Not much has happened since my last post; I've just been hanging out. I won't be able to change my host family today, Friday, because AFS can't contact my new family until Monday due to them being on vacation, and it's necessary that they talk before I change. I spoke with the head of AFS in the French-speaking region on the phone and he said that once they talk on Monday I can change Tuesday or after, when it's good for the new family. So I will be changing sometime next week.
On Monday Claudine and Alicia came to get me to stay at their apartement until Thursday. We went grocery shopping to buy things to make pancakes because last week I told them that if they wanted I would be glad to make them. It was a bit hard to find buttermilk, but they actually do sell it here, as well as sirop d'érable, so they were authentic.
Tuesday we woke up around 7:30 to go to Les Bains de la Gruyère (Google it.) I had no idea what to expect when Claudine told me 'bring your bathing suit because we're going to a spa.' What I found out is that a spa in Switzerland is not necessarily super expensive and luxurious, it's open to the public and affordable for normal people who want to relax. We drove for 30 minutes up into the mountains and were the first people at the doors of the building, which opened at 9. We paid our entrance fees (19 Fr for 3 hours, quel bon marché!) and then changed into our swimsuits and put our clothes into lockers. After that we entered the spa.. there was an indoor heated pool and one outside, both with jets and places to sit or lay in the water, and a huge window with a view of the surrounding mountains. There was also a sauna and le hamman which is like a sauna but Turkish, I think. I found all of this very relaxing and am glad I got to go there.
Wednesday morning I made the pancakes and they were delicious, but they made me a bit homesick. In the afternoon Alicia and I went to Fribourg and I got my haircut. That evening it snowed a bunch, however the temperature is around 40°F so it's been melting since.
Thursday Alicia and I went to Fribourg again to help her Grandmother with her grocery shopping. Around 9:30 I came home but my host parents were already in bed so I haven't seen them.
Today I am going to Fribourg to see High School Musical 3 with Sakshi.. it was not my choice but that's okay, I could use some mindless entertainment today. It's also Halloween but here it's not really celebrated. People buy flowers to put on the graves of their loved ones.. in the grocery stores there are really small displays with Halloween-related items. Alicia told me that sometimes there is trick-or-treating within one's neighborhood or apartment building but it's not common. What's more celebrated is La Toussaint, which is la fête des tous les saints, or All Saints' Day. That's tomorrow, and basically all the stores are closed to recognize it.
Tomorrow and Sunday I have absolutely nothing planned. I have some homework that I have to do before school starts up again, but other than that I don't know what I'll do. And then Monday is school again.. I was afraid that vacation would pass terribly slowly but it actually went pretty fast. I am sort of looking forward to school but I think that's because I associate it with changing host families and not being bored.. as far as the work part goes, I could do without, but then that's life.
And now I have to go get ready to go to Fribourg with Sakshi, so ciao
Friday, October 31, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Hello Hello
I am glad to be able to say that I am feeling amazing right now, because it's like I can see the light at the end of the tunnel of bad family situations.
But let's start at the beginning. Wednesday I was hanging out with Alicia and Claudine but honestly I don't remember what we did. I was feeling pretty scared that I would be stuck with my current host family for weeks, which wouldn't be good. But I was also enjoying my time with my liason and her daughter who are like a second host family to me- in fact they told me that they would gladly host me if they had the space. Claudine's son sleeps in the living room of their apartment every weekend and has to get up at 3 in the morning because he is a pastry chef so they can't make any noise, and plus Alicia and Nastia (her sister) spend the weekends with their dad, so obviously they can't host me. I just feel fortunate that I get to know them and hang out with them and that they are truly there for me if I have a problem.
Anyway, Thursday came and I was having fear for the weekend because I hadn't really seen my host family since Sunday and that was when they told me I had to switch ASAP. But Claudine and I took a really long long walk around the old city of Fribourg and it was absolutely great, she explained to me the buildings and names of the fountains and such. While we were walking my friend Andréanne called (because I had text messaged her before) and we agreed that Saturday I could go over to her house to talk about if I could living with her family. I went home from my liason's apartment after dinner but didn't see my host parents because Jess was in the shower and PA wasn't there.
Yesterday, Friday, I went to Fribourg to hang out with Sakshi; we walked around looking for the perfect purse for her (which ended up being in the first store we looked at, go figure), a fountain pen, film, and facewash for me.. yes, this is the life of an exchange student. We also ate crèpes (well actually, I had a crèpe, she had a gaufre) with nutella. Très bon. And of course we talked, a lot. And she made me try on this hideous dress at H&M. I went home in time for dinner, when my host parents told me that I was rude when I didn't say knock on the door to say hi to Jess the night before when I came home and she was in the bathroom. Of course I said sorry, but in reality I wasn't because I am trying very hard to be as agreeable as possible toward them. Not that I won't keep it in mind for next time, I'm just not going to feel horrible like I've gone and crushed their feelings, which seem to be really fragile anyway.
