By Evan Mugford
Staff writer
July 02, 2009 03:38 am NEWBURYPORT — The reigning Daily News of Newburyport's Boys Tennis Player of the Year, Newburyport Clipper junior, Nick Filipancic, is leaving the country — for four weeks. Toward the end of July, Filipancic will be heading to his father's homeland of Lucerne, Switzerland, a monthlong journey that will not only inevitably boost the 16-year-old's grades in his German foreign language class but will also shed light on a land and culture his father, Joe, grew up in. "It's always important to know where you're from," said Joe Filipancic, who moved to the United States from Switzerland when he was in his early 20s. "I'm hoping for Nick to learn what it's like to live there; to have the opportunity to see where I'm from, and improve his German language and learn about the culture. "In the United States, you travel so much that one year you could be in Florida, and then California the next," Filipancic said, "but in Lucerne, it's more traditional and familiar. You tend to stay in the parts you grew up in; it's a little more slow-paced, neighborly." Switzerland is about the size of New England, has four native languages (German, French, Italian and Romansch), and Lucerne, where Nick Filipancic will stay for his initial two weeks, is a beautiful lake-strewn city in the shadow of the Swiss Alps. The trip was devised in secret by Filipancic's father and his aunt, who lives in Sursee, Switzerland, and was initiated through the Organization for the Swiss Living Abroad. Nearly a month and a half ago, Filipancic was informed and the arrangements were made. Once his eight-hour flight concludes, Filipancic will make his way to his host family just outside of Lucerne. For two hours every weekday, Filipancic will attend the Migros Klubschule School alongside other teenagers studying abroad, to improve his German speaking skills. Filipancic attests that once he arrives in Switzerland, it will be the only language he utters. "I'm not the best German speaker right now," laughed Filipancic, "but my dad seems to think I'll catch on pretty quick." When the weekends roll around, Newburyport's first position singles player will make his way into Lucerne to learn about the people, the government and the culture; not to mention, play a little tennis on some red clay at one of Lucerne's tennis clubs. "Oh, don't worry," Filipancic said. "I'll still be playing tennis." Following the initial two weeks, Filipancic will then head to Sursee and spend the remaining time in Switzerland with his aunt (Joe's sister), uncle and two cousins — the latter pair who spent last summer with Filipancic's family. Beyond learning the language while hanging around with his relatives, Filipancic also mentioned that he's excited to see a series of Swiss motor races his uncle — a car body shop owner — puts on. With the legal driving age in Switzerland at 18, Filipancic will be doing plenty of walking and using public transportation, but it suits his style just fine. "I think it will be a really cool experience because I really enjoy going to new, foreign places," Filipancic said. "I think it's cool to see how other people live; I'm just really excited to explore things by myself, learn the culture and meet up with my relatives."
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