This week was a very unique experience indeed! I went with my friend who is finishing her project next week to the Lindt chocolate factory. We met up in the train station in Zurich then we headed to the factory, When we reached there we took a devise that we can use to listen to a recording that explains about the factory, the history, where they got the ingredients, and where they ship the chocolate to. It was interesting but the recording took a long to finish a part. You can easily spend hours there just to learn about everything that the museum\factory has to offer. Ain't nobody got time for that! So we just enjoyed the factory and the esthetics, it was actually really fascinating. We got to see original molds that were used to design the chocolate bars when they were first started. We also got to see the evolution of the designs of the chocolate. 
After this part we got to a room where you can try melted chocolate using a spoon they provided. It was so good! They also displayed the main ingredients of the chocolate on the walls and how much sugar, cocoa powder is in each one of them. They had dark, white chocolate and milk chocolate but the taste of the freshly melted chocolate is indescribable. You have to try it for yourself! Then at the end of this room there were  chocolate bar dispensers. You can try a lot of different flavored chocolate bars. The dispenser would break a piece of the bar and drop it in your hand. Then, we headed to a dark room where they displayed information such as where they ship chocolate and so on. However, when we went to the next room, we were surprised that there were photo booths where you can take pictures with Lindt themed backgrounds, you can send them to your email AND you have the option to display them on the wall of that room. Being the people that we are, fun and young of course, we took a few pictures and some were really creative! 
In the same room you get to try different flavored chocolate balls and we ate A LOT of them. After we finished from that room, you get to walk in a hallway where they showcase parts of the process of making chocolate, Then, you can wait in a small queue to scan your ticket then get a free piece of chocolate. When I scanned the ticket, there was a ball that followed a path then ended up behind a screen in front of me, right after that a chocolate piece dropped. The screen showed a video of a chef that watches the ball, as it go through the path, catches it then drops the chocolate for us  to pick it up. It was a funny experience. I will leave a video of it alongside the pictures!
That was the end of the tour, then we went into the store where we bought some chocolate, and even a cooling bag to preserve the chocolate from melting. It did a good job until a certain point. I think if we add some ice to keep the inside of the bag cool it would work better. 
Then we decided to head back to  Zurich and walk a little bit since I haven't seen the city before. I said my goodbyes and then I went back home. 

Knowing that this week is my final working week before my holiday starts was a bit overwhelming. Knowing that my journey here is about to end is mind blowing. However, on Tuesday my boss and I went to the Alps to help out with a filming crew. We brought two goats to the filming site. After we arrived there my boss told me that I can hike a little bit further up and see a wonderful view on the other side of the mountain we were on. When I started to climb up, a big could started to engulf the camping site and eventually it caught u to me too. When I finally reached the top, I can see how the could goes up the top of the mountain and disappears. The view from there was incredible! I could see other towns in the distance, a lot of mountains that surrounded the area. I rested for a bit near a small self service shop, you can use Twint to pay. Then after a while I went even further up and stayed there for an hour to enjoying the view and resting. 
After that I started to go back to the filming site, My boss had to leave for a couple of hours so I had to take care of the goats and bring them for the rehearsals they they did. When my boss came back to the camping site, we drove back to the farm and my day was done.

​This week was my birthday! I became 28 years old, On Friday, I met up with friends and we were invited to beer with one of our trainers. And we sat behind the parliament building watching the sunset. As a gift, our trainer gave us a swiss knife key chain. 

On Saturday, my birthday, I went to Zurich with my friend to the Zurich Fest. It was a citywide festival with a lot of booths for beer, food, and even carnival rides like the sky drop ride, a Ferris Wheel, and even a merry-go-round!
When we arrived, my friend met with her friend and they had their plans, so I took the chance and visited the Rhine waterfall. It was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. With two huge rocks in the middle that gave the scene such a magical touch. Then I walked to the castle on the other side, walking on a bridge that hangs above the river. I paid 5CHF to get in and get closer to the waterfall. I walked down for about 10 minutes. I noticed at some point that everyone went to this cave, when I went in and reached the end, which wasn't too deep at all, I was surprised that I was next to the waterfall. I stayed there for a while admiring the scenery. Then I left there and headed back to the city. It took me about an hour to go tot he waterfall and another hour to get back. My friend joined a group of people there, mostly foreigners, that wanted to check the festival too. So we spent a couple of hours with them and then we headed back to the train station. We met some of our friends that live in Zurich for a while before heading back home. 
On Sunday, I organized a trip throughout Switzerland, well kind of. First we started our trip in Luzern. We walked for an hour in the city, bought our food for the day, then headed to the train station to catch the Golden Express panorama train. We napped, played cards, had some riddles to solves, laughed, exchanged stories, and so on. Time flew fast yet we were exhausted! After reaching Montreux, we took the next train to Laussane and headed to the beach. We sat there for a couple of hours relaxing and swimming before heading home.
At work it was hectic! Those bugs don't seem to understand we don't want them there! We collected a lot of them even though we are consistent! And to top it all, it rained for a couple of days during the week, which damaged the potatoes a bit. Still, it helped us catch a lot of them that were hiding near the stem of the plant. 

