters=
to=20
> go to Fatima Portugal for a week. I could understand enough of her=20
> German to "feel" her excitement about the trip. Having been educated in=
=20
> Catholic schools, I remembered having heard the stories of Fatima, where=
=20
> in 1918 ,the Blessed Mother is said to have appeared 6 times to a group=20
> of school children.
> We drove the short 10 minute ride "chatting" about the miracle at=20
> Fatima and how, after all these years, the world has still not achieved=20
> peace. It was unclear if she knew any English, since we only spoke in=20
> German. This young woman, who couldn't have been more than about 22, was=
=20
> truly beautiful, both inside and out.
> When we arrived at the convent, I got the biggest smile and thank you=
=20
> imaginable. She shook my hand, thanked me and, in perfect English, said=
=20
> "God Bless You. I will say a prayer for you at Fatima."
> I have felt blessed ever since and am glad to have had this=20
> encounter. It was just one of those special moments, never to be=20
> repeated. Sadly however, I don't even know her name.
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Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Barbara,
Good for you. You must have been a Girl Scout. It is just this kind of
serendipity that makes for great stories on travels. One of the Fatima
girls is still alive, I believe, now a nun and there is some controversy
(maybe too strong) regarding whether or not Pope John Paul was the
subject of one of the visions (more specifically, his shooting in the
'80s, as I remember).
You story reminds me of the two times (at least) that I picked up
hitchhikers in Europe. I did this once in Madrid where the U. of Madrid
student I picked up on his way home personally gave me a tour of Franco's
tomb in the mountain (Escorial). Since I spoke no Spanish we conversed in
a limited pidgeon French. As a reward for his kindness I just drove him
to his home.
On another occasion I had just driven off the ferry at Halsingborg,
Sweden (from Denmark) at a time when they still drove on the
"wrong" side of the street. After grabbing coffee to steel my
nerves for the upcoming overnight drive to Stockholm, I stopped for a
hitchhiker on the way out of town. As he approached the car I told him,
"Get in. You're driving."
No Swedish, so again that pidgeon French. Handy language.
The next year Sweden was to switch over to the European side of the
street (vs. the British Isles) and the running joke at the time was that
the first year they were going to test it by just having the lorries
(trucks) switch.
Jerry
At 02:51 PM 11/5/2003, Barbara Roy wrote:
&=
nbsp;
Last Saturday, I went to a full day English teachers workshop in
Z=FCrich. It was a long day but well worth it. When I arrived back in
Sachseln, on the train, around 7 PM, I noticed a very young looking
nun, dressed in a full habit, disembarking with a medium sized suitcase
on rollers. I had my car at the station so walked the short
distance to where it was parked. As I pulled away from the station,
I saw the sister again looking quite lost. So I rolled down the
window on the passenger side and asked her, in my all too imperfect
German, if I could help her or give her a ride. She
said some other sisters were supposed to meet her train but didn't show
up. I am not accustomed to offering rides to
"strangers," but it seemed like the most natural thing to do in
this situation.
I must look very honest because she very
quickly put her suitcase in the back seat, got into the car and said she
was going to Fl=FCehli-Ranft, the birthplace of Switzerland's patron saint,
Bruder Klaus. It turns out she had traveled that day from her
Sisters of the Holy Cross house in Innsbruck Austria,
planned to spend the night at their convent in Fl=FCehli, and
head out the next morning, by car with some other sisters to go to Fatima
Portugal for a week. I could understand enough of her German
to "feel" her excitement about the trip. Having
been educated in Catholic schools, I remembered having heard the stories
of Fatima, where in 1918 ,the Blessed Mother is said to have
appeared 6 times to a group of school children.
We drove the short 10 minute ride "chatting"
about the miracle at Fatima and how, after all these years, the world has
still not achieved peace. It was unclear if she knew any English,
since we only spoke in German. This young woman, who couldn't have
been more than about 22, was truly beautiful, both inside and out.
When we arrived at the convent, I got the biggest
smile and thank you imaginable. She shook my hand, thanked me and,
in perfect English, said "God Bless You. I will say a prayer
for you at Fatima."