Today I woke up around 9 after not sleeping very well. I got ready and then my friend Andréanne and her mom, Béatrice, came to get me, though I had to meet them at the bus stop because they couldn't find where the house was. We went to their house, and they showed me around. They have a cat named Hannibal who loves people, including me. It's all figured out that I will move into their house next Friday, Halloween, assuming AFS is okay with everything. I will have my own room with a desk and a computer without internet (which is good because otherwise I would use it all the time.) It's a little small but cozy. Actually, I prefer small because I don't have enough stuff to fill a big bedroom. Andréanne said like 4 times that she's really glad I'm coming to live with them, probably because she's only ever had an older brother (Nicolas, 18.) I am super glad too. I already feel more at ease with this family than I ever have with Jess and PA. It's super cool that I was already friends with Andréanne before, and now she's going to be my host sister. I ate lunch with their family and so I got to meet my soon-to-be host father (Bernard) and soon-to-be host brother, who are both nice. After that Andréanne had to go work at the nursing home in the village where she works a half day each week so I helped Béatrice do the dishes. It is interesting because she is a native German speaker and that's part of the reason Andréanne did an exchange last year to German-speaking Switzerland. And also it's pretty ideal because she works 50% time so she will be around. And also, she explained to me that their house is not always 'tip top' and I almost cried from relief. Because it was just, you know, normal. Clean but not freakishly so like basically all of the other Swiss houses I've been to. How did I get so lucky to find this family?
Anyway, so that basically sums up what I've been doing since last I wrote. Things are looking up up up and I have no doubt that AFS will approve this family because they are always desperate to find families. And honestly, if indeed I move in with them on Friday, I will hardly have time to pack my things from this house because I will be with Claudine and Alicia from Monday to Thursday. I am feeling really really good about life here right now, and might even be sad to see les vacances d'automne come to a close! I am certain that things are only going to get better from now on. There is no cloud without a silver lining, and mine is that while most of my other exchange friends are finding school and life here increasingly difficult, for me things can only improve.
Ahh, I know what I'm forgetting. I must ask you all not to send me any mail, if you were planning to, until I am all situated with my new host family. If it gets sent here after I change families I am not sure if I will ever see it. Which reminds me, Chloe I got your letter (thank you!!!) and am in the process of writing back so be not disappointed by my lack of emailing.
Amy I got your email about cell phones and it was very helpful, thank you! Sorry for being a horrible correspondent through email to everyone but I just don't have enough time on the computer.
Lots of love to everyone
But let's start at the beginning. Wednesday I was hanging out with Alicia and Claudine but honestly I don't remember what we did. I was feeling pretty scared that I would be stuck with my current host family for weeks, which wouldn't be good. But I was also enjoying my time with my liason and her daughter who are like a second host family to me- in fact they told me that they would gladly host me if they had the space. Claudine's son sleeps in the living room of their apartment every weekend and has to get up at 3 in the morning because he is a pastry chef so they can't make any noise, and plus Alicia and Nastia (her sister) spend the weekends with their dad, so obviously they can't host me. I just feel fortunate that I get to know them and hang out with them and that they are truly there for me if I have a problem.
Anyway, Thursday came and I was having fear for the weekend because I hadn't really seen my host family since Sunday and that was when they told me I had to switch ASAP. But Claudine and I took a really long long walk around the old city of Fribourg and it was absolutely great, she explained to me the buildings and names of the fountains and such. While we were walking my friend Andréanne called (because I had text messaged her before) and we agreed that Saturday I could go over to her house to talk about if I could living with her family. I went home from my liason's apartment after dinner but didn't see my host parents because Jess was in the shower and PA wasn't there.
Yesterday, Friday, I went to Fribourg to hang out with Sakshi; we walked around looking for the perfect purse for her (which ended up being in the first store we looked at, go figure), a fountain pen, film, and facewash for me.. yes, this is the life of an exchange student. We also ate crèpes (well actually, I had a crèpe, she had a gaufre) with nutella. Très bon. And of course we talked, a lot. And she made me try on this hideous dress at H&M. I went home in time for dinner, when my host parents told me that I was rude when I didn't say knock on the door to say hi to Jess the night before when I came home and she was in the bathroom. Of course I said sorry, but in reality I wasn't because I am trying very hard to be as agreeable as possible toward them. Not that I won't keep it in mind for next time, I'm just not going to feel horrible like I've gone and crushed their feelings, which seem to be really fragile anyway.
