KEVITPAL Singh was in for a shock when he found out that his Swiss host father Alain Choisy, whom he would be staying with for a week in Geneva, Switzerland, could not speak a word of English.
The Malaysian, however, did not let the language barrier dampen his spirit – or his sense of humour, for that matter.
“Alain’s English is as good as my French, but we somehow managed to get by without any serious injuries,” he quipped.
Scenic mountains: Kevitpal posing at the picturesque town near Brig.
One of the funny incidents, as he recalled, was when he had to phone Choisy to pick him up after his activities.
“What I did was that I kept the phone calls as simple and short as possible which usually involved three steps only - identify myself on the phone, tell him the pick up point and end the call with
‘merci’,” he laughed.
Despite the occasional cross-cultural blunders, the experience of staying with the Swiss family had been a good start to the five-week exchange programme for the 30-year-old assistant customer service manager.
Kevitpal was one of the five Malaysian participants who took part in the Group Study Exchange (GSE) or
Echange de Groupes d’Etudes by The Rotary Foundation (TRF) to Switzerland in May.
Led by scientist and Rotarian Dr Joy Varughese, the team comprised four young professionals who had been selected to represent District 3300 Malaysia in the exchange programme to District 1990 Western Switzerland.
Say cheese!: Team leader Dr Joy enjoying Swiss cheese fondue during a farewell dinner in Geneva.
Other members were Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia senior lecturer Dr Mashitoh Yaacob, Petronas investment analyst Marliana Abas and this writer.
They were sponsored by Rotary Club (RC) Kampung Baharu, RC Damansara West and RC Klang, while Kevitpal was sponsored by the Rotaract Club of Gombak.
All applicants had to go through a stringent selection process before the final selection was made.
The four successful applicants were chosen based on, among others, their knowledge on Rotary, their sponsor clubs, District 3300, communication skills and professional goals.
The GSE programme involved vocational visits, cultural learning and plenty of opportunities for networking.
As preparation, the team members were also given intensive French lessons four months prior to the start of the programme.
One for the album: Team members Dr Mashitoh (left), the writer and Marliana (right) dressed up in traditional costumes with host family members Françoise and Hermance Schaerlig in Geneva.
Calling it a flagship programme by TRF, immediate past district governor Leslie Salehuddin 2009/10 of District 3300 said the programme had grown and attracted participation from almost every district globally since its inception in 1965.
“The exchange programme connects people from different parts of the world to promote international understanding and world peace,” he said.
District GSE Chairman Mohd Odzman Abdul Kadir described the programme as unique, saying that the organising committee strived to match the background and expertise of the participants to that of the companies for their professional day visits.
“If you are a doctor, for example, we will take you to hospitals and specialist centres for your vocational visit so that you can interact and exchange ideas with your counterparts,” he said.
Spanning across more than five cities and towns, the programme saw the team travel to Zurich, Geneva, Neuchâtel, Freiburg, Zermatt, Brig and, lastly, Bern, before boarding their Kuala Lumpur-bound flight in Zurich.
The magnificent view of the Alps wasn’t the only thing that would make a trip to Switzerland worthwhile. What made the exchange programme special was the gracious hospitality of the hosts.
From the savoury cheese fondue to milky Swiss chocolates, the participants were treated to almost every iconic Swiss food by the host families as well as the Rotarians.
While in Geneva, the team had a chance to meet confiseur Michel Rapp, who has been making chocolates for more than three decades in Nyon.
While people may be eating less chocolate these days for fear of consuming too much sugar in their diet, said Rapp, they are after chocolates that are of higher and better quality. In fact, he said, a study has shown that cocoa is rich in antioxidants.
Dr Joy said it was a life-changing experience for those involved in the programme.
“We learnt that no matter which country, what level of development and living standard, people face problems, joys and sorrows. One has to understand this and move forward to build a better world for all humanity,” he said.
Specialising in environmental ethics and education, Dr Mashitoh said it was great to learn about the professions in Switzerland and that the Swiss were not so different after all.
“One thing that I took back with me is the ‘Swiss precision’ (punctuality) – it is a good practice.
“If I could use one word to summarise my experience, it would be ‘beautiful’.
“This explains why we have taken more than 7,000 photos!” she said.
Among the excursions that the team took part in were visits to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Patek Philippe Museum, the Saut-du-Doubs waterfall, the historical town of Murten, popular ski holiday spot Belalp and the Grimsel Dam.
They also visited rotary clubs where they made presentations to promote Malaysia and its cultures.
The 2011/12 GSE programme is to RI District 5110 Southern Oregon and Northern California, the United States. For more information, visit
www.rotary.org.
