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  • TillieNeuen [she/her]
    ·
    4 years ago

    Oh, you're Swiss? My grandpa's side of the family is Swiss Mennonite. My favorite story about this is that several years ago, I worked as an English tutor in France for a school year, and my parents came out to travel with me for a bit when my contract was up. We went to Bern and we were touring the big church there (can't remember if it's a cathedral) when we ended up in the gift shop and noticed a CD of Amish folk music from America--they preserved some old songs that apparently have been forgotten in Switzerland. Interesting, right? So my mom flips over the CD to read the back, and what do you know, but a guy she knows from the small, majority-Swiss Mennonite town she grew up in is giving little talks between the songs about different cultural stuff. Small world, huh? But here's the good part--my dad can't help talking to strangers any chance he gets, so he starts chatting with the lady running the gift shop about what a coincidence it is, and she gets really excited, "Oh, you're Mennonite? You should stay for the weekend! We're having a festival to apologize for murdering you guys." My mom: "Uh, thanks? We can't stay though." Lol. It was weird walking across the bridge they used to throw people off of though, I have to say. Anyway, beautiful country and I really enjoyed my trip.