Büsingen... life in the village

Since I’ve gotten back from Ukraine I have moved into my own apartment, taken German lessons, and became more acquainted with my new home, Büsingen. So a little about Büsingen, it is a small German village (yes village, of 2.9 sq miles) inside Switzerland. It has about 1,400 people, but most people live up in the farmlands, so it feels even smaller. I’ve encountered only around 200 of the residents. The closest store is across the German border 6 miles away and it closes at 8pm and isn’t open on Sundays.

It has been quite a transition from Orange County, where there is a Starbucks on every corner, and grocery stores that are open 24/7. The slow pace of the village is difficult for me because I’m the kind of person who loves being busy. I try to cram everything I can into one day. If I have 20 minutes between activities I’ll find something to do and I love multitasking. For example, when I brush my teeth, there are 2 minutes I could be doing something else because I need only one hand for brushing so I’ll start to make my lunch or check my email. Since being in Büsingen I have had time to do the things I’ve always wanted or planned on doing. For example, I never knew how to cook. I thought it was because I didn’t like it, but it is really because it takes so long. Before, I would plan on making dinner around 7pm then I would get caught up doing something, then many things, and then around 10pm I’m starving and can’t wait to fix something so I would just eat cereal. Well I’ll just say that since I’ve moved here that I’ve learned to cook… pretty well. I know that some people would love to have more free time on their hands, but I’m not one of them. One weekend I painted everything in my room, my bed, mirrors, and bookshelf. I even have had time to catch up on my reading. Some of my recommendations are The Kite Flyer, Tractors in Ukrainian, The Time Traveler’s Wife, The Secret Life of Bees, and The Shack. If you recommend any books or movies let me know because I don’t watch T.V. so I don’t know about anything new in the media.

Nevertheless, as crazy as I might get in this little village, it is still a wonderful place to live.