HOT and Relaxing Week

Well, it was an extremely hot week here in Neuchatel. I welcomed the heat for the first couple days, but it just kept getter hotter and hotter as the week went on! So, I am sunburned and a bit drained. But it was still a really great week. It was my last week of French class, so I had plenty of homework and studying to keep me busy.

Monday was one of the most relaxing days I have ever had in my life! After class, I wandered down to the lake and spent several hours sitting in the sun, reading, listening to podcasts, and listening to music. I had nothing at all to do, so it was good time to just sit. I spent hours down by the water. After that, I made my way to the grocery store to do some shopping. I picked up lots and lots of good bread, pasta, and fruit to get me through the week (since I was at the house alone for 6 days). I also purchased quite an assortment of delicious Swiss chocolates! In the evening, I met up with one of my friends for some ice cream and a walk around downtown. So, it ended up being a fabulous day.

Tuesday was another restful day. After an extremely difficult morning of French class, I came home and napped for another 5 hours. It was great, but I needed to get outside, so I went to get some coffee with some friends and walked around downtown again.

After spending all of Tuesday indoors, I got my fair share of sunshine on Wednesday. We took our final French test from 8-9, and I spent the rest of the day at the wonderful pool here. It rained a bit in the morning, but it cleared up quickly and ended up being really really hot. The pool is incredible! There are slides and diving boards, and you can swim in either the lake or one of several pools. I made it off one of the smaller diving boards, but there is one that is 10 meters above the pool! Perhaps I will master it by the end of the summer.... doubt it though. So, a day full of sunshine left me bright red, but it was well worth it.

Thursday was another HOT day, but a good one nonetheless. We had a final French class in the morning, and then a potluck dinner and closing ceremony/talent show at night. After class, I went to the store to gather my materials to make an apple crisp. It was no easy task. I didn't know where to find anything, and didn't know exactly whether I was getting he right stuff. But it all turned out just fine. I came home and cut up apples like mad, and then made the crumble to go on the top. Since I have no measuring devices here, there was a lot of guessing involved in the cooking. And of course, the oven temperature is different, so I ended up just estimating a temperature and hoped all would work out! Well, it turned out just fine. It wasn't a real complicated dessert, but I thought it tasted pretty good! The talent show was an absolute blast. I somehow got myself involved in a skit that our class did. I was a bit nervous, but it was tons of fun. We did a quick and witty version of Cinderella, with only 6 of us sitting behind a big sheet and popping our heads up when it was our line. It was so hilarious! I was one of the evil stepsisters, along with this guy from Germany who wore make-up and a wig. We were cracking up behind the curtain almost the entire time. It was lots and lots of fun! And the potluck afterwards was a great opportunity for me to do lots of talking in French. So it turned out to be a wonderful evening. Unfortunately, I had to bid farewell to everyone from my class. It was sad, but I am hoping to stay in touch with friends that I made... maybe I'll even go catch up with my friend from Greece later on this year!

So, today is Friday, the 1st of August. It is the Swiss National Holiday, and one of the most celebrated holidays over here. I was supposed to go to a celebratory breakfast, but I woke up this morning to the most intense rain, thunder and lightening that I have ever seen/heard! I couldn't even make my way down to the bus stop because there was too much water everywhere. So, I ended up spending the morning just packing and cleaning. I took a little walk around downtown when the weather cleared up this afternoon, but all of the shops are closed, so there wasn't much to do. I spend the afternoon relaxing, and the fireworks down by the lake should be getting started soon, so I will go watch those.

Well, I take off tomorrow to meet up with the family in the Zermatt (where the Matterhorn is). I am looking forward to that very much! I have heard it is an absolutely beautiful area. So, I won't be posting an update until at least next weekend, but I am sure there will be lots to tell!