I have felt blessed ever since and am glad to have had
this encounter. It was just one of those special moments,
never to be repeated. Sadly however, I don't even know her
name.
--=====================_24423829==_.ALT--
From pandjking@chartermi.net Thu Nov 6 00:03:13 2003
From: pandjking@chartermi.net (Phil and Jane King)
Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2003 19:03:13 -0500
Subject: [Culturechat] Good deeds
Message-ID: <008601c3a3f9$5fec1f00$7361f718@gha.chartermi.net>
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I loved Barbara Roy's story of the nun and Jerry Clancy's about the =
hitchhikers--can't resist adding my own.
We've all heard the stories about how rude the French (particularly =
Parisians) are. Personally, I've never found it to be true; our trip to =
Provence and Paris in September/October provided an incident to =
reinforce my beliefs.
I became ill in Provence and was recovering when we went on to =
Paris, but was not yet 100%. On our way to visit the Cluny Museum, I =
suddenly became dizzy on exiting the Cluny m=E9tro station and sat down =
in the corner of the top step to regroup. A woman walking down the =
street approached and asked if I were ill and needed help. I assured =
her that I would be all right in a few moments, and she went on her way.
After a minute or two, it became apparent that I wasn't going to be =
all right "in a few moments" and that, in fact, I was becoming more ill. =
My husband was looking around us frantically for someplace with a =
restroom, when the same woman reappeared. "I knew you needed help," she =
said. "My apartment is just across the street; please come up and rest =
until you are feeling better." I hesitated, feeling awkward about =
imposing. She went on, "I'm not a gangster; I'm a writer. You will be =
safe, and more comfortable there." At that point, a refusal would have =
seemed very untrusting, and besides, I really needed to get off the =
street. So we went to her apartment.
She showed me directly to her bathroom, handed me towels and a gant =
de toilette, and invited me to use her shower if I thought that would =
make me more comfortable. When I came out, she and my husband were =
chatting (he speaks no French, but it turned out she spoke some English) =
and she had poured me a glass of Coke, which seems to be the French =
remedy of choice for any kind of digestive upset. She offered to fix me =
an omelet, suggested that I might like a nap in her daughter's bed, and =
(after consulting a textbook) pressed an assortment of homeopathic =
remedies on me.
We declined the omelet and the nap, accepted the Coke and the =
remedies, and went on our way after about 40 minutes. As we were =
leaving, she handed me a slip of paper with her address and phone =
number, asking us to call her if we needed anything further.
So much for the stereotype of the rude, American-hating French! =20
Jane
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I loved Barbara Roy's story of =
the nun and=20
Jerry Clancy's about the hitchhikers--can't resist adding my =
own.
We've all heard the stories about =
how rude=20
the French (particularly Parisians) are. Personally, I've never =
found it=20
to be true; our trip to Provence and Paris in September/October provided =
an=20
incident to reinforce my beliefs.
I became ill in Provence and was =
recovering=20
when we went on to Paris, but was not yet 100%. On our way to =
visit the=20
Cluny Museum, I suddenly became dizzy on exiting the Cluny m=E9tro =
station and sat=20
down in the corner of the top step to regroup. A woman walking =
down the=20
street approached and asked if I were ill and needed help. I =
assured her=20
that I would be all right in a few moments, and she went on her=20
way.
After a minute or two, it became =
apparent=20
that I wasn't going to be all right "in a few moments" and that, in =
fact, I was=20
becoming more ill. My husband was looking around us frantically =
for=20
someplace with a restroom, when the same woman reappeared. "I knew =
you=20
needed help," she said. "My apartment is just across the street; =
please=20
come up and rest until you are feeling better." I hesitated, =
feeling=20
awkward about imposing. She went on, "I'm not a gangster; I'm a=20
writer. You will be safe, and more comfortable there." =
At that=20
point, a refusal would have seemed very untrusting, and besides, I =
really needed=20
to get off the street. So we went to her apartment.
