8/31/12

"When I got home from Klubschule, my host grandma Emmy had left me a wonderful surprise.  She baked four different dairy-free desserts for me and presented them to me with a note that read, 'Einen schönen Aufenthalt in der Schweiz.'  A nice stay in Switzerland."

8/30/12

"On the train, my favorite theological discussion continued, as we brought up the subject of Judaism.  Ryan told us his point of view, coming from a home where his mom works in the Jewish synagogue.  Talking to people who are both practicing and non-practicing Jews always interests me.  I find that Jewish people are so learned about their faith and the background of Biblical figures, and I came away from this conversation with new insight into the Jewish faith."

Interestingly enough, my Old Testament class recently read an article which said that one must know what it means to be a Jew before knowing what it is to be a Christian.

8/29/12

Continued...

"As our train approached the carnival we had passed the day before, Rhi started beaming with excitement.  Yesterday, we had promised that tomorrow, we would go on the rides.  Tomorrow.  However, as the town came into view, the whole carnival was completely torn down."

8/28/12

After being at the park by Zürichsee, Rhi really wanted to stop by a carnival our train had passed during our morning commute from Glarus to Zürich.  Billa, Ryan, and I told Rhi, "Tomorrow: we'll go tomorrow."

To be continued...

8/27/12

"Billa had missed the train in the morning, and the group dynamic - me, Rhi, and now Ryan - was incredibly different.  In the afternoon, after Klubschule, the four of us rode together from Zürich home to Glarus.  Our conversation ranged from our host families to comedians, and our laughter rang throughout the train."

8/26/12

"Jamie and I met up with Rhi and Billa at an AFS regional meeting (even though we were iE), and there we met the final member of the soon-to-be Glarus Four.  Ryan Lopes, another American, joined us there, and no one was really sure what to think at first.  He and I connected really well in an unexplainable way; maybe it was because we were both American and related culturally to each other, maybe it was because we had similar interests.  Either way, with Ryan there, our year of exchange students changed immediately."

8/25/12

"This morning, when I woke up, there was no mountain.  The rain had created such a thick fog that everything out my window was milky white.  My run was cold, damp, and short, and the house was still when I returned."

8/24/12

"At lunch today, I spoke with Anna, the girl from Russia.  We spoke in French (broken French on my part), as she had studied it for seven years at home in Russia and was stronger in French than English.  Although we still can't fully communicate, we became a lot closer today, and it was a really great experience to speak in French with her."

8/23/12

"Our Deutsch class went to the park for an hour to learn the articles for a list of vocab words.  Our group was segregated into three sections: the Latinos, the Asians, and everyone else.  Most groups just talked the whole time, but my group focused long enough to learn most of the articles we were supposed to.  Eventually though, we got distracted by two dogs (der Hund und das Hundchen) that were fighting over a dog toy.  The Hund always won."

8/22/12

"For dinner tonight, the Bernolds took me to a little restaurant by one of the nearby lakes.  After we ate, Nadia, Deliah, and I went swimming.  It was 9 o'clock and the water was freezing initially, but Nadia said that it might be the last nice day to go swimming."

8/21/12

"During Klubschule, I met a boy from Mexico who came to kiss my cheek when we greeted.  I wasn't expecting it and froze while he awkwardly patted his cheek and waited for me to kiss it. He was very surprised that we didn't greet each other like that in the US."

8/20/12

"After German class in Zurich, I took the train to Glarus home with Billa (from Indonesia) and Rhi (from New Zealand).  We talked a lot and became really close during the hour ride.  I think that they will be really good friends of mine at the Kanti!"

8/19/12

"My host dad, Roger, drove me up to their cabin on the mountain very early today.  Roger and I struggled to communicate, as he spoke little English and I knew no German.  As we hiked through the Swiss Alps, I used my English-German dictionary to look up single words to make conversation.  We passed the dictionary back and forth, speaking in choppy sentences, and I realized that no matter what language we spoke, we were still able to enjoy our time together.  It was a great way to get to know my host dad, and I'm glad that we were able to connect over the beauty of one of his favorite places."

8/18/12

"I spent a lot of time by the pool talking to Nadia.  She is so kind to me!  She helped me learn some basic sentences, most of which I have already forgotten.  Some that I do remember are: 'Ich möchte Traubensaft machen, wann die Trauben rifen sind,' and 'Ich schwimme im Pool.'  She left me floating on a raft in the pool as she did some errands.  It was amazing to relax and feel the warmth of the sun and see the mountains tower over Riedern.  God's creation is so good!"

8/17/12

"In Switzerland, when you raise your glass for a toast, you say 'prost', followed by the other person's name.  Of course, no one told me that, and as I toasted every new person individually, I repeated 'prost' and the first person's name each time."

8/16/12

"What an amazing feeling to wake up to the sunlight peeking through the mountains.  My host sisters were at school when I woke up, and my host parents were working in the carpentry shop downstairs.  Nadia (my host mom) explained an easy running path to me, and I set off down a path that took me to the base of the mountain.  It became harder to get oxygen as I ran further into the mountain, but it wasn't unbearable and the spectacular view was worth it."

8/15/12

"As I walked through the airport, I didn't know quite who to look for.  Unsure who was coming to pick me up, not confident that I would be able to recognize any of my host family when I saw them; finally, I recognized my host mom and sister, and raced to say hello.  The car ride home was filled with a struggle to communicate, an uncomfortable silence, and disappointment that I didn't speak German."

Pilot - 3/14/12

In honor of my time abroad, I am going to post a year-late clip from my journal, along with a photo posted to http://vernarrtegedachtnisse.tumblr.com/.  My time abroad was filled with a mixture of memories, both good and bad.  There's nothing mixed in with the triumphs and regrets that I would change; what is in the past is unchangeable, but the future isn't.  Learning from mistakes, making amends, cherishing friendships.

"Leaving my friends was a lot harder than I'd imagined.  I wasn't going to break down, I wasn't.  Each individual goodbye became harder and harder, but it wasn't until I gave R a last hug goodbye and heard her voice break, saw the tears begin to surface, that reality set in.  I couldn't turn around in the car to wave goodbye to them."