It's a Swiss Thing

• Papier Decoupé
  This is a very swiss style of art which uses hand-cut, black paper, traditionally depicting the cows going up into the mountains (montée à l'alpagne) in the summer because there is more grass, and coming back down in the fall (désalpe). This process is a large part of the Swiss culture. When the cows return, there is a large festival and they are decorated with flowers.

• Toblerone Chocolate
  This is a very delicious chocolate that is made with honey and almonds. The triangle shape is meant to represent the shape of a famous mountain in Switzerland called the Matterhorn. Each chocolate triangle has a letter on it to spell out Toblerone. The package that my host family has incorporates all the crests for the Swiss cantons.

• Cantons
  The Swiss cantons are a lot like states. They each represent themselves in government and have slightly different cultures. One canton might recognize a holiday that another does not. I am living in the canton of Fribourg, which is light yellow on the map and has the plain, black and white crest.
• Déchetterie
  The waste disposal system in Switzerland is very strict. You have to pay for every kilogram of trash that you dispose of, and for that reason the Swiss recycle everything. The déchetterie is the building where everyone takes their waste and puts what they recycle (plastic, aluminum, batteries, electronics, grass cuttings, charcoal, etc) in the proper container.

• Rivella
  This is a Swiss drink that is a little like ginger ale. It is good, but I am not overly fond of it...

 

• SwissPass
  This pass is a way to pre-pay for any mode of transportation in Switzerland. After a lot of system shenanigans, I finally have one! It is very nice, especially if you are going to be here for a long time or will use the train every day. Trains and buses go everywhere all the time, and are very well maintained, so most people use them constantly. The initial cost is a lot, but in the end you pay a lot less for all your transportation needs and don't have to constantly re-new an alternate ticket system.
• Raclette Grill
  My host family used this grill for lunch today! It is used to melt and eat a very delicious kind of cheese called Raclette, derived from the verb used to describe its traditional method of preparation. The cheese is hard and  made in a giant, round, disk, but in modern times it is sold cut in squares to melt in a grill like this one. We melted the cheese and poured it out of its pan onto mashed potatoes. You never drink cold water after eating this cheese because it will harden in you stomach and make you sick!

Sight-Seeing

My host family has been doing a lot of sight-seeing since we arrived here because school will start after next week.
I really love the buildings in Switzerland! Everything is very old, beautiful, and well taken care of. The water everywhere is turquoise and the trees are tall and slender with lichen growing on them as if they are rocks.
Here is the city Lucerne, which is my favorite so far! There are a lot of tourists here, but I can see why they like it so much!

This is the lion of Lucerne, crafted as a memorial for the Swiss mercenaries who died fighting in the French revolution.
Lucerne also has a beautiful, old bridge with paintings displaying its history and a glacier garden with the strangest rock formations.
My favorite attraction however was the hall of mirrors which was disorienting even for me, while maintaining the splendor of an exotic palace.

Here is the capital of Bern.
I really liked Bern as well! All the buildings are made in the same style with the same stone, and everything is very professional. There are ancient fountains everywhere with bizarre carvings of people carrying geese and the like. Behind the capital building there is a beautiful view of the city, and above the balcony are crests for all the different cantons of Switzerland. Out in front my little host sister played in the fountain and there was a giant chess game going on the in the street, accompanied by a crowd of contemplative passers-by.

To the right is the Château de Chillon which I visited with my host mother the other day. It has an ancient and rich history, being right next to Lac Leman and guarding the historical mountain pass. The two of us spent the day reading everything in the castle and climbing through it's many mysterious rooms.

This is a boat similar to the one we took when traveling on Lake Lucerne to visit Rigi. I took this picture while on the water.
Lake Lucerne is formed like an "X" right in the center of Switzerland. X marks the spot!
On the boat next to us there was a group of ladies having a jolly time while drinking wine and eating cheese and bread. It was very Swiss! The boat ride was wonderful, and a very good way to see the beautiful houses and cliffs on the shore.

Here is a picture of a scientific instrument on the very top of Rigi! We climbed up to the top, but the best views are all down close to the edge where you can see the expanse of Switzerland bellow. I loved the beautiful, green, mountains and valleys! We hiked down the mountain a ways and it was really enjoyable. There are fountains that you can drink from if you like, and signs that say how long each hike will take. Like down below, there are domesticated animals everywhere with bells that make lovely music as they graze. There a lines on the hills like terrace steps where the cows walk and trample the ground.

This is the mountain train that we took to get to Rigi. It uses the oldest method in which the train climbs a cable the way that gears turn.
I really like the trains here! They are all very clean and run everywhere you want to go at exactly the right time. You don't have to show your train pass, and every train has a bathrooms, trashcans, writing tables, and Wi-Fi. Some even have a special section for families with children, complete with play structures and games.

I am here!

I am in Switzerland!
I flew in early on the morning of the 15th with the other YFU exchange student bound for Geneva, and my host family met me outside of baggage claim with a painted sign and lots of kisses!
I will not post pictures of my host family or talk about them yet, because I am not sure about how much privacy they would like from my blog. However, if I find out that is is OK with them, I will be sure and post something for everyone to see soon!
While on the plane I had gotten to talk with several very nice people from Switzerland that sat near me. I had heard that the Swiss can be cold, but after saying hello or smiling, everyone I have met is very nice and I have had many an interesting conversation. I am also finding more and more that I can even keep up a good conversation in French!
From the plane I got to see Lake Geneva! Here they do not call it that however, because it makes it seem like the lake only belongs to once city. It is in fact, as the man on the plane next to me and my host mother called it, Lac Leman.

Here is a picture of my room! I share it with my eldest host sister when she is not away for college. My host family decorated the entire room for me and left chocolate on my bed! Out the window I have a beautiful view of the countryside.
All around Switzerland they use bells to keep track of their animals which roam over the green hills around my house. There are different sized bells for all the animals, so if you listen you can here a chorus of chimes rising from every direction!
My little sister showed me how to use the radio in my room today. I was excited to listen to French music here, but was surprised to find that a lot of the music they listen to is American!

Going Away Party

Last Sunday (August 2nd) I celebrated my approaching adventure with some family and friends.

My mother, father, and I decorated the house with brightly-colored banners, lanterns, and flowers to set the mood. Dad also baked a delicious strawberry cake that has been a tradition for my birthday since I was a baby! They even put candles on my cake and sang "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow" instead of "Happy Birthday" in a last minute parody that made everyone laugh. People came back for seconds, and soon the whole cake was gone!

My honorary Uncle Ed brought me a plethora of classic American food like spam, wonder bread, and vienna sausages just in case the Swiss did not have such fine cuisine. Needless to say, we had a laugh and threw it all away the next day after trying and failing to feed the spam to our poor cat.

My Uncle Riki is a photographer and took lots of pictures, including the beautiful ones that are here in this blog post. He also brought me pictures he had taken of my family in portable frames to take with me on my trip. His only request? I visit the Swatch factory for him!

Everyone brought lots of sweet cards and presents, and I even got some Swiss Francs to use on my trip!
The best part, however, was getting to spend time with my family before I leave. We talked all afternoon. I think that I will really miss them most this Christmas when I think of how we spend holidays and birthdays together.

For all my family reading,
I love you all and I can't wait to see you next spring when Mum gets back out those tablecloths for a welcome home party!

 --Sam and Spam :)