She showed me directly to her =
bathroom,=20
handed me towels and a gant de toilette, and invited me to use her =
shower if I=20
thought that would make me more comfortable. When I came out, she =
and my=20
husband were chatting (he speaks no French, but it turned out she spoke =
some=20
English) and she had poured me a glass of Coke, which seems to be the =
French=20
remedy of choice for any kind of digestive upset. She offered to =
fix me an=20
omelet, suggested that I might like a nap in her daughter's bed, and =
(after=20
consulting a textbook) pressed an assortment of homeopathic remedies on=20
me.
We declined the omelet and the =
nap,=20
accepted the Coke and the remedies, and went on our way after about 40=20
minutes. As we were leaving, she handed me a slip of paper with =
her=20
address and phone number, asking us to call her if we needed anything=20
further.
So much for the stereotype of the =
rude,=20
American-hating French!
Jane
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From borissojka@adelphia.net Thu Nov 6 00:23:27 2003
From: borissojka@adelphia.net (Boris Sojka)
Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2003 16:23:27 -0800
Subject: [Culturechat] CULTURECHAT
Message-ID: <004301c3a3fc$331c61d0$6601a8c0@BORIS>
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I believe that I'm already on the mailing list.
borissojka@adelphia.net
If not, please add me.
Boris
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I believe that I'm already on the =
mailing=20
list.
If not, please add me.
Boris
------=_NextPart_000_0040_01C3A3B9.249E7EB0--
From gigli.saw@dplanet.ch Sat Nov 8 00:37:12 2003
From: gigli.saw@dplanet.ch (Vance Roy)
Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2003 16:37:12 -0800
Subject: [Culturechat] Herr Britschgi
Message-ID:
Herr Britschgi
I have lived in Switzerland ten years now. For about half that time, I
have been meeting quasi-weekly with a man named Gerhard Britschgi. Our
original meeting came about because my eye caught a want ad in English
in a local weekly paper. It said that someone wished to meet with an
English speaker once a week for an hour or so of conversation. Since I
was then going to German classes weekly, I hoped to meet someone for
conversation in German. I called the number, and a man answered that
spoke fairly good English. It was Gerhard (later to become Geri, as we
became first name friends). He said that he was sorry, but someone had
just called, and he thought they would speak together. He did ask me if
he could call me back if this arrangement did not work out well. I said
that would be fine, hung up, and thought no more about it. About a
month or so later, he did call back. We set up a time to meet, and thus
began a most enriching experience for us both.
Gerhard Britschgi was about forty-eight years old then. He was, and is,
the head of vocational counseling for the education department for the
Kanton (County and its towns) of Obwalden. He has a wife and three
daughters and originally grew up in this area but now has his home near
Zurich. His mother still lives here, so he boards with her during the
week. He was originally educator as a teacher and taught for some
years. His wife is also a teacher, and they have three college age
daughters. All three of the daughters have spent at least a year in the
USA and are fluent in English. I think the teacher in Geri couldn’t
stand his daughters speaking English better than he did, so he wanted
to improve what was already very acceptable command of the language.
Geri’s office is about five minutes from where I live, so almost weekly
during the year, we meet there at eight o’clock in the morning for an
hour plus of picking each other’s brains. Geri wanted to pay me for
these visits at first, but I suggested that we just speak English on
one visit and German the next. This is how it has worked out. I teach
Geri mostly English idioms and slang, and he listens graciously to my
imperfect German, making suggestions as to how I can improve. We don’t
do much grammar, but we do talk a lot.
Geri is in some ways a quintessential Swiss, and in some ways very
“unSwiss”. As our friendship has developed, he has become more and more
open with me about everything. The Swiss, as a rule, tend to stay out
of each other’s business. They give themselves and foreigners some
space. They have been called aloof for this reason. This is a
misconception of which I was already aware, but Geri proves the point.
He and his family are warm and genuinely nice people. He laughs about
being at the mercy of a house full of women, but he does hold his own.
He is an alpinist. An alpinist is one of those people who climb
mountains, glaciers, and frozen waterfalls the year round. He is now
fifty-three, and he has the body of a thirty-year-old athlete. His idea
of weekend fun is to ski on a glacier with some friends. I enjoy
hearing about his exploits, and his knowledge of the Alps has led me to
some great hikes over the years. He knows every nook and cranny of this
country.
