It's a Learning Experience

Salut!
This last week has been filled with lots of new learning experiences, (I suppose I knew that was coming) some I learned the hard way, and some I figured out without too many giggles from the people around me. :)

 Ok, so here's a rundown of my week of learning (I'm sure this is just the beginning lol):

Sunday Aug. 15:
We went to visit one of Jacques's friends in the mountains. I think the Swiss are a little like the postal service, in that come rain or shine we hike. It was raining, but that did not deter us from hiking in the mountains to his friend's house. When we arrived I had another very Swiss experience, eating with the cows. The way these old mountain chalets are built, where the cows are shares a wall with the kitchen, and when they opened the top part of the door, out popped Bessie's head. I wish I had pictures, but because of the rain I didn't bring my camera.

When we got back home, I had real Swiss fondue, very tasty! I learned that there is a correct and incorrect way to swirl your fork in the cheese pot. :) After attempting what I thought was a polite dip, my host mom showed me the Swiss way to do it; take your little fork thing and run it around the inside of the pot, then lift and twirl over the pot, finish by dipping in pepper. I am happy to report that after several failed attempts, I am now an expert Swiss fonduer. :) Something I found interesting.... Did you know they dip pickles in the cheese too? Just bread and pickles? It's actually really good!

Monday:
Nothing too exciting; just hanging around the house....


Tuesday:
I went to the castle in Bulle! Jacques's brother is the Perfect (sp?) or Governor of the Gruyere region, and this castle is where the government offices are; so I got to go on a private tour of the castle and the old jail. Until a couple of months ago, part of the castle was used as a jail, they have since relocated the jail, but up in the towers the cells from long, long ago are still there. Here are some pictures:

The Castle of Bulle

Much tastier version made of super amazing Swiss chocolate

Jacques's brother Maurice with the flag of Gruyere

Lovely prison toilet. Might need some clorox, just a thought :)

The first of many good reasons not to get caught.....

Don't think the fire extinguisher was there in the 1500s

Let me out!!

Where bad little boys and girls go....

The writing on the wall...

View from the top

Sorry you can't really see my face, but it's there I promise ;)

Town square er oval of Bulle

After we visited the castle, Julien took us bowling. Learning experience #2, my bowling has apparently gotten worse than my French. And here I thought nothing was worse than that... But I had lots of fun hitting one pin at a time (that takes more talent than hitting them all right? ;) ), and I even got one strike; unfortunately it wasn't enough to make up for the straight zeros I had been making. Julien couldn't understand why I was so bad; over here people think that bowling is a national sport in America. (which maybe for some it is...) But I told him (as evidenced by my fabulous skills) that for most people, bowling is just something we do for fun every now and then, and that no, my dad is not in a league. :) Julien ended up winning, and I got an amazing score (for golf), and came in last. However, on the last game, I managed to edge out Sebastien (Simon's friend) and take third; and yes, I was quite proud of myself. Here are some pics:

Julien and Sebastien

The best bowler ever to rock the Swiss lanes

Julien showing us how it's done

Wednesday:

Nothing much....

Thursday:

Super active day! Thursday morning I decided to go for a run; so I threw my hair back in a ponytail and put on my shoes, no makeup and went to tell my host mom what I was doing. (first I looked up how to ask if it was ok in French lol) I asked her, she said ok, and I was about to head out, when she told me to get my passport. I was wondering why I would need a passport (I wasn't planning on going that far), but I just said "oui" and went and got it. Than she told me to go get in the car, and by then I was completely confused. Turns out we were going to register me with the town; so I of course looked gross, and here I am in front of these government people looking like a deranged jogger. Learning experience #3, if someone tells you to get your passport and you have no plans of leaving the country, slap some make-up on your face and throw some other clothes on. But it all worked out, they're going to let me stay even if I look a little frankenstein-ish in the morning. :)

After my run I played tennis with Julien and Simon. Thankfully I am a much better tennis player than bowler (but I guess thats not to hard lol). We played for 2 hours, in what I thought was awesome weather. Julien and Simon thought it was really hot; it was all of 74 degrees. No, I don't miss the summer temperatures in Oklahoma. :)

After tennis, we went swimming. By this time I was thinking, man I am not going to be able to move in the morning.... While we were swimming, Simon helped my learn some more French vocabulary, and I practiced what little phrases I know on him.

Then I went to dinner with Sophie and some of her friends. The restaurant was so picturesque; it had a water wheel and was nestled up in the mountains. Very Heidi. I had Swiss fondue, and further practiced my newly learned skills. Learning experience # 4, it is considered rude to say Salut to someone you don't know. The owner of the restaurant come out and said "salut" and "bon nuit" to everyone at our table, and I, following what the people before me had said, and responded with "salut" (hello in French), apparently that really offended the lady, because she was asking Sophie who I was, and why I had said that.But now I know that if you don't know the person you must greet them with "bonjour" or "bon nuit", not salut. French is such a formal language.....  Anyway after all that I had no problem falling asleep!   

Friday:

Friday was probably the biggest learning experience I've had to date. I needed to get my cell phone set up, but no one was able to take me into Bulle, so I thought "no problem" I'll just take the bus. Julien showed me the website where I could get the schedule; I knew where the best stop was, and so I left feeling pretty confident that I knew what I was doing. And that leads us to learning experience #5, just because you're at a bus stop, that doesn't necessarily mean that the bus will stop there. I got to the bus stop about five minutes early (shocking, I know) just to make sure I wouldn't miss it. So I'm waiting, and I notice two old ladies standing at the end of my street (I was a little ways down at the bus stop) talking, and I just assumed that they lived there and were just visiting. Well you know what they say about "assumptions".... Here comes what looks like a big van with the transportation logo on it; it stops picks up the ladies, and drives right by me. Apparently when the bus is coming down the mountain it doesn't stop at the bus stop, it stops at the end of the street. I was thinking great, by the time the next bus comes it will be too late to go to the phone store. So feeling really incompetent, I trudged back to my house. Julien ended up driving me into Bulle, and dropped me off where the bus would've stopped to show me when I would get off in Bulle. I went to the cell phone store, got my plan, (which was a miracle in itself, considering no one there spoke English), but the phone I had wouldn't work with the card, so I would have to wait till I got back to Sorens to be able to use the cell phone. The bus back to Sorens wasn't coming for about 2 hours, so I explored the lovely town of Bulle. It was getting close to time for the bus to come, and not wanting to miss it (again) I got there early (so I thought). As I was walking back to the stop I realized I had the time mixed up, and that I had missed the bus by about 2 min. By this time I wanted my car so bad you have no idea, so I looked, and the next bus wasn't coming for another hour, so I walked around Bulle some more. (I now know that town really well) I got back to the bus station 20 min early, I was not going to miss three buses in one day, and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally when it was 15 min past when the bus should've been there, I left to go find a pay phone to call Julien, and let them know why I wasn't back yet. I found the train station, called Julien, and went to find out when the next bus to Sorens would be coming. 40 min. later I finally was able to board a bus back to Sorens, I don't think anyone has ever been more excited to see a 471 bus that I was at that moment, I just about cried lol. Made it back home, turns out I was reading the schedule wrong (keep in mind it's in French of course), the highlighted part, is not when the bus is coming, but when it will arrive at the destination. Which would explain why I kept missing buses, even though I was early. But after all that I believe I now understand how to use the Swiss transportation system (at least the buses). 

So that was my week! Today I'm going to church with the family, tomorrow I'm going to the welcome meeting for all the inbound exchange students, and Monday I start language school. 

A bientôt,

Becky