On Wednesday I went to the château in Gruyère with Laura, about 30 or 40 minutes away by car. Gruyère is a touristy little town on top of a hill (go here: http://www.la-gruyere.ch/en/navpage.cfm?category=GruyeresFR to see more.) The château was pretty cool, It was built in the 13th century but changed by various inhabitants over the centuries to create a nice blend of old and really old.
On Thursday and Friday I went to school, and I can't remember that anything exciting happened. I had to give a presentation of Friday to my classmates, it was basically 'this is Minnesota' and 'this is Minneapolis in the dead of winter' but in French. I am definitely behind most of the students in my class, because they studied French longer in their home countries. Right now I feel like I am not very good at French, and maybe I learn better by reading and seeing than by hearing. I am not just picking up French left and right from hearing it. However, I have only been here one week so I think I need to be easier on myself. It is just difficult because I want to be able to say what is on my mind right now, not in a few months... but oh well, I will cope.
Last week Jess asked me if I wanted to go see Madonna with a group they were going with, and not wanting to pass up a good opportunity, I said 'oui.' Yesterday around 3 we drove to the train station in Romont where we met up with three of PA's sisters and two of their husbands. The trains were all ridiculously crowded, partly because it was Saturday but also because the whole world was taking the train to see Madonna, as train fare was included with the concert ticket. We rode the train from Romont through Fribourg to Bern, where we switched trains, then to Zürich, where we switched again to take a special Madonna-goers only train to Dübendorf air base (where the concert was.)
The crowd was gigantic but luckily I didn't get lost from the group. Apparently the concert attracted more than 60,000 people, which is pretty crazy. We ate some overpriced not very good Mexican food while waiting a few hours for the concert to start around 9. I was not suprised to see portable toilets but I WAS surpised to see portable urinals like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Portable-toilet-Netherlands.jpg just in plain view. It was obvious I was in Europe...
The concert started around 9:30 after some mediocre singer I had never heard of opened for Madonna. We were in the standing part in front of the stage but I could barely see a thing. The concert was fun but also a drag. I was tired before we even left home, then we had to stand up for at least 3 hours straight which was hard to endure, and the crowds afterward were terrible- it took us more than an hour just to get to the train. But complaining aside, I think I am glad I went. Madonna sung some of her hits which I knew ('Into the Groove', 'Music', 'Like a Prayer', 'Ray of Light') and were fun to hear, but a lot of the new songs were pretty bad. And the audience, for the most part, was very unenthusiastic- I heard someone say on the way out that it was 'like being at a funeral.'
I was a walking zombie for an hour or two trying to get to the train. And then we took about two hours to get back home, but I fell asleep on the way. We got home around 3 and then I slept until noon today.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Alors...
On Sunday I went with PA and Jess to PA's sister's house for lunch. They only lived twenty minutes away but they lived in a German speaking community (but they spoke French.) It was me, Jess, PA, his sister, her husband, their friends, and their friends' 1 or 2 year old daughter. For lunch we ate fondue, and it was really interesting. It was the kind where you put raw meat in the pot and let it cook. I didn't really like it that much but I tried the three types of meat- beef, turkey, and cheval (horse.) The horse was definitely not the most appetizing thing I had ever eaten...
Later we went to Jess's mother's house for supper. It is funny because when people visit each other here they do it for hours. Jess's mom was going to drive me to the train station on Monday morning for language school so we walked the the station by her house. She lives in a dome house with (I think) her boyfriend and the house can rotate.. it was pretty cool. For dessert there were like 20 options. I tried a meringue with double crème. I really don't understand how everyone is skinny here, I guess it's because they walk more.
On Monday Jess's mom drove me to the station and I took the train to Fribourg. It wasn't really hard at all. I met up with the other AFS kids going to language school- l'ècole-club Migros. They are Marianna from Latvia, Carlo from Mexico, Sergio from Venezuela, Fernando from Paraguay, Sakshi from India, and Jirapatch from Thailand. Everyone is really nice. School is kind of boring but it is only 4 hours every day and we don't have to go on Wednesday so it's not too bad. For lunch we have a 1.5 hour break and no one knows what to do with all the time. We buy sandwiches from Migros (the grocery store) because everything else is way too expensive.
Yesterday I went to school again. Then after school my AFS liason and her daughter met me there. We went to get coffee and then they took me to their apartement where we ate dinner. After dinner we picked up David, an exchanger with YFU from Boston. He is going to Macalester next year. We went to a performance of music and dance groups from Cuba, Spain, Mexico, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, and Siberia and then they drove me home.