We now enjoy each other’s company with our common friends, have parties
together, and wonders of all wonders, he, a Swiss, has shared details
of his life such as how much he earns and his daughters’ college
expenses. This just is not done even Swiss to Swiss, so I feel like a
confidant.
In future months, I will use his knowledge as the basis for other
articles.
Vance Roy
gigli.saw@dplanet.ch
http://homepage.mac.com/fredch
“Never under estimate the ingenuity of the stupid.”
Anon.
From ShutterbugBill@att.net Sat Nov 8 00:55:38 2003
From: ShutterbugBill@att.net (Bill Kover)
Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2003 19:55:38 -0500
Subject: [Culturechat] Fond memory of the Heartland - Old friends and new friends
Message-ID: <000f01c3a593$06d7fe20$30a9590c@billandel>
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It was a cold overcast Sunday. In two days we would be returning home. =
Luzern seemed like a good place to spend the day. It would be good to =
take one last stroll around this beautiful city, and enjoy a nice fondue =
in a cozy restaurant. Unfortunately, we found out that most restaurants =
were closed. Things did not look good. The first open restaurant we =
could find was the Goldener Lowen, a distinctly touristy establishment. =
Naturally it was crowded. It seemed like half the place was occupied by =
Americans. There wasn't an open table to be found. The waitress seemed =
frazzled, cranky, and was determined to ignore us. Then, just as our =
morale was at its lowest, the numerous Americans turned out to be a one =
big family who graciously rearranged their seating so that we could have =
a table for our meal. We thanked them for their kindness. As we were =
reviewing the menu, the other end of our table became free. That is =
when we noticed a man and two women standing at the entrance looking for =
a place to sit down. We motioned for them to share our table. There in =
the middle of a touristy restaurant on a cold cloudy day, we got the =
moment we were looking for. The three some consisted of a married =
couple from Annapolis, Maryland, and a Swiss lady from Rotkreuz. The =
two women had gone to school together in Switzerland when they were =
young. They hadn't seen each other in over 25 years. We became part of =
their reunion. We had our cheese fondue, followed by chocolate fondue =
for dessert. The shared reunion lasted for 2 1/2 hours. We had never =
met these three people before. The only thing we had in common was the =
table we were sitting at. But for at least 2 1/2 hours we felt like we =
were with best friends. I think the happiness was contagious. Even our =
attempts to speak to the waitress in German had a positive effect on her =
disposition. All in all, the day turned out to be a pretty heart =
warming one. The next time we're blessed with a cold cloudy day in a =
country far from home, we will again go searching for that special =
moment that all real travellers look for.=20
Bill Kover
Piscataway, New Jersey
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It was a cold =
overcast Sunday. In two=20
days we would be returning home. Luzern seemed like a good place =
to spend=20
the day. It would be good to take one last stroll around =
this=20
beautiful city, and enjoy a nice fondue in a cozy restaurant. =20
Unfortunately, we found out that most restaurants were =
closed. Things=20
did not look good. The first open restaurant we could find =
was the=20
Goldener Lowen, a distinctly touristy establishment. Naturally it =
was=20
crowded. It seemed like half the place was occupied by =
Americans. =20
There wasn't an open table to be found. The waitress seemed =
frazzled,=20
cranky, and was determined to ignore us. Then, just as our =
morale was=20
at its lowest, the numerous Americans turned out to be a one big =
family who=20
graciously rearranged their seating so that we could have a table for =
our=20
meal. We thanked them for their kindness. =
As we=20
were reviewing the menu, the other end of our table became free. =
That is=20
when we noticed a man and two women standing at the entrance looking for =
a place=20
to sit down. We motioned for them to share our table. There =
in the=20
middle of a touristy restaurant on a cold cloudy day, we got the =
moment we=20
were looking for. The three some consisted of a married couple =
from=20
Annapolis, Maryland, and a Swiss lady from Rotkreuz. The two =
women=20
had gone to school together in Switzerland when they were young. =
They=20
hadn't seen each other in over 25 years. We became part of=20
their reunion. We had our cheese fondue,=20
