So I officially have one month left of my exchange. It is so weird to say that I've been here for 10 months now. Time flies by so quickly, it's alarming. When I think back onto when I first arrived, it feels like it was just yesterday, but then I think of all the things I've done and everything I've learned and it makes sense that I've been here for almost a year. I'm having a lot of mixed feelings about going back to California. On one hand I don't want to leave Switzerland and this life I've created here, the people I've met, the friends and family I've gained. But as I am preparing to say goodbye, I realize that this chapter of my life is about to close, and that I have to learn how to deal with it. As sad as I am to leave Switzerland, I am equally excited to return home to California and see my family again. I'm excited for burritos, and driving, and beach trips. I've grown so much over the course of this year, and I wouldn't change this experience for anything. There have been ups and downs, but that's how life is. I never realized that I would get so attached to this place, these people, this culture. I'll be swapping train rides for car rides, mountains for the beach, raclette for burritos, my swiss life for my californian life. It's bittersweet, knowing the end date of the life you've cultivated and then realizing that that date is coming sooner than you thought. Even if I come back to Switzerland, it will never be the same as it has been this year. When I leave, I will be leaving this life behind, closing this chapter. And I'm not sure how I feel about that. I know I will be coming back home as a different person, and that my life probably won't be the same as it was when I left a year ago. I know there will be reverse culture shock and that life will be different. Even thought I wasn't there, life went on, people changed. Even though I know all of this, it doesn't seem real. Leaving Switzerland doesn't seem real. The fact that I might never see some of my best friends again doesn't seem real. And I know it won't seem real until I'm back in the United States. I'm not even sure it will seem real then.
This weekend is my last Rotex weekend here in Switzerland, my farewell weekend (for the oldies). I remember the Matterhorn Weekend so clearly, as it was the farewell weekend for my oldies, and thinking that my farewell weekend was never going to come, that it was so far away. But again, time goes by so quickly and in what felt like a matter of moments, it's the week before the farewell weekend in Tessin.
Throughout the year, I've measured time in different ways, in months, days, weeks. Each one is different than the other. When you say you have one month left, you feel as if you have much more time, than if you say "I have less than 30 days left". It's a weird feeling, knowing that they are both the same amount of time, but one seems longer than the other. Counting down the days, it feels like they are going by so slowly, but I know that when the time comes for me to board the plane back home, I'll wonder where all the time went in the last 30 days of my exchange.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Thursday, May 21, 2015
A Post About Eurotour
If you've been keeping up with my blog, you know that in April I went on a 3 week long Eurotour. It was amazing! I saw an experienced all kinds of different things. Our tour went Zürich-Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam-Berlin-Prague-Bratislava-Vienna-Budapest-Postojna-Venice-Rome-Milan. We drove the entire trip on a bus, which wasn't all that bad.
The 10 hour ride to Paris from Zürich seemed a lot shorter than it really was, which I am grateful for, because 10 hours on a bus is a loooong time. Anyways, Paris was amazing! Our first day there, we walked from the Notre Dame to Chámps Élyseé (which is actually a really long ways to walk). We stopped at the Pont des Arts and I put a lock on the bridge with my newbie from New Zealand. For lunch I was able to meet up with two of my friends from California who are also on exchange (one there in Paris, the other in Belgium). After lunch we went to the Eiffel Tower and went all the way to the very top! The view was stunning, and you could see the entire city from up there. Our second day in Paris we visited Montmartre. It was so cool to see the Moulin Rouge and the Sacre Coeur Basilica, among other things such as Van Gogh's apartment and Pablo Picasso's favorite restaurant/cabaret. After having lunch in the Artist's Square, we visited the Louvre Museum. Although we only had 2 hours there, it was amazing to see some of the great masterpieces of the art world. After that, we went and had a typical french diner with a sunset cruise on the Seine afterwards. Seeing the Eiffel Tower all lit up from the boat was definitely one of my favorite parts of Eurotour. The next day we took off for Amsterdam with a lunch stop in Brussels, where I saw the Mannekin Pis and the Atomium and ate french fries and Belgian waffles!
In Amsterdam we made bike tour around the city which was really nice, even though some parts were kind of scary (i.e. lots of traffic = lots of cars = scaryness when you're on a bike). We also visited the Anne Frank House, which was really eye-opening for me, in terms of seeing how WWII and the Nazi Regime affected people and their lives. I definitely suggest that if you ever go to Amsterdam, visit her house. After visiting the house, we took a cruise along the canals, which was really fun and allowed us to see more of the city.