This week I was invited by a friend to visit Bethlehem, not the city where I’m from obviously, but the quarter in Bern. She volunteers in the farm where I work and we’ve had a lot of interesting conversations before. We also worked before especially separating the good potatoes from the bad ones a few months ago.

We started from Europaplatz train station and we started walking towards the forest. We passed the “bond pool”. Its a public pool that used to be a pond which is really big. There’s a place for kids, for professional swimmers, and for regular swimmers like myself. Luckily for me, the pool is maximum 2m deep. Which means that I won’t worry about drowning!

The next stop was the forest. The weather was warm enough and cloudy which made the experience even better. Going into the forest, it was obvious that people went there for a picnic with families, to run, bike, or even to go for a walk like we did. While we were walking, she stopped me and asked me to follow her. She guided me to a “forest school”. Instead of going to a regular school, some kids go to a forest school, where they have the opportunity to explore and be in nature from a very young age. They usually stay there for a few hours, and sometimes they sleep there. She explained to me how long they have been doing so, and some stories from relatives that had been to the forest school. After that, we walked for about 15 minutes and we finally arrived to our destination. A small fountain that a small group of people believe is a magical fountain. The water was cold and good to drink from yet it didn’t taste magical at all.

We continued our walk and we finally started our journey to Bethlehem. It took us around 45 minutes. Then we stopped by a church there, ironically enough, and we rested on a nearby bench. After some time of talking, we decided it’s time for some coffee and ice cream in a coffee shop that she suggested. On the way, my friend she told me the history of Bethlehem. When we arrived at the coffee shop, it turned out that they were closed. It was Sunday and every they work only half days! We decided to continue walking and go back to the pond pool. We sat there and we ordered some fries to eat. And we ended the day.

At work, I was surprised that we still had more of the bugs eating away the potato leafs! My boss used the natural pesticide, but it wasn’t effective enough. We had to do collect them again for hours on end! For about 2 hours a day we’d collect them and then do other tasks around the farm. On Wednesday it was rainy and a bit cold. I forgot my raincoat so I couldn’t help much on the field and I had to leave a but early. I also worked on planning my birthday this weekend! I’m super excited to share it with friends and have an amazing experience.

Last Sunday I went to the first ever Neuchatel anime convention, Japaneuch. Again Cosplaying as one of my favorite characters ever. There were a lot of cosplayers that were there and it was interesting to see the reactions of the different characters that were there. One of my friends volunteered there and it was her first time seeing me in cosplay. The place wasn't really big but they had a lot going on. They, first of all, had concerts on the first day. They brought in Haruka Luna, who did a lot of famous ending songs of anime (had I know, I would've gone but it was too late!).
They also had stations where you can try Nintendo Switch for free, and even play Just Dance to your favorite song.

When me and my friend were sitting in the shadows outside the building chatting near the food trucks, a guy came to us with his friend to compliment my cosplay and asking for a picture. I agreed and when I brought the sword and my devil fruit, he was astonished. I still remember his pure joy to see a lot of details of a character he likes. After the picture he asked for a hug and then when he was leaving you could see how much happy he was. That will always be a memory to behold. I also asked other cosplayers to take pictures with and it was really amazing how easy the community really is. 

Then I had to go back to work on Monday and we started with the potato bugs again. They were laying eggs and we had smash the eggs and the new hatchlings too. Then we prepared some hay and stored them at a local's farm. Tuesday and Wednesday we worked with hay a lot. 