Today I woke up around 9 after not sleeping very well. I got ready and then my friend Andréanne and her mom, Béatrice, came to get me, though I had to meet them at the bus stop because they couldn't find where the house was. We went to their house, and they showed me around. They have a cat named Hannibal who loves people, including me. It's all figured out that I will move into their house next Friday, Halloween, assuming AFS is okay with everything. I will have my own room with a desk and a computer without internet (which is good because otherwise I would use it all the time.) It's a little small but cozy. Actually, I prefer small because I don't have enough stuff to fill a big bedroom. Andréanne said like 4 times that she's really glad I'm coming to live with them, probably because she's only ever had an older brother (Nicolas, 18.) I am super glad too. I already feel more at ease with this family than I ever have with Jess and PA. It's super cool that I was already friends with Andréanne before, and now she's going to be my host sister. I ate lunch with their family and so I got to meet my soon-to-be host father (Bernard) and soon-to-be host brother, who are both nice. After that Andréanne had to go work at the nursing home in the village where she works a half day each week so I helped Béatrice do the dishes. It is interesting because she is a native German speaker and that's part of the reason Andréanne did an exchange last year to German-speaking Switzerland. And also it's pretty ideal because she works 50% time so she will be around. And also, she explained to me that their house is not always 'tip top' and I almost cried from relief. Because it was just, you know, normal. Clean but not freakishly so like basically all of the other Swiss houses I've been to. How did I get so lucky to find this family?
Anyway, so that basically sums up what I've been doing since last I wrote. Things are looking up up up and I have no doubt that AFS will approve this family because they are always desperate to find families. And honestly, if indeed I move in with them on Friday, I will hardly have time to pack my things from this house because I will be with Claudine and Alicia from Monday to Thursday. I am feeling really really good about life here right now, and might even be sad to see les vacances d'automne come to a close! I am certain that things are only going to get better from now on. There is no cloud without a silver lining, and mine is that while most of my other exchange friends are finding school and life here increasingly difficult, for me things can only improve.
Ahh, I know what I'm forgetting. I must ask you all not to send me any mail, if you were planning to, until I am all situated with my new host family. If it gets sent here after I change families I am not sure if I will ever see it. Which reminds me, Chloe I got your letter (thank you!!!) and am in the process of writing back so be not disappointed by my lack of emailing.
Amy I got your email about cell phones and it was very helpful, thank you! Sorry for being a horrible correspondent through email to everyone but I just don't have enough time on the computer.
Lots of love to everyone
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Vacances D'Automne
Right now I am staying at my liason and her daughters' apartment because it is the vacation from school and I really don't have a lot to do. Also things have gotten worse with my host family- it's not terrible but basically they told me that they want me to change families sooner than the second half of November because it's too hard for them hosting me. I think there have been a lot of misunderstandings between us.. they (in so many words) told me that I have acted rude and even mean towards them which is a shame because I never had those intentions or feelings. Mostly I've been frustrated that they've been percieving my actions as such for a really long time. If I had questions for them or just didn't understand anything they always jumped to the conclusion that I thought it was their fault.
Anyway.. I don't really want to write about my host family troubles right now. Just rest assured that, though it's hard for me with them, I'm okay. On the bright side there are two girls in my class (Andréanne and Margaux) who have seperately said that I can live with them if I can't find another family in the area (don't worry, they asked their parents first!) So I have gotten one of their addresses and will get the other to give to AFS who will call and talk with their parents and see if I can live with either of their families.
So.. vacation.. well last weekend I really did next to nothing. My host parents had gone with friends to some chalet in the mountains so I was home alone which was pretty nice. Sunday they came back and that's when they said that they want me to change families sooner... I told that to my liason and so she invited me to stay at her apartment Monday-Thursday this week and Monday-Thursday next week too. Thank god because it is much more comfortable here and now I am not bored out of my mind. Claudine (liason) is a teacher so she has the same vacation as me and Alicia so we can do some things together, it's nice. I am really lucky to have them around to talk to and ask questions of. Also because Alicia went to the US on exchange last year she really understands when it's hard.
Yesterday was Monday.. around two they came to my house to pick me up. They gave me a book called 'Les Vacances du Petit Nicolas' which is written for kids but is really funny and I can understand most of it so far. Yesterday night Alicia and I went to see Mamma Mia at the theatre in Fribourg. I'd already seen it in the US but enjoyed it the second time too because it was so cheerful and such.
Today, Tuesday, Alicia, Claudine, and I went around two to Fribourg where we met Sakshi in la gare. We went bowling together and then to a museum of natural history. It was interesting because there were a lot of dinosaurs and prehistoric life in the Swiss Jura which was explained in the museum. After that we walked a few blocks to the Villars chocolate factory where we drank chocolat chaud in the cafe, and it was très bon, bien sûr! And now it's Tuesday evening and I am going to watch a report on the TV about the election in the US with Claudine and Alicia.
