From Monday the 5th to the 10th of October I went to a YFU camp called the Post Arrival Orientation. The major goals were to help us learn how to accommodate Swiss culture and to provide "an island of rest" from struggling to adapt and learn a new language. However, I think I was benefited most by the chance to talk to adventurous and open-minded people from all over the world, make friends, and complain about exchange student problems together!
On of our first nights at the camp, everyone was separated into groups of similar countries and presented a bit of their culture. The first picture is of the others from the United States and Canada with the flag that I covered with a characterization of our countrys' stereotypes. We said the pledge of allegiance to it, folded it as though at a funeral, and then broke out into a line dance called the Cotton-Eyed Joe which we proceeded to teach to everyone. Our presentation was surprisingly very popular!
The pictures of us outside are all from a hike that we did in Broc. It was the same one that I did with my class, plus a few new stops like the decaying castle walls above. It was breathtaking with all the beautiful autumn leaves! Our guides got lost a few times, but having to walk up and down a steep mountain staircase gave everyone something to complain and laugh about. We decided that we had to do something to work off all the delicious Swiss chocolate and cheese we had eaten!
On Thursday it was my turn to go with a small group to the Callier Chocolate factory! It was like Disney Land with all the animatronics that illustrated for us the long and often scandalous history of chocolate. We heard from the Aztec god, the Spanish conquerors, European monarchs, shocked Christians, promiscuous Frenchman, and eventually the Swiss who made chocolate their own. The first factory, brilliant business maneuvers, and advertising that made Callier successful gave the tour a special touch.
We were all also given the chance to see the current factory in action, hear about every step of the process from farmers to scientists, and watch an animated visualization of the delicate process of chocolate making. At the end of the tour we were taught how to identify the finest qualities of chocolate and given the chance to test our new skills with a table completely covered in free samples. Afterwards we were all sick and blissfully content with our over-consumption of pure deliciousness!
The photos above, in order of appearance, are of the room where we listened to farmers and saw their products, the factory, the chocolate tasting table, an old Cailler poster with the faces of Isabelle (from Sweden) and me, and me pining after chocolates hanging from the ceiling in the gift shop. I am sure we were quite a sight walking home through the village all in clothing from different countries, talking enthusiastically in different languages, and totting Cailler bags filled with chocolate!
This dark photo was my attempt to capture the magic of our night hike later that same day. It was like a film because we were carrying actual torches through the winding Swiss countryside towards a beautiful, old castle up on a hill that was illuminated in an eerie orange glow. We stopped midway at a cottage where we had cake and hot apple cider. The way back was accompanied by the energetic shouts and singing of the South American gang and the suspicions that we would be eaten by cannibals in the forest.
All in all I had a wonderful time at the YFU Post Arrival Orientation camp. It was not so much an island of rest as it was a wild mix of culture and fun experiences. When it was time for everyone to walk back to the station, we lined up and hugs and warm wishes were distributed between everyone for our adventures until the next orientation this winter when we will all be back together. The train station was an adventure in itself! No one knew what to do because the train to Fribourg/Romont was replaced by a bus for construction, and we ended up wandering like a flock of noisy geese around the station trying to figure out where to go. The bus was too small for so many exchange students, their luggage, and their energy. The South Americans singing in the back did not help our relations with the other passengers... Neither did the fact that there was a "desalp" parade of cows coming down from the mountains that were were stuck behind for an hour. Still, we had a marry time, and at my stop in Romont I had the amusement of watching everyone pile onto the train, waving goodbye, and seeing them shuffling around their luggage through the windows. I learned a lot not only about how to be a better exchange student, but that I am by no means alone in my adventures here!
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