Paris, postponed.

We (sadly) decided not to go to Paris this weekend, as the five + hour drive was too long to do for such a short time. Instead, we're contemplating going when I have an October break (yeah, they don't do Thanksgiving here, so we get a week off in the end of October instead), or else at the end of the winter holidays, when my brother joins us in Europe.

However, just because we decided to postpone Paris does not mean we were content to doing nothing this weekend. So, my parents are going to Zurich early in the morning tomorrow, and then I'll meet them later in the day in Bern--so I get a chance to go to ballet, and get some homework done! So, we'll celebrate my dad's birthday in the capital.

Oh, I forgot to mention! You know how in the States, when it's someone's birthday, you'll bring them flowers or sweets or a cake or whatever? Well, here it's the opposite. Whoever is having their birthday brings something to share with everyone else. So, since tomorrow is Daddy's birthday, he brought in cinnamon rolls to share at work today. They were homemade, of course, because Europeans seem to not have discovered the wonder that is cinnamon. While they've mastered the use of chocolate, cream, and nuts, the plethora of pastries here is lacking one crucial element--cinnamon. So, us Americans have to start a new trend, haha.

Have a good weekend, everybody!

lost in translation

I finally got a chance today to really use my language skills! Granted, these were my Spanish skills and not my (not-so-impressive) French skills, but it's the thought that counts, right?

After I got back from school, my mom and I headed down to the boulangerie (bakery) in little downtown (if you can even call it a downtown) Coppet, to pick out a dessert for my birthday tomorrow (!). Of course, upon arriving and asking, "Parle vous anglais?" the answer was promptly, "No." (Obviously the woman spoke at least one word... she distinctly said "no," not "non.") After sighing dejectedly, and condeming ourselves to another communication struggle, the woman mentioned she did speak Spanish.
OK, I thought, maybe I could speak to her in Spanish.
Let me just make this clear: you are looking at a girl who has three years of high school Spanish behind her, but really has no idea what she's talking about. I've never actually had to use my Spanish anywhere other than the classroom. So this was pretty crazy drastic for me (not quite as drastic as moving across the world, but you know what I mean).
So, we started up a rather broken Spanish conversation. The baker was actually really good, and I was a little embarrassed by my poor conjugations (and forgetting how to say "cake." Um, duh? Pastel? Good going, Claire), and whatnot, but I managed to actually communicate with her, understand what she was saying, and place an order for a pear and almond tart for four, to be picked up between one and two the next day. It's quite an accomplishment, if you ask me.

Now, I just need to learn French.


**Shout-out to my favorite Summitteers!! Hope you guys are all enjoying the camping trip. Someone in Switzerland misses y'all! :]