Christmas Day

  Waking up on Christmas morning to find that nothing had changed over night, was a very strange experience for me. No new presents under the tree or stocking filled by Santa Claus in the night. Actually, I got to sleep in until around 11, which I have to say was very nice, to shower before leaving for lunch at noon. Without the anticipation of 'Santa Clause' and the decorations around the house it really did not feel like at all like Christmas.

  I think the fact that even though it was the 25th of December and it did not at all feel like Christmas, I was not very homesick. After sleeping until 10:30 am, the longest I have ever slept on Christmas morning, we all got ready to leave for Christmas lunch at noon. One of the strangest things that day was the meal, it was a completely delicious 5 course lunch, but the fact we went out for lunch and no one cooked was very  strange. At home, the food is a huge part of the Christmas tradition, something that doesn't change with the passing years. I can always count on Swedish meatballs (which are almost always turkey) for Christmas eve and my grandmothers delicious cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. I guess in Switzerland, the food is not as important as the people you celebrate with.

  When we arrived at the castle, which also happens to have a restaurant, I met about 17 different people from my host dad's side of the family. His parents, sibling with their children and girlfriends. I can't remember everyone's name, but they were all very nice to me and welcomed me as a part of the family. We then sat down for the huge meal; starting with salad, a wonderful soup, the main course of beef and potatoes, and lastly my absolute favorite dessert.

  When lunch was over, everyone said their goodbyes and went home. To me, it did not feel at all like Christmas. While it was an absolutely wonderful lunch, it wasn't really Christmas without my family and the traditions I miss from home.

The castle where we ate for Christmas lunch, complete with a moat. 

Christmas Eve

  Christmas Eve in Switzerland... was a new experience, being away from home on Christmas for the first time in sixteen years. It wasn't at all the same, but a wonderful new memory and I had a wonderful day. I am so thankful that I was able to celebrate it how I did, but it wasn't the same holiday without being at home.

 I started the day by sleeping until 11, ate a quick breakfast, and then met my host sister in town. We then set off to her father's jewelry store so that she could pick out a few pieces of jewelry from her godfather, who makes some of the jewelry sold in her fathers shop. She spent just about two hours deciding which earrings, necklace, and ring she would want. I was perfectly happy trying on the various rings, made from mountain crystal. She eventually decided what she liked better, and we set off for home.

  My host mom's parents arrived around 3pm, they are from Germany but have lived in Switzerland for almost 30 years and only speak High German. Which for me is absolutely wonderful. I talked with them about their travels around the world, I am completely amazed of how many places they have been. It was so nice to understand almost everything that people are saying. They left for church around 4:30, and I skyped my family. It was wonderful to talk to them and hear about the preparations for Christmas eve which I missed very much.

  When everyone was back from church we started dinner with an apero (basically oer d'ovres) of foie gras, fresh bread and champagne. If anyone doesn't know, foie gras is duck liver, and it truthfully did not taste as bad as I thought. Apparently we ate the expensive stuff which to me tasted like chicken, with a very strange texture. The apero was quite entertaining, because my host parents had another one earlier, where they drank a few glasses of champagne with the employees of their jewelry store. So my host dad was singing, absolutely horribly, around the house.

  For dinner; we ate roasted duck, brussel sprouts, potatoes, red cabbage, and pears. It was a wonderful dinner, and afterwords we opened presents! I think I received more presents this year than I ever have at home. I received so many wonderful gifts and I was so happy to have had such a happy Christmas eve.

Christmastime in der Schweiz

My chocolate Sammiclau with the Advent candles.

  Well it's December, and a week until Christmas comes, and with a little time this morning it is perfect time to write a much over due blog post. In a lot of ways, Christmas time in Switzeraland is similar to that at home, but with a few big differences.

  First of all, one of the most obvious differences is the lack of one of my favorite Christmas characters, Santa Clause. Actually, I have yet to see one in a department store, or in anyone's home. The big jolly man in a red suit is obviously absent from the Christmas season as are his holiday specials on television- which thanks to you tube I have been able to watch. The Swiss may not have Santa Clause, but they do have Sammiclaus or St. Nickolaus who comes to all the children's homes on December 6th. He tells every Swiss child (he also comes to other European countries) whether they have been naughty or nice during the year looking at a big book. If the children have been good, they receive; chocolates, oranges, and peanuts. But when the children have been naughty, they are beaten with sticks by the Smutzli's (people who accompany Sammiclaus dressed in black and are all around very scary).

  Another holiday difference is the focus of the decorations around town and the vibe of the Christmas season. Advent, being the 4 Sundays before Christmas Day, is much more important than it is back home. Almost every house has the four Advent candles, which are placed on a beautiful wreath decorated with little ornament balls. a new one is lit every Sunday in Advent and are re lit for most meals.

  I have also yet to see a Swiss equivalent to 'ABC Family's 25 Days of Chrsitmas' which one of my Christmas traditions I truly miss. No new Holiday specials every night, with the obligatory 'Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer', 'Frosty the Snowman', 'Santa Clause is Coming to Town', just to name a few. I really miss curling up on the sofa with peppermint hot chocolate and watching Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, but thanks to YouTube I was able to find most of my favorite specials to curb my need for Christmas specials.
 
   The decorations here in Altdorf, are simpler and less colorful than the lights and window decorations we see at home. The main street is gilded with big white lights connecting to the tops of both sides of the roof tops, making a beautiful little tunnel of lights. The bigger fir trees are also decked out with lights, but all of them white, as are the ones on peoples house windows. No Christmas lane or houses covered top to bottom in wonderful colorful lights, blow up Santa's, Candy Canes, or reindeer's on the rooftops. And inside its no change, no Christmas villages, no tinsel around staircase, or 14 foot Christmas tree. We will be getting a Christmas tree, but it wont come until a few days until Christmas as most Swiss people use real candles on their trees, so at the moment the house is quite bare.

  It seems strange that Christmas is only a week away, and I still have school next week and have not been skiing yet. It is almost as if Christmas is sneaking up on me, and that it doesn't seem plausible that it could really be Christmas time being so far ways from home. The snow today helped a lot, due to that fact that I'm still a 5 year old when ever it snows. Its just not the same, because I know how my house looks right now, and I miss going to sleep to the sound of my snow globes Christmas tunes. Christmas decorations may be tuned down quite a lot, but seeing the Christmas tree decorated all over school and the lights in the streets still makes me smile and reminds me of how wonderful this time of the year truly is.

