A letter from Switzerland as Kady embarks on her 12 month exchange

Bonjour à tous,

For those who don’t know, my name is Kady and I’m currently on an exchange in Switzerland for one year. I’ve been here in Geneva for three months now, but it feels like I haven’t been here very long at all. I’m having a great time, and it’s really interesting to live in another culture. Although my French is still a bit basic, I’m improving and can manage most small conversations. Everyone can speak English quite well, and will patiently help me if I’m struggling, especially my host family.

In my host family I have my mother, Céline, my father, Marc, and my two sisters, Julie and Noélie. They’re all lovely and have made me feel welcome. We live in a three-floor house with a small backyard about 20 minutes from the main/busy part of the city. I also live about 10 minutes from school, which is quite convenient.

My school is quite large. It has seven floors, four gyms, a library, a huge auditorium, a cafeteria, and much more. Thankfully, it’s quite easy to find my way around. A downside is I don’t have a locker and have to carry my backpack with me at all times. The schooling schedule is quite different to Australia- I start and finish at different times every day. Some days I start at 7:55 and finish at 16:30. I also get an hour and a half break for lunch.

I’ve had many amazing experiences here thanks to both my host family and my exchange organisation, YFU. My host family loves to take me for long hikes through the mountains, with amazing views. We’ve visited some chocolate factories, many different churches and towns, and different tourist attractions. I’ve even been to France and Italy with them! YFU has organised a few days where I can meet up with other students on exchange and do some activities with them, such as bake traditional desserts, visit different parts of Switzerland, and eat fondue!

That’s all for now, but I’ve attached a few photos of some things I’ve been up to.

Au revoir,

Kady