After Amsterdam we made another 10 hour bus ride, this time to Berlin. During our day in Berlin, we visited many places, such as Checkpoint Charlie, the TV Tower, and multiple memorials. We also visited the remaining parts of the Berlin Wall, which I found really fascinating with all the artwork and murals that cover it.
After Berlin, we drove to Prague (Praha in czech). If you don't know, Prague was one of the few cities that wasn't bombed during WWII, so lots of the buildings are hundreds and hundreds of years old. Seeing all of the old buildings and statues was super cool. We walked all the way down from the Prague Castle, across the Charles Bridge to the Old Square. Prague was so different from the other cities we visited, but it was definitely one of my favorites. While in Prague we had a night walk, and got to see how the city changes from day to night.
From Prague we drove to Vienna, with a lunch stop in Bratislava. Bratislava is one of those semi-small cities that you only need a day or a half-day to explore, but is still gorgeous and fascinating. From Bratislava we drove on to Vienna. The hotel we stayed at was heaven. The food was amazing and the beds were like laying in a cloud. (It's called The Renaissance if you're ever in Vienna). During the day we took a city tour and saw all the old buildings and palaces, which were so beautiful. Later on in the day we took horse drawn carriages for a ride around the city. We then went back to the hotel for dinner and to get ready for an opera/ballet!
The next day we took a tour of the Schönbrunn Palace, which was one of the royal residencies, and then departed for Budapest! I can honestly say that Budapest was one of my most favorite cities we visited. We had a city tour and got to go inside of the Parliament building, which is one of the most beautiful parliaments in the world. One of my favorite things that we did in Budapest was go to the thermal bath house. When you get into the water, it doesn't feel like a normal pool. You can literally feel the difference in the water from the minerals, and it makes you feel so relaxed. After the visit to the thermal baths, we were treated to a folk show during a typical hungarian dinner. We didn't know that there were going to be multiple courses, so when more food came after we were full with goulash, we were so surprised. The folk show was really fun, and included dancing, music and balancing jugs of wine on heads.
After Budapest it was time to go to Venice with a stop at the caves in Postojna on the way! When we arrived in Postojna, we took a small train 5 m into the caves and then had about an hour long tour. We also got to see the cave salamanders, which are completely while as well as blind. In the middle of our tour the lights went out and it became pitch black. A lot of people (including me) freaked out a bit, but it ended up just being that they like to turn out the lights so that people can see what it is like in the caves without light. After out tour ended we made our way to Venice!
Our hotel was in Lido di Jesolo, which is a small city close to Venice. I was so stocked because it was right on the beach, which I hadn't seen in 9 months. Venice was all that I had hoped it would be. We were lucky enough to have beautiful weather with the sun shining and we had a nice ocean breeze. We had a city tour and then took a gondola along the canals. After the gondola ride, we took a boat to the island of Murano to see the glass factory. There we got to see one of the Masters make a vase using the glass-blowing technique. It was amazing to see it being made in-person. When we got back to the hotel we all got ready for a masquerade that was being put on for us (earlier in the day we had all bought Venetian masks to wear).
The next day we got to sleep in and have a bit of time on the beach before heading off to our second-to-last stop... ROME! Our hotel in Rome was about 30-45 minutes from the center of the city, but it still had a nice view of the surrounding area. Our first day in Rome we took a very long city tour (we walked 12 kilometers!!!) and got to see the Coloseum, the Foro Romano, Palatine Hill , the Trevi Fountain and many other amazing sights. The day was overcast but luckily it didn't start raining until we went for dinner. Unfortunately, it was pouring down rain when we got off the bus to walk to the restaurant. My shoes and pants were throughouly soaked by the time we go there. Since the inside had already filled up, some of us ended up sitting outside under a canopy. The food made sitting outside in wet clothes worth it though. W head 3 pastas, 2 meats and 2 desserts to share family style and it was some of the best food I have ever had. The nest day we visited the Vatican. We got to go inside and see the Sistine Chapel and well as all the artwork inside the building. W also got to visit St. Michael's Basilica, which I can confidently say is one of the biggest churches I have ever been in. After that we walked around the city some more, and stopped for a little bit on the Spanish Steps. In this square is also all the super expensive designer stores are, such as Dior, Chanel, Dolce and Gabanna, Emilio Pucci, etc. Me and my friend Lindsey decided to go into the Dior store for fun, but not only could we not even come close to affording anything there, just breathing the air felt like it was going to cost me thousands of dollars. After everyone had reconvened, we took the bus to the catacombs. Being down there was fascinating but also pretty freaky. The lighting is really dim and you almost expect something to grab your foot as you walk by. There weren't any more bones in these catacombs, since they were all removed to be able to preserve them. After finishing our tour of the catacombs we then headed off to dinner. The restaurant was a little family owned place, and the pasta and pizza we had was amazing. Italians definitely know how to cook haha. It was a great was to end our last day in the beautiful city of Rome.