followed by chocolate fondue for dessert. The shared =
reunion=20
lasted for 2 1/2 hours. We had never met these three people =
before. =20
The only thing we had in common was the table we were sitting at. =
But for=20
at least 2 1/2 hours we felt like we were with best friends. I =
think the=20
happiness was contagious. Even our attempts to speak to the =
waitress in=20
German had a positive effect on her disposition. All in =
all, the=20
day turned out to be a pretty heart warming one. The next =
time we're=20
blessed with a cold cloudy day in a country far from home, we will again =
go=20
searching for that special moment that all real travellers look for.=20
Bill Kover
Piscataway, New=20
Jersey
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From gigli.saw@dplanet.ch Mon Nov 10 22:33:03 2003
From: gigli.saw@dplanet.ch (Vance Roy)
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2003 14:33:03 -0800
Subject: [Culturechat] Higher education costs in CH
Message-ID:
As I have mentioned before, Herr Britschgi entrusts me with some of his
personal details that most Swiss would not. When we had a recent
discussion about what a higher education in CH costs, he brought me his
two daughters' most recent tuition bills from the Federal Institute Of
Technology in Zurich. This school is the equivalent of MIT in the USA
and is one of two such institutions in CH, the other being in Lausanne.
Graduates from these schools are in demand over the entire world.
Although there are other choices, these are the top two places of
higher learning in CH. One Britschgi daughter has just finished a
degree in mathematics (with an exam score of 5.6 out of a 6.0 perfect
possible) and the other daughter is in molecular chemistry.
The bill for each is detailed, but the total for their semiannual cost
is 627.00 CHF or 1254.00 CHF per daughter per year. This is about
915.00 US$ in today's exchange. The actual tuition is 1100.00 CHF per
year per daughter. The remainder is for other incidentals, such as
obligatory fees, etc. Naturally, the chemistry student has more costs
for labs, equipment, etc. than a mathematics student has, but the total
for each remains the same. These figures will come as a shock to anyone
who has researched college or university costs in the USA. 915.00 US$
won't get you much but a smile at any school in the USA.
OK, so how does this come to be? Of course, the answer is subsidies.
The kanton that is the home of a student is assessed for university
costs, so in reality, all taxpayers foot some of the bill. For instance
in Kanton Obwalden, the average cost per student is 23,000.00 CHF per
year. In addition, the kanton in which the university is located
(Zurich in this case) is assessed some money. This seems fair since
that kanton receives economic and prestige benefits for having the
school located within it.
The Britschgi daughters live at home. If a student lives too far away
to commute, then there are other costs. We have friends whose son just
began at the Federal Institute and lives in Zurich. It costs about
800.00 CHF rent per month for him to live in an apartment with two
other students. If one considers the cost of a student in regards to
books, spending money, insurance, transport, food, etc. The costs to a
parent reaches about 1000.00 CHF per month exclusive of the subsidy but
including the year's tuition owed by the parents. Add to that the fact
that a student is required to pay social security unless he or she
makes 15,000.00 CHF per year (402.00 CHF per daughter in this case),
and the figure rises. Stipends, or what would be called scholarships in
the USA, are available to some with varying degrees of pay back.
12,000.00 CHF (8760.00 US$) per year isn't chicken feed, but compared
to what it cost me 12 years ago to put a student through four years of
Cornell's Hotel Administration School, it looks pretty darn good. I
don't want to even think about what that costs today for the same
education.
Vance Roy
gigli.saw@dplanet.ch
http://homepage.mac.com/fredch
“Never under estimate the ingenuity of the stupid.”
Anon.
From broy@dplanet.ch Tue Nov 18 09:43:19 2003
From: broy@dplanet.ch (Barbara Roy)
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 2003 10:43:19 +0100
Subject: [Culturechat] Nun Story Follow-Up
Message-ID: <3FB9E9B7.20207@dplanet.ch>
I finally know Sister's name !! I was thrilled to get this e-mail last
evening from the Austrian nun whom I recently gave a ride. I wrote about
the experience on Culture Chat. No wonder I still feel "blessed." As you
can see, she prayed for me.
