Today, I was supposed to go to the Kantonsschule, but the Dean was sick today. We rescheduled my meeting for Thursday, so I will know my class and schedule then. Instead, I went with some exchange students to Zurich. Each time I see and find more and more. We ended up splitting up because we all had different missions. I went with my friend, Paige from California. We wanted to hit up Zara and H&M, find this cute bridge with locks of love on it and search for this surf/skate shop. Typical Californian!! She's great-super bubbly and fun to be around! When I got home, we had family dinner. Then, I went for a run and came back to work on homework and socialize a bit!

Mom, can we buy this?!?

Don't worry I do eat vegetables and fruit here!

Appenzell theater

Traditional Appenzell dress.

Typical Appenzell house

To put grass for the cows!! Lots of cows here.

This is so good. Like Mac n Cheese.

Puff Pastry and whatever else is in it- so good!!

Zurich!!

Just so you get an idea of all the smoking here.

SBB!

Paprika chip snack-found my new equivalent to Goldfish.

Phase 10

Vanilla mousse pre-mousse.

Hot cocoa speaks for itself

This past week has been really good. I didn’t have one bad day where I felt miserable. I think my problem last week was not getting enough sleep…. This week I’ve been going to bed the latest at 10:30 and that’s helped me tremendously to have enough energy for the day. Here, after the day I’m exhausted: the language and the travelling home can be long. I love the train-it’s so much fun, but I miss being able to go directly home and the five minute car ride home. But this upcoming week is my last in the German course before real Swiss school!! I know I’m going to miss all the exchange students, but I’m looking forward to getting to know Swiss people. On Monday, the highlight of my day was Fusae and our train ride home with Ana and Mateus. Fusae, wow she’s so funny!! She does this thing where she imitates American eyes and Ana’s Latino ways… Oh goodness that girl is hilarious. Once we had all departed from the train to go our separate ways home, I came home and left with Claudia to apply for my Swiss ID card in UzWil. On the checklist, it asked for passport photos, so we had to stop somewhere and get those. When we got there, well, it turns out we didn’t need those, but we did need my Birth Certificate-this was not on the sheet. Lat’s just say I was shocked by the lack of organization and complication on behalf of the Swiss government. It’s almost like they do that on purpose just so we have to come back!! Oh well… When I got home, I went for a 4.5 mile run. It was a really good one! I run this one loop that’s around 1.5 miles and I repeat it a few times, but I’m starting to try exploring more because after a while I will get sick of the repetitiveness. Have I mentioned Switzerland is stunning to run in-STUNNING.

Tuesday: I feel I’ve learned so so so so much in such little time. I understand German so much more each and every day. For the second time in a row and the second test we have had I got the best score in the class-WOOP WOOP!! Right after I came home from school, I had to change and to meet Claudia in St. Gallen to go to the lacrosse club there. This was interesting… They are all 25 and only 4 people showed up. They were very nice and excited to have me, but I don’t think I will continue with this. The program is nothing exceptional since this is a very new sport in Switzerland; however, these 4 girls are very dedicated and love the sport!!!! Then, after the practice was over, we had to walk a while to the train station because there are no more buses running after my practice. Very soon it will be snowing, freezing and dark… By the time I was home-around 9-I was exhausted. I don’t think I will have enough time to do this along with school. At least I got to check it out!!

I have been running about 5 times a week here and I mentioned above that Switzerland is a beautiful country! So my host father contacted his friend who is the president of a running club in my town. After school on Wednesday, I went with them running. It was about 30 people (all older, a lot older, and one little boy). They were divided into 4 groups- 4 being the fastest group. They started me in group 2, the second to slowest group, which was fine! We ran for an hour and got in maybe a little under 6.5 miles. I was at the front of this pack and then they pushed me into the fastest group for the last 10 minutes, and wow they are amazing!! These are all the marathon runners (and the littlest boy). I can’t imagine running with them for an hour, so I think I belong in group 3. I had a lot of fun and got an amazing work out. It’s also really convenient and I can easily get to the meetings. They have different workouts everyday like my cross country team at home and it’s not a problem if I can’t make it. They run all year round, and I’m thinking this is the best fit for me. Anyway, before that I was dealing with my bank account situation. It’s impossible to get a bank account in Switzerland when you are from the States because of crooks who didn’t want to pay taxes would store their money in Switzerland…. Thanks a lot! But my counselor and I worked it out!

