31/7/10

It's the Chalet's 78th birthday!! Wahoo, birthday celebrations all day. It was on-site day, and Jane and I were in charge of the craft activity. In morning meeting, we were also discussing what games we wanted to play throughout the activity and when it was time to change the activity. It was alot of fun talking about international birthday games. But, after morning meeting, we had the opening ceremony at the flag pole. The guests are from the USA, of course, Denmark and Canada. We then split the groups up by playing the birthday game. The guests had to get in birthday order without talking, that game is always fun to watch. After the groups were split, we did an equipment check and played a name game. It is always hard to learn everyones name on on-site day. Then, we headed to the dining hall to start crafts. I even made a miniature green snowflake. During our activity, we had guests sign a chinese lantern thing that we were going to fly for Our Chalet's birthday. We also were making tin lanterns, using hammers and nails to make holes in the tin can. It was a lot of fun to bang through the ice to make the hole in the lantern. And toward the end of our activity, we played a very entertaining outdoor game. We had four wind bottles at one end of the ground and then the girls had to put a belt on with a nail attached to a string. It was great fun watching the different teams relay and race to finish. After the first session it was lunch time, and after lunch I helped the guest services crew fold laundry. Before the guests set off for their next activity, we had them play musical backpacks. It was a lot of fun. During the next craft activity, I wandered about through the guests to make sure they were doing the craft correctly, etc. I even organized the colored paper and tidied up some of the tables. The next session was fun as well, I got to put the finishing touches on the chinese paper lantern and I decorated it for the chalet's birthday. We then helped the guests tidy up the room and prepare it for dinner. We even decorated the dining hall with balloons and flags for the birthday celebration. The evening program was international night, which we could only allow to go on for 45 minutes, because we had a surprise for the guests. At a quarter til 9, we surprised them with a cake for the chalet's birthday, and we sang 'Happy Birthday' in 8 languages =) Wahoo. It was a very good birthday day =).

30/7/10

I worked the infamous changeover day, but I was on guest services this time. I was the laundry-queen for the day and I was excited about that. I worked the late shift for breakfast, but I began by doing a load of laundry. After that, I went upstairs to help in the kitchen. We finished nice and early since there were 5 of us. I even changed over a load of laundry before morning meeting. After morning meeting, I was folding laundry and then I did all of the bathrooms in Main Chalet as the laundry was washing/drying. I was constantly keeping time and looking at my watch. In morning meeting, we decided since Baby Chalet was currently unoccupied we were going to host a tea party! I was going to be in charge of making cookies, so after lunch and in between laundry I made snicker doodles. They were very tasty and all of the cookies were gone within the first 15 minutes of our tea party. I even managed to watch an episode of the unit while I was folding the laundry. =). We had a lovely tea party in baby chalet. We even played the proper guiding Ibbily Wibbily game. I got a lot of my staff challenge points signed off and now I have 52 points! Wahoo! We then went to the kitchen to prepare for dinner. I got to help Jenny prepare chicken carbonara =). After dinner clean up, I relaxed and went to bed!

29/7/10

It was freezing cold and very rainy today. This morning, I was off to the gorge with Katie. I decided to be on the very bottom platform in order to safely help the girls at the end of the repelling run. It rained during the first hour of our hike there, and then the sun came out and then it rained some more. The gorge is already very wet and rainy inside so it did not help that it was rainy outside as well. Therefore, it was very wet inside the gorge. It was raining so much inside that it was hard to look up to see when the girls were coming down. I stood at the bottom for about 2 hours, and I can feel that I was getting wet. After everyone had their turn, it was time to walk up the 200+ stairs to get out of the gorge. We ate lunch under a wooded shelter, since it was still raining. We luckily were able to go to the woodcarvers early. I enjoyed a nice cup of coffee in a heated room at the cafe next door. I was so thankful for the fire! After the hour spent at the woodcarvers and the cafe, it was time to head back to the chalet. I lead the hike. Two guests and I decided to kick back a rock all the way to the chalet. It was a lot of fun playing 'rockcer.' And we managed to only replace one rock, as Pumba Senior (the rock), fell off the side of the mountain. I got back to the chalet relatively early, so I had some time to relax and what not. We had the weekly campfire meeting and then it was dinner time. I was in charge of the fire for campfire again, so I smell like campfire. =) I even had to go collect some more wood during the campfire, and I ran to the tool shed and slipped in the mud on my way there. I know have a huge muddy patch on the back of my rain pants. It was still fun falling in the mud and rain. But, I kept the fire going and the campfire program went well. We even got to making English S'mores after campfire, with English biscuits! It was yummy, yummy. It was a good day, but I am going to bed because I am working guest services tomorrow and it is a change over day. Therefore, I am going to be very busy. (I did not proof-read this post, apologies).