My Christmas presents, my mom even sent a stocking! 

The first snow of the season! 

My Swiss Thanksgiving

Two perfect pies; pumpkin, and apple. 

  

   Yesterday was three months in Switzerland, which for the moment does not seem at all possible. I never realized that time would fly by so fast. Home, being Portland Oregon, seems so far away. A place that exists alone, another planet, so far away from Switzerland that it does not seem only a plane ride away. Of course I miss my family, but I cannot imagine not have ever getting on that plane three months ago, which has already changed my life.

   Tomorrow, is Thanksgiving, a holiday which is not celebrated Switzerland, and one of my absolute favorites. I knew that I would really miss home, so I decided I would make Thanksgiving for my host family. When I started planning, I didn't realize it would take so much time and effort.

   First, we had to pick a date. I have school on Thanksgiving, and would not have time to cook, so it would need to be a weekend. Next we needed to find a weekend where the most people would come, and I wanted it as close as the real Thanksgiving as possible. The date which worked perfectly for most everyone was last Saturday, November 19th.

  The next on the list was making the shopping list, and deciding which dishes I would make. I went for the traditional, everything that we would eat at home on Thanksgiving, except for the gravy. I just didn't have the time. On Thanksgiving, we of course have to eat Turkey. There were at first a few problems with the turkey, first the turkey's are not available in the Swiss grocery stores until Christmas time, so we had to order one. And next, which size? We ordered the turkey in Kilograms, which are smaller than pounds. It turned out we could have ordered a larger turkey, we had absolutely no left-overs.

  Friday after school, I rushed home so that we could start shopping. I had my extensive list written, organized by each dish. And within an hour found everything we needed. We headed home, and I started preparing food for the next day. I had to prepare the stuffing, so that the spices and vegetable flavorings would soak into the bread cubes. I also had to make the dough for the rolls, it needs to rise in the fridge.

   I woke up Saturday morning, at 8:00 am, which I would agree is quite to early to wake up on a weekend, but I had to make the pie dough made and get the pies in the oven. I had cooked the pumpkin the night before, so that I would not need to worry about it taking too long the next day. A note on pumpkins in Switzerland; first, there are no pumpkins in grocery stores, second German only has the word for 'curbis' meaning squash, not a pumpkin in particular, and third you have to order a pumpkin if you are in need of said pumpkin for a pie.

   Once I finished my pies, I made one pumpkin and one apple, I had to start working on everything else. The turkey, needed to be in the oven by 2:00pm, which left me a little time to decorate the table and clean up my mess, before I made another mess.

  Cooking a turkey, in the USA, requires a regular sized turkey oven. But in Switzerland, the mention of an oven used maybe twice a year, only for the Thanksgiving Turkey, is an absurd idea. Actually, when I mentioned it, my entire host family thought I was joking. I followed a simple recipe to cook the turkey, which turned out to be fairly easy, but time consuming.

  The last hour, before we ate, I was absolutely everywhere. I had everything to finish, but I had a lot of help, and everything fell together perfectly. I cooked the entire day and I was completely exhausted, but the pay off was well worth it. To me the best way to celebrate Thanksgiving, is with family, and I did just that. I absolutely thrilled with the reactions of my host family, almost all of the food was devoured. I am proud to say, that my first Thanksgiving, cooking alone, was in Switzerland. You can't get any better than that!

My wonderful Turkey

                                                                             
 

Moments of Adventure

   It's been a while since I last posted, three weeks to be exact, I thought today would be a wonderful day to share some of the happenings of my Swiss life. The first full week of November was a wonderful one, only two full days of real school. We had Monday and Tuesday off for All Saints day, Wednesday and Friday were in school, and Thursday was spent in Zurich visiting art museums with my class. With a full four day weekend in front of me, I took the opportunity to catch up on lost sleep.
 
  Of course, I could not sleep the entire weekend away so on Tuesday I spent the day in Bern ice skating with other exchange students. I am not the most coordinated person out there, which made ice skating fairly difficult. I cannot remember the last time i went ice skating, which made it all the more difficult. I fell quite a few times, and once was not entirely my fault. I was skating, very cautiously, when I was accidentally spooked by someone who mistakes me for someone else. It was extremely hilarious for me, and in true exchange student fashion, this lovely moment was caught on camera.

'Oops, I thought you were Bren'.
Another note, I am laughing in this picture, not crying. 

  We ice skated for a few hours, but because we all had school the next day we headed back to central Bern to grab something to eat and head back home. Some of the exchange students stayed, because they don't live so far away, but my feet were sore so I decided it would be a good time to head back. Me and three other exchange students (Two from Canada, and one from Kansas) headed out for Mexican food. After wandering the streets of Zurich for the better part of a half an hour, we landed on a Mexican restaurant. We soon learned that for one, Switzerland is extremely expensive in the Mexican food section, and two that the waiters do not take to kindly when you only order three appetizers and drinks. After our delicious dinner of chips and cheese dip, we all headed back to the Bahnhof (train station) to catch our trains home. It was a wonderful day, and definitely not my last time ice skating, i improved quite a bit towards the end, but I haven't yet mastered how to stop on skates, I ran into quite a few people.

Just of few of us, on the ice, in Bern. What a lovely day it was.

    Thursday, was spent in Zurich in various art museums, with my wonderful class. Normally I hate Thursday's, for one school starts at 7:30 and goes until 5:00pm, which makes me very tired. But this Thursday was actually quite fun, I got to sleep, which of course made the day a lot more bearable. Once we arrived in Zurich, we caught another train to Winterthur, about a 20 minute train ride away, once we arrived we took a tram to a photography museum. The pictures themselves, were interesting, but having to analyzing them was extremely boring. I can hardly stand that in English, and in German, not a chance. We ate lunch in Winterthur, and then headed back to Zurich for my favorite exhibit, 'Photo's of the World 4' which I found absolutely fascinating. There were so many pictures from all over the world, and I found it so interesting. When we left the last museum, we had over an hour break  to hang out in Zurich before catching our train home. 

What a lovely shot?

Peace!

                

 

Happy Two Months, Switzerland!

  I've have been sitting here, with my netbook, attempting to write about my two months anniversary with Switzerland, but the problem is I can't seem to figure out what I should write about. Most things here are becoming less sparkling, less extraordinary, more normal. I have a daily routine for school, and while I don't remember where most of my classes are or the names of my teachers I can understand a lot more of what is going on in class.

