Elizabeth Feldmeier's Different 'Arrival at the Ecole'

Before I arrived at the Ecole d'Humanité I had scarcely any idea of what to expect. I had tried to prepare myself first by studying the school's prospectus. It described in detail the Ecole's lofty mission statement and educational philosophy. After examining all this information I still felt I had no tangible knowledge of the school.

Next I turned to the Ecole's website. It contained much of the same information. I did find one promising looking article entitled "Sophie Olsen's Arrival at the Ecole." In it Sophie described her experience of coming to the Ecole as a new student. The whole ordeal sounded horrifying. Sophie portrays her journey as frightening, exhausting, and lonely. At several points Sophie is on the verge of tears. The story does end happily with Sophie being reunited with Ben, a friend from Rhodes Island.

Unlike Sophie, I knew no one at the Ecole. I thought morosely, "My experience will be even worse. I don't have a Ben to greet me." Thankfully, my fears were misplaced. My own arrival at the Ecole was blissfully different from Sophie's.

I did arrive at the Zurich airport with dark circles under my eyes and a terrifying case of bed head. However, bad hair was the worst part of my journey. I had no trouble either finding the trains or buying my ticket. The train to Brunig passes some of the most beautiful landscapes that can be found anywhere. Although I had not slept in two days, I could hardly relax in my seat lest I miss my surroundings. Through the train's wide windows I got my first taste of a fairytale land of endless meadows, snow capped mountains, and still lakes. I saw quintessential cottages with window boxes and orderly stacks of wood.

The train ride gave me my first glimpse of Switzerland; I was keen to take everything in. This leg of the trip was far more effective in waking me than stale airport coffee had been. I threw my luggage off the train at the Brunig Station with new found energy. Once on the bus to Goldern I noticed a girl accompanied by her father and far too much baggage. We easily identified each other as fellow Ecolianers and chatted about our anticipation for the school year.

I was able to spot the Goldern Post by the dozens of students milling around outside. Among them was my helping student, eager to get me settled. Like Sophie I was also led to my room in Wagenschein Haus. I too thought the bricks were rather ugly and the room was rather small. However, my excitement at finally having arrived overrode any trepidation about the room. Unladen of my bags I was brought to the Dining Hall and introduced to other students. After eating my first real meal since New York I was given a tour of the school.

My story of "arriving" at the Ecole does not end after the first day. I still continue to discover new aspects of my school, my peers, and the surrounding community. I don't think incoming students should be frightened by the prospect of being "new" to the Ecole. A large part of what we learn here is how to live in a different environment. This is perhaps the most valuable lesson one can take away from the Ecole.