Good Morning?! Nerdy Bunch, it's monday!
Right, so this week is "day in my life week". So I'm going to tell you what I am doing today. Right, first a little context. I go to school two days a week, Tuesdays I spend 4 hours in class and Thursdays I spend eight hours in class. Luckily for you I'm going to tell you about Monday which is much more exciting. Really though it's no that much more exciting. Today I didn't get out of bed til noon, I watched the last few episodes of season one of Doctor Who and then I went out for supper with my mom who is in town for a conference. After that we went grocery shopping so I could get some of the heavier things that I sometimes put off getting because its a pain in the butt to carry (I don't have a car or a drivers licsence.) I also bought a new pillow which I was in desperate need of, I'm excited to see if it brings me better sleep. I got my passport today which is very exciting because it's official that I can go to Switzerland this spring which will be my first oveseas travel and I'm starting to feel excited about that. When I got home I did some internet browsing and now I am typing this. For the rest of the evening I'm planning on watching a little more Doctor Who and doing some painting. Then I might start my book and go to bed so I can be all bright eyed and bushy tailed for class tommorow.
Question for you all what kind of international travel have you done? Any tips for a first timer?
Best wishes!
Allysa
Fun fact: it is currently -8 degrees celcius here but feels like -18 (17.6 fahrenheit feels like -0.3)
What are you going to do in Switzerland? Hm, travel tips... learn a few phrases in the language? People tend to treat you nicer when you at least try to speak the local language instead of attacking them with way-too-fast English :)
ReplyDeleteSadly haven't been able to travel much lately (too much uni, too little time to work --> no travel money), I think my last proper vacation abroad was, uhm... when I was 18 and visiting my hostfam in the states after graduating from high school. First time I traveled alone, scary as sh*t. I've moved abroad (and back) twice since, though xD
(can we make travel next weeks theme? 'cause I could easily make this comment blog-length ;) )
I wish I could make a blog entry about this too xD But anyways...
ReplyDeleteI've been to Sweden several times, I've also stopped by in Estonia. I also went to Italy and back on a bus with some class mates. xD The route was Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Milan, Genoa, Pisa, Florence, Rome (and Vatican), Venice, Austria, Germany, Finland.
Let's see...My advice is that do not carry anything you've recently bought from another country, or even from another city, in its packaging. You'll set off the damn alarms in stores and then you'll get to try and explain you haven't stolen anything to a person who doesn't speak a word of English. *got dragged around by an Italian store manager who didn't know English despite the fact that he worked next to a tourist trap* >:(
Speak calm English but don't get condescending with it, especially with younger people. If you see that their English comprehension is poor, *then* start using much easier expressions and synonyms. While many are too shy to try and speak proper English, they often comprehend it rather well.
Learn few expressions in their language in case of an emergency. Learn to pronounce them well. If someone came to me and tried to utter something with really poor pronunciation of Finnish, I wouldn't get it. I'd rather have them try in English first in any case really.
Find out some basic things about the country before going there. You could even try and find a Swiss to talk to online. Or read some travel experiences written by people who have traveled to the country.
Also, Switzerland in spring? I'd recommend you pack a warm coat with you just in case.
Yeay for traveling ^_^
ReplyDeleteI've never been to Switzerland but I had a swiss roomate before and she has nothing but good things to say about her home land.
I have traveled quite a bit but not nearly as much as i would like to.
My advice to you is not to be afraid of getting lost. My favorite moments during my travels are the times when I had no idea where I was.
A travel one would be nice ^_^
ReplyDeleteI've been to a few different countries. Basically Sterling has it right; a lot of people can speak English passably, so I wouldn't worry TOO much about not knowing the language.
ReplyDeleteAlso, it's fun to go off the beaten track. Ask a taxi driver for some good recommendations--they should know the area inside out, and know where the best places are.