My 2 week-iversary of living in Switzerland was on Thursday. It’s gone by fast, but really slow. That doesn’t make sense… After school I went to Zurich with my exchange friends. We bought chocolate, then we hung out and chatted in this park. When I came home, I played this really fun “American” game called Phase 10 with Leandra and Claudia. It was so fun and really similar to this card game I play with my family in America called Shanghai. The awesome thing about Switzerland is that a lot of really fantastic music comes here and it’s always really close. For example, Mackelmore, the Lumineers, Bruno Mars, Ellie Goulding and so many more are coming to different places and festivals in Switzerland and I can’t believe how easy it is for me to go.

 

  On Friday we had a sub, but school was fun. We got to do another group activity with the other class and I really love how much I’ve been bonding with the other exchange students. After school, all the exchangers went to Zurich, but I couldn’t because my host parents were going to be out so I didn’t have time to ask them-if that makes sense? But I was fine because Leandra and I had the best time laughing and baking all these different desserts. We made this vanilla mousse thing, a Brazilian dessert, and a cake. For the cake, we needed to convert cups, teaspoons, etc. to milliliters and grams. She did not get the cup thing because cups are all different sizes. I don’t know why the USA is the only country in the world with this system… It would be so much easier if we used the universal measurement system!

The great thing about my family is that I always have plans and stuff to do. A lot of the other exchange students are really not as scheduled. On the downside that means I can’t as often go with the other exchange students after school to sightsee and hangout, but I have so much fun with my lovely family! On Saturday, for lunch I had these toast combos. There was this one amazing one with ham, tomatoes, avocado and herb goat cheese. I already told my mom we will have that again soon. Then, I went with my mom and Manuel to his football (soccer) match. It was rainy and cold. We picked up some of his teammates and then dropped them off at the field in Gossau. Then Claudia and I walked through this fest in the streets of Gossau and met some of her co-workers and then one of Bruno’s brothers, Leo, who is one of 10 people that makes this special knife in Switzerland. He works 20 HOURS PER DAY!! He and his wife were very nice. Then Claudia and I went to the knitting store-she and her mom, Oma, are into knitting. She’s knitting this cool sack type bundle thing for a baby of her niece. It’s (the outfit-the baby hasn’t been born yet) adorable! She also got me some yarn because when we go on holiday with the family, I’m going to learn (that will be hard) how to knit a wrist warmer. The skills you learn during exchange… Knitterz 4 Lyfe.

After that we went for a coffee break. I got hot cocoa and I tried this delicious cookie thing with hazelnut cream dipped in chocolate-WOW!! After that we watched the second half of the soccer game. I was really surprised how few people go to these things. In America, sports are so competitive and so many people show up for games. Here it’s sort of like, “Oh yeah you have a soccer game. Cool. Have fun! See you later.” Another thing is there was this one player who got hit in the chest with a flying soccer ball. He got the wind knocked out of him and was rolling around in the grass in pain. I was freaking out, and thinking, “Why aren’t the coaches out there?! Not even a trainer?!” In America, trainers would’ve been out there so quickly.  All of the sudden a boy from the opposing team picks him up and puts him in this position to open up his lungs- quite dramatic and the next thing you know they are all playing again… I was in shock. What just happened?! They lost, but normally they win. Oh well! I’m learning this sport…

When we came home, Bruno was working away making delicious spaghetti. The pasta is pretty darn tasty here, probably because Italy is our neighbor. That night my family had over many of the neighbors (about 20 or so people) to celebrate my arrival. It was a lot of fun! I had a great time showing pictures of Charleston and talking up my city. Everyone loved it and was saying how pretty it was!! My family has already told me they’re coming to visit me in 2015!! Everyone was so friendly and I got some chocolate and a very nice Swiss school bag and warm hat-I LOVE THAT HAT!! The food and desserts were just outstanding too. I met this one girl who is my age and already working in an office three times a week and going to school two times. It’s one of the schooling options here in Switzerland to get to your profession. That would never fly in America! When I was in the bank working out my Swiss account, there was a boy my age already working there at the front desk. It was just so grown up and weird for me! Her brother just got home from an exchange in Australia, and it was fun to speak English with him. They were both very nice.

