Weihnacten

So, people, I had a really good Christmas.

Joelle? You weren't incredibly homesick like people say you maybe would be? "You're not going home for Christmas??!!!! Arn't you homesick!?!" No. I was indeed not. I was too distracted by my wonderful host family and the comfort of feeling home away from home here.

On Christmas Eve, we helped each other out making the meal, my host dad and I made the appetizers. Afterwards, the family got dressed up a little bit nicer, and we went to the little church in my village Mellingen. Although, my host dad has been sick (keep him in your prayers and thoughts, he has a terrible cough attack now :( ) and.. he didn't come. He rested. So, we went and sang Christmas carols, listened to a message in Swiss German the pastor gave and little kids preformed a Christmas play with Jesus and Mary (the whole sha-bang), which I completely zoned out during the whole time of that and real the christmas music over and over again. We light candles and sang 'Silent Night' in German. I kept on playing with my candle designing scraps in it with my finger nail. I saw a familiar girl and some people from my school there, and neighbors. Said our hellos, and shook a lot of hands and kissed a lot of cheeks 3 times in a row. Then, it was time to go home. We walked home, with our candles giving light in the dark night and I sang some more Christmas songs. When we arrived home, the tree's candles were all lighted, and the table was set all fancy. :) We all put on pretty dresses and my host dad wore a tie.. I guess this is what the swiss do on christmas! So, I naturally borrowed my host sisters dress and then we all ate some appetizers and while eating dinner, we took long pauses and to open gifts, eat( my family opens 1 gift at a time and everybody watches). I really like it.

My family is so loving, I didn't really expect too much, maybe some little things.. but my host dad and mom went all out and bought me a real SWISS watch! Called: Swatch Watch. I really like this brand for watches. They design really funky, different, types of watches, as well as normal ones.. and they picked out the perfect one for me: colorful. So now, I am a real Schweizerin! Although, I still arrive late sometimes. Which is incredibly still not swiss.

I don't know what else to say, my Christmas was really really peaceful and swell. My host family started to tear up and cry thinking about me leaving this family when I gave them my home made Christmas card. I couldn't even cry about leaving. I am becoming too strong here, it feels like nothing effects me too much anymore like the way it used to. things changing, life going on. But, we will see how I am my last day here, and see if my eyes are still dry then.

My Christmas day was great as well, everyone in my family went over to my host Grandmas's house and we ate dinner there and talked, and talked, and opened a few more presents slowly. By the end of the night I was so exhausted, I couldnt even sleep! I think I finally fell asleep at 3 in the morning, and woke up a 8 to swim some laps at the mellingen pool.

Now, I had my lazy day, listening to a lot of Bon Iver. I love lazy days.

I want to thank anyone who reads this: Thank you for caring about what is going on here, and supporting me. Thank you for the facebook messages, the simple "hellos", the christmas gifts (BIG SHOUT OUT TO JESSICA VU & KIDS), thank you Grandma for the sweet x mas card and candy and beautiful scarf, thank you Jeremy for talking to me about everything and anything, when I feel gloomy or happy, weird or spazzy. Thank you Mom, Cheri, and Chelsie for the earrings that I will treasure and the gifts for the host family. And lastly, Thank you Switzerland for being so good to me.

so, this is christmas, and what have we done?

another year older.

look around.

everything is not just about you. there is a whole world out there. people have their stories too, so just sit down with a nice cup of tea and listen.

wash the dishes for your mom.

open the door for someone.

be happy, just because.

wear wool socks before you cannot anymore, summer will be here before you know it. and i do sure love wool socks.

Switzerland- you effect me.

Krank

I be sick today. I stayed home from school and slept for a long time.

Nevertheless, I would have to say this is the best hospitality I have ever been treated with while I am sick. My host family is a bundle of love.

I starting to feel sick yesterday, I woke up with a terrible sore throat and didn't think it was necessary to tell my host family because I would think it would be the type to go away.. until it didn't. After going on a walk with my host family, and being outside in the cold, i decided to tell them I had a sore throat and didn't feel too good. They gave me some natural medicine stuff, and I made myself some tea. After dinner, when Eduardo went home (he came over after the walk with the host family and stayed for dinner), my host mom made me a foot bath with natural intense and my host sisters gave me a foot message and head message after! I felt like I was in a spa, and it made me feel so loved and peaceful. During Christmas time, there are little things each family member does everyday until Christmas day comes, last night's was Stephanie's turn to read out loud a Christmas story that my other host sister made for school. After she read it, the family and I lounged around and listened to German Opera music and then I went to my room and talked to Jeremy, than slept. For 11 hours.

Today, I woke up and my host mom made me ginger tea and put this re freshener in my room that cleans the air and spells like peppermint. She also asked if I wanted to take a bath tonight because of me being sick. I just cant describe enough how I feel like home away from home here. I already feel so much better, and starting to become healthy again.

Time is flying so fast.

