An invitation to Switzerland! Visions of chocolate and jewelry danced in my head. What could be more decadent? After my initial glow, I settled into the realities of the task at hand. Part of the thrill and challenge of international speaking is my insatiable desire to learn and grow beyond the boundaries of my own culture, religion and environment. I have enhanced this knowledge by searching out additional resources for my journeys of the heart, mind and profession. I have gained a literary collection as a result of my international forays. As I leafed through one such resource "Put Your Best Foot Forward" (European Edition). I learned that Switzerland is as large as Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut (where I live) combined. 65% German, 18% French and 10% Italian and 7% assorted. "Herr and Frau", "Monsieur and Madame", "Signor and Signora" quickly became part of my vocabulary. After a recent US presentation, a woman in my audience who works for Brignham Young University came up to me and asked where I would be traveling to in the next year. When I arrived home, she had sent me a gift of their CULTURGRAMS that BYU provides for each country I would be visiting. They are available for over 110 areas of the world. Call 800-528-6279.
I arrived in Zurich and was escorted to my destination, Lachen, a quaint Swiss town with cobblestone streets, charming shops and festive eateries and pubs. I stayed in a guest house as there were no large hotels in the area. The size and amenities in many of these places give new meaning to the word "cozy". Just as I was adjusting to my accommodations, the other presenters and I were awakened by tubas and assorted party noises and personalities celebrating the beginning of "Carnival". So much for sleeping before I present. If you can't sleep, you do the next best thing-eat! However, the smoke that filled the restaurant looked like Los Angeles smog on a good day. Europeans are somewhat behind the US preoccupation with health and the pursuit of a smoke free meal.
The next day, despite lack of sleep and food, the warmth of my Swiss client, Gabriella (they have beautiful names and people) was enough to spark my presentation. It's too bad I had just finished contributing to Lily Walters new book about all the "challenges" that speakers face on the platform. I had a new one! Isn't that the beauty of our profession? Expect the unexpected and see how creative, talented or self-effacing you really are.
I had met and worked with my interpreter and gone over all the key points of my speech....... the humor, the pathos, the highlights. All was running smoothly until I reached the part in my signature keynote that was emotional. This was consecutive rather than simultaneous interpretation(not my favorite) and as I waited for her to interpret that section, there was an unnatural pause. I looked over and saw how emotionally wrapped up she was in my speech and was crying so hard she couldn't speak. Oh dear! What do I do now? I can honestly say I don't remember what I did. It was one of those "speaker out of body experiences".
Off to Zurich for a day of play and pay (shopping, of course). I stayed at the exquisite five star Savoy Hotel where the bellman follows you to the elevator to press the button for you. I look out my window and to my delight, I am across the street from Sprungli, the most famous confectionery in Switzerland. After sampling what seemed to be the entire shop, I brought some incredible edibles (Swiss chocolate and lots of pear brandy filled chocolate for which they are also renowned. Perhaps it was purely the packaging of " Poire Guillaume" (Pear Williams), that attracted me. It was so gratifying to give Swiss gifts bearing my name.
I had plans to continue on and visit a client at Bad Ragaz, one of the leading hotels of Europe and my friend and associate, Karl Neeser at his famous health club, Askesis, near Geneva. However, circumstances changed and I had to return. The highlight of the trip was buying my son a watch he actually liked, wears and now is trying to figure out how to sell and market the watch due to all the compliments and inquiries. Ah, the small pleasures in life.
I returned from Switzerland, anxious to go back and see more of its beauty and enjoy more of its bounty. Until then, I will have to console myself with my fondue pot and my stereo, playing songs from "The Sound of Music" while I frantically search for the rest of the chocolate I hid. |
