In der Schweiz

This last weekend I went to Switzerland with Urs and his family. We went to visit Urs’ godmother and her family in Bern. Right before we left Urs asked if I had brought my passport. Shut! That’s right, Switzerland isn’t in the European Union. I had completely forgotten. Urs just shrugged and said it would probably be alright. As it turned out, we weren’t even stopped at the boarder going in or out. Phew!

Switzerland is beautiful! Even though we didn’t do any sightseeing, just looking out the window was nice. Urs’ godmother and here family were so hospitable too. Shortly after we got there, we sat down to eat and his godmother said that she had presents for us. I thought she meant for Urs and Hans (Urs’ brother) but then she set a huge piece of Toblerone down in front of me, as well as a wrapped present. Urs and Hans got the same. The present was a mug with the Swiss cross on it. I love it!

It was also fun listening to the Swiss accent. There is a dialect in the Landau region and when I hear it, I just think that I am not understanding people speaking high German. The dialect still sounds German to me, but the Swiss dialect is completely different. It is something like a cross between German and Italian, at least the way it sounds. I don’t understand any of the words. The consonants are much harder and there is a dip in their voice when they speak certain words. At least when they speak in high German I can understand.

Here is a pic at Urs' godmother's apartment. From left to right: Urs, his godmother, Hans, Urs' dad, and another relative (I didn't really understand how she was related but she was also very nice).

I'm so tired. Last night I went with Mario (my new friend from my trampoline class) to his friends' apartment where we played guitar and sang. It was fun and I learned some new German songs. Tonight I'm going with Mario and the same friends to a disco party. I'm excited but all the staying up late is kinda getting to me. There are parties and get togethers usually one to two times a week and then on the weekends I usually go somewhere. I shouldn't complain... I'm having a blast but I think I just need a little down time... which I won't be getting anytime soon I think. Friday Urs and I are going to go visit Kira (exchange student to my town when Urs was there) who lives in Hamburg. I'm excited because I haven't seen Kira in over four years :-)