Here's a language learning tip: reading childrens' books in a language you want to learn is a great way to learn important base words that you can then use in everyday talk; in this way, you can, for example, learn words for colors, shapes, directions (up, down, left, right, etc.), and lots of "feeling" words like sad, happy and excited. It may seem silly for college students to read picture books, but trust me, these simple things make all the difference when it comes to learning a foreign language!
The first game that I played in my first week in Switzerland was Go Fish. When I arrived at the airport, I quickly found the rest of my group. We were all exhausted from our flight, but we were still excited and in high spirits. Because most of us arrived at the airport early, we decided to play games to get to know each other better, as we waited to be picked up by our program leaders. We played games like UNO, Go Fish, and bluff while we laughed and talked. It was a good time, and I was relieved to find how kind and easy-going the people in my group were.
My first weekend, I went to Interlaken. There were lots of skaters, skiers, and paragliders. I usually don't like heights, but I thought that the paragliding actually looked fun. If I go back to Switzerland one day, I hope I get to try it out!