Today I think I am going to the famous Chateau in Gruyère with Laura, who is technically my host aunt (though she is only 18.) I also have to work on some homework that is due Friday.
Aujourd'hui je comprend de plus français que hier. (I learned comparisons in school yesterday!) Chaque journée j'apprend un peu plus.
Later we went to Jess's mother's house for supper. It is funny because when people visit each other here they do it for hours. Jess's mom was going to drive me to the train station on Monday morning for language school so we walked the the station by her house. She lives in a dome house with (I think) her boyfriend and the house can rotate.. it was pretty cool. For dessert there were like 20 options. I tried a meringue with double crème. I really don't understand how everyone is skinny here, I guess it's because they walk more.
On Monday Jess's mom drove me to the station and I took the train to Fribourg. It wasn't really hard at all. I met up with the other AFS kids going to language school- l'ècole-club Migros. They are Marianna from Latvia, Carlo from Mexico, Sergio from Venezuela, Fernando from Paraguay, Sakshi from India, and Jirapatch from Thailand. Everyone is really nice. School is kind of boring but it is only 4 hours every day and we don't have to go on Wednesday so it's not too bad. For lunch we have a 1.5 hour break and no one knows what to do with all the time. We buy sandwiches from Migros (the grocery store) because everything else is way too expensive.
Yesterday I went to school again. Then after school my AFS liason and her daughter met me there. We went to get coffee and then they took me to their apartement where we ate dinner. After dinner we picked up David, an exchanger with YFU from Boston. He is going to Macalester next year. We went to a performance of music and dance groups from Cuba, Spain, Mexico, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, and Siberia and then they drove me home.
Today I think I am going to the famous Chateau in Gruyère with Laura, who is technically my host aunt (though she is only 18.) I also have to work on some homework that is due Friday.
Aujourd'hui je comprend de plus français que hier. (I learned comparisons in school yesterday!) Chaque journée j'apprend un peu plus.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Moi, Je Suis Fatigué
Sorry about my last post's quote completely disappearing. In French quotations are two << >> marks on the side of the quote.. but of course my American blog thought I was trying to write something in code. What he did say was ``Are you Ruth?``
So yesterday was a long long day. PA took me driving around the area. He showed me the bus stop in my village, the train station in Villaz-St-Pierre (the nearest stop), and the one in Romont. We drove around Romont and it is great. It was built on a hill and there are a lot of old buildings and a church. He told me that you can tell when you are in a new village if you see a new steeple because every village has a chapel. And honestly, there is no other way to tell because all the villages run into the others.
At the station in Romont I had a passport picture taken and got some train passes. One was paid for by AFS and I think it gives me a half price fare anywhere in Switzerland but maybe only for a month (it was pretty confusing..) so I can get to orientation or other AFS events. Actually it might be good for the whole year because they are going to send me a card with my picture on it in the mail. I'm not sure. The other ticket was one that will take me from Villaz-St-Pierre to Fribourg for language school.
After getting my train information (sort of) figured out we headed to PA's mom's house. Two of his sisters live in the same cluster of houses, which used to be a farm. At the house there were 3 little girls awake and one taking a nap. We hung out for a few hours and two of his sisters dropped by. One of them had a 3 month old (girl) baby, the other was the mother of the sleeping one. It was a little overwhelming but fun too. I think all the kids were afraid of me except the newborn and the oldest, who was around eight.
Then we headed home to take the dog Lucky on a walk. There are sheep here but I'm not sure if Lucky rounds them up or not. There are also cows. Everywhere. I can hear them mooing outside my window.
Afterwards PA took me to Fribourg. We drove around and he showed me a lot of the schools here. There is a big university as well as many high schools and private schools. Fribourg isn't big compared to Minneapolis, but it's really nice. It has every sort of store I might need or want, and it's très chic. We got out to walk around and PA showed me the train station so I would know where to meet the other AFSers for language school tomorrow. Then we ate kebab which is not what we think of in America. It was actually more like a gyro but they use veal instead of lamb..and called it Dürüm.. and it was quite delicious. And I tried Rivella. It's this Swiss boisson gazeuse that tastes sort of like Smarties candy but I actually liked it. I looked at the ingredients and it said something about milk. Yes, it is derived from milk yet tastes a little like Smarties. In fact I just looked it up and it is made from milk plasma. Hum. I am not sure if I liked it or not but I guess I would try it again.