My boss had the hay spread across the fields to dry. Tuesday and Wednesday, he brought one of his machines to gather the scattered hay into lines. We used a tool to put as much hay that was still scattered and the machine couldn't get to in those lines as possible. We did 3 fields this week. Then y boss brought another machine that would compress the hay into big cubes wrapped in ropes. Finally we had to go back to that local's farm to stack the hay that we collected.

This week was very interesting. I went with my friends to a dance class in Bern. It was really interesting. We had a lesson on the basics for one hour then a party that lasted after midnight. At work, we had to focus a lot on the potatoes that we planted because of a bug that started to spread around. The bug laid eggs and when the eggs hatch, they eat all of the leafs killing the potatoes. Everyday for a couple of hours we’d walk through the field to pick the bugs and put them in water with a bit of soap. The first day we collected a lot, and the next day they came back almost completely. It’s like the final boss in a game that keeps respawning when you think you killed it! While walking through the field I saw a lot of green shiny beetles scattered across the field. I liked how shiny they were and that they have a bit of a dark red-ish color.

On Wednesday, my boss took me to the Alps in the Gantrisch area. He took a group of film makers to a hut in the mountains so that. They wanted to plan how they want to film their movie and we spent the morning with them. Then, he told me that there’s a small lake not far away from the hut. So, we went in his car and drove down for a few minutes. We had to walk for about 5 minutes more before we reached the lake. The lake wasn’t big but the location was incredible and the view from there to the Alps was spectacular. In the evening I went to a stand-up comedy in the university of Bern. It was in English and the entry was free.

This Week I went with a group of friends to the Aarechlucht, or the Aare Gorge in Meiringen. We decided to walk from the train station in Meiringen to the West entrance of the Gorge which took us about 25-30 minutes. We paid 10 CHF to get in and we started the walk in Paradise!
There was a pathway made next to the Aare and in the gorge. We walked inside small caves that were along the way. 
After a lot of pictures, and a beautiful picture, we got left from the Eastside exit and had a small break near there. 
We had some food, relaxed, and me and my friend decided to jump into the Aare. There was a shallow area near where we stayed. being in the cold water is always difficult at first but once you're there for a while, it gets better!
After the break was over, we started moving again, this time to the waterfall that Sherlock Holmes defeated his Archenemy, the Reichenbach Falls! 
That evening, one of my friends offered to make us a traditional Austrian dish. The following day, I made a Palestinian traditional dish called Mulokhia. Which is a plant local to the middle east and we cook it usually in winter as it gives a lot of energy and warms you up. 
The next day, Sunday, I went with my friends to the Aare in Bern for a swim and Swiss fondue. What I found interesting is that not only we used bread to eat fondue, but we also used apples and pears and they are traditionally used by Swiss people. We also tried it with strawberries, and other fruits but that didn't taste as good as pears and apples. 
At work, we prepared the hay to be stored. We collected the hay and put them on the field to dry out. and On Wednesday, my boss used one of his tractors to put the hay on the field in lines to prepare for another farmer to collect them, then pack them and store them.

This week I went to Montreux and walked alongside the lake. I had lunch by the lake and view was spectacular. I could see parts of France too. It was mentioned to me that there’s a Queens’ museum that’s in Montreux and I was super excited to go there. With a bit of research I found out that the entry is free which was surprising. In the museum, you could see Freddy’s famous outfits, read about the band’s history, see the instruments that they used in their studio, see handwritten lyrics for songs they recorded there written by Freddy, and do a simple remix of one of their last songs recorded such as “Mother Love” which I tried. I had to buy some gifts for my brother and a friend of mine who both love Queens. Then, Me and my friend walked all the way to Vevey and we visited the famous fork. It was added in 1995 to celebrate Alimentaruim’s (Museum of Food) 10th anniversary and it still stands till today.

On Wednesday, I went with a friend of mine to watch Spirited Away in cinema. It was in Japanese and translated in German. For me, it was a good test to see how much of the movie I would understand without the need to translate. I ended up enjoying the movie while understanding most of it which was surprising and exciting too!

This week I went biking to Murten, which is in the canton of Fribourg. It was a sunny day and very hot. We mostly biked in small towns which were along the way, but sometimes we had to bike through small forests which was an escape from the heat. After reaching Murten, we went to the lake to relax after almost three hours of biking. We had our lunch there, and then walked a bit in town. We took the train at around 7 and went back to Bern. Monday was a national holiday so we had a day off. My friends and I decided to go to the Aare again for a picnic and to swim there. We played card games and brought food and snacks. On Tuesday I went back to the farm to work. We prepared some fences for the sheep we have, then we went to help another farmer setting up fences for their cows.