I think later in the vacation I will sleep over at Sakshi's. Also Andréanne and Margaux both said they would call me later in the vacation to hang out.
Okay I think that's all. I would make this more detailed but (sorry sorry sorry!) I really don't feel like writing right now. I miss and love you all!
Anyway.. I don't really want to write about my host family troubles right now. Just rest assured that, though it's hard for me with them, I'm okay. On the bright side there are two girls in my class (Andréanne and Margaux) who have seperately said that I can live with them if I can't find another family in the area (don't worry, they asked their parents first!) So I have gotten one of their addresses and will get the other to give to AFS who will call and talk with their parents and see if I can live with either of their families.
So.. vacation.. well last weekend I really did next to nothing. My host parents had gone with friends to some chalet in the mountains so I was home alone which was pretty nice. Sunday they came back and that's when they said that they want me to change families sooner... I told that to my liason and so she invited me to stay at her apartment Monday-Thursday this week and Monday-Thursday next week too. Thank god because it is much more comfortable here and now I am not bored out of my mind. Claudine (liason) is a teacher so she has the same vacation as me and Alicia so we can do some things together, it's nice. I am really lucky to have them around to talk to and ask questions of. Also because Alicia went to the US on exchange last year she really understands when it's hard.
Yesterday was Monday.. around two they came to my house to pick me up. They gave me a book called 'Les Vacances du Petit Nicolas' which is written for kids but is really funny and I can understand most of it so far. Yesterday night Alicia and I went to see Mamma Mia at the theatre in Fribourg. I'd already seen it in the US but enjoyed it the second time too because it was so cheerful and such.
Today, Tuesday, Alicia, Claudine, and I went around two to Fribourg where we met Sakshi in la gare. We went bowling together and then to a museum of natural history. It was interesting because there were a lot of dinosaurs and prehistoric life in the Swiss Jura which was explained in the museum. After that we walked a few blocks to the Villars chocolate factory where we drank chocolat chaud in the cafe, and it was très bon, bien sûr! And now it's Tuesday evening and I am going to watch a report on the TV about the election in the US with Claudine and Alicia.
I think later in the vacation I will sleep over at Sakshi's. Also Andréanne and Margaux both said they would call me later in the vacation to hang out.
Okay I think that's all. I would make this more detailed but (sorry sorry sorry!) I really don't feel like writing right now. I miss and love you all!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
School, host family, weekends, etc
Well, now I know for sure that I will be changing host families. I will live with my current family until sometime in the second half of November. In the meantime, my family, our contact people, AFS, and I are going to try to find a family in the area. If we can find a family near Romont, I will be able to stay in the same school. I am hoping this is the case because I think my school is pretty good, the people are really nice, and it would be hard to start somewhere new. However it is not guaranteed that we will find a good family willing to host in the area so AFS will also search in the city of Fribourg and the other cantons.
Last Sunday I went to an AFS bowling thing in a town called Morat- my AFS liason and her daughter went to. I got to see a few of my exchange friends as well as meet for the first time some students from New Zealand and Australia who have been here for 7 months. After bowling one game (I won! but I'm not sure how though...) we took a tour of the town. It was interesting because it wasn't really far from the city of Fribourg but everyone was speaking German.. I am still not completely used to that.
What can I say about school....? I have a lot of free time, which is sometimes nice (when I have a lot of homework) and sometimes a drag (when I have nothing to do.) Here in Switzerland, summer vacation is about 6 weeks long, which means that during the school year there are many more long breaks. I have one week of school before two weeks of vacation. I have no idea how I will spend all of that free time and I am actually dreading it because I know I will be bored out of my brain. If I lived in the city I could explore but here there are just a lot of fields and barns.. It is pretty expensive to travel so I will probably do it a bit with my exchange friends (maybe take a trip to Berne) but not a lot. So.. if you want to send me an email, sometime after this week would be a good time to do it because I won't be at all busy.
I can't think of anything really interesting that happened in school last week... Math class has luckily gotten easier as we moved on from binary relations and are now working on square roots, powers, and factorisation, which I have studied extensively in the US. In fact, I think I understand better than most of the class, which is a relief. I thought school here would be really hard because it's in French but so far it's way easier than in the US, due to a combination of not being expected to understand everything, having lots of free time, and having already studied many of the topics. In IT class my teacher asked me to say the words 'Iowa State University' to the class because it was in an article we were reading about the history of computers. In English the class took a writing exam about Friendship.. the teacher asked me if I wanted to take it but I opted out. One funny thing is that my whole class (especially the boys I sit with in chemistry) are absolutely amazed by my graphing calculator. Here they are not used in high school, in fact I think some of my classmates had never even seen one before, so for them it is futuristic technology. I made sure to say 'in the US it's obligatory' because I felt a little silly that I had such a big calculator, haha. Sadie, if you are reading this, the girl that sits next to me definitely admired the Never Again, JK, and Heavenly Andersquid scribbled on the case. In geography we are learning positioning on maps and about topography and such, which I guess makes sense when you live in a hilly country. I learned a bit about the 'Swiss system' (of course the Swiss have their own system of map positioning) which was sort of interesting.