Good evening Mrs. Roy! Today I want to thank you again, and I try
to write you in English. Please forgive me my mistakes. It's a long time ago,
that I' ve written in English. Sometimes I read a book, and I could understand
mostly in the context, but talking is difficult, because I can 't find the
right words so quickly.
O.K. I told you, that I 'll make a pilgrimige (?) in german "Wallfahrt"
to Lourdes (France) and to Fatima. There I 've lightened a candle for you
and I ' ve prayed in your intentions. I 'm shure, that it was directed (?)
(geführt) from Heaven, that you came just, when I need a car to carry me in
my monastery. Later, we found out, that there were many missunderstandings,
that the sister haven' t met me at the station.
The pilgrimage was very beautiful and graceful. The weather was
fine, and we saw a lot of the country, it ' s history......
Now I ' ll finish for today. It's evening, and I' m tired. My working
day was long. I'm working in an Old-Peoples-Home (Altenheim).
I wish you God' s and Our Lady's blessing. Sr. ---------------------------
Suora -It's italian and means "nun". Good night.
From gigli.saw@dplanet.ch Tue Nov 18 18:58:24 2003
From: gigli.saw@dplanet.ch (Vance Roy)
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 2003 19:58:24 +0100
Subject: [Culturechat] A nice thought
Message-ID: <2F929F91-19F9-11D8-95D0-0003936A3F2E@dplanet.ch>
This is an obituary from today's Luzern paper. I thought it beautiful.
The lady was only fifty-one. I wish I had met her. It was written by
her or her husband, I think. It translates from the German quite nicely.
> I would like to be as a Magnolia tree blooming each Spring
>
> I would like to be as a Nightingale with a sweet voice
>
> Or, a mountain wrapped in the warm sun, washed clean by the rain, and
> finally to live a hundred years on its peak
>
> NO, not me!
>
> I don't want to be a magnolia tree, not a Nightingale, and also not
> even a mountain
>
> I want to be me
> I am me
> I remain me, only for you.
Vance Roy
gigli.saw@dplanet.ch
http://homepage.mac.com/fredch
“Never under estimate the ingenuity of the stupid.”
Anon.
From gigli.saw@dplanet.ch Fri Nov 21 15:36:47 2003
From: gigli.saw@dplanet.ch (Vance Roy)
Date: Fri, 21 Nov 2003 16:36:47 +0100
Subject: [Culturechat] CH Salaries
Message-ID: <84583F72-1C38-11D8-A27F-0003936A3F2E@dplanet.ch>
Some Idyllers who visit CH are impressed with the living standards here
and want to know more about what people earn. This isn't always easy to
find out since the Swiss don't divulge these things as a rule.
Here is what I have gleaned from a newspaper article on salaries in CH.
The biggest earners are those in banking and insurance. Those in public
administration, chemicals, tobacco, computer work, and foundations earn
more too. The average top banking people may earn up to 14683 CHF per
month. Those in hospitality may earn a third of that. Generally, women
earn from 5904 to 6320 CHF per month gross, and men are between 7115
and 8952 CHF per month gross. Looks like the glass ceiling is still
here for the ladies.
The low earners are those in food and beverage, shipping personnel,
textiles, wood workers, Auto dealers and repair, waste disposal,
grocery trade, shoe and leather sales, and hospitality industries.
Women earn between 3508 and 4062 CHF per month gross, and men earn
between 3893 and 5317 CHF per month gross.
Taken all together for the country as a whole, the national low is 4232
CHF and the high is 10,000 CHF with an average of 5417 CHF per month.
The average is higher in Zurich and Geneva areas, and the lowest in
Ticino.
If one converts these figures to US$, they look pretty good, but there
is a difference. The costs for every thing are generally higher than in
the USA.
Vance Roy
gigli.saw@dplanet.ch
http://homepage.mac.com/fredch
“Never under estimate the ingenuity of the stupid.”