  My German has greatly improved to the point where I can actually have a full conversation with someone. The problem is that in Switzerland, everyone speaks in dialect which changes slightly as you travel around the country. Swiss German is difficult to understand, but even more difficult to speak. 'Urner Deustch', the Swiss German spoken where I live, is harsh and difficult to understand. I have a decent understanding of High German, but have not even begun to attempt to learn Swiss German. At this point, I  should be focusing on 'Real German', but I plan to work on Swiss German in maybe February.

  School itself has gotten a lot better. It is not quite as boring as usual and now that I can speak more German, I can talk to more people. The easiest classes are probably math, English, and French. My art classes are fairly easy as well because there is not normally a lot German. Sports and swimming are also easy, but really fun because I get to let off steam. My most difficult, and there fore most boring classes are history and German, in those classes I tend to doodle and work on French.

  Looking back, two months ago I would have never imagined what my exchange would really be like. I would never have thought of all the adventures I would have. Of course I imagined school, my host family, and Switzerland itself, but I really had no idea what it would be like. When you go on exchange you can't plan anything because you never know what is going to happen next, you just have to live. 

And off to Mt. Blanc we go!

   At breakfast this morning I decided to calculate the hours I have spent on trains this week. It added up to approximately 24 total hours of trains and buses. I was in Zurich twice, once in Basel, and the longeset quantity of train time was the trip to Chamonix, France.

   Bright and early Monday morning I awoke to shower and finish packing for a two day trip to Chamonix Mt. Blanc, France. We started the journey first to Luzern, then another train to Lausanne, then to Martingy, from there a special bus to Chamonix. It was an exhausting journey, but I absolutely love traveling on trains. You can see so much of the country and there is absolutely no traffic. I brought books and did a lot of sleeping.

   The last leg of the journey was spent on a bus through the French Alps, which was extremely long and high up, but incredibly beautiful. The mountains, some of which were covered in snow, are breathtaking. When we finally arrived in Chamonix I was completely exhausted, but we were only there  for one night, meaning there was no time to be tired.

  The first thing we set out to do after arriving, was to find the 'Tourist Information'. Martha, my host mom does not speak a lot of French so it was up to me to help find us a hotel. Im fluent in French, five years of a French elementary school gave me that, but when I tried to speak French to the woman behind the counter, what came out of my mouth was a jumble of French and German. It took me a moment before I was able to ask her what we needed.

   After we found a hotel, we settled in and set off to wander the town. Chamonix it self an absolutely beautiful quaint mountain village. What makes it so special is the spectacular mountain range in the back drop. The view of Mt. Blanc, the highest peak in Europe, is absolutely breathtaking. We spent the afternoon wandering through the shops and enjoying the sights. 

   For dinner, we ate at a the hotel's restaurant where we were staying the night. Both of us ordered the  special three course meal. I had smoked salmon, then potato dish with bacon, and finished with a spectacular creme brulee. It was an absolutely fantastic meal, but I ate way to much so food that I needed to walk around the village at night. 

  The next morning we woke up early, because who would sleep when your on vacation, to ride the gondola to 'Aiguille du Midi'. At 12,602 ft, it is the highest point you can reach without any climbing. The only peak that is higher, is of course Mt. Blanc the highest peak in Europe. To reach the top, you have to take two gondola's up the mountain. The first takes you half way to 'Plan de L'Aiguille' , and the second (which is the longest un-supported gondola in Europe) takes you to the top. 

  We rode the gondola at about 9:00 am, so there were still a lot of clouds in the sky, but never the less it was the absolutely most beautiful view I have ever seen. The mountains, all of which are completely covered in snow every month of the year are breathtaking. From the top, you can see all the way to Switzerland in one direction and to Italy in the other. 

  As usual, I did not pack particularly well for this trip. I didn't really think about needing my winter coat or anything, but I should have realized that we were going to be 12,000+ ft in the sky and it would be very cold. As the sun started to come out, the clouds started to disapear and you could really see the mountains and the tiny village of Chamonix down at the bottom. 

  When we got off the mountain we set off to the hotel to pack our thing had head back home. We wanted to leave early enough so we could stop in Martingy, Switzerland for a dog museum, but when we got to the train station there was not going to be a train for 3 hours, very French. They are striking, until the election on Monday meaning they are not having the frequent train service we would have liked.

  Because we had to wait a while for our train, we decided to stay in Chamonix for lunch and then start the long journey home. When we finished lunch, we headed out to the train station to take a bus to Martingy, Switzerland and then home.

Monday- In Zurich, with two exchange students from Canada (Emily and Kim),
one from Argentina (Alejo!), and me!

Tuesday- More exchange students.. (from left to right, Mark-USA, Carly-Canada, Me, Ana-Mexico, Jada-USA, and Andrea-USA) We are in Basel, on the bridge of
three countries, at one time! Switzerland, France, and Germany.

Wednesday- In Chamonix, France!

Thursday- Oh look it's Mt. Blanc! 

  

Those wonderful moments of being a crazy exchange student

Yesterday we planned to go to Lugano, in Tessin (the only Italian Canton in Switzerland) with a big group of exchange students. As it turned out, it was just me and Carly and Ana (who live in Bern), none the less it was a very eventful day! Once we arrived in Lugano, after a 3 hour train ride... we set out to find Italian pizza for lunch.
   
We wandered around for a half an hour trying to find an appropriate restaurant, not too expensive and preferably not too fancy. None of us speak any Italian, and in Tissin very few people speak German. We found a reasonable place for lunch, and spent a long time deciding on which pizza to get and confusing our waiter when we asked to split one, three ways. The pizza was fantastic, and perfectly Italian.    We ordered 'Porcusito Pizza e Funghi', basically ham and mushrooms on pizza with mozzarella and the most amazing tomato sauce. The best part was that each of us had our pizza a particular way, Ana- who didn't like the ham, Me- who does not eat mushrooms, and Carly -who loves both. The pizza was absolutely delicious. Our waiter, who spoke no German and very little English was very confused at why we were in Lugano. After our fabulous lunch we just started walking, no idea where we were going or what were going to find. We didn't plan anything, we just walked and stopped to take pictures. Lugano is an absolutely beautiful city, it looked similar to Luzern- Lugano is also on a lake- but reminded me of being in Italy. I frequently forgot we were still in Switzerland, everyone was speaking Italian and it didn't seem like we could still possibly be in Switzerland. In true Italian fashion, we had to stop for some gelato, which was absolutely amazing by the way. It was extremely hot for October, probably because we were so close to Italy...but in Switzerland there is fresh clean drinking water everywhere. And its free.

