A Little Life in the Alps

While you’ve grown accustomed to the writing style of our other posts, this one will be a little different since I, Sheila, am writing it. I can’t guarantee it will be as funny or filled with historical facts and dates. But I do think I can give pretty good descriptions—so bear with me for this one.

Part of doing a long stay in Switzerland was to have the true “Swiss Experience.” Having lived in Saas Fee 24 years ago, I know that feeling of living somewhere rather than just visiting. While I love being a tourist and exploring new places, living like a local leaves you with a much deeper connection.

So, when Sabine told me before we arrived that she would be volunteering at the 77ème Fête Fédérale de Gymnastique Lausanne 2025—the 77th Federal Gymnastics Festival in Lausanne—she mentioned they were short on volunteers and struggling to fill all the positions. I gladly told her to sign both Jason and me up. As an organizer of Yarrow Days every year, I know the challenge of finding volunteers willing to show up. Plus, I knew this was exactly the type of experience that would deepen that feeling of connectedness.

Even their sporting events have “festival” in the title—these guys really know how to have a good time!

Sabine and I were on the waste management team for our first volunteer shift. That basically meant going around and picking up garbage. After about 15 minutes of instructions… all in French, I eventually figured out that our job also included tidying up the changing rooms and bathrooms. It wasn’t the most glamorous volunteer role, but it gave Sabine and me lots of time to be outdoors, walking and visiting together. And to top it off, every volunteer received a set amount of money—based on how many days they worked—that could be used toward food and drinks during their shifts or even for merchandise if there was enough left over. I had only known about the food part, so when Sabine told me I could also buy merchandise, I was pleasantly surprised. I picked out a nice t-shirt to remember this true “Swiss Experience.”

I made my way to the event on my own for my next shift a few days later—Sabine had done a double shift and had already completed five hours by the time I arrived. I expected to be doing the same job as before, but when I got there, I found out I’d be working with Sabine in the drinks and snack hut. I was relieved—this was the start of the heat wave we were experiencing, and working in the shaded hut sounded much better than being out in the sun collecting garbage.

I have to say—this was definitely a more fun job! Sabine and Anne, another woman from Chernex, took the orders and handled payments, while Michelle and I were in charge of drinks. That meant fetching drinks from the coolers and pouring draft beers. I was a little nervous at first since my French comprehension is still a bit rough—but Sabine was excellent and always translated the orders into English for me. After a while, though, I started recognizing the orders and was even able to start gathering drinks preemptively.

I also appreciated hearing Swiss German from many of the customers—since this was a national event, there were quite a few Swiss German speakers. Sabine was thrilled too; Swiss German is her mother tongue, and she loved getting to speak it throughout the day.

All in all, it was such a great experience. I never thought my summer holiday would include picking up garbage, pouring beers, and wiping down change rooms at a gymnastics festival. But honestly, these are the memories that stick with you. The little everyday moments where you feel like you belong. I’ll proudly wear my bright red Chernex volunteer shirt—it came with some hard work, lots of laughs, and a real connection to this place we’ve been lucky to call home for a while.