We set off for Milan the next morning with a surprise lunch stop in Pisa. Seeing the leaning tower of Pisa in person was super rad.
In Milan another party was put on for us, but this time as a "farewell party". It ended up being a great night and a great way to end Eurotour.
Our last day was spent driving back to Zürich. Those three weeks while we were gone really allowed for spring to come to Switzerland. Everything was greener than i had ever seen it be, which is pretty hard to do since it was super green when I first arrived last August. I love seeing my second home like this because a green Switzerland is the best kind of Switzerland.
All in all, Eurotour was one of the best experiences I've ever had (besides coming on exchange). It has been one of the highlights of my exchange and I', so glad I was able to go on it.
P.S. To future exchange students: If you have the chance to go on a Eurotoue, or any other kind of trip with Rotary or your exchange organization, DO IT! It is definitely worth every penny :)
You can see all the pictures from Eurotour at https://www.facebook.com/ali.batchelder/media_set?set=a.925546084173141.1073741840.100001532753875&type=3
The 10 hour ride to Paris from Zürich seemed a lot shorter than it really was, which I am grateful for, because 10 hours on a bus is a loooong time. Anyways, Paris was amazing! Our first day there, we walked from the Notre Dame to Chámps Élyseé (which is actually a really long ways to walk). We stopped at the Pont des Arts and I put a lock on the bridge with my newbie from New Zealand. For lunch I was able to meet up with two of my friends from California who are also on exchange (one there in Paris, the other in Belgium). After lunch we went to the Eiffel Tower and went all the way to the very top! The view was stunning, and you could see the entire city from up there. Our second day in Paris we visited Montmartre. It was so cool to see the Moulin Rouge and the Sacre Coeur Basilica, among other things such as Van Gogh's apartment and Pablo Picasso's favorite restaurant/cabaret. After having lunch in the Artist's Square, we visited the Louvre Museum. Although we only had 2 hours there, it was amazing to see some of the great masterpieces of the art world. After that, we went and had a typical french diner with a sunset cruise on the Seine afterwards. Seeing the Eiffel Tower all lit up from the boat was definitely one of my favorite parts of Eurotour. The next day we took off for Amsterdam with a lunch stop in Brussels, where I saw the Mannekin Pis and the Atomium and ate french fries and Belgian waffles!
In Amsterdam we made bike tour around the city which was really nice, even though some parts were kind of scary (i.e. lots of traffic = lots of cars = scaryness when you're on a bike). We also visited the Anne Frank House, which was really eye-opening for me, in terms of seeing how WWII and the Nazi Regime affected people and their lives. I definitely suggest that if you ever go to Amsterdam, visit her house. After visiting the house, we took a cruise along the canals, which was really fun and allowed us to see more of the city.
After Amsterdam we made another 10 hour bus ride, this time to Berlin. During our day in Berlin, we visited many places, such as Checkpoint Charlie, the TV Tower, and multiple memorials. We also visited the remaining parts of the Berlin Wall, which I found really fascinating with all the artwork and murals that cover it.
After Berlin, we drove to Prague (Praha in czech). If you don't know, Prague was one of the few cities that wasn't bombed during WWII, so lots of the buildings are hundreds and hundreds of years old. Seeing all of the old buildings and statues was super cool. We walked all the way down from the Prague Castle, across the Charles Bridge to the Old Square. Prague was so different from the other cities we visited, but it was definitely one of my favorites. While in Prague we had a night walk, and got to see how the city changes from day to night.
