Two Weeks...

Sorry for the lack of update but time goes by so fast when you're in Switzerland! It's already been almost two weeks but it feels like just two days. I've been doing something every day whether it's going to explore in Luzern or just German class in Zurich.

Last Friday I went with my host family and another family to Lake Constance (or in German, the Bodensee). It was absolutely gorgeous there and you can see both Austria and Germany from it which is pretty incredible. And there were swans swimming around! I never really realized that there are no swans in California. Apparently they are pretty dangerous though because the kids would swim away from them screaming "Achtung! Achtung!!" I guess they attack people a lot. I've stayed away.

Lake Constance

So Montag bis Freitag I go to German school in Zurich. This means an hour train ride in the morning and an hour and a half in the afternoon (it seems to like to take its time getting us home...). But my schedule is this. Wake up at 6:30. Catch the 7:15 bus to the train station. Meet up with 3 other students and get on the 7:48 train to the Zurich Flughafen (Airport). Meet up with 2 students on the train. Meet up with 2 more at our stop in Wil. Get off the train at the Flughafen and wait 5 minutes for our second train to come. Stand in the doorway for five minutes trying not to fall over until we pull into Zurich Oerlikon where we walk across the street to the Migros Klubschule and go to school. School. School. School. And go home the same way. I saw a real live fox while I was on the train. That made my day. It was really cute.

At school we learn how to conjugate verbs, form sentences, and speak. It's a pretty good program and it's a great way to get to know the other exchange students in this area of Switzerland. We have about an hour for lunch and so we usually go to this plaza where there are a bunch of huge chessboards on the ground. Anyone can come and play - it's pretty cool.

Everyone speaks English here. Seriously. Everyone. So I can communicate with pretty much anyone. As soon as I learn how to speak to people though, I'm going to have to ask them to stop speaking English to me because if they don't, I'll never learn. It's not so bad not understanding people when they speak German, and especially Swiss German. I've become used to just tuning them out. That sounds bad but it's not. I don't get Swiss German at all! It's almost a completely different language compared to the High German that I'm learning. I have watched some TV and a couple movies with my host siblings and I never have any idea what is going on.. Obviously I don't have a hold on the language yet.

I start real school here in St. Gallen next Monday, as far as I know. I don't know my classes or anything yet though. I do know that 3 other exchange students that live either in St. Gallen, like me, or close by, will be attending the Kantonsschule am Burggraben as well. I can't wait to meet Swiss people though!

My School

 Last weekend my YEO took me with her family to a Bavarian celebration in Appenzell. There was really good Bavarian sausages (where you are supposed to peel the skin off it before eating.. never done that before), a sweet band with lots of horns, and of course, Appenzell yodelers. It was so much fun! Half of the people were wearing the traditional dress or lederhosen but it looked so natural. I honestly wouldn't look twice if I saw someone dressed like that wandering down the street here. In El Dorado Hills though, it just wouldn't happen.
P.S. I didn't just sit down on that boy's lap. I was pushed down. Not my choice.

Part of the Bavarian band

Appenzell Yodelers

Here are two videos, one of the yodelers and one of the band.

I went to St. Gallerfest last weekend as well. St. Gallerfest is St. Gallen's town festival sort of thing. Every major city seems to have something of this sort, like Zurich's street parade. It was cool walking through the old city center with two other exchange students from the area, Conor and Jade. It was pretty much just bar after beer garden after bar after beer garden though. There were so many people, it was almost impossible to walk. There was this one band on the main stage almost all night that was fun to listen to though. They were all older and played all English songs like Johnny B. Good. It was interesting.

Last week, after language school, a group of the exchange students went swimming in Lake Zurich. It's been so crazy hot and humid lately that it felt amazing to swim in the cold lake. There is a large fountain in the lake that we all swam to and around. When the water from the fountain is falling on you, it's as if you are in a huge rainstorm.

Lake Zurich

Yesterday morning I went to Gais for a family brunch. It was gorgeous there too but it was very foggy because it FINALLY RAINED! I'm so glad it's not crazy hot and humid anymore. I even have my window open today! After Gais I got on a train to go to Luzern and meet up with a bunch of exchange students and oldies that I hadn't met yet. It was a long train ride there but so much fun once I got there. I wasn't expecting so many people.. There were about 20 of us just wandering through the streets of Luzern. We visited the dying lion monument that tourists love and took a group picture.Then we almost took a boat ride but didn't feel like figuring it out so instead we hung out in a park and just talked like old friends. It really is amazing how exchange students can do that. We sat in that park for hours. I left around 9:30 though since I had a 2 and a half train ride home. Luzern is gorgeous and I can't wait to go back and explore some more!

Gais

In Luzern

Unfortunately there is no women's lacrosse team in St. Gallen - only men's. So I am most likely going to play rugby instead. I can't wait to try that because I have wanted to play for so long!

So I have one more week of language camp and then school!! I'll fill you all in in about a week.

Special shout out to Jennifer <3