This week I went to Fantasy Basel in Basel. It is an anime convention which is believed to be the biggest in Switzerland. I wore my cosplay from Bern to Basel and back. Walking through the convention, a few peo0ple came up for pictures and started conversations. There were a lot of creative artists that sold their drawing and shirts. I bought a lot of things for me and my friends, especially drawing. There were a lot of star guests too. Actors from Harry Potter, and other movies came along. They had small booths to teach how to make your own cosplay (clothes, swords, wings etc). There were cosplayers who had their own booths meeting fans and signing pictures for fans. A lot of people cosplayed the same character as I cosplayed. I had a few conversations with them.

​

On Sunday, I went on a picnic with my friend to the Aare river to swim and play games. The weather was warm and the water was cold. IT was my second time in the Aare, but definitely not the last time!

​

At work during the week, we planted potatoes and fixed some fences too. 

This week was very interesting. The weather got warmer as the days went by which was very refreshing. 

​

I went with one of my friends to a Jazz festival in Bern and listened to the same band throughout the evening. After their first session, however, we decided to eat in a nearby restaurant. After that night, I mentioned the festival to my friends, and we went as a group. 
I was planning to swim in the Aare river in Bern, but the weather was cloudy and a bit rainy and it wasn't the best option. I decided to stay at home because I've been having back pain for a couple of weeks.

I started to work in the farm again after the past two busy weeks I had. I learned that the cows we have were sent to the alps for spring and summer, so we have to clean the stable where they stayed. My boss asked me to clean where the cows stayed and we also moved the sheep and goats to a new location on the field to eat. The weather was getting colder and we had more rain as the days went by which wasn’t helping to work outside as much as we wanted to.

This week, I only worked one day at the farm, because I have my mid-term evaluation for the volunteering program. We went to Neuchatel in the French part of Switzerland to the YMCA camp. I met a lot of friends that I haven’t seen in long time and I met new friends form around Europe. During last week we were had a lot of interesting activities that helped us build team building, and discussions that would help in the future.

We had a small booklet that gives us free entries to a lot of touristic places in the city for free, plus transportation. So onn our free day we went to to down Neuchatel and saw how beautiful the city is. We first wanted to go on a small cruse on the lake but we were informed that they only start Fridays till Sundays not during the week. We ended up going to a small beach near the port, and we went to see the municipality of Neuchatel. Afterwards, my friend and I wanted to see an anthropology museum. When We got there, the first thing we say was a big painting that includes a lot of world famous figures and drawings, like Jesus, Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci and many more. After we got in, we never expected what we would experience inside. They displayed a few traditional armors and weapons at first, however going further, they had exercise plans to do at home for both men and women, an interactive plate you can stand on and it start talking to you, an interactive pole which if you use to do pull ups, it would start a video on the wall. We were the only ones there, or so we thought. We entered the second part of the museum and they laid human skull like figures on the floor. It was a bit creepy, but suddenly we heard a loud noise coming from the hall. Turned out to be another man walking there and he sneezed. Then, in the final part of the museum, we say wool woven statues which looked tribal. In the middle of the room there stood a small van and everything inside was woven too.

Last week I was invited to a program managed by my hosting organization. It is called Building Walls Breaking Walls. It was held in Ticino, the Italian part of Switzerland. We arrived in Locarno, and waited for the other participants to arrive. The weather was not too cold but it had light rain. After everyone gathered near the bus stop, we got on the bus and got out at the last stop. After that, we refilled our bottles from a small fountain, we headed to the camp site called Campo Cortoi. We hiked up carrying our bags up. Although the hike was a little difficult, it was worth it at the end. The camp overlooked the valley, the dam and Lago Maggiore which is the lake that stretches out from Ticino to Italy. The houses were made out of rocks. We had a small playground. It had a pingpong table, a hammock, and swings that were directed at the view.

We had our introduction to the place, helped to chop wood for the fire and the stove, and we settled into our rooms. For the guys room it was a bit cold, so me and one of my friends decided to sleep in the tent near the playground. It had a small fireplace so we can be warm. Every night we’d collect wood, light the fire, get something to eat from the kitchen, then go to sleep.