I should tell you a bit about the people at school... In my class I talk to a lot of people. Berenice is a bit lost in the clouds and, from what I can tell, always asks silly questions in class, but she is really nice. Sometimes she speaks to me in English to practice and I don't mind because her English is so terrible that we end up clearing up any confusion in French anyway. Adrienne is a friend in my class who I walk around with (with two others) during the morning break. She did an exchange last year from here to German-speaking Switzerland, so she knows a little bit what it's like. She is really nice and has said that if I have any problems with family or school I can talk to her. Margaux is another girl in my class, she is really outgoing and always says hello and I feel like I can joke a bit around her which is good. And there are others too, who are friendly. Basically everyone is friendly and I wouldn't feel embarrassed to ask for help from anyone.
Other people I know, probably better, are Martine, Agnès, and Renauld, who I sit with on the bus. They are part of a bigger group of friends who I talk with in the morning, and are all really nice. Martine and Agnès are really interested in American culture, and ask me lots of questions, which is cool and good for my French. Martine has said that this winter I can go skiing with her and friends because her family has a châlet in the mountains. She also said that if I change host families and I need help finding a new one I should tell her because she will ask her parents if they know anyone (I am definitely going to to this.) Agnès and Martine are who I went to the festival in Romont with, two weekends ago. Also they have invited me to go to this choir they sing with on Fridays, and I probably will. Obviously this shows why I don't want to switch schools; I've already been welcomed here.
So, that was school for the week... Friday I went with my host mom to a 'souper de classe' for Laura, which was basically a fundraiser. About 15 students are going to Burkina Faso so it was an evening to raise money for that. It was okay but kind of boring and went until 12, so I was dead tired.
Yesterday, Saturday, I went to Fribourg in the early afternoon to meet my exchange friend Sakshi for a movie. Fernando, another exchange friend, also came.. Since the English movie options were slim and no one really felt like watching a Woody Allen film we decided to just go out for coffee and desserts instead. I had only seen Sakshi for a little bit last weekend and we hadn't really had a chance to talk, and I hadn't seen Fernando since the end of language school, so it was a good chance to catch up about how things are going for everyone. Fernando and Sakshi go to the same school in Fribourg, so they see each other sometimes, but they filled me in on their lives and I filled them in on mine. It is nice to be able to talk with people who are going through many of the same adjustments I am.
I went with Sakshi to her host family's house around 5:30 to spend the night there- her host parents and brothers were all going out for the evening. We talked for hours about all sorts of topics (cement houses in India, what Chinese food is like in India, and surviving on a raft in the middle of the ocean, to name a few) and cooked pizzas in the oven. After we watched one of Sakshi's favorite Hindi films ('Jab We Met') which was an amazing intercultural experience because she explained basically all of it to me. She could tell me when the subtitles were completely wrong or translated weirdly and tell me what they weer actually saying. It's really cool because Sakshi speaks English as well me (it's used exclusively in school in India), but she can also speak both Hindi and Tamul with the same fluency.
This morning we woke up and ate brunch with her host family. Around one I took the bus to Fribourg, then the train to Villaz-St-Pierre, then I had to walk for around 45 minutes to my village because there's no bus on Sunday.. but luckily the weather is really warm this weekend, around 70 degrees, so it wasn't a huge problem.
I've uploaded a few photos from September and up until now in October (I've hardly taken anything), they can be seen here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/fuzziepotato/SwitzerlandSeptemberAndOctober#
And now another question to answer! If you have more, please ask!
- 'I continue to be intrigued by your English class - have you noticed any particular aspect or area of our language, that stumps or frustrates your classmates the most?'
I think for most of my classmates the pronounciation is hard. For us, it is second nature to know that 'foot' is pronounced differently than 'boot'... but French is pretty standard in the pronounciation (it's read how it's written) so the differences are hard. Since there are so many irregularities in English it's sort of a nightmare for them to have to read aloud. Verb tenses are also really diffucult for them (when to use 'I ran' versus 'I was running' versus 'I had been running', versus 'I had run' versus 'I have run' etc, etc)
Last Sunday I went to an AFS bowling thing in a town called Morat- my AFS liason and her daughter went to. I got to see a few of my exchange friends as well as meet for the first time some students from New Zealand and Australia who have been here for 7 months. After bowling one game (I won! but I'm not sure how though...) we took a tour of the town. It was interesting because it wasn't really far from the city of Fribourg but everyone was speaking German.. I am still not completely used to that.
