Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Vacation...Part 2

Spain!!! For the second week of Vacation my host family and I headed to Rosas, Spain!!! I couldnt believe it when I first found out! We drove with the car, through France, and it was so beautiful the whole way. Crazy to say I have now been in Spain, France, and Switzerland, when two months ago, I had not even been to Europe! Even though it shouldn't have, the differences between Spain and Switzerland still came as a surprise! Funny to think how in just over 7 weeks, the swiss way of life became so normal to me!

We stayed in a small appartment just minutes from the ocean, with a beautiful view! The appartment has a huge deck/patio area where we spent a lot of time. The mornings consited of sleeping in, eating delicious pastrys for breakfast, and then reading/learning/talking/and more on the deck until mid afternoon. We would then either head to the beach to swim/play volleyball/ soccer/relax, or to a nearby city for sight seeing. The evenings were spent going out for dessert, shopping, or staying in and playing the most typical Swiss card game "Jassen" (pronounced yah-sen). It is very complicated, but also a lot of fun to play once you understand! It was an amazing week, and a great way to spend vacation with my host family. Spain was so beautiful, and its hard to explain what it was really like so here are a bunch of pictures...enjoy =))
Mountains surrounding Rosas
(seen below)
A Beautiful city we visited  
View from our Appartment
of the Mediteranian =)
Appartment view...
Sunset from the appartment...
City streets of Spain <3

Host family...







Nearby city to Rosas






One big thing about the exchange experience that finally hit me is homesickness. It is strange because although I was doing all these amazing once in a life time things over vacation, I was also hit with the worst homesickness I have experienced here. Partly because I want so badly to share all my experiences with my family and friends back home but am unable. Part of the definition of being an exchange student is separating yourself from your old life for a year, and live a new one. But still, homesickness is not one of those things that you can hide from, and I found that things that are normally just a part of my everyday life now remind me of home. I guess when the homesickness hits, it makes you much more susceptible to everything/anything that could bring back a memory of home. Luckily now being in school, and starting to make friends has helped alot, and the homesickness was just a phase. While I still have days when I miss home friends and family, I am also finding that here is now becoming home also. I have a life here, which is so much a part of who I am now, as the states are. Its definitely a big change, but an exchange year in switzerland is proving to be a once in a lifetime experience I know I will never forget. Everyday I am getting to do things I never thought possible, and am finding myself speaking a language every day I knew only two words from when I first arrived. I saw a quote the other day that I think is perfect to describe how an exchange year works....


"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone."


Until later, I am off....Tschüss!



Vacation...part 1

So again this post is very last, but I think its important to tell you all about Vacation!!! One amazing thing about schools here in Switzerland = 2 week Fall vacation!
Vacation started with a week of English speaking, because my host sisters friend from Alaska came to visit! It was very strange to have another american in the house!! I realized how much German I actually could understand (things that for some reason I just figured everyone knew). It was also cool to see her reactions to things I found completely normal now, as it reminded me of the differences, and what my first reactions were of things here.

Sunday we went on a hike to see the Castle/Fort ruins of Farnsburg, which are about an hours hike behind our house! It was crazy to think that the same road I was walking on was the one the knights used as they rode their horses home! The view was beautiful, and it was amazing to think how old the ruins were! There is nothing that old back in the states.



On Monday we went into Basel to see this really cool Art exibit there, show off the City, and do a little shopping! Its nice having such a beautiful and great city just a 30 minute train ride away! Tuesday morning all ther girls in the family left bright and early for a 2 day tour of eastern Switzerland!!! We started by taking a bunch of different trains, including the typical mountain train through the alps, down  to St. Moriz, a famous skiing resort! It was beautiful, and I got to see snow for the first time here in Switzerland!! Was definitely an expensive place though, with Ralph Lauren and Prauda shops next to Rolex, and a store selling $10,000 shoes!!! We then continued our Journey to this little village high up on a mountain. It was so cute, and is where a famous swiss children's story is from....I saw the little boy from the story's actual house!!! :). They also had this delicious honey walnut cake, which is special to that area...Its only place you can buy it. We then went north to Scuol, where our youth hostel was. It was brand new and right in the heart of the alps!! We went to a water park spa which was really relaxing after the long day of traveling!! :)....


The next day we left for St. Gallen, and rode right past Lichtenstein!!!  Just looked like switzerland haha so the only way i knew was because my host mom said "over there is lichenstein" In St. Gallen, we walked around, drank a hot chocolate at a cafe, and went to this really old library made for the monks, that is famous from there. We walked around the city for a while before finally getting on a train and coming home. t was an amazing, exciting, and really fun trip!! 

Beautiful Church in St. Gallen

Me, Rahel, Carla, and Esther <3

A random Playground



Small Village in the Alps
St. Moritz
Sisters in St. Moritz

Sleeping on the Train


Thursday,I went to this mountain thing with my host sister and her firend......we were going to go on the ropes course there but it was too full, so we rode these scooter things down the mountain!! It was beautiful with the leaves just starting to change color! I am amazed at how much later fall seems to hit switzerland here. The leaves were just starting to change in late October. Back in Vermont they start changing in early september! However I am enjoyign the fresh apples so late in the season here!

Another big thing about being an exchange student, is handling/dealing with your own money! Switzerland (as I am sure you know) is one of the most expensive places to live. (I went to Mcdonalds one day and a "Happy Meal" costs about $7.50!). Unfortunately for me, one USA dollar is now only 0.961 Swissfrancs!! :(......I am losing so much money! Hopefully the dollar will go up soon, but right now it just seems to be staying the same.

End of week one.... =)