This is the life.

Can I live here please?

Hey there fella!

Today was a beautiful day! I got up for school, sat through 2 periods of math - which I actually understood (bonus points for me, finally!) - and then had to run a timed 600m. The run was supposed to be under 2:30, but that definitely wasn't going to happen - sorry, but it just wasn't. Thankfully there were other people in my class who run about the same speed as me, so I wasn't dead last - but I was dead tired. Waking up at 5:30 and then running 600m kind of does that to you. Lucky for me though, my class had a test for the last 2 periods of the day, so I was able to go home at 10am - that's what I'm talking about.

It was about 11:20 when I got home, so I cleaned my room a little bit before we had lunch. Everyone comes home for lunch on Wednesdays, so it's nice to have a big family meal at noon - very different, but very cool. After lunch, I helped my host mom with the laundry before heading into the Pre-alps for the afternoon. We had to deliver some flowers to my host sister Lara at her summer home in the mountains. There is a big festival this weekend when all of the cows and farmers come down from the Alps for the winter and all of the cows wear big flower arrangements on their heads and the people are dressed in typical Swiss attire - and Lara and her summer family needed the flowers for that. Thankfully we were able to drive with the car this time because Lara is staying in the house on the other side of the mountains right now; as I am not sure I would have had the energy to hike up the mountains again carrying a million and one flower bouquets. The sight from the house is spectacular and there is the constant ring of the cow bells in the distance. I love it up there, but I don't know if I could handle how slow the lifestyle is. I am a busy body, and that is definitely not a busy body lifestyle. Nonetheless, it is always beautiful to visit and see! The family that Lara stays with for the summer have a dog named Santa and I played with her almost all afternoon. I would kick stones and she would go crazy and chase them. It was fun and definitely worked as a substitute to my own puppies. 

I also received an email today from my Rotary district at home reminding us to make the best of our year and to try hard to make friends and learn the language and not to revert into speaking English and making excuses for ourselves. All of the outbounds from my district have been gone for at least a month, some even two, and although a year seems like a really long time right now, the email reminded me that this is MY year and whether I like it or not, it will be over before I know it. And although German is a very difficult language, it is coming along slowly, but surely and I am very thankful that people take the time to listen to be piece together sentences, word by word, and correct me when I'm wrong. I do find myself making excuses for myself sometimes and the email reminded me that I am hurting no one but myself by doing that. So today is the last day of excuses and tomorrow is the beginning of a new beginning. 

I am going with my host family on Saturday for the festival and can't wait! It is going to be so interesting and Swiss! I'll be sure to post pictures as soon as I can! But until then, take care and be safe.

xoxo, 

Madi