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First off, I have to apologize for my lack of contact in the past few months. I’ve been EXTREMLY busy with a lot of things, and I’m going to tell you all about it RIGHT NOW!
May:
After my parents left the land of chocolate and cheese, I went back to school for a couple weeks then was visited by yet another pair from Canada! My two dear friends Katherine Lowings and Darren Joblonkay came over to Europe and made their first stop in Switzerland to see me! We planned a trip around Switzerland, Italy, and France and after I received permission from my host family, Rotary Club, Swiss School, and Parents back home I was able to travel with my friends to some awesome places! First, we stayed three days in Switzerland were I got to show off my Swissness to my friends. After this, the three of us went down to Milan and checked out the city and the Duomo (Cathedral) there. After Milan, I had to go back to school in Switzerland for a couple days and Katherine and Darren continued on to Venice and Florence. I took a night train from Switzerland to Rome and met my friends at the Train station there. We stayed in Rome for 3 days and saw everything! We went to the main points like the Colleseum, the Spanish steps, the Ruins, Trevi fountain, and all the other points along the way. We took out a full day to see the Vatican which included the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peters Basilica. The Vatican was truly amazing! Everything was breathtaking and unforgettable. The following day we went to a beach about an hour outside of Rome and just enjoyed the Mediterranean sun and sand! Unfortunately afterwards we looked like tomatoes but we did enjoy ourselves very much! Rome was a success and we were on the night train that night to Nice, a city in the south of France. When we got into Nice, we wanted to get on a train directly to Paris but the trains were all booked up until the next night train that night. So we toured around the city of Nice and it turned out to be a beautiful city! It is on the Mediterranean with a beautiful coast line and a laid back lifestyle. So after a lazy day in the sun, we hopped on yet another night train to Paris. We arrived and settled into our hotel. In Paris we definitely saw a lot of stuff. The Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Versailles, the Louvre, and a bunch of other places that were along the way! I was a great 3 days in Paris and something I will never forget. After Paris, our trip was done and we came back to Luzern, Switzerland for one last night before Darren and Katherine flew back to Canada. I will always think back on this trip with a smile on my face and a laugh to follow.
June:
After I saw Darren and Katherine walk behind the Passport control in the airport, Swiss life slowly sank back into routine for the next 4 weeks. In these last four weeks of school I started to slowly comprehend the fact that I would be flying back to Canada soon myself and would have to say goodbye to all of my dear friends that I have met here in Switzerland. Soon every class was the last class and everything got a little dreamlike. I started to tell myself that this wasn’t happening and that I would be coming back next year and doing the same routine with my friends here. Finally the last day of school came for me. It wasn’t really goodbye for most of my friends because I had a party right before I went home, but I still had to say goodbye to a couple friends that couldn’t make it and some teachers that I had gotten close to. It was definitely a sad experience but I knew that I had gained something very valuable on exchange and that made saying goodbye a little easier.
I couldn’t stay sad for that long because the next day after the last day of school I was off on a Eurotour with all of the other Rotary Exchange Students for 2 weeks! It was unbelievable! We started out in Zürich and then drove the entire day to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. This town is a medieval town in the south part of Germany. We spent one night there and then continued onto Prague! On the way to Prague we stopped in a town called Pilsen, which is well known for their beer. It is served throughout the Czech Republic. We stopped here for lunch but then continued onto Prague were we spent the next three nights. We were in the city of Prague for 2 days were we were given a tour of the city. After, we were set loose to discover it for ourselves. Out of all the places I’ve been in Europe, I liked Prague the best. The city itself was beautiful. It didn’t have a whole lot of Historical Buildings and Monuments like Rome or Paris but almost every building had a different design and color and there were loads of beautiful statues and bridges. After Prague, we went directly to Vienna. We spent a total of three nights there and soaked in the Austrian Culture. In Vienna, we went through a tour of the city and then one night, we went to a Classical Music Concert in a hall where Mozart himself played! It was incredible to think that in the same room that I was sitting in, Mozart himself played for some important diplomats or something to this extent. So after Vienna, the bus took us to a small town on the other side of Austria called Klagenfurt where we spent one night, then it was off to Italia! In Italy we baked on the beach, leaned on the leaning tower of Pisa and toured through the alleyways of Florence. After eating so much pizza, the group went back up into Switzerland were we spent two nights in the Southern part and enjoyed the beautiful mountains, creeks, and scenery.
It didn’t seem long at all and suddenly we were all back in Switzerland saying goodbye to everyone and packing up to go home. It was very saddening to look at all the other exchange students and know that you will never see some of them again. We all had to remind ourselves though, of all the amazing memories that we made with each other and all the ones that were soon to come when we go back home. So the time came and we summoned up the courage to part on our own paths.
July:
I went back to my host family’s house on Canada day and was dead from the tour. From this point until I left on the 5th, I had quite a few things to accomplish. First, I had a party with two of my host families where I said goodbye to my first host family. Then, the following day I took a Certificate in German at an intermediate level which says I can speak fluently and can read and write at a standard level (I get the results in August!). The following day I was busy preparing everything for the party I was having with my Swiss friends. This was one of the hardest goodbyes to say. My Swiss friends have been there from the beginning and have helped me into my understanding of Swiss culture. I am so grateful for what they have done for me this whole year. My year would not have even been close to as great and rewarding as it was if they were not apart of it. Then suddenly I wake up one morning and it is my last day in Switzerland. I spent the day with my best friend from Portland, Oregon and we went around our city just taking pictures and reminiscing about our times there in Switzerland. Saying goodbye to host families, driving to the airport and walking through the infamous passport control are moments that I will never forget. Saying goodbye to the all the friends and families I gained in Switzerland was probably the hardest thing I have done in my life up to this point. I hold on to the memories that I have from this tiny country and store them in a section of my heart so that they are never far away.
And now I’m back! Ready for action and am enjoying a list of things I have missed for a year. So dear friends and people that have helped me to where I am today, I have one final thank you to say. Thank you! Thank you for supporting me on my journey and helping me wherever you could! Even though I’m back now, the adventures are only beginning. I am really excited to continue on to university and wherever life takes me after that! Hope everyone is doing well and hey, I’m home, so I guess I’ll see everyone sooner or later!
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