Sunday November 30^th 2014

Because we went to bad so late last time, we only woke up at 11! We finished putting the Christmas decorations on, decorate the tree and the living room. We also put the decorations outside.

Saturday November 29^th

wake up so sexy with my foreigners! (love my double chin)

Even if Vivian was supposed to drive me back around 10, she didn't do it before 11.30! Then Mason had the wonderful idea to lock me out because we all know how locking people out in the morning when it's cold it's the best way to start a day! We installed the second tree, more...modern! Right after lunch, we left to Bryan, Ohio, to go see the movie “Mockingjay” (hunger games 3). I really liked it but it was very frustrating because it just ended in the middle of the story and I really wanted to know what will happen next! Anyway, I also brought my watch to the jewelry where they were able to repair it. We didn't stay home very long after that, because 10 minutes later we left to go to Donna's house. We went to see the Christmas parade. We waited on the corner of the road and when the Christmas floats came, people were all dress up and threw candy to us! I got a full bag!

santa on the christmas parade

On the way back, I decided to go to school where the guys had their second basketball game. The theme this time was America and one again the atmosphere of the student section was awesome!

an amazing student section!

We lost really bad, by 33 points...but the other school was at least twice the size of Eastside!

score board ..not really good for us!

At home we watched the movie elf, a classic that my host family watches every year during december...It was awesome! Really funny! (even if Terry dad's laught made everything funnier!)

We didn't go to bed before midnight with Delaney but we only fell asleep around 3 in the morning! We had one of these girl-sister conversation, about our crushes, the school, gossips...everything! It was a super moment to share with my sister!

Friday November 28^th

On the morning, we put the first Christmas decorations! We installed the first tree (they have at least 6!). It's not a real tree, but a plastic one. And it's not already a “tree”, you have to build it! So we took a while but we finally have our Christmas tree!

how we built the tree

Then Teri mom put the lights on. 

Around 4.15, I left for my bball practice. As we had a game just after, we didn't do too long, more talking about how to respond to the other team attack, we watched the last game of this team... We played Churubuso (Busco), a pretty good team. I can't decide if I did good or not! I got 1 more travel (I HATE THAT!, I can't keep my feet on the floor!!!) but also 1 steal and some rebonds. Then me and Tereza went to Tessje's house for her sleepover. We watched Frozen together, and talked a bit but we were actually too tired to really do anything.
PS: I forgot to say that for lunch we tried the fondue Teri mom bought some weeks ago...It came from a package (american way) and when we put it in the casserole (we didn't have any fondue machine) there were some big pieces and it smelled so bad! Like beer! It actually was a beer fondue, what I've never tried before, we always put wine usually! It tasted horrible, actually it tested more like alcohol than real fondue! Not a good way to show the real swiss tradition!

the fondue from package

what it looked..not really like a fondue

I forgot to say that on Wednesday, I also receive my grade report (a bit less good than last time but still good) and that during ressource, we passed our audition for the talent show with Delaney. We played Let it go, and Delaney sang in french, and then Mrs. Nelson asked me to play something else and told me that I should do a show by myself..so I will!

Thursday November 27^th

Playing air hockey

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! I am so thankful for both my families, my swiss and my american one to be here for me all the time, for my friends to support and help me, and for this amazing exchange year I'm able to live! Thanks!!!
To go back to my diary, I was so exited to experiment this new american tradition! And for that we don't have school thursday and friday...4 days weekend! When I woke up (late!), I helped Teri mom to finish to prepare food that we will have to bring for lunch. I actually only put some mayonnaise in the eggs with a “poche à douille”... It was really ugly to see! There were big parts of food stucked in the “poche” so each time I tried to squeeze it..it poped out everywhere! But for a first time I could do worse! Then I dressed up nice and Delaney decided to curve my hair. I took forever! And as we were late, we didn't have time to finish it so I had one part of my hair curved and the other part straight! We left to go eat lunch with Terry dad's family in Edgerton. They weren't as many as Teri mom's side, we were about 25. As I expected there were...a lot of food! And when I say a lot, it means, 4 tables full of food! Of course a turkey, but also mashed potatoes, beans...and pumpking pie! I've never eaten it before and to be totally honest it didn't look amazing but it was actually yummy! I loved it! But not as much as Teri mom pumpkin mosse! This one was the best ever! We played a bit outside, basketball and baseball...but it was really cold so we decided to go back in quickly. It was snowing so much! We also played board games with their cousins. I remember playing one of these games at home when I was younger: Crocodile dentist. We have to push the teeth until we find the wrong one and then the crocodile closes his mouth and “bite” us. I was maybe 4 years old when I played it but I still remember!

When we finally left, around 5 hours later, I couldn't eat anything else! I was just too full! We came back home to take everything we needed to go shopping! There is this famous American tradition, called Black Friday where every store has incredible sales, usually, -50% or -75%!

searching for good deals in the magazines

Traditionally it started on friday morning, like 5 in the morning, everybody came to the doors and waited for the opening. But they moved it to Thursday night to have more sales and as it's Thanksgiving night, not as many people come as it was before. But even with that, when we arrived, there were lines outside! We went first to Kohl's. There were so many people! I was almost running in the store to take all the things I needed! I founded a ski jacket, blue and warm..for 29.99$! The original price was 180$! That's what I call sales! I also found a warm polar for 8.99$, ugs for 25$ (they were 90 before!), and speakers for 14$. We had to wait in a long line, and then we went to the mall for more shopping! We separated in 3 groups and with Delaney we went to JcPenny were I found a dress for 17$ (was 60$). By the way, delaney was walking in the store and she stopped to look at some clothes...but as soon as she touched clothing rack, it all fell on the floor, with all the clothes on it! We left really fast to not be in trouble! We also went to Macy's where I found a kaki for the days we have to dress up for basketball (12$, before 44$). This Black Friday is such a big event that there were 2 DJs...in the middle of the store!