Sunday, we had a laid back morning with a nice family breakfast. Then, I went into St. Gallen city with my family for a more thorough tour. Today it was really chilly and rainy! It’s strange because right now at home it’s so hot but in Switzerland chilly. I saw the Stiftsbibliothek, the Abbey Library in St. Gall. It was a beautiful room and I felt like I was in Harry Potter. It was nice to get in some historical details. I never realized how old all the cities in Switzerland are. Henau seems so modern, but really that town is over a thousand years old…  I saw all the neighborhoods, schools, lakes, forest trails in St. Gallen-even the view from above. A really nice city!! After my tour, we went to Oma and Opa’s flat in the city for coffee and cake. It was fun and they invited me to come to Opa’s 76^th birthday party!! They are so sweet and remind me of my grandparents. Opa is super flexible because he was a gymnast. He can touch the floor with his hands in fists-I can only do finger tips. That says something about Opa. Opa is also really good at Sudoku and Crosswords. He is one smart guy! Oma is a fast knitter and cooks good food! After our little visit, we came home and had a leisurely Sunday evening before school tomorrow. I love Switzerland and am having a great time!! This is my last week of language camp before I go to real Swiss school.

Recently, I have been harassed to update my blog-you know who you are. I started the German course with some of the other exchange students in Zurich on Monday. Well the first day… I had to get up really early-BLEH. At 7:35, Rebecca and I left the house for the train station. She helped me my first day switch trains and navigate the Bahnhof (train station). I really appreciated it, because since it was my first day, it was very overwhelming and difficult. On the train from Wil to Zurich Flughafen, we ran into the other exchangers around St. Gallen- Mateus, Ana Paula, Fusae, and Ashleigh. Finally, we arrived for the class at 9. Rebecca then left me with the other exchangers to learn Deutsch! My host mom, the sweetest woman, gave me money for lunch this week. This was so nice and completely unexpected. I tried to return it, but apparently its required by Rotary for your host parents to provide all your meals.

After we did a group introduction, we had to take a placement test. It would seal our fate, decide our destiny: if we were in the beginner group or the advanced group. Duh duh duh! I made the cut for the advanced group. The classes are hard, but also not over the top. I’m learning a lot, but the homework doesn’t take up my life (not even much). It starts at 9 and ends at 2:30. We typically get two 15 minute breaks before our hour lunch break. All the restaurants are very very very expensive, so I’ve mostly gone to the best super market ever called Migros, which sells everything. Every day this past week pretty much, we leave the area to go find another place to eat. But we always come back to Migros!! It’s really good and reasonable. I normally get a sandwich (they have great ones-you got to pick the right one though). The first day getting home was very interesting-there were 5 of us taking the same train and route homeward, so we put our minds together to figure out how to get home. Claudia, the sweetest host mom ever, gave me a schedule and two train options I could take with all the information and directions. If it wasn’t for that I would have been home a few hours later… When we first got to the platform, we noticed that one of the girls in our “group” from St. Gallen was missing, Fusae. She is from Japan and came over with barely any knowledge of German and English. The first thing she said to me was, “No English.” We were slightly worried, but then again she is so resourceful and finds her way around. She has continually escaped from us and we have talked about getting her a leash. Apparently she went on the earlier train.

                That night I had a Rotary function. Jürg and Silvia, my counselors, picked me up to take me up to the beautiful mountains that night for somewhat of a cook out in celebration of the National Day (Aug. 1). I really like my counselors. They are very nice!
It was a tad chilly, but the scenery was absolutely stellar. I met a ton of Rotary people, but I can’t say I’ve mastered all the names … But I can solve that problem with a sheet my host mom gave me with all the Rotarians’ names and pictures. For dinner we had the St. Gallen sausage (I don’t know if you could tell, but they like their meat, potatoes and bread here) and bread. First, you pick the sausage you want. Then, you put it over the fire. After the sausage is roasted to perfection, you select your bread. The sausage is held in a paper bag-typical Swiss: clean, yet environmentally conscious enough- and then you alternate between bites of bread and sausage. It was tasty, but definitely not the healthiest meal. There is this Apple Juice Cider: Mohl, that is delicious, and I drank it with dinner (I had the alcohol free version). I like that it’s not super sweet.

I enjoyed mingling and I met this one guy who went on an exchange to Australia three years ago. I loved talking to him- which was for quite a while. He was gorgeous and in the Swiss military… Too bad he’s too old for me! I also got to know the girl from South Africa better. She’s very cool and will be going to the same school as me after language camp. SHE SPEAKS AFRIKAANS!!! On another note, after dinner they drink coffee. I haven’t done that yet, but I’d like to try it sometime. Also, so many people smoke here. In one week, I think my lungs have been exposed to as much second hand smoke as I’ve experienced in my lifetime before. This is somewhat of an exaggeration…

Tuesday was an okay day… I remember being really tired and just not in the mood… But I went on a run that afternoon, read my devotion of the day, talked to my host sisters and I immediately felt better. I had the worst headache ever because it was just a lot of German in the past two days and a lot going on. I knew I would have a bad day (I'm here for a year, how can I not??). I hate them and there wasn't anything wrong at all-it's just that it wasn't a great day.