28/7/10

It was a town day for programme and I was off to Interlaken. I woke up early in the morning to make the Trummelbache Falls picnic box. I ate breakfast and packed some snacks because Elaine and I were planning to get Chinese food in town. We were first off to the chocolatier. I opted not to partake in the show, because the strong smell of chocolate is overwhelming at times. We then boarded the bus, dropped off the rafters and then headed to the falls. It was only a 20 minute journey to the falls and the steep, vertical, rocky mountains throughout the valley were beautiful. There was even a snow-covered mountain in the distance. We got to the falls and had a picnic lunch outside. We sent the guests into the falls and then I took a rest outside laying underneath the trees. It was nice to just relax for about 45 minutes. I then prepared cold and hot drinks as well as cake for the surprise picnic for the guests. They enjoyed the juice, hot chocolate and fruit cake. It was then time to head back to the bus to go back to Interlaken. Once we got there, we had exactly two hours in town and then it would be time to head back to board the bus and go home. Elaine and I went to the Chinese restaurant, but when we got there they were closed. The restaurant was closed from 2:30-6pm, how crazy is that. Although I was excited for chinese food, I opted to just eat a sandwich instead. By then, we had time to go the grocery and then head back to the bus. It was a nice day, but I was very tired from hiking to Kandersteg and staying up late from the Circus. We had an indoor games night for evening program. The game was to re-create chalet museum exhibits, the girls had lots of fun making tea party sets, old scout uniforms, Falk's snow shoes and chalet flags. After evening program, I was very tired and shortly went to bed.

27/7/10-Bunderspitz/Kandersteg.

Goal of the day: Hike to Bunderspitz and then over to Kandersteg. Check. =) We started the day early because we had to be back in time for the circus in the evening. My roommates, Kate and Susan, and Elaine and I all started our adventure at 8:30am. We hiked up to the cheesemakers hut to meet Emma. It took us an 1.5 hours to get there, altitude 1755m. Our next journey was to reach the peak of Bunderspitz. It took us  almost 3 hours to reach the peak which was 2546m high. We even saw snow along the way and took photos and I managed to fall, so my pants were nice and muddy from that. It was a steep path to the top and I could definitely feel the air get thinner as I continued to climb. But, we made it to the top. We even ate lunch right on the peak =). We had the peak all to ourselves. It was very cold at the top and I was freezing just sitting there eating my lunch. So, we took some photos and signed the guest book and then we were off for our 3 hour decent to Kandersteg. Kandersteg is the valley right next to the valley that the chalet is located in. It was very cloudy at the peak and for some of the way down to Kandersteg. But once we reached a semi-flat part, the view was absolutely stunning. The mountains were much steeper and rockier with trees all around. A picture does not justify the view, it was phenomenal. Our last part down which took about an hour was incredibly steep and slippery. There was literally a stream running through the path with rocks and mud galore. This made the descent somewhat challenging. But, we made it to Kandersteg. The path ends at KISC, Kandersteg International Scout Centre. We did not have time for a tour because we were hungry and had to get back to the chalet. We met Koka, Moushira and Megan at KISC and then we were off to dinner. The group had decided that it was Pizza and Beer time. We hiked a long way, so we definitely earned it. Koka gave us a ride back to the chalet. I enjoyed a nice hot shower and then got ready for the circus. We walked to the Circus Monti in Boden which is about 30 minutes away. It was a very nice evening. But, looking back on the day I realized that I challenged myself. I feel very accomplished and proud that I completed such a crazy hike, but I was very glad that I did it in the end. Well, after a long day and night, I am off to bed. Goodnight all. (I'll post pictures once I upload them to my computer!!)