From Prague we drove to Vienna, with a lunch stop in Bratislava. Bratislava is one of those semi-small cities that you only need a day or a half-day to explore, but is still gorgeous and fascinating. From Bratislava we drove on to Vienna. The hotel we stayed at was heaven. The food was amazing and the beds were like laying in a cloud. (It's called The Renaissance if you're ever in Vienna). During the day we took a city tour and saw all the old buildings and palaces, which were so beautiful. Later on in the day we took horse drawn carriages for a ride around the city. We then went back to the hotel for dinner and to get ready for an opera/ballet!
The next day we took a tour of the Schönbrunn Palace, which was one of the royal residencies, and then departed for Budapest! I can honestly say that Budapest was one of my most favorite cities we visited. We had a city tour and got to go inside of the Parliament building, which is one of the most beautiful parliaments in the world. One of my favorite things that we did in Budapest was go to the thermal bath house. When you get into the water, it doesn't feel like a normal pool. You can literally feel the difference in the water from the minerals, and it makes you feel so relaxed. After the visit to the thermal baths, we were treated to a folk show during a typical hungarian dinner. We didn't know that there were going to be multiple courses, so when more food came after we were full with goulash, we were so surprised. The folk show was really fun, and included dancing, music and balancing jugs of wine on heads.
After Budapest it was time to go to Venice with a stop at the caves in Postojna on the way! When we arrived in Postojna, we took a small train 5 m into the caves and then had about an hour long tour. We also got to see the cave salamanders, which are completely while as well as blind. In the middle of our tour the lights went out and it became pitch black. A lot of people (including me) freaked out a bit, but it ended up just being that they like to turn out the lights so that people can see what it is like in the caves without light. After out tour ended we made our way to Venice!
Our hotel was in Lido di Jesolo, which is a small city close to Venice. I was so stocked because it was right on the beach, which I hadn't seen in 9 months. Venice was all that I had hoped it would be. We were lucky enough to have beautiful weather with the sun shining and we had a nice ocean breeze. We had a city tour and then took a gondola along the canals. After the gondola ride, we took a boat to the island of Murano to see the glass factory. There we got to see one of the Masters make a vase using the glass-blowing technique. It was amazing to see it being made in-person. When we got back to the hotel we all got ready for a masquerade that was being put on for us (earlier in the day we had all bought Venetian masks to wear).
The next day we got to sleep in and have a bit of time on the beach before heading off to our second-to-last stop... ROME! Our hotel in Rome was about 30-45 minutes from the center of the city, but it still had a nice view of the surrounding area. Our first day in Rome we took a very long city tour (we walked 12 kilometers!!!) and got to see the Coloseum, the Foro Romano, Palatine Hill , the Trevi Fountain and many other amazing sights. The day was overcast but luckily it didn't start raining until we went for dinner. Unfortunately, it was pouring down rain when we got off the bus to walk to the restaurant. My shoes and pants were throughouly soaked by the time we go there. Since the inside had already filled up, some of us ended up sitting outside under a canopy. The food made sitting outside in wet clothes worth it though. W head 3 pastas, 2 meats and 2 desserts to share family style and it was some of the best food I have ever had. The nest day we visited the Vatican. We got to go inside and see the Sistine Chapel and well as all the artwork inside the building. W also got to visit St. Michael's Basilica, which I can confidently say is one of the biggest churches I have ever been in. After that we walked around the city some more, and stopped for a little bit on the Spanish Steps. In this square is also all the super expensive designer stores are, such as Dior, Chanel, Dolce and Gabanna, Emilio Pucci, etc. Me and my friend Lindsey decided to go into the Dior store for fun, but not only could we not even come close to affording anything there, just breathing the air felt like it was going to cost me thousands of dollars. After everyone had reconvened, we took the bus to the catacombs. Being down there was fascinating but also pretty freaky. The lighting is really dim and you almost expect something to grab your foot as you walk by. There weren't any more bones in these catacombs, since they were all removed to be able to preserve them. After finishing our tour of the catacombs we then headed off to dinner. The restaurant was a little family owned place, and the pasta and pizza we had was amazing. Italians definitely know how to cook haha. It was a great was to end our last day in the beautiful city of Rome.
We set off for Milan the next morning with a surprise lunch stop in Pisa. Seeing the leaning tower of Pisa in person was super rad.
In Milan another party was put on for us, but this time as a "farewell party". It ended up being a great night and a great way to end Eurotour.
Our last day was spent driving back to Zürich. Those three weeks while we were gone really allowed for spring to come to Switzerland. Everything was greener than i had ever seen it be, which is pretty hard to do since it was super green when I first arrived last August. I love seeing my second home like this because a green Switzerland is the best kind of Switzerland.