Carly, Me, and Ana in Lugano

After gelato, we decided we could take a train to another city 30 minutes away- Belinzona. We all have train-bus-boat passes so we just hopped on a train to Belinzona. Once we arrived, we walked around for a little bit, when we happen to stumble upon a tunnel, which led to two elevators. We of course rode the elevators up, and voila! A Castle! We had just happend to stumble upon an old Italian castle, on a hill... It was a wonderful surprise! We just started walking around the grounds, enjoying the beautiful view of Tessin. We also happened to find a tunnel, under-neath a double sided wall. There was enough light to see, but we kept looking for dungeons... we didn't find any. 

Ana, Me, and Carly; Sitting on part of the walled castle.  

When we left the castle, we decided we should buy some food, at 'coop' to eat on the train home. Once we left the castle, we about 25 minutes to find food and head up the hill to the train station, the problem is we might have gotten a little distracted in 'coop', and got stuck in a long line. When we got through the line, after purchasing: bread, turkey, cheese, cookies, and bananas, we had all of five minutes to catch our train. We sprinted up the hill and barely caught our train! The three of us were completely exhausted to the point where literally everything was funny. I felt really bad for the people in the same compartment as us. We were hysterically laughing at everything and being really abnoxious, but we didn't care. We played 'Crazy Eights' on the train ride and practiced German phrases. We talked about what we have seen, the people we have met, and the journey we took to get here. I am really jealous that Ana flew into London, and because she had to change airports her father hired a driver who stopped along the way so she could take pictures. A year ago yesterday, I was sitting in an interview to be an exchange student, and yesterday I was sitting on a train in Switzerland, speeding through mountains, heading home.

I had the most amazingly wonderful day, definitely one of my best memories so far. Something that I will remember for a long time because of the randomness of the adventures we had. We never planned anything, other than what time we would meet. I never expected that any of this would have happened, because when you go on exchange anything is possible and you can't plan the unpredictable. I don't think I have ever laughed this hard since being here, with people who I met for the first time that morning. It felt like we had known each other forever, Ana and Carly have been friends for two months and both of them met me today. Exchange gives you something to talk about, something that no one else will ever understand. We already have inside jokes from silly It so strange to think that I have friends all over the world, and from every corner of the earth. I can't imagine not being here because this has become my life, the new normal.

Mountain Climbing Tuesday

Oh look! Some snow, I slid down the hill on the snow! 

 On Tuesday we went hiking, with a Rotarian and one of my host mom's friends. I had to wake up at 7:15 am, which was not my ideal time to get out of bed during vacation. None the less I got out of bed and we headed out to Gottard Pass where we would begin the hike. Thankfully, I was able to sleep for the 1 hour drive to the trail head. Once we arrived we set out on the hike to the top of 'Glubin' mountain. It was absolutely perfect day; blue skies and sunshine. We started out with a trail, but after a while we were walking over rocks and following the signs. We were high enough up, that there was a little bit of snow!    


<= For Sean, these are abandoned Swiss military bases. There were all sorts of look out spot all over the mountain while we were hiking! The bases are no longer used by the Swiss military, but are all locked up.        

The beautiful view from the top of the mountain. You can see the continental divide, between Switzerland, Austria, and Italy. You look straight and can see Tissin, the Italian part of Switzerland. And behind that is Italy. On my left was Austria. It was a perfect view of the Alps. You could even see the snow from the glaciers, at 9000'.

<= Me from the top of the mountain! Absolutely exhausted from all the hiking, and we still had to get down the mountain! 

It was a lovely day, but when we finally got to the car I almost automatically fell asleep. I was completely exhausted. It was a lovely hike, but I was so tired; a combination of the elevation, German, and the long hike. Apparently this is the last time for hiking till Spring, it will start getting cold and snow will cover the mountains soon! 

Observations

While Switzerland does not have the same sense of culture short as other places in the world, there are still subtle differences I have noticed: (in no particular order, just what popped into my head first)
-Lunch is the main meal of the day; salad, something hot- can be meat, pasta, rice, potatoes, etc, followed with chocolate and coffee.
-We eat so much bread, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner always bread.
-Swiss people are always punctual.
-It is common to not leave the town you were born in when you grow up, many families live in the same town for generations.
-It is a big deal to move 2 hours away from your family.
-Everything is expensive. Everything.
-Bikes are the main mode of transportation, it is a luxury to have a GA (the train/bus/boat pass every Rotary exchange student in Switzerland receives-for free)
-Home work is never checked or given a score as a part of your grade. Test and projects are what count.
-Very few people stay at home for lunch, because we have an hour and a half most people go home.
-When you see a friend, you greet each  other with 3 cheek kisses- but sometimes it is only one. Don't ask me the rules on that one.
-Swiss people always have time to talk to a friend or someone they know, no matter how little time they have to talk,
-Cows are no big deal, and waking up to cow bells is nothing special- but to me is the most beautiful wake up call.
-The sun rises early and sets very early, we have mountains on every side.
-Swiss German is the mother language, High German is not what people like to speak.
-We have coffee makers in school!!!
-You buy your books, supplies, and lab coats.
-Tractors drive at full speed through the town.
-Cars will always stop for pedestrians.
-A lot of people own ski-homes in the mountains.
-Helmet are never worn on a bike, only on a motorcycle- its a law.
-Television is rarely watched.
-Everyone is well dressed at school.
-Pajama's are only worn in bed, you always come to breakfast dressed and showered.
-Nouns are capitalized.
-Water is always sparkling.
-The milk sometimes has a strange after taste of grass.
-Eating left-overs for dinner is rare, usually only enough is made for each meal.
-Breakfast consists of; bread, butter, jam, coffee, and juice.
-Lunch; is a the main meal of the day; salad, some kind of meat, starch (rice, pasta, potatoes, etc) and sometimes vegetables. Always finished with coffee and chocolate.
-Dinner; more bread, cheese, butter, cold meats, and tea.
-Bread is always fresh, usually we buy it every other day.
-There are no screen, to keep bugs out. Always fresh mountain air.

