Leaving my family and friends was probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my entire life. I didn't think it was going to be this emotional, but obviously, I was completely wrong. My mom went to the gate with me at Albany and for some reason I think it only made it harder to say good-bye. I wasn't a happy camper flying to Washington D.C, that's for sure.
When I landed in Washington, I got all sorts of stares. People were just looking at me all across the airport because they see some teenage boy wearing a decorated blazer. I got on the shuttle bus to get to my gate and as soon as I got off, I heard, "ROTARY EXCHANGE STUDENT!" I turn around, and little did I know, there was another Rotary exchange student. And to make it better, he was going to Switzerland on the same flight! i didn't think I was going to fly with anyone. We boarded together and then met ANOTHER Rotary exchange student. What a small world!
The flight wasn't horrible from Washington to Zurich. I ended up sitting next to the Rotary students and by and German and Swiss girl. I practiced my German and even conversed, for the first time, with a Swiss person. The accent is SO different. I can barley describe it. All I know is that I cannot wait to be able to sound like everyone else around me! 8 hours later, the plan touches down in Zurich. I was literally shaking I was so nervous to meet my host family. The other exchange students and I were all feeling the same. At least I wasn't alone. I walk through customs (speaking German...SCORE), got my luggage, and walked through the meet my family. At first, I didn't see them. For a second I thought they forgot about me! But then a Swiss woman told me there was a family towards the right side of the area the had M-A-R-K written on four different pieces of paper with a big yellow balloon. I found them! I introduced myself in horribly pronounced Swiss german but they seemed to really respect the fact I was trying. In a nut shell, I speak Hochdeutsch (the dialect of German spoken in Germany) and they respond back to me in Hochdeutsch. Sometimes it is hard for me to understand because the accent is like no other but I think I'm already use to it. They say they are stunned that my German is as good as it is for only taking 2 years of it in school. Having them say the really meant a lot to me. now I can have the confidence to survive a year away from home. But, when I am not spoken to, everything is in Züridüütsch. I can't understand a word of it. YAY...
We ate Zmorgä, (Frühstück), breakfast as soon as we got home and finished packing. I wasn't very hungry at the time so I didn't eat much. THE HOUSE IS BEAUTIFUL. The best feature is probably the sauna in the basement. How sick is that?
I met lots of people today, too. People that work for my host father's company, aunts, uncles, cousins, Rotary people, and more. I also played an hour game of ping-pong with my host brothers. I toured around the area and was absolutely stunned to see how beautiful it is. I'll post pictures. But for now, Liebe Grüsse aus Hüntwangen!
Mark
No comments:
Post a Comment