26/7/10

I was off to Thun for the day. I started the day with breakfast, coffee and morning meeting. After boarding the bus, our first destination was Niesen. We road the funicular train up to the top, it was very cold at the peak, about 3C, which is 37ish F. Elaine and I ordered hot drinks at the restaurant and decided to hang out inside for the time spent on the mountain. When we first arrived to the top there was a view of the mountains around us, but within half an hour a cloud rose to the top and we were enclosed. Then, there was no view at all, which is why we decided to stay indoors. After hanging out on Niesen, we road the bus to Spiez so we could catch a boat. It was very sunny and quite warm in Spiez, I was wishing I had shorts, but oh well. Elaine and I rode on the boat for an hour all the way to Thun. We walked around Thun, went to the grocery store and wandered for an hour. We wandered through the old town and then up to Schloss Thun, the castle of Thun. It was a 20 minute climb up the stairs to the castle. But the view was very pretty and inside the castle was nice. I really enjoyed walking through the castle and learning about the history of Thun and the history of the castle. There was even a cool pottery collection in the cellar. After wandering around the castle and the grounds and the gardens, it was time to head back to catch the bus. We got ice cream bars with nutella in the middle to-go and we were off back to the train station area. We boarded the bus and were off to the chalet. After dinner, evening program was the twilight hike. Elaine, Susan and I lead the hike to Bunderfalle and when we got back to the chalet we served the guests hot chocolate. Yum! It was a good night. Tomorrow, I have the day off and I am hiking to Kandersteg, which is the next valley over its about a 7hour hike!!! Ciao.

25/7/10

Adventure day to Elsigenalp. Elaine and I went together on the low-road. After some mild confusion with groups switching, we made it to Elsigbach at 11:25. We boarded the 11:30 gondola and arrived at the alp in just 5 short minutes. We ate lunch outside of the restaurant, but it was colder at the top, so Elaine and I decided to go inside. We ordered hot drinks and relaxed inside for about an hour or so. It was nice to have a break and talk about life. Three other staff members joined us after they went for a swim in the lake, I opted not to partake in that adventure. It was then time to hike back down the mountain. It took exactly an hour to hike down. I took photos of the scenery, nature and flowers. I enjoyed the walk down although my knees were hurting a little bit. When we go back to Elsigbach, the bus was not there. It was actually delayed 45 minutes which was very odd. And during the middle of our scary venture down the hill, the back door of the bus opened, I nearly had a panic attack. And for some odd reason, we switched buses at the bottom of the hill, which normally never happens. But, for whatever reason, we did. We made it safe and sound back to the chalet. And I even updated all my blogs! I will post pictures later. I am off for the evening so after dinner I can relax and plan for my next days off =).

