Lucerne & Geneva

I am now on 2 weeks of school holidays and I am certainly making the most of it!! Rotary gave each exchange student a GA, which is a card that lets us travel all around Switzerland for a year by boat, tram, train and bus. I can't believe how lucky I am to have it, it has made my exchange SO good.. We can go anywhere in Switzerland for free!! So we have been using it every opportunity we get...

On Sunday we had a Rotary meeting in Lucerne for all the exchange students in my district - 1980. It was to discuss how our first 2 months were going. It went from 10am - 2 30pm and the exchange students that I'm close with - the ones from my German course all went out together afterwards to tour the beautiful city.. Little did I know it was going to end up being one of my best days here in Switzerland so far. It is the most beautiful city I have ever seen in my life.. It was Sunday so all the stores were closed and so we just walked around the main streets. As we were walking around, Tarsila, Sophie and I got a little lost and as Sophie was trying to figure out where everyone was, Tarsila and I spotted an incredible view that we have never seen before - snowy mountains !!

 It was our first time seeing them and nonetheless, everyone on the street could tell we were pretty excited! It was an unbelievable sight and just as I thought it couldn't get any better... it did.   Some friends had to go home so it was just five of us : Kaden, Alex, Tarsila, Ana and I and we decided to go onto a boat through Lake Lucerne. It started going and as we went around the bend, I couldn't believe my eyes. It was HUGE snowy mountains everywhere !!!! All around us there were green mountains, rocky mountains and snowy mountains together.

 Finally, I didn't have to strain my eyes and barely be able to see them - they were SO close!!! It was all so close to us and it was the greatest feeling. Everything was so relaxed... it was all quiet, peaceful and you just sat there enjoying the unimaginable views as you boated along the coast full of mountains with people that you have become so close with in the last 2 months. I feel like I have known the exchange students my entire life, we all get along perfectly and are all going through the same stuff and all just want to have fun!! We sat on the deck of the boat and played cards and had good chats as we drifted through the beautiful Swiss alps, it was such an incredible night.

Geneva
The day after Lucerne went to Geneva, so it was very tiring since we had to get up at 5 00 am and catch the bus at 6 am, hoping to sleep on our 4 hour train ride but I couldn't ! That's okay since my philosophy is that I can sleep when I go back to Canada!! I probably could sleep if I tried since it was semi dark and all the other exchange students were asleep...

.. but I couldn't stop staring out the window and looking at the beautiful sights. I sat there listening to my ipod to softs songs such as: fear - one republic and lots of other one republic and lots of coldplay, sitting there thinking and looking at all the most beautiful sights imaginable. It was one of those moments were you just take a deep breathe and realize how lucky you are to be doing what you're doing.

We finally arrived in Geneva and it is also another beautiful city with a beautiful lake and a giant water fountain that reached 150 meters in the air.

 It was the French part of Switzerland so once again I was back to square one, not understanding much again - even though I did French in school, I barely remember anything. The people there were not fans of speaking any other language than French to help us out a little, and they weren't as friendly as I hoped but that's okay you just have to go with the flow and get used to it. It had some very significant buildings in Geneva and it was exciting to explore them for a day. Geneva is the main spot for the United Nations Organization (the UNO) and it's very famous for that so we got to see the outside of that building which was really neat, I don't know too much about it so I wish we were able to get a tour but we got there just as it closed, but we have lots of time to go back and figure it all out !!

 What I do know though, is that 47 countries are apart of it and I believe they have meetings to help solve global issues such as global warming.
We also went to the Red Cross museum, they are the people that come together when tragedy strikes and helps out any way that they can... it's an amazing organization. They have other museums but the main one is the one in Geneva because the founder of Red Cross was born there, so they have lots of artifacts and stories from the places they helped out at. It was eye opening to see the photos and hear the stories.

It was a very interesting few days with lots of interesting events that occurred, over all it was amazing to go to all the places and see Switzerland.. each place is so different than the next.

On Thursday I am going to Locarno, in the Italian part of Switzerland which I can't wait for. There are beaches and palm trees everywhere, I am so excited for it !!!!

Here's a map to make it a little easier to understand the places I am talking about.

purple arrow : BASEL - where I live
blue arrow : LUCERNE
red arrow: GENEVA
black arrow: LOCARNO

day dream believer

I remember as a little girl my sister and I had this game that we always played, we would spin the globe and stop it with one finger and say "That's where I'm going to live when I'm older..."

