Is it really over? Nah...

   What? I've been gone 6 months? I'm home on Friday? You're kidding.

Yep its reality, and I need to get used to it. Summing up the last six months in a blog post is going to be very tough, but I'll give it a shot.
  Here are some one-worders to explain my feelings about leaving Europe and heading home: happy, sad, confused, tired, ready, not-ready, nervous, grateful, awed, simplified, stupified (Harry Potter reference :)),  denial, acceptance, packing (ugh!), goodbyes, hellos, hugs, tears, sleep.
  When I left home in June, I don't know exactly what I expected, but I would've been wrong. With IFYE, you just have to be ready for anything always. Everyday is a new experience or adventure filled with new perspectives and new people. I set out wanting to never say "no", to try everything, see everything, and re-think everything I thought I knew. I think I stayed true to those goals for the most part, and its left me with a lifetime of memories, friendships, and life lessons.
  After all the reunions with family and friends, unpacking of bags, scrap booking  and IFYE presentations are all said and done, then I will truly have time to sit and reflect upon all this experience has given me.
  Until then, I'll continue to live this journey called life, one day at a time! But after IFYE, I'll know to appreciate each day and the new adventure that comes with it!

Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way, I couldn't have done it without you! :)

Safe and sound in Kansas!

 Before saying goodbye, ciao, tschuss, bonjour, trah, cheers, & auf wiedersehen, I'll leave you with where I've found some of my favorite things....

• Accent: Scottish
• Bread: Swiss zopf
• Croissant: Paris
• Weather: constant rain of the U.K. (it's fun to hear farmers gripe about too much rain for once!)
• Cheese: Swiss Girenbaderli
• River: the Rhine
• Castle: Dunrobin or Cardiff
• European city for tourism: Rome
• European city to live: Salzburg
• Swiss City: Bern
• Train system: Swiss
• N. Irish site: Carrick-a-Rede bridge
• Scottish site: all the stone fences
• Welsh site: Worm's head beach
• Cake: Battenberg (UK)
• Drink: English Breakfast Tea (UK)

Weihnachten (a.k.a.: Christmas) & Samichlaus

   There are many variances between the cultures of different countries, and Christmas is no exception. In Switzerland, the name for Christmas is Weihnachten, and festivities begin when December does. On the 1st, the Advent calendar is put up, and consists of small gifts for each day leading up to Christmas. In the case of the Pünter family, the two kids alternated the days they got the gifts (one has odd days, the other has even days). Then, on the 6th of December, the real excitement begins! Samichlaus and his bff Schmutzli stop by the house via donkey from the local forest where they live. Each village has their own Schmutzli, because they have different forests ;). Samichlaus is basically the equivalent of America's Santa, and Schmutzli fulfills the role of Santa's elves. A big difference though, is that when Samichlaus comes, he isn't stealthy about it in the middle of the night. He and Schmutzli stop by the house after dinner and talk to the children about what they want for Weihnachten, and things they can do better to be good kids for mommy and daddy. The kids typically read a poem or sing a song for the duo, then if Sami and Schmutzli are impressed, they give the children gifts. The gifts are similar to what we would receive in our stockings...peanuts, oranges and small candies/baked goods.
   So who comes on Christmas Eve then?? Christchindli (translates as Christ-child), is basically the spirit of Christmas. It is what brings the gifts for Christmas, as it is in communication with Samichlaus, it knows what the children really want.
  Christmas season in Switzerland is full of Christmas markets with food, hot wine, and homemade crafts, plus carnival rides! Most cities have lights decorating the streets, and Zurich goes all out!

My host brother, Rico, reading his poem for Samichlaus

Schmutzli and Samichlaus!

The kids on December 1st with the Advent calendar

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!" -view from my window

Swarovski Christmas tree in the Zurich train station

hanging lights in Zurich above the roads

Christmas trees everywhere in Zurich!

With Sami and Schmutzli in Zurich

The Pünters (November 11th-December 7th)

   My final host family (#18, can you believe it??!!), was located in the city of Hombrechtikon (population 7,800) in canton Zürich. My host dad Stefan runs an agricultural contracting business, and my host mom Regula is a very active stay at home mom to their two kids, ages 8 and 6 years old, and 2 "mini pigs", Frido & Alto (kept outdoors). Regula was an IFYE to Sweden in the 1990's, so she has an excellent idea of what IFYEs want/need to see and do. The children, Rico and Corina, have far more energy than I do at this point in my travels, but this makes for constant excitement! Having children in the family also helps to learn the language faster as they never give up on making sure you know what they want!
    During my time in Hombrechtikon, I was able to have many Swiss experiences that I hadn't yet accomplished. I played the alp horn, attended a yodeling concert, visited the Matterhorn (the iconic Swiss mountain), witnessed Swiss wrestling (schwingen), brushed up on my Swiss-German skills, attended Christmas markets, went hiking, rode a bicycle in the open Swiss air, learned to knit (European-style), sewed my own traditional Swiss attire, made fresh cheese, expanded my zopf making skills, and ate Raclette and blood-sausage (blutwurst) among other Swiss foods. I even spent a day working in a winery and sampling wine from the Lake of Zürich.
      With the Pünter family I mainly helped with household chores and errands, but lifted the occasional straw bale when a delivery was needed. The weather changed quite a bit during my 4 week stay, from cool Fall  to heavy snow and rain by the end. Snow in Switzerland is simply wonderful. They don't have as much wind as Kansas, so snow stays where it first lands, leaving the white blanket on the trees very much intact. The sight of the snowy mountains isn't too bad either.
   I also spent Thanksgiving away from my family for the first time ever, but it was a good day nonetheless. Regula and I prepared chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, pumpkin soup, salad, and my homemade chocolate pie. It was more of a feast than they were used to, but it worked in bringing a little bit of home to me for my American holiday. I was also able to Skype with almost all of my family that day, giving me the strength to finish out my last 2 weeks in Europe very happily.

In the snow on Klein Matterhorn

With the Matterhorn in the background. Not the tallest mountain, but the most iconic

View from Klein Matterhorn

Blood sausage! :s

The mini-pigs that I fed daily, Frido and Alto

My family: Rico, Regula, Corina, and Stefan

Viewing the yodeling concert from the balcony of a church through Rico and Corina's heads :)

The family, in traditional Swiss attire

Learning to knit (lisme)

At the AGRAMA expo in Bern, with a sugar beet harvester

Found some American flags in the John Deere section

Zopf creations

The alp horn!

Schwingen!