Chur and Küssnacht

Yesterday I woke up at 8:30. I went downstairs and had a quick breakfast (bread and cheese) with my host mom. Then after getting ready, we headed into the city of Chur. When we got there, my host mom had to attend a quick business meeting for about 20 minutes. I took this opportunity to have a quick walk around the area and explore a little bit. After the meeting, my host dad met us for lunch at a place near their business in Chur. I don't quite remember the name of the thing I had for lunch (it was a long german name) but it was basically a nice meat with gravy and a homemade pasta. After lunch, my host parents showed me around where they work, then my host mom and I went to get her car washed. We then took a drive around the city and I was shown where I would be going to school in a few weeks, as well as some other places like the Bahnhof (train station), the bank, old Chur, etc. After driving around, we attempted to get a new SIM card for my phone. However, I was not allowed to get it without proof that I would be staying here for a year, and seeing as my current visa only allows me to stay here for three months, I have to wait until next week when my full visa comes in to get a new card. After that we drove back to Landquart so I could open a bank account. This time we were successful! I'm now just waiting for my card to come in the mail. After that we went back to the house for about an hour before driving to the Canton of Schwyz.

Driving to Schwyz

Here we picked up my host mom's mother (host grandmother?) then drove down to the lake in the village of Küssnacht to go swimming. The water was a little bit cold but refreshing and so clean! I could not get over how blue the lake was.

Stättersee

Küssnacht

After swimming we had dinner by the lake then drove back to Malans. I slept most of the way back and went to bed as soon as we got home. All in all, a great day! I'll be posting again real soon. Maybe I'll do a post about life with my host family and some pictures of where I live. Until then, thanks for reading!

Airport and Arrival

After an eight hour plane ride, I have finally arrived in Switzerland!! It feels so amazing to finally be here after waiting for months.

Yesterday I woke up around 10 am so I could get ready and finish up my packing. I said some final goodbyes to my house and my cat Felony, then we were off to the airport. There was some traffic on the way but we got there fairly early. When we got to the baggage checking area, I met up with another exchange student named Cam going to Switzerland as well. We were booked on the same flight so fortunately I had someone to chat with while going through security and waiting at the gate. After my luggage was checked, I took some pictures and said goodbye to my family, with lots of tears from my Mom, of course. Security went super smooth and Cam and I were waiting by our gate in no time. While looking for some seats, we came across another exchange student named Tamara, who was also on our flight. However she is off to Austria, just landing in Switzerland. Then, after waiting in line at Tim Hortons for almost 45 minutes, it was time to board our plane. The whole process went super smooth and we were in Zürich eight short hours later. After getting our luggage, we met our host families then went our separate ways. My host parents were both at the airport to pick me up, then after getting a few quick pictures, we got in their car and drove for one hour to the town of Malans, where I will be living for the next few months. I am just unpacking now and still getting settled. In about an hour my host mother and I will be going into the city to go grocery shopping! It sounds super boring but I'm actually very excited to see more of the area and how grocery stores in Switzerland are. Anyway I need to keep unpacking. I'll be posting again real soon!

Mitch Mahoney

PS, I attached some pictures from the airport, airplane, and driving to Malans... enjoy!

Last picture with my family

Exchange Students!!

Meeting my host parents

Village of Malans

One day left!

Today is my last full day in Canada. It's weird to think that tonight will be the last night sleeping in my own bed for a full year. That is, if I even sleep. I am so excited to begin my adventure tomorrow, I just can't believe how fast it came up. However, it really does not seem like I'm leaving for a full year tomorrow. I am very calm right now, excited and nervous, but still calm. This whole thing still does not feel real, but I'm sure that will change very quickly once I'm on my flight.

This past week has been crazy. I got the chance this week to see my sister for the first time in several months, and she will be coming to the airport tomorrow which is fantastic. Also this week I had to say goodbye to many of my friends and extended family. It was very emotional to say goodbye to my close friends, I'm definitely going to miss all of them. I said my goodbyes to my extended family last night when they threw me a going away party. It was so nice to get the entire family together one last time before I left. I'm really going to miss them all, but I'm staying positive because I know I will have a new family and new friends in Switzerland.

The cake at my going away party

Anyway, I should get back to packing. Keep following my blog for more updates of my adventure! I will certainly be posting a lot over the next few days with lots of pictures as well!

Introduction

Two weeks left before I begin what is hopefully going to be the greatest adventure of my life. Hello everyone, my name is Mitch Mahoney. I am 17 years old from Whitby, Ontario, Canada. About eight months ago I was selected to represent the Rotary Club of Whitby Sunrise as their 2015-2016 youth exchange student. A few months later, I found out I would be spending my exchange year in Switzerland. I could not be more happy about this opportunity, and I already know it is going to be an amazing year! Over the course of this year, I will attempt to keep this blog updated with pictures, videos, and stories of my travels in Switzerland so that everyone at home can follow my adventures. It's definitely going to be very interesting to explore a country that I've never been to before, however I am super excited as opportunities like this only happen once in a lifetime. I will be posting a few more times before I leave on August 9th so make sure to check back here soon!

Thanks for reading,
Mitch Mahoney