Our job for the week was to help locals to rebuild a stone wall. We had to hike down for about 20 minutes to get to the wall and then hike up again to the camp when we were done. On Thursday we went hiking through nearby villages. One of those villages has only 11 residences! We passed by a beautiful small turquoise waterfall which was breathtaking. And we then we proceeded to a restaurant to have lasagna for lunch. At night we had pizza night where we had pizza dough and toppings and we get to make our own pizza. I didn’t take any pictures of my pizzas because I was busy enjoying my own creations. It is worth mentioning that throughout the camp, our chef brought his homemade cheese which had a very tasty aroma and it definitely added good taste to every meal!

We finished the camp on Saturday and we stayed the night in a hostel in Locarno. We were informed by our organizer that there’s a street food festival going downtown. After settling down in the rooms, we went to the festival which was close to the lake, got our food and headed to the lake. Then at night we went to local bar to go for drinks, then I ordered myself a pizza, and continued drinking. Before we went home, we walked to McDonald and we ate there before going to bed.

In the morning, I went from Locarno to Zermatt, where the mountain on the Toblerone chocolate logo was inspired from. I had to go through Italy and then back to Switzerland. IT took 4 hours to get there, when I finally do get there with everything I brought for the camp, the weather was cloudy and I could barely see the mountain behind the clouds. I’ll go there again soon to make up for this visit for sure!

At the beginning of this week, the weather has been improving and getting warmer by the day. This week at work I helped cleaning after the horses. The woman who’s taking care of them is about 80 years old and she doesn’t speak English aside from greetings. I use online translation apps to communicate just enough to get by. We also prepared a fence for the cows to go out into a nearby field for the first time in spring. The moment they reached the field they were so happy that they started jumping and running. The new baby calves that were born in winter and never saw the fields were happier since it’s a new scenery for them with more space to run and to play. We also prepared an order for a local shop, so we packed potatoes in bags and sent them to the shop. I also fed a week-old baby goat through a nursing bottle.

In the past few weeks, I’ve been focusing on personal projects and taking things slow. However, I’ve been able to do a few activities that I’m excited to share.

During mid March, it was museum night here in Switzerland. You can get a ticket to enter all of the museums, and each museum decorated the entrance with colorful lights. People of all ages where found everywhere in Bern. When I passed th e parliament building in Bern, they had fish-like balloons.

On that weekend, I biked to Thun. It took me about 2 hours to reach there. The weather on that day was perfect. I could see the alps in the background very clearly. IT was challenging since I’m not very active usually, but the boke there went very smoothly, highly recommended!

One week after my bike to Thun, I went with my boss and my coworker to help a farmer near Langnau im Emmental. We build a Yurt, which is a traditional Mongolian hut\house, The material, steps and the final result were easy and simple, yet very rewarding at the end. I found it very fascinating how the yurt first started, and it finally ended.

And finally last week, I had the opportunity to plant an apple tree. My boss came to me and asked me to watch a Youtube video of how to plant an apple tree. After it was planted, he decided to name it “Issa’s tree”.

I traveled to Denmark to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve with my aunt and cousins. They took me to a couple of cities. The first one was Esbjerg. My cousins took me to see the Four Men by the Sea. Then we went to see the Fisheries and Maritime Museum. I saw the seals swimming in their pool. Another stop in Esbjerg was the deer park. I got the chance to feed them and pet them a little. Finally we watched the new Avatar movie “The Way of Water”. For the final step, we went walking in a wooded area near the beach. It was amazing seeing the trees with the ocean in the background!

At New Year’s Eve, I celebrated with my cousin in Odense. She introduced me to her friends and we danced the and ate and played games. Everyone was firing fireworks all around. It was so beautiful since in was raining, a bit foggy, and colors were shooting up all around. Then I came back to Switzerland, to get ready to get back to work the next week.

I traveled to Denmark to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve with my aunt and cousins. They took me to a couple of cities. The first one was Esbjerg. My cousins took me to see the Four Men by the Sea. Then we went to see the Fisheries and Maritime Museum. I saw the seals swimming in their pool. Another stop in Esbjerg was the deer park. I got the chance to feed them and pet them a little. Finally we watched the new Avatar movie “The Way of Water”. For the final step, we went walking in a wooded area near the beach. It was amazing seeing the trees with the ocean in the background!