24/7/10

Adventure park and climbing wall day with ELAINE! I am on program for this event and I am finally on an event with Elaine, which is exciting. It was another rainy day in the Swiss Alps. And due to the weather, we headed to the indoor climbing wall in town. We walked the steep road up to town and finally made it to the climbing wall. The girls were excited to climb, which is exciting for me. They climbed for a few hours and then Peter, an Alpen-Schule staff member, held a climbing competition. The girls split into teams and had to each climb and belay once and the first group to finish won the competition. Watching the game was a lot of fun and the girls really seemed to enjoy it. They even had an individual rope-ladder competition that was timed. The fastest girl climbed to the top in 48 seconds, it was crazy. It was then time to walk to the adventure park to enjoy lunch....in the rain. But, as a prepared girl scout I had all my necessary rain equipment. We ate lunch outside and watched some girls jump off the bridge. After lunch we started the adventure park, we did the training course, the zip lines, repelled down the bridge and did the high ropes course. At the end of the high-ropes course there is a part with wooden planks that you can walk across with no hands. I had already walked across with no hands, but a staff member challenged me to walk backwards without hands. So I daringly tried. I succeeded for about 5 steps but then fell off and went backwards and upside down until my safety lines caught me. It was actually a lot of fun and now my challenge next time is to be able to walk across backwards with no hands. After that it was jumping off the bridge time! It is my absolute favorite thing to do at the adventure park. After everyone who wanted to jump off the bridge finished, it was time to head back to the chalet. It was not raining for our walk back home, which was nice. We made it safe and sound back to the chalet. Elaine and I re-did the Swiss game pieces when we got back and now they are nice, new and laminated! It was Swiss Night for evening program and this time I was in the kitchen preparing the surprise chocolate fondue. The guests always love that surprise =) And with that being said, it was a good day in the office. ...I even went to bed just after 11pm!

Peace, Love & Harmony. ~Mel

23/7/10

It is the seventh event of the summer season. It is on-site day, so today the guest services bunch and the program bunch swapped days. Therefore, I was on guest services for the day. I helped with the tail-end of breakfast. We finished cleaning up in the kitchen before opening ceremony at 9am! We then had opening ceremony in the rain, but that was okay. The event was officially announced open. Next was coffee and morning meeting. Susan and I volunteered to be in the kitchen to help Jenny with the BBQ lunch. We sliced bread and tomatoes, and prepared the lettuce and cheese. I re-filled the condiment bottles and got other things ready for the BBQ. Susan and I worked relatively fast so there was lots of 'wait' time, so I decided to refill the dry breakfast food items, etc in order to keep myself busy. I did not want to be bored, because I was feeling tired. BBQ lunch was a success and I even got a veggie patty, =) sometimes I would rather have the veg option than Bratwurst.  We cleaned up and then it was break time. I decided to take a nap on my break since I was tired from the night before of barely any sleep. I was semi getting sick and I think it was because the drastic change in the weather, it was 14C today, it was crazy and cold! I woke up from my nap, well Susan woke me up, and then headed to the kitchen for dinner preparation time. We were making chili, rice, salad and donuts (frozen originally) for dessert. After dinner, we breezed through cleanup and were done just after 8pm, which is record timing. Wahoo a nice evening off. I even got to go to bed before midnight, success! It was a good, but very rainy day at the chalet.

22/7/10-Liechtenstein.

Today is the infamous change-over day, and I had the day off. I was originally planning to go scootering and hiking, but due to the weather I decided to travel. I woke up around 8:30am on my own and decided I wanted to go to Liechtenstein. I went into Emma and Elaine’s room and woke up Elaine. She seemed interested in the idea, so she woke up and came with me on our journey to the very small country. We hopped on the bus at 9:54 and made it to Liechtenstein by 2pm. We meandered through the capital of Liechtenstein, Vaduz. We decided to go straight to the tourist office for a map of the city. I even got my passport stamped, horray my second stamp! Our next stop was the prince’s castle, Schloss Vaduz, which dates back to the 12^th century. The interior is not open to the public because the prince and his family still live there. It is about a 20-minute venture up the hill to the castle which overlooks the city. It was a hot day, but seeing the exterior fortress was worth it. Elaine and I even took a picture at a spot, which overlooks the town. We walked back down to the main street, Stadtle. The street was wide covered with grey slate stones. The country is famous for its stamp production, which generates about 25% of the countries income. So, we visited the Postmuseum. It was a free museum that had exhibits about the history of the postal service system. It displayed how stamps were made, how mail was carried, the different mail boxes and even bikes and lanterns. It was a very lovely museum. I even bought some postcards and stamps while I was there. We then went to the post office to send a few postcards from Liechtenstein =). Next, we went on a souvenir shopping hunt to find more postcards, stamps and flags. We walked in and out of stores to try and find the best deal. It was really nice that all the shops were so close, so we did not have to walk that far. We did not have time to stop for lunch, so we decided to meander the town to look for a place to eat. We decided that pizza and grapes would satisfy our hunger. We ate outside of the town hall, Rathaus. Vaduz was a very small, quaint town and it did not take long to explore. After we were done eating and exploring, we went to Coop to get dinner on the go for the later train ride. And, we even bought a beer from Liechtenstein. After our final stop at the Coop, we headed for the bus to go back to Switzerland and to continue our journey home. The mountains were different to those of the Bernese Oberland, they were still gigantic, but just looked a little different. I could tell that in the past a glacier had moved through the valley that we were traveling. The landscape, scenery and lakes were very pretty from what I saw when I was not sleeping. I thought to myself that I was glad I spontaneously took an adventure over to another country, a very small one at that. All and all it was a good day off. And we even got a ride back up the hill from Christoph =).

