First day of Language school
Today I awoke at 5, like I seem to be doing every morning as the jet lag has not quite worn off yet. I then had breakfast and got ready for the 7oclock train. At 6:45 my host mum and I went off to the local train. We arrived at the station and it was still dark and totally freezing. We went to wait for the train and I saw this glass box on the side of the track. I looked at it and had no idea what it was for. When we went closer I realized that it was like a bus shelter... but to keep you warm when you waited for a train. How awesome is that. At 7 we hopped on our train. Now I know it was 7 because my host mother told me that Swiss trains are never late! The thing that I found odd about the trains was that you just hopped on the train and no one checked your ticket. I asked my host mum why this was the case and she said that they hardly ever check tickets on small trains..however when they do they lock the train so people can't run away and if you have no ticket you are finned and it is such an embarrassment that people always have tickets.
We then rode that train to Oltern (I think that is how you spell it) then changed trains and went to Basel where my language School is. Changing trains is easier said that done at peak hour in the morning, this is because there are so many people bustling around you could get lifted up by the crowed and take away. Once we finally got on this train I sat back and looked out the window. I could not see much apart from heaps and heaps of graffiti. Now this may sound horrid, however I thought that it looked amazing, so colourful and the artwork (if you can call it art) was just fabulous, the pictures and words look awesome.
We then arrived at the Train Station in Basel and had to go and hop on a tram to get to my language school. Finally after 2 trains and a tram I arrived at School and went and met all of my new Australian friends and the two boys from Argentina. We then went to the "Vila" where our class room was. Our teacher was really nice and she could only speak a limited amount of English and for the Argentinian boys sake had to speak the whole time in German. I actually liked this as it meant that we really had to listen and help each other understand what was going on. We learnt the Alphabet and all of the stationary. We also had a test on the German book that they had given us to learn before we came to Switzerland. I think I did fine and she said that we would not be sent home if we fail this test....it is the one at the end of the 3 weeks that is important. So that was in a way a relief.
After Language school my host mother and I went around Basel. This town is just so nice! It is really Old and set out a bit like the city center in Hobart (or any big town really) except with a hundreds of years old buildings. First we had lunch in a Swiss restaurant. I had Rosti (grated potato and meat). It was so good and my host Mum said she would teach me how to make it. We came to this conclusion by speaking all German. This is because I want to have no more English from today on. However when there where important things she need to tell me, such as what I have to do when catching a train etc she reverted back to English. This was really helpful and hopefully soon I will understand enough German so that she dose not have to utter a word of English for a week.. or even a month.
After lunch we went shopping as there were the January sales on. I bought a coat for $20... How good is that! I also bought a warm zip up black jumper to wear in winter under a coat and in Au tum and spring on it's own. We then just walked around the town and I looked at the Rhine river! How cool is that! We just pottered around Basel and went to see a building that was built in the 14'00's, a house that was the home to one of the first women to marry a priest, the Ratthaus (Town hall) and a old Church.
We then went back on the trains and trams and came home. When we got home there were 3 bags of clothes from a lady, at my host Mum's Gym ,that used to belong to her daughter and she thought that I might need them in the cold. Out of the bag I now have about 3 pairs of pants (including new jeans)... and they fit really well, a thin knit pull over jumper, and a coat that looks like a sleeping bag (everyone in Switzerland has one these coats...they look like a sleeping bag does when you put it over your head and unzip the bottom..... and boy are they warm). So I had a wonderful day today, and I hope that it is just as good tomorrow
We then rode that train to Oltern (I think that is how you spell it) then changed trains and went to Basel where my language School is. Changing trains is easier said that done at peak hour in the morning, this is because there are so many people bustling around you could get lifted up by the crowed and take away. Once we finally got on this train I sat back and looked out the window. I could not see much apart from heaps and heaps of graffiti. Now this may sound horrid, however I thought that it looked amazing, so colourful and the artwork (if you can call it art) was just fabulous, the pictures and words look awesome.
We then arrived at the Train Station in Basel and had to go and hop on a tram to get to my language school. Finally after 2 trains and a tram I arrived at School and went and met all of my new Australian friends and the two boys from Argentina. We then went to the "Vila" where our class room was. Our teacher was really nice and she could only speak a limited amount of English and for the Argentinian boys sake had to speak the whole time in German. I actually liked this as it meant that we really had to listen and help each other understand what was going on. We learnt the Alphabet and all of the stationary. We also had a test on the German book that they had given us to learn before we came to Switzerland. I think I did fine and she said that we would not be sent home if we fail this test....it is the one at the end of the 3 weeks that is important. So that was in a way a relief.
After Language school my host mother and I went around Basel. This town is just so nice! It is really Old and set out a bit like the city center in Hobart (or any big town really) except with a hundreds of years old buildings. First we had lunch in a Swiss restaurant. I had Rosti (grated potato and meat). It was so good and my host Mum said she would teach me how to make it. We came to this conclusion by speaking all German. This is because I want to have no more English from today on. However when there where important things she need to tell me, such as what I have to do when catching a train etc she reverted back to English. This was really helpful and hopefully soon I will understand enough German so that she dose not have to utter a word of English for a week.. or even a month.
After lunch we went shopping as there were the January sales on. I bought a coat for $20... How good is that! I also bought a warm zip up black jumper to wear in winter under a coat and in Au tum and spring on it's own. We then just walked around the town and I looked at the Rhine river! How cool is that! We just pottered around Basel and went to see a building that was built in the 14'00's, a house that was the home to one of the first women to marry a priest, the Ratthaus (Town hall) and a old Church.
We then went back on the trains and trams and came home. When we got home there were 3 bags of clothes from a lady, at my host Mum's Gym ,that used to belong to her daughter and she thought that I might need them in the cold. Out of the bag I now have about 3 pairs of pants (including new jeans)... and they fit really well, a thin knit pull over jumper, and a coat that looks like a sleeping bag (everyone in Switzerland has one these coats...they look like a sleeping bag does when you put it over your head and unzip the bottom..... and boy are they warm). So I had a wonderful day today, and I hope that it is just as good tomorrow
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