What can I say about school....? I have a lot of free time, which is sometimes nice (when I have a lot of homework) and sometimes a drag (when I have nothing to do.) Here in Switzerland, summer vacation is about 6 weeks long, which means that during the school year there are many more long breaks. I have one week of school before two weeks of vacation. I have no idea how I will spend all of that free time and I am actually dreading it because I know I will be bored out of my brain. If I lived in the city I could explore but here there are just a lot of fields and barns.. It is pretty expensive to travel so I will probably do it a bit with my exchange friends (maybe take a trip to Berne) but not a lot. So.. if you want to send me an email, sometime after this week would be a good time to do it because I won't be at all busy.
I can't think of anything really interesting that happened in school last week... Math class has luckily gotten easier as we moved on from binary relations and are now working on square roots, powers, and factorisation, which I have studied extensively in the US. In fact, I think I understand better than most of the class, which is a relief. I thought school here would be really hard because it's in French but so far it's way easier than in the US, due to a combination of not being expected to understand everything, having lots of free time, and having already studied many of the topics. In IT class my teacher asked me to say the words 'Iowa State University' to the class because it was in an article we were reading about the history of computers. In English the class took a writing exam about Friendship.. the teacher asked me if I wanted to take it but I opted out. One funny thing is that my whole class (especially the boys I sit with in chemistry) are absolutely amazed by my graphing calculator. Here they are not used in high school, in fact I think some of my classmates had never even seen one before, so for them it is futuristic technology. I made sure to say 'in the US it's obligatory' because I felt a little silly that I had such a big calculator, haha. Sadie, if you are reading this, the girl that sits next to me definitely admired the Never Again, JK, and Heavenly Andersquid scribbled on the case. In geography we are learning positioning on maps and about topography and such, which I guess makes sense when you live in a hilly country. I learned a bit about the 'Swiss system' (of course the Swiss have their own system of map positioning) which was sort of interesting.
I should tell you a bit about the people at school... In my class I talk to a lot of people. Berenice is a bit lost in the clouds and, from what I can tell, always asks silly questions in class, but she is really nice. Sometimes she speaks to me in English to practice and I don't mind because her English is so terrible that we end up clearing up any confusion in French anyway. Adrienne is a friend in my class who I walk around with (with two others) during the morning break. She did an exchange last year from here to German-speaking Switzerland, so she knows a little bit what it's like. She is really nice and has said that if I have any problems with family or school I can talk to her. Margaux is another girl in my class, she is really outgoing and always says hello and I feel like I can joke a bit around her which is good. And there are others too, who are friendly. Basically everyone is friendly and I wouldn't feel embarrassed to ask for help from anyone.
Other people I know, probably better, are Martine, Agnès, and Renauld, who I sit with on the bus. They are part of a bigger group of friends who I talk with in the morning, and are all really nice. Martine and Agnès are really interested in American culture, and ask me lots of questions, which is cool and good for my French. Martine has said that this winter I can go skiing with her and friends because her family has a châlet in the mountains. She also said that if I change host families and I need help finding a new one I should tell her because she will ask her parents if they know anyone (I am definitely going to to this.) Agnès and Martine are who I went to the festival in Romont with, two weekends ago. Also they have invited me to go to this choir they sing with on Fridays, and I probably will. Obviously this shows why I don't want to switch schools; I've already been welcomed here.
So, that was school for the week... Friday I went with my host mom to a 'souper de classe' for Laura, which was basically a fundraiser. About 15 students are going to Burkina Faso so it was an evening to raise money for that. It was okay but kind of boring and went until 12, so I was dead tired.
Yesterday, Saturday, I went to Fribourg in the early afternoon to meet my exchange friend Sakshi for a movie. Fernando, another exchange friend, also came.. Since the English movie options were slim and no one really felt like watching a Woody Allen film we decided to just go out for coffee and desserts instead. I had only seen Sakshi for a little bit last weekend and we hadn't really had a chance to talk, and I hadn't seen Fernando since the end of language school, so it was a good chance to catch up about how things are going for everyone. Fernando and Sakshi go to the same school in Fribourg, so they see each other sometimes, but they filled me in on their lives and I filled them in on mine. It is nice to be able to talk with people who are going through many of the same adjustments I am.
I went with Sakshi to her host family's house around 5:30 to spend the night there- her host parents and brothers were all going out for the evening. We talked for hours about all sorts of topics (cement houses in India, what Chinese food is like in India, and surviving on a raft in the middle of the ocean, to name a few) and cooked pizzas in the oven. After we watched one of Sakshi's favorite Hindi films ('Jab We Met') which was an amazing intercultural experience because she explained basically all of it to me. She could tell me when the subtitles were completely wrong or translated weirdly and tell me what they weer actually saying. It's really cool because Sakshi speaks English as well me (it's used exclusively in school in India), but she can also speak both Hindi and Tamul with the same fluency.