21/7/10

It is the last day of program, well this program that is. I woke up this morning and I was very tired and did not want to get out of bed. Finally 10 minutes after my first alarm went off, I arose. I changed into my staff uniform, filled my water bottles and packed my backpack for the day. I made my way downstairs and then went to the kitchen veranda to pack my lunch. I returned to Stockli and oh joy I had 3 minutes until morning meeting. I brought my bowl of cereal and coffee to morning meeting. I was really moving like molasses. Morning meeting went well and Jane and I were off to the woodcarvers in the morning and then abseiling in the afternoon. I really don't like taking the woodcarvers route to the woodcarvers because there are lots and lots of stairs you have to climb until you get to the semi flat part of the hike. Anyways, I made it alive and well to the woodcarvers and then I enjoyed a piece of lemon cake at the cafe next door. We ate lunch by the river under the trees in the shade. Next halt was the beautiful gorge. As I was repelling down the gorge, I enjoyed hearing the water whisk away into the distance. It was a very loud water sound and somewhat peaceful. I hung out at the bottom for about an hour and a half. All the guests really seemed to enjoy the scenery in the gorge, it really is stunning. It was time to walk back to the chalet, and I was really hoping it would rain so it would cool off. And about 3 minutes into our journey, the rain began. We had to put on our rain pants/long pants to go through a foresty party to avoid getting stung by stinging nettle. We required that the guests but their hands in the air and trek down the muddy forest. It was a fun adventure. When we were nearing the chalet, the rumbling thunder began and the rain fell a little harder. I did not bother to put on my rain jacket, since the cool rain felt very nice as it fell upon my skin. I made it back to the chalet, again safe and sound. I had an hour to relax until our campfire meeting. I took the time to update my blogs, etc. It is the closing campfire ceremony tonight. I have the day off tomorrow to hopefully go scootering and hiking to Otterealp =) Peace, Love & Hugs. ~Melanie

20/7/10-Locarno.

