I apologize for being so MIA the last week or so, but I have been extremely busy - but a fun busy of course! I'll try my best to catch you up on my day's happenings!
Tuesday, although still sore from my Alps adventure, I trekked into Basel for the first day of my German language course. I felt so independent using the public transit system in a foreign country all by myself. And the public transit here is NOT as easy as it looks. To get to one location, I have to take 3 different modes of transportation, and make sure I don't miss any connections and yadda yadda. Anyways, Tuesday was my first day at my language class in Basel and it was my first time actually meeting some of the other exchange students (not just through texting and Facebook and Skype). Meeting everyone made this experience that much more real and it was really fun to interact with everyone. There are eight of us in the course - me, repping Canada hard all by my lonesome, one Finnish boy (Juuso was quickly nickname Juu-Juubyy because it is much easier to remember and pronounce), Marena from Ecuador, Rocio from Peru and Larry, Anna, Caroline and Kourtnie from the USA. So far we have only learned the basics but everyone has to start somewhere, eh?
After language class on Tuesday, I met up with a bunch of other exchange students (the oldies) from New Zealand and Australia (they are called oldies because they have been in Switzerland since February because of their school year). We met at the train station and then travelled into Basel so we could participate in the Basel Rhinschwimm which is an event where people jump into the Rhine and "swim" (more like float) down the Rhine for 1.5km. We were all speaking English while we were in the Rhine and people kept asking where we were from and what we were doing in Switzerland which was pretty cool. The whole evening was really fun because I was able to get advice from people that have been through what a of us "newbies" are experiencing and I was able to ask tons of questions and get legitimate answers from experience. We noticed people were walking around with medals around their necks and we obviously wanted one too so we went on a hunt to find them and now we are all gold medal holders, haha. We had a cute little Migros picnic (Migros is a grocery store) because exchange students are like college students - poor and unable to afford nice sit down dinners. Myself and 2 other exchange students had to get back home so we left everyone else at the Rhine and headed home on the slowest freaking train possible.
On Wednesday I had language class again in Basel and made the almost 2 hour trek yet again. After language class I had to go straight home because my host parents were taking me to my school so that they could show me the way by public transit. When I got back to the apartment, my host dad drove the route of the bus and showed me where to get on and where to get off and where to transfer to the train and where the train stops and yadda yadda, you get the idea. On the way home, we stopped at a house and when we got out he said to me in English "This is your new home." I was scared for a second because I thought he was kicking me out, but he wasn't, we were just going to visit my third host family and pick up my GA (a transit pass that lets me travel through all of Switzerland for FREE - that's what's up!). My third host family lives in another village in a house that is in the Jura (the mountain range that goes from Geneva to Germany). They have 2 children who are in their 20's so when I live with them I'll be an only child. Both the mom and dad speak perfect English but by the time I live with them, I hope to speak perfect German (keep your fingers crossed for me). They also told me that in March we will be going to Austria for a week to go skiing and I am super excited for that!
On Thursday I had my first day of school...yes, school. And if going to school in a foreign country where everyone speaks a foreign language and where you don't know anyone or anything isn't enough, try waking up at 5AM to get there. My school here starts at 7:35 and I have to take 2 buses and a train to get there, so my mornings start very early. I have never been more nervous and full of anxiety than I was on Thursday morning on my way to school. I am normally a very social person, but when I don't speak the language and am the new kid, going to school is VERY overwhelming. When I finally got to school, the nerves in my body were so crazy that I honestly just wanted to run, hide and cry. I even found myself questioning why I did this whole thing in the first place. But then I remembered that this exchange is something I have wanted to do for a very long time and that in the end, experiences like the one I was I having would be something to laugh about in the future and would make me a better and stronger person later in life. So with that, I picked myself back up and wandered the school completely and utterly lost. The school is very confusing because there are 4 levels in the main building and 2 other buildings outside. I had to go to D16 to meet the Secretary who was going to direct me to where I was supposed to go, but unbeknownst to me the rooms are numbered based on floors (so 09 is on the main level and 19 is on the second level, etc). I was so lost and feeling extremely anxious and there was no one in the halls that I could ask and I didn't know what to do with myself. I wandered around for a little while until I saw a man walking the hall and in my broken (very, very broken) German, I asked him to help me find the room. He started talking to me in German and I just gave him a blank stare because I had no idea what he was saying at all. Then I recognized the words "up the stairs, left and right" and I felt so relieved! I said thank you to him (in German of course) and hurried to the Secretary's office. When I got there, 2 of my exchange friends were already there and were being taken to their classes. I was so nervous and the Secretary told me to sit down and she would be back for me. As I sat there, I nervously fiddled with anything I could and every thought possible was running through my head. Before the Secretary came back, the Headmaster of the school came up to me and started talking to me in English (thank gooodnessss). He took me on a tour of the school and explained to me how things worked and told me that the school has almost 2200 students (pretty much 3 times the size of Ancaster High). During the tour, everyone stared and gawked because I was the "new kid" who was being shown around by the principal. This was such a weird feeling for me because I have never experienced anything like that before. He took me to me class - music (seriously, really, what the hell!) - and introduced me to the teacher. As the students started to come into the classroom, they all stared at me and whispered to each other and I'm pretty sure my face went redder than it ever has before. I sat down beside 2 girls who introduced themselves to me (in English!) and one girl, Melissa, told me that she has always wanted to go to Canada and asked me if the heat was something new to me - I can't even count how many people have asked me if Canada was cold when I left and I guess everyone is learning something new! Music class was so difficult because not only is it taught in a foreign language, it itself is a foreign language. I don't know why I was put in a music class because all of these kids have been playing instruments for a very long time and are very advanced (I asked to change the class and thankfully the Secretary said that it was ok and I could go to art instead). My music teacher was very nice though and he tried to explain everything to me in English after he put the class to work. He even told me that his wife was a Rotary Exchange Student to Canada 15 years ago. I asked him where she went and when he didn't know, he called her to ask! So funny! Turns out she was in Sault Ste Marie.
