My Thanksgiving!

On Thanksgiving I woke up and went to math class for 2 hours. Then it was French class so I went to the library and started watching these German videos. Madison came down a few minutes later because she didn't have class either so we decided to go to Basel and get doners. Then we saw that the Christmas Market had begun so we went to look at that.

Eating my Thankgiving doner with Sanata.

That night I went out to a movie with a friend. Before the movie we got crepes at the Christmas Market. We saw the movie Catching Fire, BUT in German! Movies are much more intense when you can't understand everything that is going on. But overall I had a great Thanksgiving! And I am Thankful for this amazing opportunity I have! (And yes, Madison and I eventually made it back to school for our next class)

Bern!

A few days ago I went to Bern to see the light show on the capitol building. It was so amazing! I looked like a movie. Here's the link for a video of it if you want to see. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRmgkKLwhDY#t=245

This isn't about Switzerland

This is about my hometown of Fayette. I know this blog is about suppose to be about my time in Switzerland, but we're going to have a nice reflection and think about the world moment. A lawsuit was brought against Fayette High School by the American Humanist Association for having morning prayer devotions and now the Westboro Baptist church is now planning to picket at the school for I don't even really know the reason why. I had to read their flyer for it about 3 times because there was so much craziness. I'm not writing to tell you what you should believe. I'm not telling you if prayer should be in school or not. I'm writing because I'm confused. I'm confused on why this is what people's time and effort is going into. My friend Nica's home country was basically destroyed a couple of weeks ago and there are people without food and water. Everyday in so many places people are dying from starvation and sickness. Even in the United States people are struggling to find a job and support their families. And yet this is what people are concerned about. To me this is such a trivial matter. There are bigger problems in this world that peoples efforts could be focused on. It makes me sad to think about (I actually cried a little bit), but it also gives me the opportunity to reflect on how I'm spending my time and where my efforts are going. Hopefully somewhere good and beneficial.

Best weekend ever!

This weekend I went with all the Rotary exchange students in Switzerland (100 plus people) to Zermatt! In Zermatt is the Matterhorn (one of the coolest looking mountains ever!) We reserved 2 wagons of a train and rode there together! Naturally, when we first got there we had a giant snow fight! For some exchange students it was their first time seeing snow. That night we had a disco in a club the Rotarians rented out. The next day we rode the gondolas up the Klein Matterhorn, went inside a glacier, and saw the real Matterhorn when the clouds went away for 2 minutes. It was one of the best times I have had here so far! I love all of the other exchange students! They are the coolest people I have ever met and we all have a connection. It's not uncommon for exchange students who have just met to spill there guts, thoughts and feeling with each other. I can't believe how long I have been here already, but also how much longer I have to go. I am having the best time of my life!

Geschichte Presentation

On Friday, I gave my first school presentation in German. It was a group project, and my group had to talk about the League the of Nations and UNO (United Nations). Being from the United States, I talked about Woodrow Wilson, the idea of the League of Nations, and why the U.S. didn't join. I wrote my paper a week before and had my classmates edit it for me. Then I wrote the whole paper onto 3 note cards. I got really nervous before we were suppose to give the presentation. I felt like I was in middle school again. Then we were up and it was my turn to talk. I could feel the back of my neck burn, but I still tried to look up from the cards once in awhile. When it got to the point to talk about the Treaty of Versailles, I had to really concentrate to pronounce it in the correct French way and not like the Missouri town name. When I was finished reading, my whole class and teacher clapped even though the presentation wasn't over. They said I did a great job and I felt really good about it. Hopefully next time I won't be so nervous.

Halloween!

My Halloween was spent carving pumpkins and going to a dance/costume party with other exchange students.

                                                   My pumpkin is on the right.

 Thanks to IKEA and there cheap fabric section, Madison and I were able to do Togas!. This is us with the lovely host of the party, Kira (from New York).

The Party was so fun. I got to spend the night dancing to the best play list of songs. There was Latin American, Norwegian, German, and American music.

The party was in a town close to Zurich, so Madison and me spent the night at my Uncles house and the next day we went to the Lindt (Lindor) chocolate factory!