Pretty Fun Parties

Hey everyone,
     I am just updating you on some of the more recent stuff that I have done. For fall break I found many opportunities to see Switzerland, to get to know the wonderful country and the people that I share it with. For me it was really interesting having a fall break because that isn't something that really is done in the United States. It was so funny when I was talking to my friends at home, that when I told them I was on break for two weeks they always talked about how they wished we had a break like that in fall and also how lucky I was. The first week of my break was very busy and I found myself doing something every single day. As crazy as it was I loved it!
    The first day I treated myself to a nice late morning and I didn't get up until almost 1 o'clock. After I had a leisurely breakfast. Then my host sister and I went to replace my phone cable because it had broken over the Wanderwoche. After that I caught up with an exchange student from Texas. After wandering around Luzern for thirty minutes or so, we caught a train heading to her house, where I would be staying the night. After a three-hour train ride, she lives far away from me, we arrived in Bad Ragaz, where she lives. Once we got to her house I diposited my stuff in her room and followed her upstairs for a traditional swiss snack of bread and cheese. Unfortunatley, we culdn't stay up late and talk because we had to get up early the next day to go tour a chocolate factory.
    We woke up at about 6:45 the next morning and groggily made our way upstairs for breakfast. After getting ready we headed to the train station, just strolling along leisurely talking...until we realized that or train arrived in two minutes. We made it onto the train literally ten seconds before it pulled out of the station. We met her friend a couple towns away and then we all continued on to the town where the chocolate factory was. The tour itself was actually only mildly interesting but the chocolate was absolutely superb! It was also fascinating to watch the precision of the workers as they did the same task over and over again. I even got a free box of chocolate from the tour! After we were finished, we went to get food at the local Coop, and then went to a local park to eat. I then headed home and for the rest of the day relaxed and enjoyed my break.
    On Wednesday, my host sister and I went to Basel to stay at my host brother's apartment, because he had invited us to a party a couple weeks before. We got there around six o'clock in the evening and were quickly invited into the apartment, where we were surrounded by music and people. I quickly grabbed myself some water and then went and sat in a chair before I was completely overwhelmed. On the TV they had a football game playing, with Basel vs. Another Team and every now and then people would cheer when Basel scored a goal. I ended up really enjoying myself and met many interesting new people. I was still very happy to get to bed later that night because I was absolutely exhausted.
    The next day, I woke up at about 11 o'clock to the sound of my host sister rustling around in the kitchen. She had already been up for an hour or so and had gone to the store for bread, to eat at breakfast. My host brother woke up about ten minutes later and then everyone sat down to eat. After we had cleaned up, my host sister and I were trying to figure out what to do for the rest of the day. When she suggested the zoo, I jumped on the chance to go see it. I loved it there! My favorite exhibit was the chimpanzees because it has always fascinated me how agile they are in the trees. I could have sat and watched them for another three hours, at least. I also enjoyed seeing the penguins and lions as well. When we got back to my host brother's apartment, we found him sitting and playing on his gaming console. We joined him and proceeded to play for the next few hours. I had so much fun. Later that night we went to a club where I eventually lost my wallet. Despite having lost my wallet, I still ended up having a good evening. It was interesting to see how young people in Switzerland party. It was an Oktoberfest party so of course there was a lot of acohol. They also played traditional Swiss music and had girls walking around in traditional Swiss clothing. For the second night in a row, I felt into bed completely, mentally exhausted. Trying to make sense of the conversations I heard that night was so difficult.
     On Friday, I got up around ten with my host brother to go report that my wallet was missing and then we had to go to the train station to get my GA replaced. However, they only were able to give me a signed ticket saying that my GA had been lossed, so that when I went to get the card replaced, I could get reimbursed for the ticket purchased. I had a great time in Basel, but I was relieved to be heading home. Once I was back in Stans, I took some time to unpack my things and wrap the present that I had purchased for a friend that had his birthday the next week. I then had to repack some of my things so that I would be ready the next morning when my second host mom came to pick me up when we went to Austria. After I had everything packed, I grabbed my gift and then headed to Zurich, where I was meeting up with some other exchange students to celebrate my friend's birthday. After wandering around Zurich for thirty minutes trying to find somewhere to eat, we finally stopped at Coop to buy sandwiches, me and my friend from Texas also bought a tiny carrot cake for later. After we finished our sandwiches, we brought out the cake and proceeded to savor every bite. When I got home later that evening, I crawled into bed to get some sleep. The next day I was going to Austria for a week!