Wednesday was much better. WAY BETTER!! I bonded tremendously with the other exchange students. I’m so glad too since they are my rock through out this experience. There are a lot of  Americans (I've been advised that this is not the right term completely since South Americans are "American" too) in my school group. There are a few Canadians, a couple Mexicans, several Brazilians, one Icelander, one Japanese, one Venezuelan and one Ecuadorian. I love them all, but for different things. They are all so cool and fascinating. In school, we played a game where we went to this farmer's market in Zurich and had to match German words with vegetable and fruit pictures. This was fun, because we had more of a chance to bond rather than focusing in the classroom. Plus, our classes were mixed for this activity. One big thing here is Paprika Chips. Zweifel, the equivalent to Lays in America, has the best paprika chips. They are out of this world, and some of the exchange students hadn't had them before, so for lunch I bought some and let them try one. No one was as obsessed with them as I am. SO GOOD!! After school, some of the exchange students, including me, went to Zurich for the afternoon to sight see. Sofia's, from Brasil, host sister came with us too because she is going to Iceland, and the Icelander was with us. She was great! Zurich was absolutely incredible. The train station was ginormous. We wandered around, had fun and talked. None of us knew where we were or what there was to do, but that was somewhat the fun part! We saw the lake of Zurich, and then went to this church. At this church, we could climb the tower (a lot of stairs) to see a 360 view of the city. That was the highlight of our day trip I think. I want to go back again because there is so much to do!! After Zurich, I took the train to Wil so Silvia could pick me up and take me to Jürg's house for dinner and an informational meeting. This was quite interesting for me because I had to navigate the train station and schedule myself, without Claudia's highlights!! I made it though....almost an hour early. Anyway, when we got to Jürg's house, we helped him cook and prepare. We had spaghetti with lamb chops, salad, and a tart for dessert. Jürg and his wife love to cook, therefore the meal was top notch. We actually made the pasta-with this awesome machine! The food was delicious!! Jürg has the prettiest view from his dining room window too. The food was just to die for and I'm going to invite myself back-it was that amazing. Behind his house, his neighbors are raising llamas. This I did not know, so as we are eating dinner, I see llamas walk by the house window. I was so surprised and excited. I wanted to go pet them, but Jürg said he didn't know if they were nice llamas. It was so cool-how often do you see llamas  strolling outside of your kitchen window?! After our exceptional meal, we had to get through so much information and rules. I already knew it all thanks to my sending district for preparing me so well!! My counselor and Youth Chair were so impressed at all that I knew and my mindset because of my sending district. We finally left at 11, and I was dead. Even though it was slightly repetitive, they have to inform me so they can say they've told me the rules and I can't say I didn't know.

My running thing is solidified-I'm going tomorrow and on Tuesday I'm going to Sankt Gallen to check out their girl's lacrosse club. I'm so glad I'm doing a sport here. I function so much better with sports. I'm so appreciative of my host family taking my interests and helping me achieve my goals. I realize that they really want to help me have the best exchange possible and by telling things I want to do is not an inconvenience, but a pleasure. They want me to succeed and love Switzerland-this program is great. My host family is great!!

Thursday: I had school. When I came home, I went running. It was so so so hot and I couldn't believe how sweat soaked I was afterward. After I took my shower, I had dinner with my host grandparents. They are so sweet and want to have me over some time for dinner or something. I loved our family dinner. They are so nice and I gave them the pecan pralines, as well to my family. They were a huge hit and gone in less than 24 hours. MOM PLEASE SEND MORE-DANKE!!

Friday was miserable. That night, Leandra and I went to Sankt Galler Fest, a huge party in the streets of Sankt Gallen. It was so fun, and we met with her friend who went to America on an exchange this past year. I loved the atmosphere; it was a nice city fix. It solved my mood problem!

On Saturday, Leandra and I went with Rebecca to her kid's camp activity. We went hiking for most of the day-it was a gorgeous day paired with impeccable scenery. I'm kicking myself for not having brought my camera... There were about 60 kids and a few chaperones. Slowly, but surely I attracted my own group of child followers who were fascinated by this American foreigner. They were really shy at first, and would just stare at me, but they finally opened up. I loved their energy, and they spoke slowly and in High German with me. They had so much patience and were so interested in me. It was so cute. I gave them American coins and they loved them. Leandra and I were joking that we could hear them now telling their parents excitedly about the American girl. It was so fun to be her, represent my country and talk to these kids. It was very rewarding. After the hiking, the group got ice cream, and went swimming in this cool public swim club in Glossau. You pay CHF 5.50 to get in and you're in the coolest country club/water park. It was so awesome, and America should take notes. I was so tired after this busy day, but Rebecca, Claudia and I had tickets to a Swiss German play in celebration of Apenzellerland's 500th year as a kanton of Switzerland. It was chilly that night, and we met up with Claudia's sister and her daughter. They were very funny and nice. Before the play, we got a  yummy dinner. I had a traditional Appenzell macaroni and cheese thing with crispy onions, potatoes and apple sauce. I understood very little in the play. I got so confused during it too, understandably. Claudia said it was excellent though, so I think it was very good. After the play, we went to get coffee, and for me hot cocoa. It was delicious.