After class I followed the students into the hallway and stood there awkwardly as everyone stared at me again. Then 2 boys from my class told me to come with them, so I did. They took me to my next class, English (thank the lorddddd!) and once again I sat there awkwardly. I sat there, in the front row (like the biggest nerd in the world) for what seemed like forever until a boy came and sat beside me and started talking to me. At that point the anxiety had subsided a bit and I finally was able to breathe a little bit easier. When I introduced myself to my English teacher, pure joy spread across his face. He was so excited to have a "native speaker" in the class and asked if I could be his "assistant" for the year and help the other students when they were having difficulty. Such a big task, but one that I am happy to help with because hopefully it will help me make friends faster (and learn a little German as well). My teacher made me do a 3 minute presentation in front of the class about who I was and where I'm from and thank goodness I was allowed to do it in English. Everyone here speaks really good English but they deny how good they are and say that they "only learned it in school, so they aren't that good" to which I reply with an eye roll and "whatever". English class was good because I understood everything (for the first time since I've been here) and the teacher asked me to explain a few things as well.
After English class, I walked outside the school to see if I could find the other exchange students so that we could all travel to Basel for language class together. I wandered around for a little bit until I saw 2 people and a bike in the distance. I walked towards them and realized that they were my friends (thank goooooodnesss). When we met up, they told me that they were looking for Caroline's house so that she could drop off her bike before we headed to the train station. The thing is, Caroline couldn't exactly remember where her house was, or how to get there or what the address was. We were officially lost in a foreign country (checked that off my bucket list). After wandering around for a while, Caroline remembered that she had her address in her bag. We took it out and in broken German, asked a few people if they knew where the house was. And of course, they replied in German - very fast German - so we nodded our heads, said thank you and walked away with no real idea of where were supposed to go. So we wandered around some more when Caroline recognized the van driving towards us. Her host mom had come looking for her - sooooo adorable. We all got in the car and her host mom drove us to her house to drop off the bike and then drove us to the station so we could catch our train to Basel.
After having a day of school in a foreign language and then going to class for that foreign language, I had the BIGGEST headache I have ever had. I think it's because I have to concentrate that much harder and pay attention that much more intensively hoping to understand just one word every 10 minutes! I get home around 6:45 every day and I am so tired when I get home it is incredible.
Yesterday (Friday), was the same as the day before. School, school and more schoooool, then some language school and then a trek and half home. When I got home from school yesterday, we had a visit from Tommy and Andrea who live in the apartment building behind us. Even though I don't understand everything, I still sit outside with my family and pay attention to the conversation. I have to say that I understand a heck of a lot more now than I did when I arrived here. I can usually walk away understanding the gist of the conversation. I study body language and hand gestures a lot as well, which is really helpful in helping me to understand.
Today was another amazing Saturday in Switzerland. I woke up at 11 (so late, and I felt so bad), had some breakfast and talked in the kitchen with my host mom for a little while. I went into my room to clean it up and read my book but instead, I fell asleep on my bed. Clearly, my daily adventures make me exhausted. When I woke up from my afternoon siesta it was almost 2 in the afternoon (ooooppppss!), but it was time for the fun to begin. My host mom and host sister and I were going to the Burgaschisee (a glacial lake really close to our house) for the afternoon. The lake was packed and there were a ton of people, but the the water was really warm and the sun was really hot. The water in the lake is green, not blue, but it is extremely clear. My host mom explained to me that the water is green because it was once a glacier millions of years ago but that they do tests regularly and the water is really healthy for the skin. There was an anchored raft in the water that moves when you stand on it depending on the weight distribution. My host sister and I were playing on the raft for a long time and were the oldest ones by a long shot - but hey, kids will be kids will be kids. She kept pushing me off and laughing and then I would chase her and splash water and then push her off and laugh. It was so much fun and it proved that even though there may be a small language barrier (and I say small because she can speak English better than I can speak German), we can still have fun and be friends.
When we got home from the beach, we had dinner (corn and steak, yummmm) and I practiced my German with my host family. It is no where near perfect, but it is getting better than when I arrived two weeks ago. I also Skyped with my family tonight and it was so amazing to hear their voices and see their faces again! It's only been two weeks, but when you are constantly doing something and are always occupied, you never forget about them but sometimes you forget what they sound like.
Tomorrow I have a Welcome Meeting with other exchange students and will be meeting my counsellor for the first time. I am really excited to meet the other exchange students in person! We are going swimming in Bern after the meeting and I can't wait!
I apologize for the length of this post, but I want to keep all of you updated on my adventures in as much detail as I can! If you read this far, congrats, I love you. I'll try to update more often, instead of in one big post, but I am so busy with school and language classes, but I will try my hardest - promise!
Until next time,
Madi
xoxo <3
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| The Burgaschisee |
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| Me and Larry (from Oklahoma) waiting for the Tram after language class |
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