For now, that is all I can think of for the moment. I plan to add another list at some point in the future.

First week of School!

Last week was my first week of school, normally at home it would not be a big deal. A lot of paper-work to get signed, new classes, and teachers, but nothing out of the ordinary. This was different. For one everything is in German, and when the class is done they talk to each other in Swiss German- which to me still sounds completely foreign. I introduced myself to every teacher, I apparently have a very good accent. In Switzerland, you have different classes everyday and in total I think I have 12 or 13 different classes. It is a really nice balance for me, and I definitely like this system a lot better than how school is at home. We also have mostly the same students in every class with a perfect size of 16! My smallest class will be with 2 students, me and Yuka from Japan on Thursday afternoons to learn German. Everyone was so wonderful and nice to me, and took me to where I needed to be.
     On Monday, I don't have school until 9:20 which allows me to sleep until 8 am. Even with the extra sleep I still need at least 2 espressos every morning. I shower, then get dressed- trying to look the least foreign as possible: skinny jeans, stripped H+M sweater, and flats. I apparently succeed in that task. For my first day, my host mom drove me the 10 minutes to school! I was to meet the 'Projektor' of the school and he would take me to my first class. I was very proud of my self to have been able to find his office without any problem, walk trough the front door and up two flight of stairs. He met me at 9:10 and took me to English, my first class on Mondays. That was most likely the absolute best class to start school with. I wasn't lost when the teacher, who is from New Zealand, spoke and I was able to understand everything that was going on.  After one period of English (40 min.) we then had a 10 min. break and off to Informatik, basically computer programming. We have ten minutes between every class, which you need, because for some classes, like Informatik , you trek up the street 5 ish minutes to the 'Seminar' building. Informatik itself was not too difficult, because we were just writing some letters on a grid. Ok, so it wasnt that simple, there are specific places to put the letters, but it wasnt too hard. At 11:50 we are done with class and have school off for lunch until 1:30. I take the bus back home for a wonderful meal, more coffee and back to school. I then have a drawing class for two periods, with a short break in between. We drew portraits using fruits and vegetables. It was strange. Then Biology, were studying genes- a part of Freshman biology for me-. Then off to German, they are reading and analyzing literature and poems. Needless to say, I was completely lost. When school finished, at 5:00 pm today, I was completely exhausted.
    Tuesday...my first class is at 7:30, whoop whoop!, meaning I set my alarm for 5:45, allowing myself 15 min. to wake up before taking a quick shower. I think Tuesdays will require three espressos before heading off to school. Thankfully the days started with one period of English. Then my first Geography class, which was pretty good, were studying India. Then French was next, we had a test, which I took, but I don't think I did very well because there was a large section of German-French translating... I doubt that test will count. Port french, I have Phisiks.. which went right over my head, for one my teacher is a little bit crazy and everything was in German. He also didn't explain anything- or at least to my understanding, but its not just me who is completely lost. Then I have chemistry, which was actually alright, because I took chemistry last year and was able to understand how do work out the problems. I was so glad to be able to home after 5 long periods in the morning. I even got a 10 min. power nap in before heading back to school! When you are in the 4th year of Kollegi, you pick a main subject to study, and I have drawing/art with half of my class- the other half have music. We are studying photography and learned how to develop film! The school has a dark-room, which I didn't even know existed. There is also a bomb shelter in the basement. Thankfully, school was over at 3:10 and not 5:00.
    Wednesday which I think it will become my new favorite day of the week. I was able to sleep an extra hour, until 7 and started my day with History. This is normally one of my favorite subjects, but it was all in german, so basically I was completely lost. After history, half of the 4th class heads out to 'Swimmbad Altdorf' for Swimming class! I have never had swimming in school, and I was actually really excited. There are 3 levels of swimmers; the worst, the middle, and the best. I didn't have to take a swim test, and was put in the middle group. I think swimming was my least exhausting class because of the very little German spoken. Yes we did some really strange and at times strenuous exercises, but our teacher just demonstrated. We have two periods of swimming, and then the bus takes us back to the Kollegi, but I was able to get off at my stop, as it was then lunch time. After a wonderful lunch, I headed back to school for math class. Were studying Geometry currently, and thankfully I have a wonderful teacher. I have not been good at math the past two years, but I think this year I will have a much easier time. Another reason why I will love Wednesdays, were done with school at 3:10! After school I went out for ice-cream in Altdorf with two girls from my class. We also walked up to the Monastery in Altdorf, where you can see all of the town and the other four in the same valley. I imagine it would be beautiful at night! If only I had brought my camera...
    Thursday: I never liked Thursdays, but these might be alright, but definitely not my favorite. For one, I have to wake up bright and early at 5:45 because I have three periods of a special art class which start at 7:30 until 10:00. We looked through photography books, and then our teacher talked for a really long time, and I didn't understand very much at all. I almost fell asleep. Then off to Geography for more of India studying, working on a map with the major cities and neighboring countries. We then had Physiks, and not just normal class but a test. All in German, with one page of English that I was able to do. The rest, I sat there with my German-English dictionary trying to understand what the question was asking me. It was extremely frustrating. I felt so much better when I came home for a fantastic lunch of; something similar to macaroni and cheese, except so much better! Then back to school for math, still wonderful, and a very confusing German literature class. I will actually have a special class on Thursday afternoons, a German intensive learning course, but that starts next week.
    Friday: FINALLY! Unfortunately my Fridays start with a 5:45 alarm and two periods of sports, whoop whoop! Normally sports is split between girls and boys, but on Friday we had it together. We played soccer, or Football for those non-Americans, this weird sport with Tennis rackets which are used to move the ball across the ground, and then went up to the field to spin Soccer balls around. I then had English test, I didn't even bother studying. I then got to go home... at 10:10 and did not have to be back at school by 1:30. I slept, for an hour. After a wonderful 3.5 hours of break, I headed back for two periods of French. That and English are the two classes I actually understand!! We didn't have any 3-5 class, teacher meeting, so I headed home.

I don't think I have ever been this mentally exhausted in my life. I am constantly trying to translate and understand what people are saying to me. When I get home, all I want to do is sleep, but I have to continue to remind myself that I am not on exchange to sleep, I could do that anywhere. I am here to learn a new language and culture and have the most changing and wonderful year. I know that once the language begins to 'click' I will have a much better time, but for now it is really difficult. Well that's all for now, I am off to bed, its 11 oclock here and I have to be up early to go to Luzern for a Rotary function.

