Switerland is full of tall mountains, good cheese, and kissing. Lots of kissing. Before we left for switzerland i had the preordained thought that the swiss had their heritage in Germany. So when Benoit picked us up, i was really surprised by his french accent. What I soon found out is that most folks that live in Switzerland trace their heritage back to several different countries; those being Germany, Italy, and France. The Fellay's, they are French. Really French. When we arrived at Benoit's house his family greeted us with the normal french greeting: cheek kisses. We were totally taken back by this. Not only have i never kissed anyones cheek for a greeting, but I have especially not kissed anyone's cheek three times. Yep, thats right they kiss three times rather than the predictable two. Just when you think you've survived the awkward cheek-touch-smooch-sounding-greeting, they go back in for a third cheek kiss. As if two isn't enough. It's three times the awkward, let me tell you. After the first round of kisses and a few minutes of gawky laughter, the ice started to break. The realization that there was no avoiding these unusual nuzzles set in. We were still feeling uncomfortable, considering its custom in America to stretch your hand out as far as possible for a shake when meeting someone for the first time. The next day, things were taken to the next level. We had the chance to attend a swiss wedding, so we took the opportunity because who can say they've gone to a swiss wedding (we can)? Our minds were boggled down with all the excitement of this new experience that we did not realize what going to a wedding meant. More cheek kisses. Before the end of the service Anna, Mikayla, and I braced ourselves for the episode our cheeks were about to encounter. Our first round of kisses were from the immediate family of the Fellay's, and the greetings went smoother than our first encounter but things were still awkward. As you can imagine. Just when we thought we had successfully greeted just about everyone at the ceremony, we were introduced to the bride and groom; whom we have no connection to, they probably didn't even know we were coming. At this point we tried to shy away to the car without being disrespectful but, without regards they kissed us on the cheek. They couple was very welcoming, even to three foreign gals at their wedding. After this point, we realized that our fear of cheek kisses was quite irrational. We didn't get many more cheek kisses until it was time for us to leave switzerland, and by this time we confidently embraced the each member of the family that so kindly took us in for the weekend. A huge thank you to the Fellay's for introducing us to the beauty of switzerland and the allure of cheek kisses. |