At New Year’s Eve, I celebrated with my cousin in Odense. She introduced me to her friends and we danced the and ate and played games. Everyone was firing fireworks all around. It was so beautiful since in was raining, a bit foggy, and colors were shooting up all around. Then I came back to Switzerland, to get ready to get back to work the next week.

I traveled to Denmark to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve with my aunt and cousins. They took me to a couple of cities. The first one was Esbjerg. My cousins took me to see the Four Men by the Sea. Then we went to see the Fisheries and Maritime Museum. I saw the seals swimming in their pool. Another stop in Esbjerg was the deer park. I got the chance to feed them and pet them a little. Finally we watched the new Avatar movie “The Way of Water”. For the final step, we went walking in a wooded area near the beach. It was amazing seeing the trees with the ocean in the background!

At New Year’s Eve, I celebrated with my cousin in Odense. She introduced me to her friends and we danced the and ate and played games. Everyone was firing fireworks all around. It was so beautiful since in was raining, a bit foggy, and colors were shooting up all around. Then I came back to Switzerland, to get ready to get back to work the next week.

This week, I was invited to dinner by my boss at the farm. The next day, I went to Schwarzsee. It is a town in the Canton of Fribourg. During the winter season we will be working in a Ski School there. We were introduced to the area and the place alongside the ski instructors. For most of the week, the temperature was below 0 degrees and it snowed in the city.

Thirteenth Week:

This week, I went to the Christmas market with my friends in Bern. It was cold there were small fireplaces scattered around the market. They also provided wood for us to use to keep the fire going.

​

Fourteenth Week: 

This week I went to the Christmas market in Lausanne. The city at night was breathtaking. There were a couple of locations where they held the Christmas market. One of them was decorated with a bluish light and it created a relaxing atmosphere.

Eleventh Week:

One of my friends form back came and stayed the week at our place. On Wednesday, I took a day off from work and went with him to Bern to show him around. I also contacted my other friend who is a volunteer and is living in the city to join us.

Twelfth Week: 

This week was full of adventures! On Friday, I went with my friend to Bienne and we walked around. We went to the lake, and we walked on the port and walked through the downtown of the city. Luckily enough, we met his friend by chance and we had a coffee together before going home. On Saturday, we were joined by a friend from back home who came to visit for a couple of days. This time we went to Interlaken and Hasliberg. On Sunday we spent the day in Thun.

During my work at the farm, I noticed a small cow walking around and barely standing. I called my boos to let him know that one of his cows just gave birth.

My friends from back home contacted me and told me that they’re going to come to Switzerland for a one week course and they’ll be in Bern for some time before going to the location of the program. We walked in Bern, and a couple of volunteers also joined us as well and we had great time.

This week a mama cow gave birth to a healthy baby. We only heard about it from our neighbor who came to inform and congratulate my boss. At that time, the baby was already walking and standing up, so we assumed that it had been an hour before the delivery. The baby has a dark brown fur. The next day, we were going to check on the new born, me and my boss, when he asked me to name it. I was excited and I named her Leil (Arabic for night).

On the last weekend, I went with my friend on a tour in Bern and we got to see the famous moving clock. Then we went to a restaurant where we tried cheese fondue. Then there was a cheese festival near the restaurant, they sold locally made cheese. Then we sat in the Rose Garden which overlooks the whole city and watched a part of the sunset.

Me and my friends decided to go hiking in Lucerne On Sunday. We decided to hike on Pliatus Mountain. It’s about 2,128 meters high at the top. First, we got on a cable car, then we took some time to take in how high we were and make sure we eat a little, have our bottles filled with water, and to make sure we’re ready for our 4 hours hike!

At first, we were walking and it wasn’t a difficult walk. The hike started going downhill which was a good warm up before the hardest hikes of my life. In about 20 minutes, we reached a hut where we refilled our water bottles from the faucet next to it and took a small break. Then, after resting for about 5 minutes, we started hiking upwards.

The rocks were slippery because it had rained the previous day, and the soil was wet as well. It took us about 2 and half hours to reach the first stop in our hike. I was personally happy because we had more than a couple of dangerous steep parts of the hike that we had to go through. We rested at the spot enjoying the view and listening to music before deciding to continue to the top.

