what should i name this?

Hey there, hi there!

Today is Wednesday, which means no school!! I was so happy to sleep in and to not have to deal with my brain exploding, so already I know it's gonna be a good day. I figured I would blog a little more about the differences I have found between America and Switzerland.
First of all, the drinking is still so weird to me! Last night one of Guillaume's friend's came over for dinner, and then afterwards they were like, hey Michelle, come have a beer with us! So we were just chilling in the kitchen drinking a beer... and the alcohol content in Swiss beer is a lot higher, it's usually 8 or 9%. But maybe that's not for all beer, i'm not really sure. After we drank at home, the guys grabbed another beer and we walked to the bus. and they were just walking around, sitting on the bus drinking. it's just so weird to me, because never in my life would I consider walking through the streets of Bay Village sipping on a Bud LIght... so yeah, that's basically it. I'm not complaining or anything, it's just different! oh, and also, last night I tried a beer with lemonade in it, soooo goood!!!
Some other things I've noticed is that they eat so proper. It kind of freaks me out. I've never really considered myself to be a messy eater, but compared to Europeans I think I am! they hold the knife in the right hand and fork in the left and cut everything up. Like everything. Including french fries. Today for lunch we had pasta, and they were all swirling it with their spoons, and I was just looking like an idiot trying to cut it up, so I just gave up :( But yeah, this is really testing my dining skills!
The thing that's really bugging me the most is the prices!! It's sooo annoying how expensive the world is here. Water at a restaurant is not free, instead it's usually 4.5 francs (which is basically the same price in dollars) Yesterday I went out with a few people and we went to a restaurant where I got a Diet Coke (which is called Coca Light and it comes in a class bottle) and it was also 4.5 francs. Not cool. Last night we went to a bar because every Tuesday night they have beer for 2 francs, so like all of Fribourg comes flocking to get cheap beer. That's where I tried the beer with lemonade!
After being here for a week I don't understand why the US gets all the blame for having anorexic teens, because here it's insaneee!! Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying everyone is starving themselves, but never in my life have I seen so many stick thin people. The age doesn't even matter, I've seen tiny people from age 10 to 80. Maybe it's just because of their lifestyle, they eat healthier, they walk more bla bla bla but either way, it's not exactly helping my self esteem!
I think I mentioned the driving a bit? I'm not really sure, but something new i've noticed is that cars always stop for people. Yesterday morning I was standing on the curb waiting to cross and an oncoming car came to a complete stop for me to cross. Pedestrians don't even bother looking at the traffic before stepping into the street, becasue the cars are just expected to stop. Now to me that seems stupid and dangerous, but it seems to be working for them!
One last thing that I can't seem to grasp is the fact that they where the same clothes the next day. I knew that was common, but it just seems weird to me. I'm not one to wash my jeans everyday, but I usually wait a week or 2 before I repeat an outfit. But nope, not here!
Oh and also, I have never seen so many nuns in my life. Nuns in a car, nuns in a bus, nuns in a train! It's crazyyy, i feel like i'm in the Sound of Music!

Bonjour tout le monde! My weekend went pretty well, i hung out with my host cousin Jeanne and she invited me to a party at her house on Saturday night, which was really fun. Her and a lot of her friends have been to the US with AFS, so they know what it feels like, which is really beneficial. Sunday was my host dad's birthday, so there were people here all day long. A lot of food and a lot of alcohol could be found that day. I left the party for a while to skype with my family and my friend Alex, which made me soooo happy! but unfortunately it made me homesick later that day :( There were just so many people at the house and they were all speaking french (obviously) and after a while I was just so tired of trying to understand it all. I went to my room exhausted at 9:00, but I didn't fall asleep until 1 in the morning. I tried watching Gilmore Girl's to fall asleep, but it just made me miss home and then I was on facebook, which also made me sad. so all in all it was a rough night. I had to wake up at 7 this morning to go to my language classes. So after a late night with little sleep I woke up exhausted and sad, when I remembered that my host family was only speaking french to me now! the morning was rough because i was just sooo tired, so I could barely comprehend what Sylvie was saying. She dropped me off at the school where there are 6 other kids attending the class. One of which is Grace, who is another AFS student nearby and we flew over from the US together. So i was glad to see her in the morning! the other kids don't fluently speak english, so the entire french class was taught in french! i was freaking out all morning and was just soo stressed. adn for those who know me, when i'm stressed I want to cry. so yeah, that was pretty rough. class is only from 10 until 3:30 and we have an hour and a half for lunch, so it's not horrible. but have you ever tried learning a language in a different language? because it suckkks! I couldn't understand the teacher in the slightest and she kept calling on me and it was just humiliating becasue the other students could speak like 5 languages and were really good at french.
so yeah, that's basically be just ranting about life, why should i be complaining when i'm in freaking switzerland!?!? but either way, this is just a lot harder than I imagined. The language is so hard, i'm always starving but i can't eat without getting sick... and it's just weird not to have my friends here :(
I miss you all so much, and hopefully next time I can post something a little more positive!!

I'm Here!!

I've arrived in Switzerland! Hip hip hooray!! I flew out on wednesday and got into New York City where we had a 2 day orientation and I met up with all the other kids going to Switzerland (12 all together). The day was filled with boring activities and bad food, but it wasn't completely horrible I guess. Just not really worth mentioning... On Thursday we left for the airport and took off at 5:30 for Zurich! The flight was long and uncomfortable, but fortunately I was able to sleep for a while. We got into Zurich at 7:30 in the morning, but for us it was actually 1:30 in the morning, so everyone was pretty exhausted. My host mom and dad met me at the airport and then we took the train back to their town. I'm already noticing a lot of differences here, mainly the fact that they are so environmentally conscious. People stop their cars at red lights, the buses run on electricity instead of gas, it costs money for garbage pickup, but recycling is free. and i'm sure the list will go on and on!
THe house i'm living in is amazingg!! it's 110 years old and soooo beautiful! I have my own room, which is really nice. (the picture is the view from my window) there are spiral staircases, which i'm a huge fan of. they have a lovely garden in the back where they usually eat and it overlooks mountains and fields. they also have a pool! tonight I'm apparently going to a birthday party, but i wasn't exactly paying attention when it was all explained to me, so i'm gonna ask for details later.
My host parents are fluent in english, but unfortunately they're only going to use English until sunday, and then it's up to me to learn french :/ that really freaks me out, because my french is basically non existent... but i guess immersion is the best way to learn it! I also start a language class on Monday, so that will be a big help. That's all i've got for now, talk to you later!

Now we're saying bye...

I never imagined how hard it would actually be to say goodbye to all of my friends. When I applied to AFS I pictured myself all stoic at the airport, only showing excitement as I left my loved ones behind. But now that the time for me to leave has actually arrived I am finding myself the complete opposite of stoic. In fact, I've kind of been an emotional shit show. I feel like I'm constantly saying goodbye to someone, which basically means I'm always in tears... Tonight I'm going to my friend's house for one last party, and then I leave tomorrow morning! The next few days are going to be incredibly hard, but I know in the end I'm gonna love this year!

packing...

I've come to the horrible conclusion that fitting my life inside one 44 pound suitcase is just not possible. I can't do it.. I have too many shoes and clothes and too many books I want to bring. The world would be so much easier if I could apparate.