First Week in Switzerland!

I have survived 6 days in Europe! After a taxing and nervous plan ride I arrived in St. Gallen, Switzerland along with Kate, my partner in crime! We spent all of the day on Wednesday, August 8 either sitting on a plane or sitting in an airport. Needless to say we were thrilled to be greeted by the towering green hills and omniscient cowbells of Europe's landlocked island.

We spent the weekend with Vanessa and Larissa, the two Swiss students who will be taking our place in the junior design class at Carnegie Mellon. The girls and their families are lovely, especially my host family with whom I will be living until December. Within one day, I had a sampling of Swiss cheese, chocolate, bread, and sparkling water and all were delicious (although I don't think I will ever get used to fizzy water. Call me a heathen, but I prefer my water out of the tap).

Here is my view from my bedroom window! I feel just like a Von Trapp or an Amish person because I routinely hear the dulcet tones of roosters and cowbells throughout the day.

One night, I attended a charming dinner party at the home of one of my host mother's peers from her English class. According to some of the guests who had been to America before, their favorite store to shop in is Marshall's! Who knew?! Move over Macy's and Barney's,  Marshall's has the market cornered the Swiss traveler market.

Kate and I began school yesterday. the classes will be taught in Swiss German and at the end of the lesson, the professor will talk to us in english. I've developed a tendency in which I nod my head while the professor is speaking even though I have absolutely no clue what they are saying. Good one.

On our second day, our professor informed us that we were going to ride bikes to visit a farm as research for our upcoming project, a poster for a local farm festival. Since I haven't so much as sneezed in the direction of a bike since a mortifying mountain biking unit in 10th grade gym class, I was more than slightly apprehensive to mount one and attempt to glide up and down the Swiss alps en route to a farm. I managed to somehow move myself along the flat trails but was forced to walk up and down the hills, which were quite alive with the sound of the one German swear word I know.

Once I joined the rest of the class at the farm, and after sustaining a couple of falls onto hedges in an attempt not to run into toddlers, dogs, old people, and a Mercedes, we toured the farm and learned all about Swiss agriculture. The Tour de Terror which brought me to the farm was well worth it for the gorgeous views, piglets, and the giant pile of bread and baked goods.

Since the bread was on the floor of a barn, I assume it is for the animals, but a very large part of me wanted to jump in the middle and through carbohydrates into the air like a pile of autumn leaves. After touring the farm, we went back to the school where we learend more about the project. My classmates are all very nice but they probably think that I was raised in a cave since I don't speak any German and I can't operate a bicycle. In Switzerland, all teenagers are required to pass a biking test so the vast majority of the class was comfortable riding the hills and streets of St. Gallen. 

Keep watching for irregular posts about my travels.