The higher we got the harder it got me to breathe and I got a little dizzier. However, reaching the top after that difficult journey felt rewarding. I felt tired of course but more energized. We could see the Alps clearly in the background all the time. Afterwards, we enjoyed the view from the cable car station at the top. /then we went down to our hiking starting point. Our last activity for that day was the Toboggan Run. The whole trip was the best way to end my week!

Sixth week:

During this week, the weather was noticeably getting colder. There was a little bit of rain, a lot of changes in the temperature. A friend asked me to help her with apartment hunting on Sunday afternoon. After we were done with viewing the apartment, it was already dark. We were close to the Aare river in Bern and we decided to walk there. However, little did we know that the walk next to the river would be dark with no lights on the tracks. Walking there felt like that one scene from every horror movie where the killer gets his first couple of victims. Glad to say we survived that!

Seventh week

The changes in the weather got more intense. During work, I could clearly see the mist on the nearby hills. During our ride to work, we can see everything covered in fog and you can barely see anything anymore. The temperature is dropping in a noticeable pace. On Sunday, 

On Wednesday, I mostly worked with my boss in the farm. We did a few things like preparing a fence for the cows to eat the next day, move the sheep to a new field, cut the grass to make food for the cows during winter. After lunch, I stayed in the farm to pick apples. The horses were in the field next to me, so I threw apples for them and they would come next to me and eat. I pet them a little bit now and then.

After work, my boss suggested that he’d take me to the mountain in front of us. He said that it’s not that far from the farm. I agreed of course and on the way there we could see parts of the Alps. Being on top of the mountain felt really relieving and freeing, especially that you have nothing to block your view, the sun was setting, the weather was cool (not too hot, not too cold), and the view with all of the mountains around you was spectacular.

3rd Week

We had our EVS On Arrival Training. They explained all about how the program is operated and what we should have as volunteers in the program. We met other EVS volunteers and we had a lot of activities to break the ice and get to know each other. 

On Tuesday, we went hiking for 5 hours in a mountain not far from Solothurn where we stayed. Getting to the top for me was a nightmare. I like nature but it was too difficult at some point to continue. On our way back, we took the cable car and we got to see the whole area. 

On Friday, I met with a few of the EVS volunteers and we spent the day together. We watched the sunset in Bern. 

4th Week

This week, the weather got colder by the day. A lot of rain has been falling and I love it! 

I started working on the farm again, and I was told that farmers are bringing their cows back for the winter. On Wednesday, I saw farmers guiding their cows to town where I work. And later that day, they got back to their farms with flowers on the cows. 

This week was less busier for me than the first week. On Saturday, Raz and I went swimming in an open pool near our village in the afternoon. We didn’t spend a lot of time there as we had to get ready for that night. We were invited to dinner by our friend Oliver, the founder of so we had to get back, get dressed then leave. We met his wide and their 2 daughters. We talked and laughed and enjoyed our night. They were very hospitable and kind. On Sunday, I decided to take things slow for the day. I spent the day planning the week, organizing myself. Surprisingly, my roommate Raz had to leave on Monday, and she would be back to the apartment on Sunday.

On Tuesday at work, we went to help a fellow farmer to prepare food for his cows for winter. Before lunch break, his wife called us saying that one of the cows just gave birth to a baby. Although I missed seeing the cow giving the birth to its baby, but I saw how the cow cleaned its baby. An hour later, we saw how the baby cow started walking a little bit. It was falling again and again, yet it also came back up to learn again.

On Wednesday, I didn’t do anything outdoors. It was getting colder and we had a thunderstorm too. I did some cleaning and did the laundry and rested for the rest of the night. On Thursday, I had office hours in Bern. The weather was getting colder and it rained on the way to the office. It was such a beautiful weather.

After arriving to the apartment in our hometown on the 29th of August, I had an introduction to my hometown and the rules of my neighborhood by my supervisor. I arrived in the afternoon. After my supervisor left, I went to a near supermarket to buy some food and things I didn’t bring with me on my flight. I called my family and friends, made sure to let them know I arrived safely, then had a quick dinner and went to sleep.  

The next day Raz, my roommate, arrived. After she settled in, and she was introduced to the system of the apartment and how to run things here, we got introduced to each other and we talked until it was time to go to bed. She seemed really interesting and knowledgeable.  