All in all, Eurotour was one of the best experiences I've ever had (besides coming on exchange). It has been one of the highlights of my exchange and I', so glad I was able to go on it.
P.S. To future exchange students: If you have the chance to go on a Eurotoue, or any other kind of trip with Rotary or your exchange organization, DO IT! It is definitely worth every penny :)
You can see all the pictures from Eurotour at https://www.facebook.com/ali.batchelder/media_set?set=a.925546084173141.1073741840.100001532753875&type=3
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Eurotour is Coming!
Well I have less than 3 months left here in my wonderful Switzerland. Time is going to go by so fast, I can’t even comprehend it. I am now living with my third host family, and they are wonderful! My house has an amazing view of the hills surrounding Bern, and I can’t wait to see the sunsets from my backyard. I’m currently on Spring Break right now, and I start my Eurotour in 5 days! We’re going to have really nice weather in Paris (70 F!!!) and hopefully everywhere else! We’re going to do so many cool things, such as visiting the Louvre, visiting Anne Frank’s house, going up the Eiffel Tower, seeing the Berlin Wall, going to a thermal bath house in Budapest, visiting castles in Prague, gondola rides in Venice, seeing the caves in Postojna, visiting the Coloseum and Vatican in Rome, and so much more! I'm so excited to be able to go on this trip, since this is the first year in a long time that Swiss Rotary has allowed us to do the Eurotour. I'll be taking lots of pictures and also some videos that I will post on youtube after I get back!
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
7 Month Update
Well it's official: I have been in Switzerland for more than 7 months. I have 3 and a half months left. It's so crazy how fast time flies. It feels like just yesterday when I was leaving San Francisco, ready to start this being adventure. I've experienced so many things people only dream of experiencing, and I still have many more amazing memories to make. I will be changing host families in a couple of weeks, and it's an understatement to say I will miss my second host family. They have been so amazing to me, making me feel like their actual daughter/granddaughter/sister. When my old counselor from back in California told me that I was going to bond a lot with my host grandmother(s) I didn't know what to expect really. I now know what she meant. My Oma is one of the most amazing people I've ever met and I've grown so close to her over the time that I've been here. Another person I have grown really close to this year is my host sister Joelle. Luckily, she'll be coming to Northern California for her exchange year, more specifically, district 5130 which is my sponsoring district! Hopefully she'll be living in a town close to me, if she's not in Windsor. The Eurotour is in less than a month and I couldn't be more excited!!!! 11 countries, 13 cities, 21 days. It's most definitely a dream come true. I just hope we have nice weather! Last Saturday I took my B1 German proficiency test, and I'm pretty confident that I passed! It's weird to think that just a few months ago I only spoke half of what I can speak now. In just 7 months I speak German at the level of a German 4 class back in the Sates. Fasnacht season has come and gone, and I can say it was so amazing to experience. I only went to Bern Fasnacht but I still had an amazing time with my friends and soaking up swiss culture. Since Fasnacht is like Mardi Gras times Halloween, everyone gets dressed up, so naturally I put on my In 'N Out t-shirt, painted football stripes on my face and went as an American. A couple weeks ago I was also able to meet up with one of my mom's oldest friends and spend the day with her! Since I hadn't really seen much of Zürich yet (and that's where she lives), we spent the day touring around Zürich and I got to see lots of cool things, such as a building made of storage containers stacked on top of each other, the Viadukts shopping strip, and lots of more really cool things! I also got to go see Milky Chance play live in Zürich with a couple of my friends. He was so amazing, and I'm so glad I was able to go see one of my favorite artists live. The opening band Kafka Tamura were really good also, and are paling again in Zürich so maybe I'll get to go see them again. My newbies have been here for almost two months now, but it feels like longer. Soon, I'll be the oldie that's leaving and they'll be the newbies who are saying goodbye, but let's not think about that right now. I still have 3 and a half months left and I plan on making the most of them!
Bern Fasnacht!
Milky Chance!!!
With Kafka Tamura
Viadukts - Zürich
Shipping Container Building
View from Cloud in Zürich
B1 Test Bound (7:00 am!!!)