Anon.
From gigli.saw@dplanet.ch Fri Nov 28 14:09:06 2003
From: gigli.saw@dplanet.ch (Vance Roy)
Date: Fri, 28 Nov 2003 15:09:06 +0100
Subject: [Culturechat] Swiss Muffins
Message-ID: <6DB6635C-21AC-11D8-BE05-0003936A3F2E@dplanet.ch>
If you want to make some yummy muffins with a different twist go to
http://homepage.mac.com/fredch
and look at "Muffins 1 and 2.
Vance Roy
gigli.saw@dplanet.ch
http://homepage.mac.com/fredch
“Never under estimate the ingenuity of the stupid.”
Anon.
From mitzi-jay@juno.com Sat Nov 29 00:59:38 2003
From: mitzi-jay@juno.com (ANN G JACKSON)
Date: Fri, 28 Nov 2003 19:59:38 -0500
Subject: [Culturechat] Swiss Muffins
Message-ID: <20031128.195939.-285959.0.MITZI-JAY@juno.com>
Vance: I clicked and got nothing. Must be very low calorie.
Mitzi
From gigli.saw@dplanet.ch Sat Nov 29 14:22:36 2003
From: gigli.saw@dplanet.ch (Vance Roy)
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 15:22:36 +0100
Subject: [Culturechat] Swiss Muffins
In-Reply-To: <20031128.195939.-285959.0.MITZI-JAY@juno.com>
Message-ID: <7B1C93EC-2277-11D8-9E07-0003936A3F2E@dplanet.ch>
No. Not low calorie, but computer gremlins. I reposted both pages in
jpg format. That should work; it did for me.
On Samstag, November 29, 2003, at 01:59 Uhr, ANN G JACKSON wrote:
> Vance: I clicked and got nothing. Must be very low calorie.
>
Vance Roy
gigli.saw@dplanet.ch
http://homepage.mac.com/fredch
“Never under estimate the ingenuity of the stupid.”
Anon.
From lguynncc@webtv.net Sat Nov 29 21:30:08 2003
From: lguynncc@webtv.net (Lynanne Guynn)
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 16:30:08 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Culturechat] Swiss Muffins
In-Reply-To: ANN G JACKSON 's message of Fri, 28 Nov
2003 19:59:38 -0500
Message-ID: <17640-3FC90FE0-3874@storefull-2315.public.lawson.webtv.net>
Hi all,
I had neglected to program my culturechat address to retrieve discarded
messages. And, I had discarded your site, Vance, because I also
couldn't access it. Please - will someone post the address for the
muffins again.
Lynanne
ps. I've got it programmed correctly now.
From jclancy@billtrak.com Sun Nov 30 03:39:55 2003
From: jclancy@billtrak.com (Gerald J. Clancy, Jr.)
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 22:39:55 -0500
Subject: [Culturechat] Swiss Muffins
In-Reply-To: <17640-3FC90FE0-3874@storefull-2315.public.lawson.webtv.net
>
References:
Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20031129223935.00ad3448@mail.njd.xo.com>
http://homepage.mac.com/fredch
Jerry
At 04:30 PM 11/29/2003, Lynanne Guynn wrote:
>Hi all,
>
>I had neglected to program my culturechat address to retrieve discarded
>messages. And, I had discarded your site, Vance, because I also
>couldn't access it. Please - will someone post the address for the
>muffins again.
>
>Lynanne
>
>ps. I've got it programmed correctly now.
From lguynncc@webtv.net Sun Nov 30 13:29:36 2003
From: lguynncc@webtv.net (Lynanne Guynn)
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 08:29:36 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Culturechat] Swiss Muffins
In-Reply-To: "Gerald J. Clancy, Jr." 's message of Sat, 29 Nov 2003 22:39:55 -0500
Message-ID: <25407-3FC9F0C0-61@storefull-2313.public.lawson.webtv.net>
Thanks for the site, and the recipe. I've printed it out and will try
it. The ingredient list sounds delicious :-)
Lynanne