Simba: the Musical

Singing 'Can you feel the love tonight"

Last night, Martha- my host mom- and I went to the theater in Altdorf to see 'Simba'. Basically, it's 'The Lion King' except everything was in Swiss German; the songs, the program, and the speaking. Other than not being able to understand anything, it was a very impressive production. Absolutely wonderful costumes and spectacular actors. We sat in the third row and had a fantastic view of the stage. I might not have understood what was being spoken, but because I know the story of the Lion King very well, I had no problem understanding where they were in the story. There was wonderful dancing numbers and musical numbers. I found it quite strange that all the songs were in German, I recognized a lot of the tunes from the Original musical. My absolute favorite moment of the night was the final number 'Can you feel the Love Tonight',  of course it was in German, but I sung along in my head in English. It was so strange to hear it in German, because that is not how I learned it. I was completely exhausted when the show was over, because for one I had just sat through 2 hours of so of straight Swiss German and I had just finished my first week of school. I was really happy to have been able to take these pictures of the show:

Its a perfect day for a Swiss Wedding!

     Yesterday was the perfect day for a wedding, the sky was blue, sunshine, and the most perfect water on Lake Urnesee possible. Elizabeth, my oldest host sister- who I met Friday for the first time- married Thomas, her boyfriend of 8 years.
     The past week has been absolutely crazy, my two other host sisters; Manuela and Marion and their father have practiced their piece for the wedding, the music to be played in church, they were constantly arguing in dialect Swiss German, which unfortunately is still a complete mystery to me ( the only Swiss German word I know is 'choki' meaning chocolate, but it is the only important word) the only parts of the arguing I understood were the tone and expressions, and even that was hilarious. On Friday, the day before the wedding, the three of them (Manuela, Marion, and Martha- their mother) were up until 3 am finishing a power point of photo and a photo album for the couple. I decided at around midnight it would be a very good decision for me to go to bed, and leave all the wedding drama.
     Thankfully, we were able to sleep in, or at least I was because the wedding was not until 2 oclock in the afternoon, but we left the house at 12:30 first to pick up Marion and her boyfriend and drive to Brunnen, about 20 minutes away. Once there, I met almost everyone who was a guest at the wedding. It was the same introduction over and over again, 'Hi, Kelsey, exchange student living with Martha' of course I introduced my self in German (whoop whoop!). We waited outside a hotel along the water for a few minutes before boarding a boat that would take us to Bauen, and to the church. On the boat, you had some absolutely beautiful views of the lake, clear and green it was absolutely perfect. Orange Juice, Sparkling water, and White Wine were served on the boat as it took us to the church.
     The temperature was perfect for a wedding, warm but not humid and hot. Once we arrived in Bauen, we walked a little to the church, a small almost chapel, old beautiful church. Inside were massive old paintings and marble decorations. I sat with Thomas, Marion's boyfriend, he doesn't speak any English, but we were both in a similar situation, hardly anyone knew who we were. Because it was a church wedding, it was quite long, and of course being in Switzerland all in German, but not the German I have learned-Swiss German, and a different dialect than I have heard. Of course I was absolutely lost, and completely exhausted after listening to the priest. I attempted to follow the ceremony, but I had no idea what was happening. When they recite-ted vows, I didn't have any clue how they got to that section so fast. Even though I didn't understand a word, it was a beautiful wedding. I really enjoyed the fact we had real bread, not the wafers I am used to at church, but real bread. It was absolutely delicious.
    After the ceremony we headed back outside to the boat dock to await the boat which would take us on a hour long trip back to Brunnen, for the reception. There were lots of appetizers and of course more drinks. After congratulating the couple, its three kisses on the cheek in Switzerland to greet someone, we ate a little food and moved out of the sun to the back of the boat to  enjoy the shade and beauty of the mountains and water. I really enjoyed the appetizer hour on the boat, it was very relaxing and extremely beautiful. After the wonderful boat ride around the lake, we had more drinks on the patio while the reception room was being prepared. My feet were killing me, and because Manuela and I have the same size shoes she let me wear her brown heels, which were way more comfortable than my flats, for the rest of the night.
  We then headed into dinner, I was seated with people who spoke English - finally!!- we had a first course of salad, which was really strange and served with smoked Salmon. I spent a lot of the night talking to Markus, who speaks perfect English and was telling me of his world travels, he has been to 54 countries! In between all the courses, were presentations from a variety of people, school friends of Thomas who wore these really strange Orange hats and got really drunk, parents etc. After salad, was a Lemon Soup, which was absolutely delicious. Then beef, with potatoes, and veggies. For dessert, we had a huge buffet, with every thing you could imagine; fruit, cake, tarts, tiramisu, chocolate mousse, creme brulee, panna cotta, the list goes on. The dinner was extremely long, we didn't have dessert until half past 11!
   There was dancing, bride and groom shared a lovely first dance, and then more people joined in. It was a really beautiful wedding, and compared to weddings I have attended at home, it was very similar. The only difference was that everything was in German. People were very nice to me, and for the basic questions I was able to answer in German, but once you get to 'Why are you in Switzerland' I cannot explain it well German.
    The wedding began to die down around 1 am, but it was 'too loud' in the reception room, so everyone that was left went to the bar for more drinks. I left with Marion and Thomas- her boyfriend- at 3:30 am, and was completely exhausted when I was finally able to sleep. I slept in today, and later we are going to bike ride to school so that I can find my way tomorrow, for my first day of school!!

First Rotary Meeting!

Today, as I do not have to go to school - its presentation week, and I was not put into a group, so I do not start until next week. At around 11:45 my counselor, Micheal, picked me up and took me to the 'Holfi Hotel' in the center of Altdorf for the meeting. When we arrived, I was introduced and greeted by every member who was there. To me, this was a new custom, at home when I go to Rotary meetings there are more than a hundred people there, and I only talk to maybe 10 or so in one lunch. There were about 45 people there today, and I met every one of them. Apparently this was a large group, usually only 30 or so come to the meetings and there are 72 in total for the Rotary Club of Uri. After introductions, we sat down for the three course lunch, offered with red wine. First we ate the salad course, with Gorgonzola croztini and pear salad. Then a main course of duck, in a pepper sauce, with rice and green beans. For dessert was a beautiful plate of home-made apricot mousse, in a huckleberry sauce, and fresh fruit. That lunch was fantastic and all the Rotarians were so warm and welcoming. Post lunch, I was formally introduced to the Rotary club, by Micheal- my counselor, and then we had a speaker. What he talked about, I could not tell you because his presentation was in Swiss German (I think...) and I had no idea what so ever what he was saying, but I listened intently, and I think I did a very good job at faking it.