I wonder if I ever landed on Switzerland.. At the time I was convinced that I was actually going to live there when I got older, but as I became older reality set in that it's not always like that.  Most people don't pack up their stuff and live somewhere else for a year, but it seems like that game has turned into reality for me and also my sister since she is possibly living in China for a year next year. Once you do something like this you definitely get the travel bug and I'm sure she will too. I just want to travel everywhere!! I showed my classmates the book of Muskoka and they were amazed, it was a great feeling. As they sat there looking at the pictures with the 'ooo's and aw's' I was thinking, and I realized that that's just a very little piece of the world and the sights that I see on a daily basis here in Switzerland is another very little piece to this world. There is SO much to see and so little time, I know that when I'm done this exchange I'm going to thirst for more traveling.
So who knows? Maybe the places I landed on are the places I'm actually going to be living in for a while - maybe it's destiny !

 I have learnt so much about the world in the past 2 months than I have my whole life (sorry teachers.. )

I realize that when I live it instead of reading about it, I learn a thousand times better as I'm sure most people do. Exchange students are here from countries that I have heard of but have no idea where it is and know nothing about it, I end up learning so much about the country and my views of the world have been changing immensely. On a daily basis I am talking with people that have been through unbelievable things and seen unbelievable sights - from people that had their school on lock down because they were in a school a block away from the horrific Virginia Tech Shooting to people that live in the most dangerous city in the world and their daily life there, it's unbelievable to hear their stories. It really opens my eyes and it's incredible to hear since I'm from such a small town that never has incidents like that. At the same time, I hear about all the beautiful places in the world and I can't wait until I can go visit them one day.

Who would have imagined that Megan and my game would become my life? Certainly not me, but hey - cheers to my little girl dreams when I was 6 and making them reality when I was 17. 

Now I have 2 weeks of holidays! WOOOO!!

unbelievable excursion

Coming to Europe I knew I would go to some pretty unbelievable history sites since this place is FILLED with history, but I didn't know it would be this interesting. You always hear about history in school and it never was the most fascinating subject since you just read about it in a text book, but seeing what everyone is reading about was amazing. I went to Augusta Raurica which is near to my town here in Switzerland and Julius Caeser walked the streets of this town and decided to make this a Roman city since it was directly in the middle of London England and Rome, Italy.

A Rotarian that is the chief of preservation for the Roman findings kindly donated two hours of his time to show me a few of the major findings including the theater that is 1 800 years old !!!!!!!!!!!! along with artifacts that have been dug up. They have dug up "excavated" so so so many things and he said that that's only 20% of what's underground, there is still 80 % of the Roman city under all the dirt that has been covered over the past years. They don't want to dig up anymore because it costs millions and millions of dollars to do that, and millions more to preserve it. They have a special underground camera so they know what's down there, they're just leaving it alone though. The theater was really neat, it's where they used to put on all the plays. We didn't get to go to the Amplitheater where the gladiators fought because we ran out of time but I have a year here so I'm definitely going back soon to see more of it. It'll be a nice spot to go by myself, sit in the  1800 year old theater or amplitheater and just relax. It's very very beautiful and I'm so happy that Donald took me to there, now I know where it is and the history of it so it'll be an incredible place to spend some free time at.

here's more information about it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusta_Raurica

http://www.augustaraurica.ch/1/index.htm

top 10 reasons you know you're an exchange student

I have seen these one a few blogs, thought I'd put it on mine too!

1. You're better than your teacher in your foreign language class.

2. You do something wrong, people look at you weird, and your excuse is: 'Well, that's how we do it in my country,' even if it isn't.

3. Your dreams are bilingual.

4.You have gone in to greet someone with a handshake and found yourself being pulled into an awkward hug/double kiss on the cheek.

5.You spend a lot of time smiling, nodding, and pretending you understand what's going on. 

6. It becomes a habit to introduce yourself by saying: 'I am from (country) and my name is (name).'

7. You've tried so many different foods only because you can't understand the person asking you what you want. You just nod your head, and pray that it tastes half-decent.

8.You sometimes walk around school during breaks to act like you're doing something because you don't see anyone you recognize and don't want to stand there awkward.

9. You've said something like 'oh yes' or 'no thanks' only to have everyone laugh because your answer made no sense compared to the question.

10. You actually got a high-five when you understood what someone said to you

I have set a new goal ...

I got really inspired today and officially set another goal to add to my goal list, except this one is a little different than the rest- it has nothing to do with my exchange. It's just me and how far I can push myself to the limits, drum roll please, I'm going to run a marathon.

I'm not going to join the next marathon I see, I have a set plan for it. I'm going to train really hard this year and within a year of my arrival in Canada, I will do a half marathon. Then, the following year I will do a full marathon. If my training goes really well and I can do it sooner, then I will. The goals I set are the maximum time limits for my races, I have to complete it by then. If I can complete them sooner, then great. This isn't a 'flee of the moment' type thing, I don't set goals like this then the next day I say "naah, I'm not feeling it anymore." The last fitness goal that was this big that I set was to complete a triathlon, and I did that so now I'm going to set an even bigger goal.