Since Jess was hosting some kind of bachelorette party for one of her friends, PA and I needed to hang around Fribourg. We went to see Le Chevalier Noir at the local theatre with Laura (Jess's 18 year old sister) and her boyfriend. I had already seen the movie but this was good because it was dubbed in French and I would have been completely lost otherwise. Then we drove home and went to bed.. and that was my day.
Some things I have noticed here...
- It is cold compared to Minneapolis at this time of year. I am freezing because I went from 90F to maybe 50F or 60F. There was frost on the grass when I looked out the window this morning. I am now a convert to slippers.
- There are flies everywhere!
- Everything is way more expensive. I mean I know that's to be expected but it makes me feel stingy, haha. For instance, a Dürüm is 8 Fr, a Big Mac meal at McDo is 12 Fr, 4 liters of milk (a tiny bit more than 1 gallon) is 5.5 Fr. The cheapest alarm clock (smaller than the palm of my hand, analog, with just a beeper) was 5 or 6 Fr.
- The cartons are weird here. They look like the ones soymilk comes in but you have to open the side.
- Milk isn't refrigerated until you open it, and it's 3.5% fat
So yesterday was a long long day. PA took me driving around the area. He showed me the bus stop in my village, the train station in Villaz-St-Pierre (the nearest stop), and the one in Romont. We drove around Romont and it is great. It was built on a hill and there are a lot of old buildings and a church. He told me that you can tell when you are in a new village if you see a new steeple because every village has a chapel. And honestly, there is no other way to tell because all the villages run into the others.
At the station in Romont I had a passport picture taken and got some train passes. One was paid for by AFS and I think it gives me a half price fare anywhere in Switzerland but maybe only for a month (it was pretty confusing..) so I can get to orientation or other AFS events. Actually it might be good for the whole year because they are going to send me a card with my picture on it in the mail. I'm not sure. The other ticket was one that will take me from Villaz-St-Pierre to Fribourg for language school.
After getting my train information (sort of) figured out we headed to PA's mom's house. Two of his sisters live in the same cluster of houses, which used to be a farm. At the house there were 3 little girls awake and one taking a nap. We hung out for a few hours and two of his sisters dropped by. One of them had a 3 month old (girl) baby, the other was the mother of the sleeping one. It was a little overwhelming but fun too. I think all the kids were afraid of me except the newborn and the oldest, who was around eight.
Then we headed home to take the dog Lucky on a walk. There are sheep here but I'm not sure if Lucky rounds them up or not. There are also cows. Everywhere. I can hear them mooing outside my window.
Afterwards PA took me to Fribourg. We drove around and he showed me a lot of the schools here. There is a big university as well as many high schools and private schools. Fribourg isn't big compared to Minneapolis, but it's really nice. It has every sort of store I might need or want, and it's très chic. We got out to walk around and PA showed me the train station so I would know where to meet the other AFSers for language school tomorrow. Then we ate kebab which is not what we think of in America. It was actually more like a gyro but they use veal instead of lamb..and called it Dürüm.. and it was quite delicious. And I tried Rivella. It's this Swiss boisson gazeuse that tastes sort of like Smarties candy but I actually liked it. I looked at the ingredients and it said something about milk. Yes, it is derived from milk yet tastes a little like Smarties. In fact I just looked it up and it is made from milk plasma. Hum. I am not sure if I liked it or not but I guess I would try it again.
Since Jess was hosting some kind of bachelorette party for one of her friends, PA and I needed to hang around Fribourg. We went to see Le Chevalier Noir at the local theatre with Laura (Jess's 18 year old sister) and her boyfriend. I had already seen the movie but this was good because it was dubbed in French and I would have been completely lost otherwise. Then we drove home and went to bed.. and that was my day.
Some things I have noticed here...
- It is cold compared to Minneapolis at this time of year. I am freezing because I went from 90F to maybe 50F or 60F. There was frost on the grass when I looked out the window this morning. I am now a convert to slippers.
- There are flies everywhere!
- Everything is way more expensive. I mean I know that's to be expected but it makes me feel stingy, haha. For instance, a Dürüm is 8 Fr, a Big Mac meal at McDo is 12 Fr, 4 liters of milk (a tiny bit more than 1 gallon) is 5.5 Fr. The cheapest alarm clock (smaller than the palm of my hand, analog, with just a beeper) was 5 or 6 Fr.