It was very early in the morning when I arose. I am sunburned from the previous day, so I debated getting up to go to the warmest city in Switzerland. The forecast for the day was a high of 31C, which is very hot. Although, I then convinced myself that we were going to my favorite canton in all of Switzerland, the canton of Ticino. I turned my alarm clock off, gathered my clothes and went to the restroom to get ready for the day. I had to make it to the bottom of the hill before 6:54am, and I did not want to miss the bus. I was going to Locarno with Moushira and Jenny, but they would meet me on the bus at the next stop. I left the chalet at 6:30, which gave me enough time to grab breakfast and coffee at the store just next to the bus stop. Thank goodness they were open. I boarded the bus that made its way down to Frutigen. Next stop was Brig and then the small Italian city of Domodossola. The train from Brig to Domodossola was going to Milan, so the seats are reserved, therefore the three of us had to sit/stand in the connecting part of the train since we did not reserve our tickets and we just needed to get to Domodossola. On our itinerary there was no platform from Domodossola to Locarno, so we were curious to see where the train would be. We saw signs to Locarno and made our way through the underground part of the train station. We boarded a relatively small train, at least I have never been on a train of that nature. While we were leaving the train station, an announcement came on by a train employee and apparently we were oh so lucky to board a train with a ‘panoramic view’ aka larger windows. And because of this view we had the privilege to pay an additional two francs. It was an interesting concept to me as most trains already have fairly large windows and I have never been asked to pay, but it was required. We arrived in Domodossola at the platform Locarno FART, which I have no idea what that means. We walked up the stairs and finally were exposed to the city, the sun, and many people. We were walking along to find the tourist center, but first came across the funicular train stop for the Santuario della Madonna del Sasso. The church is situated on a wooden crag about 350m high. It was founded in 1480 after a friar repeatedly saw a vision of the Virgin. The view of Lago Maggiore was very pretty from the church. But due to construction and renovation, the church itself was not open and therefore we only got to see the chapel, the courtyard and some hallways. It was a very beautiful, Italian style church, with a deep yellow color and Spanish tile roofs. Next stop was the tourist center and lunch. We ate at a lovely Italian restaurant right next to the water. I ate a pizza all by myself. It was yummy. I really wanted to go to the botanical gardens, so we boarded the boat to go to the only island on Lago Maggiore, Isole di Brissago. The botanical garden contains Mediterranean and subtropical flora and other various plants and flowers from all around the world. It was not a very large garden, but I enjoyed walking around, taking photos and enjoying the views. I saw plants and flowers that I have never seen before, which really amazes me. Time in the gardens allowed me to take a minute to relax and think about the pure beauty of Switzerland. I really enjoyed my walk through the gardens. I boarded the next boat back to Locarno. The villages and towns along the lake have a very Mediterranean style and are very picturesque. I enjoyed the relaxing boat ride. I also saw many people swimming in the lake and laying out on the so called ‘beach.’ Once we were back on shore, we walked over to the Piazza Grande, which is the main square. There were many shops, department stores, fruit stands and gelato stands. I then walked up the windy cobblestone path to the Castello Visconti. It was a medieval castle designed by Leonardo di Vinci where the dukes of Milan lived. It was very pretty but since it was after 5pm the inside was closed. I then wondered to the old town while Moushira and Jenny did some shopping before our train departed. We all met at the train station. I had just enough time to grab a to-go anti pasta salad for dinner. It was very good since we were in the Italian part of Switzerland. We then began our journey back home and 4 hours and 20 minutes later, I was back at the chalet. It was a very good day. I love Suisse Italy. =)

19/7/10

The internet went out again in Stockli house, which is why my posts are delayed. Today was an adventure day to Elsigen. I was leading the high-road group which is about a 3 hour hike to Elsigenalp. I had only gone on this hike once before, so I was somewhat nervous about messing up. Emma also came but she has never been on the high-road before so she would not be able to help. During the hike, there was this point where the road split and the sign had two options for the direction of Elsigenalp. I went the way I felt most natural but for 15-20 minutes I was kinda nervous that I had gone the wrong way, until I recognized a large barn. Thank goodness I was on the right path. We got to the top in 2 hours and 20 minutes....and later I found out my pace was too fast for some of the guests, well leaders mainly. We enjoyed lunch by the lake. The vollies layed in the sun and swam for a few hours. Then, Emma and I led a hike up to the glacier lake that is 30 minutes away. Since it is at a higher altitude, the lake is slowly evaporating and it was much lower than when I had seen it last. Anyways, after our glacier lake adventure it was time for an afternoon gelato snack. Some of the guests also got ice cream. Then we all headed to the gondola station to ride down the mountain to meet the bus which was our ride home. Horray, we did not have to hike anymore. We boarded the bus and continued a very scary journey down the mountain. We made it safe and sound to the chalet, or I wouldn't be writing my blog. We had sweet & sour chicken for dinner, which is my absolute favorite chalet dinner meal. For dessert, we had blackberry and apple crumble, yum yum yum.  We even have the guests sing Lesley's infamous crumble song before dessert is served, we all put our spoons to our forehead and sang the song. It goes "Oh what a lovely crumble, oh what a lovely pud, oh what a lovely crumble, tastes like a good crumble should, yum yum yum, oh what a lovely crumble, oh what a lovely pud." After dinner and dessert, we hosted the WAGGGS Centenary game for evening program. The guests that came truly had a lot of fun. It was a good day at the office. =)