Monday, February 2, 2015
Blockwoche in Emmental
This past week my school had the second Blockwoche (a project week) of the year, and I was able to explore more Swiss culture. We studies the Emmental region of Bern, which is close to the Bern Oberland. It consists of lots of farmland, with lots of cows and pastures. The towns are pretty small, but very beautiful, as is the scenery. Throughout the week I was able to experience lots of typical swiss things. On Monday we went to a family owned bakery and made chocolate bunnies and got a tour around the factory. One thing I was absolutely amazed by was how big their mixers were! They were so huge, that I could probably fit in one of the bowls if I sat down. On Tuesday we visited the Flyer bike company's factory and got a tour around that as well. Flyer bikes are special because they have a motor in them that helps you bike up large hills, such as the Swiss Alps. They can go up to 30 Kilometers per hour (I think). After that we had a typical swiss lunch, soup, salad and either Rösti or Swiss Macaroni. We then went and learned how to do Schwingen, which is Swiss-style sawdust wrestling. It was really fun! I even won a couple of times! On Wednesday we got to try a bunch of different homemade cheeses. We even got to make our own cheese, which we will get in a couple of months! We also saw typical swiss dancers dancing in the old swiss dresses. On Thursday we learned how to yodel and then we went to a gold/silversmith's workshop and saw how they make typical swiss jewelry. On Friday we had Rösti for breakfast in the school cafeteria (which is so much better than american cafeterias) and then we were done! The whole week was super fun and I learned a lot more about Swiss culture. I'm so happy I had this opportunity, because if it weren't for this week I would have not experienced a lot of these things! Another exciting thing that happened during this week is that I have begun to understand Swiss Bern German when it's spoken! I have been able to read and understand it for a while now, but being able to understand when it's spoken is the icing on the proverbial cake!
Monday, January 19, 2015
The Next Half Of My Year
So I'm in the mood to blog right now, so here's a layout of what the rest of my year is going to look like.
Just a couple of days ago we welcomed out Newbies to Switzerland so this month I'm probably going to be showing my Newbies around Bern and teaching hem how to use the trams and trains.
In February a lot is going on. I have a Blockwoche coming up where I will be traveling to the Emmental Region of Switzi and learning all about Swiss culture for an entire week. After that i have Sportsferien, which I will be spending up in Flims with my first host family. The Berner Fasnacht is near the end of the month and I'm so excited for it! I definitely want to go to more than just one so I'm looking at going to the Basel Fasnacht as well, because it's the most famous one here in Switzi. Also we have another Rotex/Rotary weekend in Engelberg - this will be the first one with the Newbies! I am also going to a Milky Chance concert with a couple of other exchange students and I'm really looking forward to it!
***In March I am hoping to be able to go to Spain to visit Zephyr (my best friend who is also on exchange this year in Spain) for about 5 days.
In April spring vacation starts and I will be spending it in Germany with my first host family at a family reunion! That is for the first week of April and then I come back and go straight to my 3 week Eurotour! This is the first year in quite a while that Swiss Rotary has allowed us to do the Eurotour and all of the exchangers are super excited for it. I will be traveling all around Europe; from Paris --> Amsterdam --> Brussels --> Berlin --> Budapest --> Prague --> Bratislava --> Vienna --> Postojna --> Venice --> Rome --> The Vatican City --> Milan. After I come back from my Eurotour I will be switching host families and going to live in Stettlen.
In May is mainly just school and traveling around some more. Swimming in the Aare and hanging out with friends on the weekend. I will also check out the BEA Horse Exhibition, which is just like a Fair with livestock and an amusement park and little booths to shop at. Basically May is going to be a really relaxed month for me.
June will be my last month here, and it is also the last month of school. I also plan to spend the weekends chilling in Bern or exploring more of Switzerland. I'm planning on getting together a bunch of Swiss friends and exchange students to float down the Aare with me, sort of as a going away thing.
And that's about it for the rest of my exchange! Of course more things will come up and I'll be doing a lot more, but for now that's what's planned!
***This is very tentative and I'm still in the process of getting Rotary approval. Fingers crossed though!
Just a couple of days ago we welcomed out Newbies to Switzerland so this month I'm probably going to be showing my Newbies around Bern and teaching hem how to use the trams and trains.
