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.
No comments:
Post a Comment