A marathon is 42 km, to put it in perspective that is 42 000 meters which is 105 laps of a normal running track that is 400 meters long.

I went to the Basel marathon today to cheer on my host father from my last family, unfortunately I didn't get a chance to see him finish because we had difficulties finding parking. However, I saw a LOT of other people finish and it was the best feeling to watch. Some people were exhausted to a point where their legs were giving out but they had the biggest smile on their faces that I have ever seen. Some people had their hands in the air in celebration, some were holding the hands of their loved ones that they did it with, some were carrying their children that must have been near the finish and picked up as they were running to the end, some were crying, some were laughing, some were blind and did it with another person that held a rope so that they stayed on track, and as I watched all this I had tears in my eyes as I saw the immense excitement of each person as they crossed the finish line. I want to be that person that crosses the line, the one that can tell themselves "I just completed a marathon," I want that feeling of being so proud of yourself because you worked so hard toward that one goal. I want that, and I will get that.
                                                 
                                            
So here we go, training has officially started! :)

I am ONE MONTH into my exchange!

I have never witnessed time moving so fast, it feels like I arrived here about a week ago. I am amazed at how far everything has come in one month, I am finally in the swing of things around here!! Tonight I realized how much of the language I have already learned- if you put me in a school situation with tests and stuff, I feel like I know nothing because I am never good with tests and our final exam is tomorrow. However, put me into the real life situation then I feel confident in how much I have learnt over the last month. Tonight, I spoke mostly all high German with my family and I understood mostly everything they said. I keep having to say, "Noch einmal bitte" (one more time please) and they go slower and then I can understand it ! When I look back, one and a half months ago I didn't know ANY German at all, and now I can understand a lot of it. It's such a good feeling NOW, but let me tell you - it was a frustrating journey before I got to this point. I just went with the flow, but some days were tough when it was a rainy day, I didn't know what anyone ever said, and people were getting frustrated with my lack of German skills. I felt guilty and hopeless with the language but I just kept laughing at myself for it, I would always look so crazy trying to get my point across with what I'm trying to say. So you learn to just take it as it is and realize that it's only going to get easier, just takes lots of hard work and time. Now, everyday I keep learning more and more and I'm ecstatic with the way it's all going.

After one month I have already changed so much, I can't imagine what 11 more will do.. The way I see situations, the way I see different people, the way I look at the world, it has all changed drastically this month and it's all just going to keep changing !

Things that I haven't done in a month: ( If you know me well, this will be pretty shocking)
- Haven't eaten a bowel of cereal !!
- Haven't gone swimming
-Haven't eaten a bowl of Mac n' Cheese
- Haven't had a steak
- Haven't had any barbecued food

However,
- I have met SO many people
-I am in the process of learning a new language
-I have seen unbelievable sights
-I am busier than I ever have been
-I have felt more emotions this month than I have ever felt before
- I have made friends that I will stay in touch with forever, some in which I am very close with
- I not only have one mom and dad, I have two of each.
- I have faced many fears
- I can use the bus, train and tram all by myself
- I am a lot more independent already.

If there was a way I could put the immense feelings of excitement into a jam jar and seal it up, I would. I would let everyone open it up and feel the excitement that I have felt. I would try to explain it, but I really can't.

All in all, I realize life's way too short to sit at home and do nothing. Do something !! Get up, live life and go out and explore the world. You don't need to hop on a plane, simply explore your backyard or plan a road trip. It's so thrilling to be out by yourself in the world, trying to find your way. I LOVE it and this is by far the best choice I have ever made in my life. I can't even begin to explain it, but if I tried it'd sound like this

ngdjgjhghshgoshoghrjhgrhgor.

a day in the life of a Swiss driver

The presentation went really well! I realize that everyone is different when they have to public speak and you just have to find what works for you, I found what works for me. I don't write down what I'm going to say, I don't have cue cards, I just talk. I had a power point presentation and I practiced in front of my host family and in front of my real family and every time I present it's different because I just do freestyle but it always works out. It's better for me because I can converse more with the audience and I am not looking down reading a paper, I look like I have memorized what I'm talking about, and overall it just feels better.

On my way to the rotary lunch, my host mom and I were rushing to get there since we were low on gas so we were going to be a little late. We turned the corner and I heard my host mom go "Ohhhh neinnnnn" so I look up and started laughing so hard. There were a hoard of cows crossing the street!!   The farmer was 'controlling' it but it was very slow and there were many stragglers that were not following the rest of the crew. One decided to stop and just stare at us for like 10 minutes..
                       