- The cartons are weird here. They look like the ones soymilk comes in but you have to open the side.
- Milk isn't refrigerated until you open it, and it's 3.5% fat
Friday, August 22, 2008
Finally Here
Hello everyone! I am finally in Switzerland and at my host family's home. But I should start at the beginning...
On Wednesday my flight left Minneapolis at 6AM, I had a layover in Chicago, and then I arrived in NYC for my orientation around noon. Everything went very smoothly. It wasn't really scary flying alone because I had flown so many times that everything felt natural. The AFS people met the arriving students at the airport and together we traveled to the Doubletree hotel by JFK airport for orientation.
Orientation lasted from 3 on Wednesday until around noon the next day. It was pretty boring and just made everyone want to get to their country sooner. However, it was great meeting with 160 exchange students from across the country who are going to Switzerland, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Latvia, Czech Republic, Russia, Ghana..and some other places, I think. In all there are 15 girls and one boy from America going to Switzerland, and 4 girls including me in the French part.
We hung out together at the hotel until 5 Thursday night when we left for the airport. The SwissAir flight left around 9 and landed in Zürich a bit after 11 in the morning Swiss time. On the way I was lucky to catch some Z's while listening to my iPod.. consequently I had several strange dreams of the other exchange friends I had met singing Mason Jennings songs. I think I got around 4 or 5 hours of sleep which is pretty good. I also bought Fig Newtons for the flight but never ate them so now I guess I will share them with my host family, haha
Anyway, after the flight landed in Zürich (and we had all expressed to each other our nervousness, excitement to meet our host families, and sense of surrealism many times over) we grabbed our checked luggage. Across the glass from the baggage claim were a bunch of waving, smiling Swiss families. We exited but I saw no one who looked familiar. I was about to ask an AFS volunteer about it when suddenly my host dad came up to me and said "Are you Ruth?" and obviously I said yes.
Pierre-Antoine and I drove to Fribourg, a 2 hour drive through beautiful countryside. We talked a lot on the way but mostly in English because my French is basically nonexistent when it comes down to actually holding a conversation. A lot of times he would say things in French and then repeat them like a lot really slowly but I was still confused so he would say them in English. He told me that he probably has to go to army training next week for 2 weeks because every Swiss male has to do that every year. However sometimes employers can excuse their employees, so that might happen (he's hoping for that.)
Before we talked in the car I had no idea what I would be doing in the next few weeks. However I learned that starting this Monday I will be going to French language school in Fribourg for at least a few weeks with the other AFSers in my canton. Apparently there are 11 or 12 besides me, including an Italian girl within walking distance of my house. I will be the only American in my group because all the others were placed in Genève. However this is okay with me because I am so excited to meet so many kids from other countries. After language school I will be going to regular school at some point, but I am quite glad that I will be able to pick up some more French before meeting a lot of Swiss kids (so I can actually talk to them..!)
On the way home we stopped at this cool shopping area where we bought a lamp for my room, an alarm clock, and a pizza which we cooked at home. Since I arrived at my house I have eaten, unpacked everything into my room, and showered. I will meet my host mom Jess later this evening when she comes from work and right now Pierre-Antoine is at work to check about the army thing.
My house is pretty cool, it has a entryway and then all of doors of the rooms basically branch off of that. My host family has special shoes for inside the house, and they gave me a pair of slippers to wear around, because itàs pretty cold in here. There is a fairly fast computer here which is convenient but the keyboard is so hard to type on. Everything is in different places.. Y and Z switched for example so I have to keep going back to fix mistakes. And some keys can make 5 different letters or symbols if you know how to use it right. Driving here was great, we exited off of the freeway and then drove through one little village after another on windy roads. The hills are beautiful and bigger than I expected (which is good) and apparently there are mountains behind them which can be seen when it's not so overcast. Also, not sure yet if there are sheep in the family but I would not be surprised. There are cows and sheep and crops everywhere around here. I will definitely take a picture of the view (and animals)later, when I am not so tired, and put it up here.
For now...
^^My entire wardrobe
^^Mon lit
^^Salle de sèjour
^^La cuisine
Sorry if it takes me a long time to email you, I think the first week will be pretty crazy though. If I have free time I will try to get on the computer some more.
On Wednesday my flight left Minneapolis at 6AM, I had a layover in Chicago, and then I arrived in NYC for my orientation around noon. Everything went very smoothly. It wasn't really scary flying alone because I had flown so many times that everything felt natural. The AFS people met the arriving students at the airport and together we traveled to the Doubletree hotel by JFK airport for orientation.
