X. Just smile and look pretty

Translation: My first day of school

   Well, I don't really have any tragic stories, any extreme blunders, or spectacularly embarrassing moments to tell, but basically my first day of school was boring, even more boring than my German course school in Aarau for the past three days.
   In that school I was with fourteen other exchange students who came here without knowing one word of German. The lessons were boring because I already knew the stuff, and I have actually tested out of going there anymore. Even though half of the kids spoke Spanish, everyone knew English, and they were fun to hang out with. Yesterday I even got to play my violin with a guy from Indonesia. So awesome. Everyone came from everywhere: China, Japan, Chile, Iceland, Columbia, Brazil, and several other countries, but today all of us went to our own respective Kantonsschule for the first time.
   Here is what I expected from what others have told me: Strict teachers, focused students, absolutely no phones, lots of clocks, lots of note-taking, no goofing around, a prompt bell schedule, and uncomfortable chairs that force you to sit up straight.
   Ha. Right.
   Honestly, I was very surprised. My host mom drove me to school, and a man who is probably the equivalent of a principal went over my schedule with me. In Warwick, my American school, our schedule is exactly the same everyday, but my schedule here is really weird.
   My first class was Geschichte (History). Actually my first class would have been Gym, but thankfully I got

IX. Waking in a new world

   The coolest thing about waking up every morning is knowing that I will learn of lot of interesting things. I'm picking up on a lot of the German, but I understand a lot better than I can speak. Last night I went with my host brother Timon to his youth group, and everyone was so nice to me (They spoke in High-German for me even though it probably didn't make much of a difference.). I can practically feel the pride oozing from my German teachers.
   This was my first observation of young people in Switzerland. It was so strange because it is exactly the same as in America: how they gesture, how they laugh, how they greet each other, what they talk about (when I can understand it)... The only thing different is the sound that comes out of their mouths. Well, they also shake hands very often and hug their friends more than we do as "hello" and "goodbye". The guys also

VIII. This is really it

This part was actually written on August 23, but I ran out of time to publish it because we were called to leave. :)
   Right now I am sitting in the lobby of the JFK airport hotel with a whole group of teenagers attired in bright blue AFS shirts. A lot has happened in the past few days, and I still haven't even left the country yet.
   Saturday and Sunday were packing days, and a couple of my friends said goodbye to me then. Monday was pretty crazy; I finally had my braces removed and learned how to use retainers, and I also went to the dentist (I don't know how they both managed to be on the same day, but they did). Suffice it to say that my mouth was very tired.
   On Tuesday morning I said goodbye to half of my family, my cat Kiesha, and my house, and we went to

VII. Before I know it

   I just kind of had a light bulb moment today, actually more of a blonde moment, or a combination of the two. Or maybe one should call it a stark realization or the registering of something that's been staring me in the face. I'm leaving my home and my family and everything I've known in a matter of days. Yes, I already knew that obviously, and I also knew that my brother Joel is being deployed for the army in September. Well, actually he's going to Mississippi for a couple months of training, coming home for Thanksgiving, and then leaving the country in late October. And he'll be gone for a full year of twelve months with no leave. Okay, so I'm leaving for a year; he's leaving for a year; we'll come back at the same time...
   Wrong.
   In less than four days I am going to say goodbye to one of my brothers, and I won't see him for over a full

VI. The packing dilemma

   Well, here I am in the beginning of August, and I feel that time moves both interminably slow and exceedingly fast. Often (or extremely often) I get a random adrenaline rush, and I want to jump on a plane right now. On the other hand, I also want to sort of relish my last couple weeks here in the US and with my family.
   Last Friday I actually received my visa in the mail. I was all jittery and excited as I opened the envelope (because it's always exciting to receive a package) and pulled out my passport. Pasted inside was a formal-looking visa and a note saying that I had to register with the Department of Migration once I entered Switzerland. I still can't believe how fast the visa came. It took three days through the mail to reach the