Overall, it took about 20 minutes of waiting there for these cows to cross the street. It was not very good timing, but I thought it was the funniest thing! 

I have officially met all my host parents that I will have here in Switzerland, and I couldn't be more happy about it. Each one of them is SO nice and welcoming, and I can't wait until I stay with each family. They're all so different from each other and I sat and ate lunch with them today, it makes me so excited for this upcoming year.

Tomorrow, I have to present to my German class another presentation about my life in Canada, except this time it is in GERMAN! I cheated a little- since I already had a power point presentation I just deleted the slides that I didn't need and added a few more and just translated all the English to German. It made this big project a LOT easier!!

Here we go again!!

live the life you have imagined

Tomorrow I present to my Rotary Club about Canada- I talk for about 15 minutes. I am a little nervous but it's part of the experience so I am really excited to meet the club that is sponsoring me. I prepared a power point presentation and touched on many different topics: the size of Canada (Switzerland fits into Canada 214 times!!!) , seasons, funny stereotypes, parliament, my family, my friends and my life in Canada. Not too many people know a lot about Canada so it will be nice to teach them about it! I get to meet both parents of my next two host families, they'll be watching my presentation and we will all be having lunch together. For some reason, I am more nervous for that than presenting in front of a bunch of Rotarians. I just hope I make a good impression and that they become excited for me to live in their house, I hope that it all goes well!!

When I first came here, I was actually worried about the little things like not having a cell phone and not being able to text my friends with what I'm up to or to constantly talk to them. Now, I realize how ridiculous that was and I realize that I spent so much of my life texting and on my cell phone and I actually feel embarrassed about it. I wonder how many  moments I missed while I was looking down at my phone, how many conversations didn't happen because I was distracted by my cellphone? It's really sad to think about, and I can guarantee it will not be like that when I go back to Canada. I have a cell here but it's for plans and emergencies, which I realize is all it should be for. I probably look at my phone twice a day, once to turn on the alarm for the next morning, and one to turn it off the next day. It feels so much better that way- I realize that I am always living in the moment now. It got to a point where I would check my phone constantly for texts to see if someone messaged me, but now cellphones are never on my mind and to be honest, it's a huge relief. I'm enjoying life a lot more and I'm so happy to realize that I don't need to be thinking about anything but what I'm doing that moment. I don't need to go telling people what I'm doing, I can just do it for myself and enjoy it. Since I have been here, I have really learned to live in the moment - whether it be because I feel homesick or because I'm seeing a gorgeous view. Sometimes it gets a little difficult so you learn to not think about anything else except for what you're doing at that moment, and it has made me enjoy every moment even more. I have learned to just focus on the now and not the past or the future, it's a great feeling.
                                                       



I am living the life I have imagined and dreamed of living.

I will let you know how the rotary presentation goes- knowing me I'll trip over some cord and do a face plant during my presentation.

Day 25!

let's just say..

I am in love with Switzerland and it's definitely going to be a HUGE challenge to take on for anyone to drag me out of the country when my exchange ends...

Today the German class went on a field trip, we toured around Basel. It started with a cute potluck picnic at a park, we ate lots of food then the guys played soccer and the girls had some good chats and adventures. Then we went to a beautiful art museum, a very famous one - Kunst Museum. I saw paintings done by my two favorite artists, Van Gogh and Picasso. It is so neat to look at the signature on their pieces of art and realize "Picasso painted this, he signed that right there." It's the weirdest feeling, one of the most famous people in the world did that. After the art museum we went to a massive church called The Münster. It is beautiful! I didn't tour around it too much, the view at the back was a little distracting. It overlooked the Rhine River and kleinBasel.


                            

We took a fairy across to kleinBasel and toured there for a bit. Everything is SO beautiful..

I have two tips for new exchange students that helps me deal with the tougher days of exchange:



                              

Make time to think.. You are always out and about doing things like hanging out with friends, trying new food, at school, touring new things, travelling the country and other countries surrounding it, etc.  (which is fantastic!!)  Even though all of that is AMAZING, you still need time to think. You need time to figuratively 'take a step back' and regroup. I know I am unbelievably lucky to have received this opportunity, but it still has its tough days whether it be hearing unfortunate news from home, missing home or anything along those lines. So take time to think about anything & everything. You will be learning so much about yourself and the world while you're on this exchange.

Write it all down!! Not only will it help you remember every moment of exchange, it helps you gather your thoughts and reflect on the day that you had. Take a journal with you and try to write about every / every other day you spend here. It will be really good to look back on so you don't forget anything.

If anyone that reads this is thinking about applying for an exchange- DO IT!!