In February a lot is going on. I have a Blockwoche coming up where I will be traveling to the Emmental Region of Switzi and learning all about Swiss culture for an entire week. After that i have Sportsferien, which I will be spending up in Flims with my first host family. The Berner Fasnacht is near the end of the month and I'm so excited for it! I definitely want to go to more than just one so I'm looking at going to the Basel Fasnacht as well, because it's the most famous one here in Switzi. Also we have another Rotex/Rotary weekend in Engelberg - this will be the first one with the Newbies! I am also going to a Milky Chance concert with a couple of other exchange students and I'm really looking forward to it!
***In March I am hoping to be able to go to Spain to visit Zephyr (my best friend who is also on exchange this year in Spain) for about 5 days.
In April spring vacation starts and I will be spending it in Germany with my first host family at a family reunion! That is for the first week of April and then I come back and go straight to my 3 week Eurotour! This is the first year in quite a while that Swiss Rotary has allowed us to do the Eurotour and all of the exchangers are super excited for it. I will be traveling all around Europe; from Paris --> Amsterdam --> Brussels --> Berlin --> Budapest --> Prague --> Bratislava --> Vienna --> Postojna --> Venice --> Rome --> The Vatican City --> Milan. After I come back from my Eurotour I will be switching host families and going to live in Stettlen.
In May is mainly just school and traveling around some more. Swimming in the Aare and hanging out with friends on the weekend. I will also check out the BEA Horse Exhibition, which is just like a Fair with livestock and an amusement park and little booths to shop at. Basically May is going to be a really relaxed month for me.
June will be my last month here, and it is also the last month of school. I also plan to spend the weekends chilling in Bern or exploring more of Switzerland. I'm planning on getting together a bunch of Swiss friends and exchange students to float down the Aare with me, sort of as a going away thing.
And that's about it for the rest of my exchange! Of course more things will come up and I'll be doing a lot more, but for now that's what's planned!
***This is very tentative and I'm still in the process of getting Rotary approval. Fingers crossed though!
Monday, January 12, 2015
Weihnachten Ferien in Davos/Five Month Update
So over Christmas (Weihnachten) break I spent the whole two weeks up in the village of Davos with my host family. It was so amazing! At first we had barely any snow because it has been a pretty mild winter (for Switzerland at least. I'm freezing!), but on my birthday I woke up to a complete winter wonderland, which was one of the best birthday presents ever. The first couple of days were spent chilling out at the apartment and sitting on the balcony enjoying the beauty of the Swiss Alps and also exploring the town. While we were there, the Spengler Cup Davos was happening, and I was able to go see one of the hockey games with my host dad and brother. We saw the local Davos team play the Croatian team and it was super fun and the perfect atmosphere to see my first live hockey game in. Christmas time was really fun, my host grandparents and my host uncle's family were with us in Davos so we all had a nice Christmas dinner together. My host dad made some beef stroganoff, which was super delicious. We then opened presents (because here in Switzerland they open presents on the night of the 24th). Overall, I had a really nice Christmas and I love my host family. My birthday was a couple days after and for that we went sledding in Bergün! It was so much fun, and I definitely want to go back there sometime! New Year's Eve was spent with my host family eating ice cream and watching fireworks and drinking sparkling apple cider. Very quaint, but it was nice. We left the next day to come back to Bern. I have been here long enough that I consider Bern as much of my home that while in Davos I began to feel a bit host sick (homesick, but for your host city) for Bern. If I got host sick from just being away for two weeks, I don't want to imagine what leaving is going to feel like. Right now, that sense of helplessness to not be able to stop time is creeping up on me, with me being here for five months already. My oldies have left and on Sunday all my newbies arrive. Being an oldie is both a joy and a sadness. It's a joy because you get to meet a whole new set of amazing people and create even more lifelong friendships.You get to be a sort of older sister or brother to these new exchangers. You know what they are going though when they first get here because you were them once, only a short while ago. It's also a sadness, but there is a joy to this sadness. It marks the halfway point of your exchange and you realize just how fast time has flown by, and you just want to make time stop. You want to live in this moment forever and keep on experiencing the many wonders of your fairly-new home. But setting a time limit for your life in a year makes you appreciate it more and take every opportunity to do or learn something new. I am so excited for what these next 6 months are going to bring me. I get to go on a Eurotour with some of my best friends in the entire world (literally) and visit amazing places and LIVE in EUROPE. Few people get to experience what I am experiencing, so I am extremely grateful to everyone who has made this possible for me. Here's to making the best out of everything.
And now for some pictures!
And now for some pictures!
This was taken at the Zürich Airport when I said goodbye to my Oldie
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