I cannot believe it is almost Christmas. My life here is utter peace. I have nothing to stress about. Besides college applications, but I am almost finished. There is no economy crisis here, there is no depressing news that repeats itself over and over again like back home. There is no school work I have to do, besides german homework and art class of course, and my host family situation couldn't be better. There is no scary gas prices that make me stress out, I take the train and bus to school everyday. On the weekends, I am trusted by my host family and I am free to go out and be back when I feel like to be back. I feel so trusted here, like I did back home.

I am happy to be here for Christmas. In Switzerland. It is a happy time. No huge mall where everyone is buying and buying, just simple Christmas decorations around the house and Events Calendar where you get to eat swiss chocolate and read an activity you can do during the day. Another simple swiss christmas thing is during December is the "Advent" or "waiting" period: four candles are put on a green spruce wreath, where a new candle is lit every Sunday until Christmas Eve. During dinner time, while we sit around, we light the candles and put it in the middle of the table while we eat. During the evenings, my family and I visit our neighbors around Mellingen because Advent Fenster, which is basically where someone in the neighborhood decorates their Window and let the light of the room shine through it, displaying something Christmas-y. While you are there, you socialize with other people in the neighborhood and drink tea or blue wine, and eat lebkuchen and Christmas cookies. Christmas cookies and ginger bread is very popular here, as well as making bread that is the shape of of a man. I made that with my host sister Vanessa and her two friends 2 Fridays ago, and my men turned out the best she said! My host mom said it was beginners luck :). Here are some pictures of me and my host family backing cookies and bread men, called Grittibänzen.

Stretching the dough.

I went to my grandmothers house with my two sisters and we made cookies also. The day was so beautiful, cold but the sun was shining.

An easy walk to Grandma's house, she lives right by us. Look at the blue sky.

looking at recipes. that is Stephanie, the youngest

and on the left is Grossmutti. Grandma!

Vielleicht ist heute grad der schönste Tag im Leben

Exchange students.

They are a lot in Switzerland.

In this little country of trains everywhere, and amazing transportation, it is easy to hang out with them. Plus, mostly all the exchange students have GA's, which the our separate rotary clubs sponser us with. They usually cost up to 2,000 franks. With a GA, you can travel all around Switzerland, boats, trains, busses.. for free. In my school, we have 7 or 8 exchange students. I find it hard to separate myself from them. Before I came here, I was strict with myself, because I didnt want to spend too much time with them (whenever you are with them, you speak english). But, it is really hard. I have 1 more exchange student from Mexico in my class. We usually try to speak German to eachother though. So to end this, it is very easy to hang out with them, the swiss can be distant and have a lot on their plates with their life and things going on. Ugggggghhhhhh random random post. yay.

I found a wonderful song that relates to me and my lifestyle of thinking (does that makes sense?) and its in German... weeeeeee

Es zählt nur Jetzt es zählt nur Hier es zählt nur was hier grad passiert,
ich lass mich gehen, mich inspirieren,
so als gäbe es keinen Morgen ich genieß es einfach hier,
es ist alles möglich ich kann nix verliern,
vielleicht ist heute grad der schönste Tag im Leben
und das will ich nicht verpassen,
vielleicht ist jetzt gerad der Augenblick und auch
wenn ich kein Zeichen krieg, brauch ich nicht mehr warten,

the only thing that counts is now and here, the only thing that counts is what's happening here right now
i let myself go, let inspire me,
as if there's no tomorrow, i just enjoy now and here,
everything is possible, i can't lose anything,
maybe exactly today is the best day of my life
and i dont wanna miss that
maybe exactly this is the moment and even
if i don't get a sign, i don't have to wait anymore,

It doesn't translate well. But. Its happy.

Last weekend, I went to Zermatt, yes, with all the 90 Rotary exchange students in Switzerland. It was magnificent. We got to explore the town of Zermatt, where they speak a really funky swiss german dialect that no one understands! hardly any swiss people can either. From little Mellingen to Zermatt, it was possibly 4 hour train ride. We got there, unloaded our stuff, found our roomates (alphabeltical order) and adjusted in our room. Afterwards, we set off to the town and played a coolio rotex game to intergrate with the local swiss Zermatt peeps. We had to go to a random restuarant, have them make us an spiegeleier, which is basically an egg sunny side up. We had to find a wedding photo, get 10 words in the Zermatt dialect, and find out the most expensive hotels in Zermatt, and the cheapest. It was quite an adventure. We did fortunately find a spiegeleier!! Here is a photo of my group and I holding it..(below text). In the same night, we went to a museum, ate cheese fondue (always), drank wine with rotary, danced at a club with all the exchange students,

me. maria. doug. ted. max. we got the egg. look!!

So... moving on to sad news. My dear best friend Magi, who comes from Seattle (she was once an exchange student here, 2 years back, and was an au pair), left for home on Thanksgiving day! I will truly miss that exquisite human bean. Any of you Oly people that read this , she will come visit you. If you are good enough to keep up with my blog, you deserve to meet Magi. I cannot go off how SUPER (swiss word, people say that all the time here) she is... I love you chap! Had to add some alice slang in there.

magi takes me exploring. we are best at this. wanderwegs adventures in switzerland, bike riding in seattle. cant wait to see you again. Oly people-- YOU must meet this girl.