Ending Our First European Country, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland

This week sure was an eventful one! It was also the first city where I've felt true culture shock. Culture shock in UWP is defined as being surprised and maybe even uncomfortable with the new culture you are in.  I didn't have it bad, and it was actually really good for me in the end.

We were back in a French area of Switzerland, which I was very excited about! I was roomed with Norman from Belgium  (yes, we had separate bedrooms) for half of the week with a couple Michele and Sylvie.  They have 3 kids around my age, but none are at home, because they are studying outside the country.  Our first night was dinner at another host-family's house, so there was a ton of French flying! But it was still fun and I loved trying to figure out what was going on, but by the time we got home, my brain was so tired!

My family; Michel, Sylvie and Norman

Yay new roomies! Norman from Belgium

Gwendoline(Belg), Norman(Belg) McKenzie(UT), Joana(Portugal)

Tuesday we went on CI which was super exciting because it was the SA student's first CI in Europe! My group went to Val de Ruiz which was a small river/farm.  We spent the cold day cleaning cut willow branches out of the river and putting them into a truck.  There was probably half an American-Football field's worth of willows that had all their branches cut that we had to pick up.  Nonetheless it was really fun to trudge through the mud and be outdoors staring at the Alps all day.  

Yay group CI!

Wednesday night Norman switched families to live with family of a friend, but they knew the family I was staying in, so we all had dinner together with traditional Raclette which is where you melt individual slices of Raclette cheese and put it on potatoes.  Most of the evening was in french, which really made me think extra hard as I tried to translate with what little french I did know, but it was still a good night!

Thursday we spent the day learning about this little, old village that we were living in.  La-Chaux-de-Fonds was actually a manufacturing city that made some of the biggest watch brands known around the world (Rolex, anyone?)  We got to go into many old buildings and see some beautiful hallways with ornate paintings and some really different architecture.  The city's buildings were actually built with high windows facing the sun so that the workers could have as much light as possible for as long as possible.  We also went to the watch museum which was all about the history of the clock/watch and some rare pieces.   Thursday night I practiced french with Michel while he responded in english, so it was a learning experience for everyone! 

LCF is on a grid system like the US! It made getting around so much easier

My favorite pocket watch in the whole museum, a little violin

Friday and Saturday's shows were great and were in the two cities the cast was split into.  Saturday also happened to be my 19th birthday, and what a wonderful one it was! The day started with some of my closest girlfriends singing a song they wrote to me which you can watch here! It may not make complete sense, but they took a song from the band One Direction and changed the lyrics to tease me in a loving way.   Then my mom had a cake made for me with the help of my awesome Cast Manager Leslie.  It made me cry happy tears.  Then after the show Norman took me out with his host brother and we met up with some other Uppies and just had a good time hanging out :) I came home to my host parents who gave me an adorable little bracelet and lots of hugs and kisses and well wishes for my birthday.

Probably the best birthday cake I've had.  Custard and fruit!

Norman and his host brother Arnaud

Sunday was a really cool learning day for host family day.  We went to the other city that UWP was in, Neuchatel, and we went to an old church inside the castle walls which was so beautiful.  Then that evening we went to Sylvie's godson's birthday celebration which was just a great time to meet more people.  Everyone was really great at speaking english and I even spoke a little french with a little girl about Harry Potter! Turned out that not only was it the godson's birthday, but during the past week it was also his brother's and his sister's boyfriends, and mine, so they had cakes for all of us! So I celebrated my birthday with 3 other guys who live in Switzerland and was sung "Happy Birthday" in french! Another cool experience.

Castle

I don't know what this was, but it was beautiful

The church

I'm really going to miss speaking french and this family! It was a very loving and cultural week! Next week we are off to one of the smallest countries in the world, Liechtenstein!