Perfect Name

Matterhorn is a good name, but I’m actually referring to the name of my stranger for the “When you’re a stranger” project. (Matterhorn seems to be a cloud magnet, but I just had to blip this amazing mountain). Now, to the stranger project.

Camera 19 arrived yesterday at my Swiss address, after having been in and out of post offices for more than two weeks. I really appreciated to be selected by hjarald in The Netherlands, and he sent the camera to my Spanish address where I would have been if the Dutch and Spanish postal services had been just one day faster. I had left for Switzerland and my neighbour was kind enough to forward the camera, but it only arrived yesterday, and my contribution is hence Swiss and not Spanish.

Yesterday was my first day, but between trains, cable cars and automobiles my first 24 hour went by with nothing to show for it (except yesterday’s standard blip). So with one day to go, I had to get my act together. I decided to spend the morning scouting for a candidate in the main street in Zermatt. It certainly was not easy, as I wanted to find a stranger with visible character. I saw a few in the wrong places, some I didn’t dare to ask, until suddenly I spotted a lovely lady sitting on a bench.

I mobilized some courage and a bit of charm and went over asking if she spoke English. YES!!! Then I tried to explain what I wanted and what the project was about. I was unbelievably clumsy, but she said YES!!! I made her talk and I took the single picture (knowing extremely well that I should not wind the camera ready for the next shot), then I instantly wound the camera ready for the next shot. Certain movements are just so well ingrained, despite not have shot with a film camera for “decades”. (I’m going to hand deliver to the next blipper, so we should be fine).

I liked to find out that my stranger shot in Switzerland was genuinely Swiss. She is a retired schoolteacher from Basel, and she asked me if there would be opportunities for a second career as a model after appearing in this project. I’d say YES! So, finally, what is the perfect name for a Swiss stranger shot in the Swiss Alps?

HEIDI (true story)