Orientation lasted from 3 on Wednesday until around noon the next day. It was pretty boring and just made everyone want to get to their country sooner. However, it was great meeting with 160 exchange students from across the country who are going to Switzerland, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Latvia, Czech Republic, Russia, Ghana..and some other places, I think. In all there are 15 girls and one boy from America going to Switzerland, and 4 girls including me in the French part.
We hung out together at the hotel until 5 Thursday night when we left for the airport. The SwissAir flight left around 9 and landed in Zürich a bit after 11 in the morning Swiss time. On the way I was lucky to catch some Z's while listening to my iPod.. consequently I had several strange dreams of the other exchange friends I had met singing Mason Jennings songs. I think I got around 4 or 5 hours of sleep which is pretty good. I also bought Fig Newtons for the flight but never ate them so now I guess I will share them with my host family, haha
Anyway, after the flight landed in Zürich (and we had all expressed to each other our nervousness, excitement to meet our host families, and sense of surrealism many times over) we grabbed our checked luggage. Across the glass from the baggage claim were a bunch of waving, smiling Swiss families. We exited but I saw no one who looked familiar. I was about to ask an AFS volunteer about it when suddenly my host dad came up to me and said "Are you Ruth?" and obviously I said yes.
Pierre-Antoine and I drove to Fribourg, a 2 hour drive through beautiful countryside. We talked a lot on the way but mostly in English because my French is basically nonexistent when it comes down to actually holding a conversation. A lot of times he would say things in French and then repeat them like a lot really slowly but I was still confused so he would say them in English. He told me that he probably has to go to army training next week for 2 weeks because every Swiss male has to do that every year. However sometimes employers can excuse their employees, so that might happen (he's hoping for that.)
Before we talked in the car I had no idea what I would be doing in the next few weeks. However I learned that starting this Monday I will be going to French language school in Fribourg for at least a few weeks with the other AFSers in my canton. Apparently there are 11 or 12 besides me, including an Italian girl within walking distance of my house. I will be the only American in my group because all the others were placed in Genève. However this is okay with me because I am so excited to meet so many kids from other countries. After language school I will be going to regular school at some point, but I am quite glad that I will be able to pick up some more French before meeting a lot of Swiss kids (so I can actually talk to them..!)
On the way home we stopped at this cool shopping area where we bought a lamp for my room, an alarm clock, and a pizza which we cooked at home. Since I arrived at my house I have eaten, unpacked everything into my room, and showered. I will meet my host mom Jess later this evening when she comes from work and right now Pierre-Antoine is at work to check about the army thing.
My house is pretty cool, it has a entryway and then all of doors of the rooms basically branch off of that. My host family has special shoes for inside the house, and they gave me a pair of slippers to wear around, because itàs pretty cold in here. There is a fairly fast computer here which is convenient but the keyboard is so hard to type on. Everything is in different places.. Y and Z switched for example so I have to keep going back to fix mistakes. And some keys can make 5 different letters or symbols if you know how to use it right. Driving here was great, we exited off of the freeway and then drove through one little village after another on windy roads. The hills are beautiful and bigger than I expected (which is good) and apparently there are mountains behind them which can be seen when it's not so overcast. Also, not sure yet if there are sheep in the family but I would not be surprised. There are cows and sheep and crops everywhere around here. I will definitely take a picture of the view (and animals)later, when I am not so tired, and put it up here.
For now...
^^My entire wardrobe
^^Mon lit
^^Salle de sèjour
^^La cuisine
Sorry if it takes me a long time to email you, I think the first week will be pretty crazy though. If I have free time I will try to get on the computer some more.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Almost time to go..
I have about 5 minutes between taking a shower and checking my flight gate to write one short blog post before I leave. It's 3:40 AM and I am think I only got 3 hours of sleep.
I can't believe I'm leaving so soon! I miss everyone already but I also could not be more excited (and scared.)
The next time I write I will probably be in Switzerland. Wish me luck!
I can't believe I'm leaving so soon! I miss everyone already but I also could not be more excited (and scared.)
The next time I write I will probably be in Switzerland. Wish me luck!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
4 days, 12 hours, 13 minutes, 40 seconds until my flight leaves Minneapolis.
I said in my last post that I would update more later, and now seems to be a rather opportune moment. This blog will definitely be more intriguing when I am actually in Switzerland, but for now I hope you are at least staying awake. Otherwise please X out, go drink a cup of highly caffeinated tea, and log back on in a week or so, because then I will be in the land of cheese, chocolate, and watches.
