9/29/12

"My favorite part of Swiss tradition took place in Glarus today.  A few days before the first snowfall each autumn, the Swiss farmers will march their cows from their fields in the mountains to their winter barns.  Adorned in flowery headdresses and majestic bells, the sound of the processions can be heard all throughout the valley.  Billa and I spent the morning biking throughout Glarus, watching as many of these as we could.  I was entranced by the bells, and the rich culture behind the tradition."

9/28/12

"A Swiss birthday celebration consists of a huge family gathering, socializing during pre-dinner drinks, delicious foods, and homemade cakes.  I tried following the conversation in Swiss German, but zoned out after a bit.  The language mesmerized me, and I got lost in listening to the phonetics."

9/27/12

"Jamie and I spent the afternoon playing Wii together and looking up YouTube videos.  We danced together to American dance moves: Thriller, the Bernie, the dougie, etc.  She in turn showed me some traditional children's songs and dances from Switzerland.  So much laughted was exchanged throughout the night, and we grew a lot closer from spending time together."

9/26/12

"Blocked gym class with 4E and 4F is the best thing ever.  A co-ed volleyball tournament occupied most of the time, and Rhi and I had way too much fun messing around and joking with each other."

9/25/12

"Friends are supporters, encouragers, who may say the wrong thing or not even know what to say when others come to them in need, but who are there regardless.  I don't know what I would do without Billa, Rhi, and Ryan.  Life in Switzerland presents so many new challenges and cultural differences, and even though we don't share in exactly the same backgrounds, we can experience these new situations together."

9/24/12

"My first volleyball practice for Glaronia was very stressful.  Being the youngest and least experienced in the group, not to mention the language barrier, I felt very stressed and pressured to play better and be more fit than I was.  The girls on my team were very friendly and spoke to me in English when I didn't understand the drill or what we were doing."

9/23/12

"The sun illuminated the natural beauty of the Swiss landscape.  The grass became even more alive, the sky teemed with life and color.  Billa and I biked across Glarus to the Zurichsee, stopping to journal and enjoy the lovely fall weather."

9/22/12

"After a rainy day in Glarus with Billa, I went home and skyped with Jona.  We talked about our promise to see each other while I was in Europe, and she invited me to stay at her house in Dusseldorf for a week.  Five hours and many different international calls later, I had a flight to Germany."

9/21/12

"After going to the volleyball club, the coach approached me and asked if I would like to join the Glaronia Volleyball League.  I hadn't played volleyball in four years, but was honored that he sought me out to ask me to join the team.  After thinking about it and trying to decide if it would be worth it to join for just a few months, I thought, why not?"

9/20/12

"My class took an English test today, and it was actually very challenging for me.  Figuring out the difference between 'going to' and 'will' is something that native English-speakers just do naturally, and it was difficult to pin-point the grammatical rule for their usage.  Frau Schaub was very surprised by my lack of confidence when differentiating between the two."

9/19/12

"Rhi and I started out the day with a block gym class.  Jamie was in the class, as well, but Rhi and I buddied up and navigated don't-touch-the-ground together, running across mats from one side of the gym to the other.  I can tell that it's going to be a great class; Rhi is absolutely hilarious, and it's great to have someone as equally confused by German as I am."

9/18/12

"Our art teacher explained the basics of the Camera Obscura project, instructing us to begin cutting up cardboard to create the frame of our cameras.  Ryan, Billa, and I set to work measuring the dimensions of our boxes.  Ryan set off to cut his first sheet of cardboard, using a giant paper cutter whose arm was about a yard long.  He lifted the arm and let go of it to grab his sheet of cardboard.  Unlike many little paper cutters here, the blade began to drop, and Ryan reflexively reached his hand under the arm to catch it.  One hour and five stitches later, we walked back to the Kanti, thinking about what an adventurous second day of school we'd had."

9/17/12

"Overwhelmed by conversations and classes taught completely in German, I finally appreciated having friends with whom I could speak English.  Every time I saw Rhi,or Ryan or Billa, I sighed with relief as I slipped back into comfortable conversation.  The school day itself was very different from my high school in America; passing time varied between each class, becoming longer as the day approached our two-hour lunch break.  Students spent time eating in the Menza and chatting with friends on the steps outside the Kanti.  My classmates were all very friendly, though it was difficult to speak to them because of the language barrier.  One of my favorite ice breakers was when a classmate asked me, 'Republikaner oder Demokrat?'"

9/16/12

"Jamie and I played badminton outside in the garden, enjoying the beautiful weather.  We tried speaking in German, but due to my very limited vocabulary, didn't get far.  To prepare me for my first day of school at the Kantonschule, though, she taught me a few Swiss German phrases.  Ich bi Meg as opposed to ich bin Meg; Ich wohn s'Riedera as opposed to ich wohne in Riedern."

9/15/12

"Today I went on an excursion with some people from International Experience.  We stopped at Castle Aarau on the way to Olten, where we walked around and took some photos.  After that we went out for coffee, and chatted about experiences from studying abroad."