Wednesday, both Raz and I went to a neighboring town to start with official papers, to help our experience become easier. We spent that day going through and applying for the necessary papers. I found how things were going smoothly for just really fascinating. I saw it as a good sign to start the new chapter in a new home. 

The next day, we went to the same neighboring town we went to the day before using our bikes for the first time. We checked out different shops and looked for what we needed for the apartment. Then, the next couple of days, we spent them discovering our surroundings and discovering our neighboring towns. 

On Friday, we went hiking in the valley of a beautiful town nearby. At the train station, we met a lovely young couple who walked us all the way to the valley. Even though they weren’t headed in that direction, they were nice enough to walk with us and guide us there. We thanked them and then proceeded to walk in the valley.  

During that week, we got introduced to one of our neighbors who invited us with her to the river in the city of Bern on Sunday. The weather was warm and the water was cold and refreshing, and everyone seemed to be enjoying their day off. Although I didn’t swim in the river myself, but Raz and our neighbor said it was wonderful and peaceful being in the river. I passed my time sitting on the beach and observing my surroundings. I saw people jumping into the river, or just spending time with their kids, family, or friends, walking their dogs, or reading a book. What surprised me even though there were a lot of people, it was calm enough to enjoy nature and its calmness.  

Monday was our first day of volunteering. It takes about half an hour to get to work from where we live. When I first arrived there, I didn’t know anyone there, and I thought I won’t be able to connect with them because of a language barrier. However, after meeting them and getting to know them, I found out that most of them speak English very well. We can easily communicate. They were really nice and they tried to include me as much as they could. They were really helpful and patient with me as I worked. They also answered my questions to the best of their abilities. 

On that day, I helped the owner of the farm setting a portable sting fence to have the sheep inside. Then, we guided the sheep from a nearby place to the new field. However, one sheep wasn’t feeling well, so I had to carry it since it wasn’t able to walk. After that, we went into a local resident in the area to help fix his wired fence. Later that day, the owner checked on the sheep and it turned out that it got better.  

Tuesday was my second day at work. This time I helped out in the field. We started by tiling the soil around the plants to get rid of the weed around them. After lunch, we worked on harvesting white and red cabbages.  

On Wednesday, which was my last day of volunteering this week, I was surprised to see about 4 more volunteers who came to help with the farm. First, we started the day by picking up beets from the field. Some of the volunteers went to help picking up potatoes. Then after lunch, I went to the field and planted a lot of new plants. It was warm during the day, but by the time we finished, light rain started to fall. 

On Thursday, we have our office hours. We went to Bern where we work in the office. The office is located in a really quiet area of the city. Including our office hours, we will be having our online German course.  

My name is Issa Rishmawi. I’m known as the quiet guy. However, I love meeting new people, getting to know their experiences in life and learn from and hopefully I can do the same. The best experience I’ve had so far is participating in Tech2Peace and having myself to spend time with new people that I don’t know for a long period of time. There I’ve met a lot of interesting, fun, loving people during the seminar or the alumni activities and it helped a lot with my personal growth. However, now I’m looking for a bigger challenge to further extend my knowledge and develop my skills.

​

One thing that makes me a bit nervous is that I’ve never traveled before. Therefore, I don’t know how challenging it would be to adjust to the new lifestyle and routine. However, I’m willing to focus on the experience with all of its up and downs and what it would offer.

I have a few hobbies that I like to do when I have free time. First, I like to watch anime, which is a fun and a helping way to learn Japanese. I also like to read books from time to time, whether novels or self-help books. Currently I am reading Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules For Life. Finally, I am passionate about nature. I like to spend some time outside to enjoy the beauty of nature and to be under the sun.

​

Working as a receptionist for about two and a half years collectively helped me improve my patience, perform well under pressure, and improve my team work as well. Although I can seem like an introvert, I like to stay communicative when it comes to teamwork. In addition to that, it helped work in a more organized environment. Also, working at a fast-food restaurant helped me further in working under pressure. Finally, working with costumers and guests directly helped me develop a more positive attitude towards people that I carry even I my everyday life.

​

I am a motivated person. I am very passionate when it comes to learning new languages or cultures. I like working in a team where we can help each other reach a certain goal. In addition, I am a calm person which makes people around me feel a bit more comfortable. And I like to constantly improve myself, whether skills or personal traits. This have helped to not only discover new things about myself, but also improve my performance at work.

​

Looking forward to working with you. Issa