Sunday: I got to sleep in for the first time in a while. We had breakfast all together, and we had zopf!!!!! Switzerland has the best cheese, bread and chocolate. After our breakfast, I had to get ready for the Rotary Inbound meeting in Olten. We packed our lunch, and then left to catch a train that took about two hours to get to Olten. My third host family (well, part of them: my mom, dad, and sister-there are two brothers) met us to come with to the meeting. They are so so so sweet. I will be their first exchange student. I can feel and tell how much love they have and how badly they want me to have fun and be comfortable. The mom is a hairstylist and she said whenever I want my haircut, I can walk downstairs to her salon-SO COOL. I really enjoyed meeting them, and I'm excited about living with them. But I still don't really want to leave the Cozzios because they're amazing! The meeting in Olten was great, and I got to meet some other exchangers!! They're four Germans-in (French part) Switzerland. I was so surprised that was their first choice! The meeting was fun, but long and informative.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUE SUE!!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!

Zopf

Set up for Raclette

YUM-heaven

Early this morning, Leandra went on a walk with me to show me a route I can run in Henau. So, next time I want to run I know where to go. When we came back, Claudia and Bruno said they knew of this group of young people who run two times a week in the afternoons in Henau. They said they knew the president and could ask if I could join in with the group. I would really love to do that because it’s not too much of a commitment, it would be a great way to meet people, and I can stay active. I also mentioned the lacrosse club thing, and they said they would look into that. After I took a shower, we had family breakfast with this delicious bread only for Sundays called zopf.  It might be my favorite bread here-delicious!! It was a delicious breakfast, and then we set up my Handy (cell phone). I’m an owner of a Swiss phone with a Swiss number-so cool! At noon, we (Claudia, Bruno, Rebecca, Leandra and I; Manuel couldn’t come because he had a soccer game) departed for Bodensee, the second largest lake in Switzerland, in the kanton Thurgau. The time in the car flew by because I was just captivated by Switzerland’s beauty. We drove up to this campsite type thing where several families come to these very nice tents for vacation. We met Bruno’s mother, some of his brothers (he has five) and their families at this place. It was so much fun to meet the Cozzio clan(s). We just hung out and talked/I listened to the conversations, but I didn’t understand much when it came to Swiss German… We went swimming a couple times. The water was a beautiful blue, but it was a little colder than what I’m used to. It was little painfully cold in the beginning (literally, when I hugged myself the pressure felt like needles stabbing me), but then you get used to it. When you look across the lake, you can see Germany and Austria. When we weren’t swimming, we were snacking, playing games (hide and go seek and 14,15), and playing cards (Arschloch-translates to Asshole). The cards in Switzerland are very different than an American deck. There are 36 cards in a deck and the lowest number is 6. They taught me how to play and it was a lot of fun once I caught on. I tried some sort of yogurt, oat, fruit Swiss dish that all kids love- and I must say for myself, it was delicious!! We also got gelato in there somewhere and I enjoyed walking around the surrounding town a bit. It was so cute and there were all these people on roller blades and bikes.

For dinner we had Raclette which I LOVED!!! Might be one of my favorite meals yet. We melted the cheese with all sorts of spice, pineapple, mushrooms, corn, etc. Once it looked melted and cooked enough, we poured it over mini Brotroast (not sure how to spell that sausage, very Swiss), bacon, and/or potatoes. It was delicious and I’m counting on having it again. SO YUMMY!! Then, we packed up, said our goodbyes, and left Bodensee.

I had so much fun at Bodensee; it was really great! When we got home, I showered and then Claudia ran through a lot of info with me (train schedule, work schedule, Rotary Events, school stuff, etc.) It was very good, and made me even more excited about the year! Tomorrow I start German camp.

Wir fahren nach St. Gallen!

in die Berge

SOOO GOOD!!

Ich liebe meine host-Mutter!

die Alpen!

Me and my host sister made coffee for after the meal!