2 Weeks!

Its official, I have been living in the wonderfully amazing country of Switzerland for a  whole two weeks! It does not feel like it has been two weeks, it feels as no time at all has past. In some ways if feels as though i have been here for a lifetime, but when I look at the calender and realize that today is September first, everything changes. I realize that in such a short period of time, I have learned so much:
1. First and probably most importantly I have finally figured how to get home from the Luzern-Altdorf tell bus, with out getting lost, while carrying a map.
2. I have discovered how to get to Luzern by train, without getting lost.
3. How to figure out witch coins are witch without really looking.
4. The amount of German I have learned still continues to amaze me. I can hold a conversation, with about a 2nd grade level, and understand quite a lot if people speak slowly.
5. That you really should never say no to an adventure, because you never know what you'll miss out if you say no.

Today, I was able to go on a lovely hike with my host mom and her sisters dog. When we left, I had no idea where we were hiking, how long we would be gone, or really anything we were going to do. We drove just outside of Altdorf, to the Eggberge (it is a small gondola) where we parked and went inside to buy tickets. Once the gondola itself arrived to the building, from the top of the mountain, we boarded with the dog and rode up the mountain. It was one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen, as the gondola climbed higher and higher into the sky the town below became smaller and smaller. You can see everything from the top, and I was completely awestruck by the beauty of these mountains.

The spectacular view from the top, after the 5 min. Gondola ride
We then set off hiking to a little restaurant and over to another Gondola
Which would take us down the mountain. 

Oh the places you could go, but I don't remember which direction we went...

Notice the church in the background, I was surprised at how many people live this far up on the mountain. There are no paved roads, and you need a special car to get up and down the hill. While walking along, we saw a lot of other hikers, some mountain bikers, and a lot of local people. I cannot imagine living so high up, on a mountain with very seldom going into town

Happy cows are not from California, 

happy cows come from the mountains in Switzerland. 

Oh and did I mention the quantity of cows who live here, in Summer they wear these huge bells which make such a wonderful sound. They are all very friendly and love it if you will pet them on the head. These cows are completely pampered, they get to roam free and eat all the grass they could ever want. They are all dairy cows, I think, and are very well fed. 

Some of the bikers we saw, they had a really hard ride

 the hike had very few down-hill stretches. 

.

The hike itself was very tiring, not only was it extremely hot, but we were hiking up hills and through the forest. We didn't see any wildlife, unless you count cows... but a lot of people and very beautiful scenery. After about 2 hours of hiking, we arrived at the little restaurant on the mountain, for something to drink and apple cake. There was a lake just below, but it looked really dirty, some of the mountain bikers were brave enough to jump in. After a snack, we set off for about another hour of hiking, finally some down-hill, until we reached a gondola and set off for home.

On getting Lost

I have no sense of direction what so ever, and have gotten very good at getting myself lost. Everyday that I have walked home, from the bus-stop in Altdorf, I have ended up at the very edge of the town, at the train station. The first day of walking home alone, I ended up walking for nearly an hour until I decided to go back to the center of town, and start again. I did eventually find my way back, but my host mom thought I took the 5 oclock bus from Luzern, even though I took the 4 oclock. Even with a map, I got lost both Thursday and Friday walking back, how I was able to get lost with a map, I still have no idea. For me, getting lost in my village is quite an adventure, as long as I have some water, I am perfectly alright with getting lost. I get to see a lot of my village, and get some good exercise as well. you would think I would know my way by now, but I know I will probably walk to far on Monday at end up at the train station for the 3rd time. At least I can read a map, so that I can always get home if I get myself completely lost.

Above is a photo of Altdorf, my town, seen from the air. It is the cover to my map.

In the center of the picture, is the main square with the yellow tower, that is where I catch the bus.

                            One of my favorite ads here, Only in Switzerland do cows climb mountains...




Everyday is a new adventure, and everything becomes a new story. This country is truly a magical place.

A Typical Day...

As there is way too much to write about the four days I have been here- so much has happened and it would take me hours to write everything that I have seen, the people that I have met, and the country I now call home. So, I decided to explain a typical day here in Switzerland for me. Last week, and this week I will trek to Emmenbruke for a German Language Course. This requires me to wake up at 7, after sleeping through my alarm, eat a delicious breakfast of espresso, bread with butter and apricot jam, orange juice and sometimes some fruit. Then I walk to the 'Tell Bus" stop, about 15 min walk to the center of Altdorf, where the bus arrives at 8 am, stoping twice on the the 35 min. journey to the Luzern central station. If the bus is on time, I hop on a train to Sursee, and get off in Emmenbruke then walk a few minutes to the building where language camp is. If the bus is late, then i have to wait for the 9.02 train, which would make me only  a few minutes late. The problem on Thursday was that for one, I don't speak much German, and some of the trains here split, one half goes one way, the other goes the other way. That is exactally what happend on Thursday, Me and Sarah (from Canada) were on the right train, but it split and went the opposite direction of Emmenbruke, when we realized what had happened we got off the train in Meggen, and waited for the next train to Luzern central station. When we finally arrived at lnguage class, we were over an hour late... oops!

There are 11 other Rotary Students, 4 from Canada, 2 (including me) from the US, and 6 from South America (2 from Mexico, 2 from Ecuador, 1 from Venezuela, and 1 from Argentina). The course is taught at a 2nd grade level, and our teacher will translate in both English and Spanish, by the end I have a terrible headache and my head is always spinning. German itself is a language to learn, the conjugation is fairly easy for me- because it is a pattern. I am terrible at pronouncing words, because I either pronounce them with a French accent or an Italian accent, and sometimes the only words I can think of are in Spanish. It makes German quite difficult, but I learn more every day and soon will be able to hold a conversation without my handy German-English dictionary. 

-Emmenbruke-
       ---Train station--

 - There are Swans all around the lake and River, all are very well fed and extremely white.