9/14/12

"The last day of Klubschule meant an end to the train rides every morning, to seeing our international friends, to exploring Zurich after class together.  We were given a quiz to see if/how our German had improved, then Frau Troxler sent us off on a scavenger hunt through Zurich, searching for historic facts about the city and country.  Billa, Rhi, and I wandered into a bookshop to ask the clerk if he knew any of the answers.  His English was very good, and we ended up talking for a long time about some of the deep political and ethical issues in Swiss v. American culture."

9/13/13

"A traditional song danced through the room, the Russian language mesmerizing us as Anna's voice told us a story.  A mere example of the vast range of culture represented in our German class, the song brought us to a different time, a different country, a different lifestyle."

9/12/12

"Hidden by the buzz of activity on the train, meaningful conversations strengthen friendships as secrets are shared with one another.  Comfort comes from the knowledge that the depth of words exchanged will be lost in translation to anyone who could eavesdrop, just empty phonemes of a foreigner."

9/11/12

"A rainy day of swimming followed by a warm meal shared with friends made for a good close to my otherwise boring day.  Nadia and Roger prepared grilled wursts and salad for me and Jamie and all our friends.  After we ate, we decided to do 'shots' with the sugary syrup flavors usually added to carbonated water.  After sputtering and choking on the sweetness, one of my friends joked that he'd like to see me to vodka shots."

9/10/12

"Following an uneventful day at Klubschule, Nadia and I cooked a traditional dish, vermicelles.  In autumn, Switzerland is filled with the scent of roasting chestnuts, sold by vendors on street corners near the train station.  Many homemade dishes come from these seasonal nuts, though vermicelles is my host mom's favorite.  Made by cooking, blending, and pureeing the chestnuts, the dessert is most commonly eaten with cream and meringues."

Vernarrte Gedächtnisse

9/09/12

"The path stretched further and further up ahead, winding around streams and overgrown foliage.  The gentle roar of waterfalls accompanied us as we made our way towards the Klontalsee.  Overgrown roots made it hard to walk without looking at the ground, distracting from the beauty of God's creation all around us.  Time passed very quickly, and soon we emerged in front of a sparkling teal lake, buzzing with the sound of Swiss recreation."

9/08/12

"I joined my host sister at her confirmation's choir rehearsal and had one of the biggest culture shocks yet.  During one of our breaks, a kid brought out a packet of drugs and started snorting the powder.  The leader saw him and took him further from the group to talk to him.  After a bit, he handed the kid a cigar, and the two of them smoked together for a while.  It was a very interesting show of leadership in a foreign church."

9/07/12

"The tram ride through Zurich was far from uneventful.  Ryan discovered a bell on the floor of the tram that he could ring merely by stepping on it.  Every time we stopped, he rang the bell twice to 'let blind people know the tram had stopped.'  A boyish grin exaggerated his dimples each time he rang the bell."

9/06/12

"A long walk through a run-down part of Zurich led us to a Kunstmuseum, where we spent the morning wandering through abstract piles of recycling and garbage.  An environmentalist haven, the initial set-up of the museum was chaotic but attention to detail was what brought beauty to the art."

9/05/12

"Opa came over for lunch, and he, Jamie, and I cooked chicken curry with rice.  The curry sauce was made with pineapples and bananas, and it tasted much better than I would have expected it to.  We mixed almond shavings in with the rice, and added peaches to the dish to compliment it.  Opa smiled the whole time, patiently teaching us how to prepare the food.  It was very nice to get to know Opa more."

9/04/12

"I woke up this morning feeling very ill.  My stomach hurt badly and my arms were achy.  Nadia thought I had the flu, and kept me home from school.  I slept until midday, then drank chamomile tea and bread with honey that Nadia had prepared for me.  She gave me a bag of hot water to put on my stomach, and had me dissolve Ziegenmilchpulver, a common Swiss medicine for flus, on my tongue."

9/03/12

"Europeans are crazy drivers.  On the way to a family friend's birthday celebration, Nadia drove within two feet of the opposite direction of traffic, as the cars flew by.  I was frightened the whole time, just waiting for someone to move their wheel just an inch and cause a collision.  I could never drive here..."

9/02/12

"A few hours after I had started my day, Nadia woke up and asked if I wanted to go with her to a restaurant on the mountain.  We climbed into her convertible Mercedes - a car I didn't even know they owned - and drove up the steep path.  A car ride full of childhood stories, a view that would mesmerize anyone, and a little restaurant nestled above a hidden lake.  I ate Sommersalat, possibly one of the best salads I've ever eaten; lettuce topped with cantaloupe, grapes, strawberries, apples, and bananas.  The connection Nadia and I made during our trip was powerful and touching."

9/01/12

"Jamie and I went to the Chible, a small fair hosted in Glarus, when it got dark.  We participated in a few games, then met up with a bunch of Jamie's friends.  I felt overwhelmed in a big group, not understanding everything they said or who/what they talked about, and I was feeling very tired.  Thinking that it was already 11:45pm, I told Jamie and her friends that I was going to go home to get some sleep.  Unfortunately, when I got home, I saw that it was only 9:45, which explained everyone's surprise when I told them I was going home."

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."