We finally went to UniversiTees, a store where we can find a lot of items with universities logos. I bought a red sweatshirt with “Indiana” written on it. We finished our shopping trip in Target where I found a first Christmas gift for my siblings.

After my shopping trip...

On the way back, Terry dad had to drive really slow because the roads were really icy and we saw 2 trucks in the ditch. We didn't go to bed before 2am, talking with Delaney and listening to Harry Potter audio book.

First Black Friday shopping

lines all over the store

Our boys Varsity basketball team

Wednesday November 26^th

Just a picture to show what our government class looks like

We finished practice a lot earlier than usually, 5.10 because it was the last day of the week (we don't have thursday and friday). Then I came back home, we did our Christmas list with Delaney and Mason and Teri mom cooked some amazing chocolate chip pancakes. I left to go back to school around 7pm, because it was the boys first basketball game. They played against Leo, a really good team... I was in the student section, all students sit together and cheer for their team. We were around 25-30. We even had a theme, white-out, so everybody was dressed all in white. We looked really good! Being in this student section was amazing! For exemple, when the other team was warming up, we counted all the shots they missed very loudly and we said things like “ The ball is supposed to go on the hoop, not on the floor” or other “mean” sentences like this. When they called the players for the other team, we all took newspaper and read them as if it was more interesting than the players they were calling! We had a lot of other “tricks” to cheer for our team. Unfortunately, they lost the game, but this evening was so amazing that for me it wasn't the score wasn't the most important. 

An amazing student section

 Oh and I also lost my toe nail. Gross.

 

 

Tuesday November 25^th

Game day! Normal day, with a test in chemistry (I feel like I failed it). We didn't have practice, we just shot around for half hour. Then we left with the bus to Adam Central. We already played this team for the scrimmage and we won. So we were kind of confiant! As always, JV played first. I actually now always play half of the game (Tereza plays the other half as we are playing the same position). I didn't have any travel!!! That was the best part of the day! However I did two fouls, but only because I didn't know we weren't allowed to do that! At least I learned something! I actually played good, I got 1 or 2 steals and same for rebonds! Unfortunately we lost again by 2 points... 14 seconds before the end! Varsity won by 15 points. The way to Adam Central was really long so I only went back home around 22.30, and I was too tired to do anything!

My amazing team, I love all of them!

for our games away, we have these amazing shorts 10x too big for us... (and I love this picture even more because it looks like if I had muscular arms...which is not true!)

We even were able to meet Santa Claus !

Sunday November 23^rd

We went to Stephanie's house because we had a CHI meeting today, where every student had to attend. We went to Burger King to eat lunch, and then to Fort Wayne to do Christmas shopping. But as it's not even December, I wasn't in a mood for Christmas shopping so I didn't buy any gift, just a warm hat for me! Then after shopping, we wanted to eat, so we had some frozen yogurt and then we went doing ice skating..I haven't done it for at least 2 years but I was surprise how much I remembered! I was able to do not to bad! Finally we went for dinner in a chinese buffet. For 10$, 9 different buffest with sushis, sea food, chinese food, japanese desserts...I love it!

ice skating with these amazing girls

 

More pirctures of my trip to Notre Dame University...

I think we look good as Notre Dame fans!

ready for the cold weather!

my great host family: a beautiful sister and a funny mom with a hat too big for her!

3 siblings in Notre Dame

We are here with Jesus!

even if we look aweful on this picture, I like it!

the band

November 22^nd 2014

I woke up at 7 for basketball practice...and went back to sleep when I received a text telling me it was actually at 9.30! But at 10 I had to leave (which wasn't too bad because we were just running!) because we went to a college football game! We had to leave early because it was at Notre Dame, more than 2 hours away from the house. We went with Maggie and Lancs, some of the 200 cousins. There, we had a portable barbecue where we cooked some hamburgers for lunch.

hamburger party in the parking!

I finally discovered the Notre Dame campus! It's a really beautiful university!

Some pictures of the campus (bad weather)

All buildings look like old british houses, there are 2 lakes in the middle of the campus...I also saw the church. They tried to make it look like Notre Dame in Paris but I think it doesn't look the same at all! However it's really beautiful inside.

the golden dome (administration)

the church like in Paris

 inside the church

I  saw “Touchdown Jesus”, a picture of Jesus who has his arms as if he was showing a touchdown.

touchdown jesus!

One of the most impressing thing, was to see the band playing. It's one of the best in all american universities! They are so many! They played new musics like “cool kids”; “shake it off”...but also traditional ones like the Notre Dame victory march.

some videos of the band playing the ND victory march and the second one, the school song

A big band!

Finally I saw the stadium...HUGE! It can host 80'750 people!

a big stadium full of football fans!

 

We played against the cardinals from Louisville. We had reserved seats because our family had season passes. But just in the rank before us were a lot of cardinal's fans...REALLY ANNOYING! I loved the whole atmosphere in the stadium..it's so awesome! And as it was at home, most people were for Notre Dame. Unfortunately, we lost by 3 points...