 Post language course, we take the train back to Luzern station, where I have to wait for an hour for the bus to Altdorf, I usually get ice-cream and walk aimlessly around the city. Luzern itself is probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, from the old buildings, the amazingly clear and green water, and the wooden bridges- I love this city. I wander around, staying close to the river so I could find my way back to the train station, seeing what I see, and trying to blend in. I have actually become quite good at it, the only thing that will give me away is when I pull out my camera and start taking pictures- then I really feel like a tourist.

Above: One of the bridges in Luzern, lined with the Swiss Flag and the Luzern flag.
On the Left: One of the many boats, which I can ride   for free with my pass, one of these days I will get on one...

It has begun!

        Today was the big day! The day that I boarded the plane to Philadelphia, to start off the long journey where I will arrive in Altdorf, Switzerland after a full 36 hours of traveling! It began this morning at 6:00 am. I didn't sleep at all last night, I was extremely excited for the incredible adventure I have in front of me. My parents then drove me to the airport, where we had to triple check that my two large suitcases were under the 50 pound weight limit, both passed with about 1 pound to spare. My parents and brother were able to pass through security with me, and take me to the gate. When it was time for me to board, we had to say our goodbyes, I was able to talk dad out of singing 'So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen', Goodbye', but non the less it was emotional to say good-bye to my family who I wont see for a year. I will miss them so much, but I can no longer see myself staying at home for my Junior year. la
        After a 5 hour flight from Philadelphia, we were about 30 min. late because we had to circle the airport for 20 min while we waited out the thunderstorms. The pilot actually told us that we only had 20 min of fuel left and might have to re-route to Pittsburg, if the storm was too nasty to land. Thankfully, we landed in Philly, but it took me about 40 min. to get off the plane and find my next gate. The Philadelphia airport is really big, and by the time I found the gate, I couldn't walk much further with my heavy bags.  I had about 3 hours to kill in the airport, and thankfully they have internet! I watched a movie, had a snack, and talked to a few people back home.
       Hopefully my next post will be in Switzerland! And I will post pictures as soon as I figure out how to up-load pictures onto my Netbook.

Waiting...

Oh, the lovely process of waiting for visas. What a lovely experience. In fact, the package that will contain the document that I will be needing to enter the wonderful country of Switzerland is still in preparation with the Swiss Consulate. It would have taken quite a while for the visa to be approved, but thanks to the wonderful Rotarians  here and in Switzerland, the visa process has been sped up! I will hopefully get the visa itself, after being over-night shipped from Switzerland to my house, and have a departure time in 24 hours! It does seem that we will have very little time to prepare, but when you have been waiting to leave for a year, 24 hours seems like a lifetime! It is now time to weigh and pack my suitcases, so that they are not overwieght resulting in me paying a rediculous sum of money to the airline. I hope the visa is on it's way and I will arrive in Switzerland in time for language camp, starting the 16th of August. I could not be more exicted!!

Farewell Speech to Rotary

Hello Everyone, I’m Kelsey and I have been given the most incredible opportunity to spend a year in Altdorf, Switzerland with Rotary Youth Exchange, sponsored by this fantastic club. For those who don’t know me; I’m 16 and I attend Wilson High School. I love baking, exploring, and skiing, which I have been doing for 12 years.

But, above everything else I love to travel. Since first grade I have always wanted to live overseas. I want to immerse myself in the culture, traditions, food, and language of the world. I would love to live I a place that allows me to do just that, and through Rotary that dream became a reality.

I applied in September of last year to be an exchange student. I remember how nervous I was waiting in the lobby before my interview, and how sweaty my hands were while I was explaining why I should be an exchange student. But what I remember most of all, is when I got the call where I was informed that I would be an exchange student, I don’t think I have ever been happier, or smiled more than I did that day, except for maybe the night I was informed of the country I would be spending my Junior year of high school in, Switzerland!

Originally, Switzerland was never on my list of countries to choose for a Rotary Exchange, I had my heart set on Denmark, but after the February Eastern Oregon trip, my heart shifted. I was one of a few to receive their first choice of countries, mine being changed to Switzerland. I was to be the only exchange student from District 5100 to be going to Switzerland, and I couldn’t be more estatic. Switzerland is a country located in the heart of Europe, surrounded by Germany, Austria, Italy, France, and Liechtenstein. There are four official languages; being  German, French, Italian, and Romansch. I will be living in the German section in the Swiss Canton of Uri, right in the heart of the country in a city named Altdorf. What drew me to Switzerland was the wonderful location, iIt is located in the middle of Europe with all kinds of cultural influences. The country is known for its infamous mountain range,  the Alps, and  I being a skier it was a perfect fit. And if you didn’t know, Switzerland has world famous chocolate, and I am a chocoholic so there was no better place to go. Behind the skiing and chocolate, Switzerland is a melting pot of culture and people from every corner of the planet. From the four languages spoken in such a small area, to being land-locked by some of the most influential countries in Europe, I fell in love. 

I cannot wait to get to the Airport, and get on a plane to go on an adventure of a lifetime. Most of the time when I think about my Exchange, I think about all the wonderful things I will get to experience; the food- oh the food, the chocolate- probably more than I should, the mountains, snow at Christmas, meeting my new host families, the Swiss wedding for one of my new host sisters, the gondola’s, my new school, meeting other exchange students from all over the world, learning a new language- and if possible maybe two. I am so excited to just fully immerse myself in someplace new, a place where I don’t speak the language, know anyone or know the culture. Most of my classmates at school have never thought of leaving the United States for a year, and experience what I will get to do on my year in Switzerland. They think I m crazy.
I cannot in words express how thankful I am to have been given this opportunity, and without Rotary this would not be possible. I have never felt so prepared for something in my life, and that is because of the fantastic training we exchange students are given prior to departure. We have been taught on how to handle everything that our year will through at us; homesickness, budgeting, culture shock, and communication. I know for a fact that I could never have done this if I had not been through the 3 weekends that were required by our district. It’s so comforting to have so many people supporting me in this huge adventure; my parents, my country officer, and of course all of you for being a part of Rotary International. This organization is changing the world, and for me to be a part of it ir the most amazing gift anyone could have given me. Rotary has changed my world, and I haven’t even left yet! I feel so much more confident in myself and I have this yearn to travel every corner of the earth that I didn’t even know was possible. I had no idea that going through this could have changed me as much as it has. I don’t know how to thank you enough; you have changed my life forever. Thank you so much for giving me this amazing experience and I cannot wait for it to begin. All I have left to say is that from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you all.