A spontaneous reunion.. definitely the best ones...

Mais bonjour à toute la monde!

Just a really quick update on the past few days...

I have officially begun my Autumn Vacation. Haha, yes you heard that right.. Autumn Vacation, 2 weeks of "regrouping" before heading back to school. I swear, Europe is definitely a continent of fêtes et vacances... but I have no problem with that. 

Saturday I ended up going to 2 Expositions with the fam... a furniture one, and then the infamous "champignon" exposition... I would like to stress once more how much my host dad here loves his mushrooms. I'll admit, it was interesting... but after 3 hours of staring at fungi? Tell me if I'm wrong, but I was about to sit on the floor and bang my hands up and down like a 2 year old having a temper-tantrum.. perhaps if I caused enough embarrassment we would leave sooner. But being the polite woman I am, I smiled graciously at the 236th different species of fungi that was shoved under my nose to "smell the wondrous scent". After that, we returned home, popped open a nice 1996 Bordeaux bottle of rouge and relaxed. Nazia came over after dinner.. we had some dessert and watched a french film.. naturally I understood only 40% of what was going on; I pulled off the Joey from friends and laughed when everyone else laughed in order to not seem completely dense.

Sunday was such a blessing!! I hoped on a train to Geneve at 8:01, and met up with a girl I used to work with at camp, Caitlin, or for those who only go by camp names "Baloo". I was such a bizarre feeling meeting up with someone I actually KNEW from CANADA.. We talked a mile a minute, attended church in France (a really awesome english church.. not as kicking as Marshall's worship, but still..) Then went for pizza and just strolled the streets of Geneve. Lots of laughs, and definitely meeting up again soon!

Today, I'm just getting some stuff together for a little package I'm sending... strolled the streets of La Chaux-de-Fonds... and who knows what else! The day is young :)

Bisous!

7 weeks down

So basically I am writing this blog/post for Chelan. Yes babycakes.. for you, since no one else really checks these things.. even when you tell people to.. post people just completely ignore you and don't. SO here I am baby, writing away.. and update of the past 7 weeks.. Really condensed though because I started making my "Canada Presentation" today.. and eff, I probably spent a good 3 hours on my computer translating/picturizing, and blah blah.. hence my neck and back feel like they've been run over by the train that goes from Geneve to St. Gallen.

Arrived. The whole "host family who only speak french" rush hit me like a brick wall laid down by the Romans.. cause after a lonnnng flight sometimes its nice to just be able to describe your travels.. well that wasn't possible.. so had a 1.5 hour drive pretending to understand what my host mom was saying.. We talked about that actually the other day.. and I totally confessed how I actually understood nothing of what she was saying that day :)

First Rotary weekend in Olten.. met with all the other exchangers.. 60 in the Swiss German, 12 in the French.. YEAH got the lottery there.. considering we couldn't choose which section we were going into..

Took a month long language course in Lausanne with the other frenchies.. it was nice.. easy.. but really helped with the language.. I LOVED taking the train every day.. yea yea.. 1.5 hours each way.. but a great way to people watch, as well as catch a few extra zzzzzz's. And of course just discovering the beautiful city.. 

I've been to the family's chalet in Valais a few times.. went to the fête de vache.. hiked.. here hiking through the Alps is less of a sport.. but more of a social.. aka every hour.. we would stop for wine and cheese breaks.. but hey.. it was lovely!

Travelled to Nîmes France with the Rotary club, as a get together with the "sister club", we went to the Haribo Candy Factory (the original gummy bear manufacturers), la pont-du-gard (an oldschool roman aqueduct.. obviously old school.. its roman) which was amazing.. INCREDIBLE to actually see and walk through such history.. if you know what I mean.. Swing danced the night away with a bunch of old men.. who can really dance.. and jam.. Lots of Wine.. wine wine wine.. LOVE my rotary club though.. super chill! Also went to the Salina Sea Salt factory.. and to the Mediterranean Sea!! SWAM IN IT BABY.. and it was glorious..

2 Weekends ago hiked up to a cabin called Prarochet.. 2 hour hike up what seemed like the Lord of the Rings setting which turned into the Moon, honestly it was incredible.. another exchanger (Bianca.. a good friend of mine here) came with my host family.. and friends.. hike hike hike.. but through the Alps, and the scenery.. absolutely breathtaking.. so when the rump starts to hurt.. I just would think of where i was and BAM, all was better.

Last Weekend I flew a plane.. No you didn't read that wrong.. I FLEW a plane.. yes. One of the guys from my rotary club is a flying instructor.. so he took me up over the west side of switzerland.. and taught me to fly!! We went over the alps.. over lake Geneva, Neuchatel, Fribourg.. Simply beautiful.. a little cloudy.. but nevertheless, SO fortunate.. And also the next day to the fête de vendages :) Naturally more champagne and wine.

Got my hair trimmmed, going out dancing soon.. uhmmm School's going good... I was originally in the bilingual class.. aka most classes in English.. SO STUPID>. so then I had a good chat with the director.. and NOW i am in full french.. WAYY better.. plus the people in my class are super nice. I don't have to take tests.. so It makes it okay that I can actually only understand 40% of whats going on at all times.. It'll come!!

BUT YEAH. a quick update.. cause I know when they're super long.. most people are afraid of reading them.. soo yeah! Je t'aime.. gros bisous.. et.. à la prochaine!