This morning we woke up and ate brunch with her host family. Around one I took the bus to Fribourg, then the train to Villaz-St-Pierre, then I had to walk for around 45 minutes to my village because there's no bus on Sunday.. but luckily the weather is really warm this weekend, around 70 degrees, so it wasn't a huge problem.
I've uploaded a few photos from September and up until now in October (I've hardly taken anything), they can be seen here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/fuzziepotato/SwitzerlandSeptemberAndOctober#
And now another question to answer! If you have more, please ask!
- 'I continue to be intrigued by your English class - have you noticed any particular aspect or area of our language, that stumps or frustrates your classmates the most?'
I think for most of my classmates the pronounciation is hard. For us, it is second nature to know that 'foot' is pronounced differently than 'boot'... but French is pretty standard in the pronounciation (it's read how it's written) so the differences are hard. Since there are so many irregularities in English it's sort of a nightmare for them to have to read aloud. Verb tenses are also really diffucult for them (when to use 'I ran' versus 'I was running' versus 'I had been running', versus 'I had run' versus 'I have run' etc, etc)
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Changing Host Families?
Hello all
I found out last Sunday that I may be changing host families. The reasons for that are varied, the biggest being that my host parents don't act at all like parents to me, and not even really like friends. I talked to my AFS liason's daughter about this (who exchanged last year to the US) and while she said it wasn't like a family for her either and everything turned out fine, she was suprised to hear that there is absolutely no affection for me from my host family. I've never been hugged or anything. I also think that, while my host parents are nice enough people and they always make sure I am taken care of in all the physical ways (make me lunches, wash my clothes, etc.) they really don't have enough time to host a student. I think for them, hosting a student was different than they thought it would be (I don't know what they thought it would be) and they've realized it's not working out great for them or me either.. so yeah, it would be better for everyone if I changed families, I think, and that may happen soon. Or not soon. I'm unsure.
Luckily, while this is obviously a difficult situation, it's not too much for me to deal with. School is pretty hard and yes, at times boring, but it is so demanding that I have almost no time to feel homesick or anything. For instance on Tuesday I swam 800m in gym class (which for me is a lot) as well as had a bunch of other intellectual classes in French. So, it is both a blessing and a curse for me to be ridiculously occupied all the time. Everyone at school is really nice. When they found out I would be switching families and maybe schools too they were all like 'No! You can't switch schools!' Two weeks of school and my French is already improving, a girl in my class said she could tell the difference and I don't think she was just saying that.
Wednesday I went to the house of my AFS liason and her daughter (Claudine and Alicia) for dinner and to talk about how exchange was going (this was just after they found out I wanted to switch families.) They too said my French had improved a ton since the last time they saw me, maybe a month ago. Hearing this from everyone really makes it worthwhile being here. It's hard for me because I can't really see the progress I'm making, but when people point it out to me it feels great. Claudine and Alicia are very friendly and attentive to me, and I feel that I can contact them with any problem and I am lucky that they were assigned to me.
I think that things are going well for me here, in general. Yeah it really sucks that I wasn't just assigned a perfect host family from the beginning, but I am mature enough that I can deal with it and will learn from it. I've been here for 6 weeks and I've only had one emotional breakdown which I think is pretty good! And as far as the AFS 'cycle of cultural adjustment' goes (see: http://www.uazone.net/Adjustment.html ) I think it applies to me but only in little bits. I was realistic enough to not let the honeymoon stage get the best of me and I am not even sure which stage I'm in now because none of that completely applies to me. Sometimes I think negatively about life in Switzerland but then later in the day I will think about how something here really is good.
Since I got some questions in comments on my last post, I'll answer them here. And I encourage everyone that has a question to ask me because then I don't have to worry that I am forgetting to write about something important!
-1. 'What time periods/nations does your history class cover?'
Right now we've just started a unit on the Renaissance, and when I arrived the class was just finishing up the Middle Ages. I am not sure what we'll be working on in the future.. it is possible and probable that my class already studied Swiss history so I probably won't learn that. Maybe we will just continue learning about Europe.. I'll keep you updated.
-2. 'If it covers something you already studied here, I'll be curious to know if the European perspective is different.'
I never really studied the Renaissance much so I couldn't tell you if the viewpoint differs. I think one of the biggest differences is just that all of this history happened in and around the country- when we talk about the Middle Ages it's not as abstract because there are marks of it (the château one can see from my school, for instance) everywhere.
-3. 'I'd also like to hear more about how you participate in your English class.'
