taking it in

Grüezi, everyone!

I have been in Switzerland for three days now, and it's absolutely gorgeous. My host family and I took the train home from Zürich on Sunday, and Valeria (my host sister) was laughing because I was staring open-mouthed out the window for most of the ride. If you google pictures of Switzerland, that's pretty much what it looks like...everywhere. There are mountains and lakes and classic European houses and green everywhere. When we got home, this was on my bedroom door:

I love it!

My host parents are named Donat and Anita, and their daughters are Valeria (20), Ursina (18), and Seraina (almost 16) - Ursina left yesterday morning for her exchange in Colombia. They live in Oberarth, which is part of a municipality (Arth, Oberarth, Goldau)- if you look on a map, you'll likely just see Arth, on the southern tip of lake Zug. We are right at the base of the Rigi, and just minutes away from the lake. Seraina has already taken me biking around all three villages, and we've gone swimming in the lake twice. Goldau's train station is one of the best - it is right in the middle of everything, and easy to get pretty much anywhere. In a few days I'll have my train pass, and Seraina and I will be taking some day trips all over Switzerland!

Sunset behind the Rigi

Arth

I knew before coming here that German would be primarily used in school, and that Swiss German (Schwyzerdütsch) is what people here speak to each other - these are very different languages. Donat said that even for them, German is a foreign language. For example, today is Ziischtig, not Dienstag, and a horse is a Ross, not a Pferd. Thank you is merci (not French - emphasis on the mer rather than the ci). My family speaks some English though, and they have been very helpful. Valeria is the self-described "walking dictionary" - she spent a year in Nevada on exchange and speaks English very well. 

Last night was music night - Seraina and I played the piano and Valeria played the piano and violin for hours. They're like me - they don't get tired of it quickly. Seraina was so excited that I have the music from Swan Lake, because she has been trying to find it for quite some time and hasn't been able to. She is already working on it. :)

Today Anita, Seraina, and I went to Einsiedeln, and toured a gorgeous baroque Abbey. I found out too late from one of the church officials that photography wasn't allowed inside the Abbey...oops. I don't even have an excuse - the sign had a camera crossed out in red (a sign I didn't see, mind you,) so I couldn't pull the I'm-not-from-here card. Ah well...the inside had arched ceilings with elaborate paintings and carvings, and a chapel dedicated to the "black Madonna. Here it is from the outside:

Stable for the horses

I am so excited to see more of this beautiful country!

Tschüss,

Hannah