In the meantime, I will divulge all the secrets of my pre-departure life in hopes that you all just went to put the kettle on (but not really.)
Last Saturday the 9th, my friends Mikayla, Chloe, Sadie, and I held a going away get together near Lake Harriet so that I could see a bunch of my friends before I leave. We played croquet and holey board, ate a delicious cake, and just hung out. It was great. I got a lot of lovely cards and even a few unexpected presents, which was really nice of my friends. That was also the first day I ever drove alone, because I finally got my license.
On Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I did a great load of nothing. I took a trip to Target to buy 3 oz. carryon-approved bottles but they only sell 4 oz. ones.. go figure. But I purchased some lightweight plastic measuring cups and spoons so I can make American delicacies for my host family without converting the recipes. I also worked on my packing. Besides double checking all of the bags I am completely done with that, which is a relief.
Yesterday Mom and I went up to Grandma's and stayed overnight, it was really nice. Today we drove home and I am hanging out with friends soon.
And tomorrow I have my last haircut before I leave. Because we are having a going away party with family and friends on Sunday, Mom and I are going to make doughnuts tomorrow. I am super excited for that.. and then I have a few plans on Monday and Tuesday, and then I leave.. crazy.
In the meantime, I will divulge all the secrets of my pre-departure life in hopes that you all just went to put the kettle on (but not really.)
Last Saturday the 9th, my friends Mikayla, Chloe, Sadie, and I held a going away get together near Lake Harriet so that I could see a bunch of my friends before I leave. We played croquet and holey board, ate a delicious cake, and just hung out. It was great. I got a lot of lovely cards and even a few unexpected presents, which was really nice of my friends. That was also the first day I ever drove alone, because I finally got my license.
On Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I did a great load of nothing. I took a trip to Target to buy 3 oz. carryon-approved bottles but they only sell 4 oz. ones.. go figure. But I purchased some lightweight plastic measuring cups and spoons so I can make American delicacies for my host family without converting the recipes. I also worked on my packing. Besides double checking all of the bags I am completely done with that, which is a relief.
Yesterday Mom and I went up to Grandma's and stayed overnight, it was really nice. Today we drove home and I am hanging out with friends soon.
And tomorrow I have my last haircut before I leave. Because we are having a going away party with family and friends on Sunday, Mom and I are going to make doughnuts tomorrow. I am super excited for that.. and then I have a few plans on Monday and Tuesday, and then I leave.. crazy.
Friday, August 8, 2008
The last week or so has been full of activity for preparing to go.
Firstly, I have my visa. So I can go to Switzerland legally... which, you know, is always good. Secondly, I have some Swiss Francs. So I can go to Switzerland without being poor. And thirdly and most importantly, I finally, officially, have a host family!
I will be staying with Jess and Pierre-Antoine in a small village in canton Fribourg. Fribourg is more agricultural than other cantons, and bilingual (though predominantly French.) The largest city is also called Fribourg, and I will either go to school there or in a smaller town called Romont. Jess and Pierre-Antoine are around 30. They live in a duplex, and Jess's father and sister live in the flat next door. As far as I could tell from their (French) letter, there is a lot of extended family around, and though Jess and Pierre-Antoine don't have children themselves, they often look after nieces and nephews.
The family I received sounds wonderful, and I am very excited to meet them. I'll update more later but now I am insanely busy with cleaning my room and getting ready for my going away party tomorrow with friends.
12 days........
Firstly, I have my visa. So I can go to Switzerland legally... which, you know, is always good. Secondly, I have some Swiss Francs. So I can go to Switzerland without being poor. And thirdly and most importantly, I finally, officially, have a host family!
I will be staying with Jess and Pierre-Antoine in a small village in canton Fribourg. Fribourg is more agricultural than other cantons, and bilingual (though predominantly French.) The largest city is also called Fribourg, and I will either go to school there or in a smaller town called Romont. Jess and Pierre-Antoine are around 30. They live in a duplex, and Jess's father and sister live in the flat next door. As far as I could tell from their (French) letter, there is a lot of extended family around, and though Jess and Pierre-Antoine don't have children themselves, they often look after nieces and nephews.
The family I received sounds wonderful, and I am very excited to meet them. I'll update more later but now I am insanely busy with cleaning my room and getting ready for my going away party tomorrow with friends.
12 days........
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