Well for the most part I just listen and try not to laugh at my fellow students' mistakes (because I know I sound just as ridiculous in French) but sometimes the professor asks me to read something aloud or asks me if I think something is right or wrong. Also he will question how we say certain things in America. That's about it. I do some of the homework, but not the tests and obviously not the memorization of 20 irregular verbs each week. I can't believe I am going to get credit back home for this class... though I am learning some of the names of the verb tenses I've been using my whole life!
-4. 'And for English class, do they say that you are saying things wrong since you aren't saying them like someone from Britain? And since you don't spell "color" "colour"?'
Luckily my teacher is cool enough to realize the differences between American English and British English, and while he will point out if I pronounce something differently I am never reprimanded for it. And so far I haven't had to write anything, so I'm not sure about the second point.
I found out last Sunday that I may be changing host families. The reasons for that are varied, the biggest being that my host parents don't act at all like parents to me, and not even really like friends. I talked to my AFS liason's daughter about this (who exchanged last year to the US) and while she said it wasn't like a family for her either and everything turned out fine, she was suprised to hear that there is absolutely no affection for me from my host family. I've never been hugged or anything. I also think that, while my host parents are nice enough people and they always make sure I am taken care of in all the physical ways (make me lunches, wash my clothes, etc.) they really don't have enough time to host a student. I think for them, hosting a student was different than they thought it would be (I don't know what they thought it would be) and they've realized it's not working out great for them or me either.. so yeah, it would be better for everyone if I changed families, I think, and that may happen soon. Or not soon. I'm unsure.
Luckily, while this is obviously a difficult situation, it's not too much for me to deal with. School is pretty hard and yes, at times boring, but it is so demanding that I have almost no time to feel homesick or anything. For instance on Tuesday I swam 800m in gym class (which for me is a lot) as well as had a bunch of other intellectual classes in French. So, it is both a blessing and a curse for me to be ridiculously occupied all the time. Everyone at school is really nice. When they found out I would be switching families and maybe schools too they were all like 'No! You can't switch schools!' Two weeks of school and my French is already improving, a girl in my class said she could tell the difference and I don't think she was just saying that.
Wednesday I went to the house of my AFS liason and her daughter (Claudine and Alicia) for dinner and to talk about how exchange was going (this was just after they found out I wanted to switch families.) They too said my French had improved a ton since the last time they saw me, maybe a month ago. Hearing this from everyone really makes it worthwhile being here. It's hard for me because I can't really see the progress I'm making, but when people point it out to me it feels great. Claudine and Alicia are very friendly and attentive to me, and I feel that I can contact them with any problem and I am lucky that they were assigned to me.
I think that things are going well for me here, in general. Yeah it really sucks that I wasn't just assigned a perfect host family from the beginning, but I am mature enough that I can deal with it and will learn from it. I've been here for 6 weeks and I've only had one emotional breakdown which I think is pretty good! And as far as the AFS 'cycle of cultural adjustment' goes (see: http://www.uazone.net/Adjustment.html ) I think it applies to me but only in little bits. I was realistic enough to not let the honeymoon stage get the best of me and I am not even sure which stage I'm in now because none of that completely applies to me. Sometimes I think negatively about life in Switzerland but then later in the day I will think about how something here really is good.
Since I got some questions in comments on my last post, I'll answer them here. And I encourage everyone that has a question to ask me because then I don't have to worry that I am forgetting to write about something important!
-1. 'What time periods/nations does your history class cover?'
Right now we've just started a unit on the Renaissance, and when I arrived the class was just finishing up the Middle Ages. I am not sure what we'll be working on in the future.. it is possible and probable that my class already studied Swiss history so I probably won't learn that. Maybe we will just continue learning about Europe.. I'll keep you updated.
-2. 'If it covers something you already studied here, I'll be curious to know if the European perspective is different.'
I never really studied the Renaissance much so I couldn't tell you if the viewpoint differs. I think one of the biggest differences is just that all of this history happened in and around the country- when we talk about the Middle Ages it's not as abstract because there are marks of it (the château one can see from my school, for instance) everywhere.
-3. 'I'd also like to hear more about how you participate in your English class.'
Well for the most part I just listen and try not to laugh at my fellow students' mistakes (because I know I sound just as ridiculous in French) but sometimes the professor asks me to read something aloud or asks me if I think something is right or wrong. Also he will question how we say certain things in America. That's about it. I do some of the homework, but not the tests and obviously not the memorization of 20 irregular verbs each week. I can't believe I am going to get credit back home for this class... though I am learning some of the names of the verb tenses I've been using my whole life!
-4. 'And for English class, do they say that you are saying things wrong since you aren't saying them like someone from Britain? And since you don't spell "color" "colour"?'
Luckily my teacher is cool enough to realize the differences between American English and British English, and while he will point out if I pronounce something differently I am never reprimanded for it. And so far I haven't had to write anything, so I'm not sure about the second point.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