18/7/10

I had the day off again! And I decided to sleep in and have another lazy/relaxation day. I woke up just before lunch time. I had a very large bowl of pasta for lunch. I then went back to Stockli house to hang out and relax for the rest of the day. At 4 o'clock, it was tea time. Jenny baked a wonderful chocolate cake and all of staff enjoyed hot and cold drinks and cake! Emma and I both watched the Unit, and now most of Stockli is addicted to the show. We walked to town because we wanted to go have a cheeseburger for dinner instead of Raclette bake. It was a very lovely evening and the lighting on the mountains was picturesque. After dinner, we walked back up the hill to the chalet and I was ready for bed. I was able to meet Kate's (my roommate) parents, since they are here on holiday from the UK. It was a very nice and relaxing day.

17/7/10

I was off for the day since Emma and I were scheduled to hike Bunderspitz in the evening. But, do to the weather the Bunderspitz trip was called off. It was a very stormy and rainy day at the chalet. So I spent the day watching movies and the Unit. I was hoping that the rain would come to a halt so we would still have the chance to go at least half way. But, it did not and it continued for most of the night. Oh well, I still have a chance to go in August. I had a very lazy day due to the weather which was nice since I needed the sleep. After the day of rest, Emma, Susan and I went to Adelboden to go out and socialize. It was a fun night and we danced alot!!! Good bye =)

16/7/10

Emma and I were in charge of leading a group of girls from North Carolina and Maine to the climbing wall and adventure park. We started our morning with an hour hike to the adventure park, we got the appropriate equipment then headed to the climbing wall. It was a very hot day already and at some points I was feeling light headed, so I drank an entire water bottle when we arrived. I was feeling much better, luckily I packed about 2L of water. We spent about 3 hours at the climbing wall and all of the girls really seemed to enjoy climbing. I helped belay girls so that everyone had multiple times to go up the rock. We then enjoyed lunch by the river. We started the adventure park at 2pm. Luckily the adventure park is somewhat shaded by the trees so it wasn't as hot as the climbing wall area. After the girls repelled, zip lined and did the high ropes course, Emma and I got to jump off the bridge! It was my favorite part! And when Emma was coming down from the swinging part of it, the instructor and I were splashing her with water, then he pushed me in the river and lowered Emma into the river. We had a water fight in the river and we were all soaked from head to toe. It was nice to cool off though, since it was such a hot day outside. We had Swiss night for the evening program, which is one of my favorite nights. Fritz played is alpen horn, we sang a swiss german song, we had the William Tell play about Swiss independence and had the Swiss Jeopardy game with chocolate fondue as a surprise prize. It was a fun day. I am off on Saturday because I am hiking to Bunderspitz and watching the sunrise on Sunday morning. =)

15/7/10

Program. Program. Program. If you did not get the memo, I am back on program! Today, we had the opening ceremony for the new guests that arrived yesterday. Agus and I helped with campfire cooking all day. Therefore, I smell of campfire. It was a lot of fun, and I finally was able to try something new. We taught the girls about building fires, fire structure types and fire safety. The challenge was to build a fire and to break the string that was attached to the fire burning bucket. They were given 4 large pieces of wood, 2 knives, 2 gloves and 1 match. If they needed another match, then the groups would have to sing a song all together to receive another match. It was a challenge since many girls have never built a campfire with just one match. After they were able to light a fire, we gave them a flour dough mixture and then they were able to cook over the fire. It tasted like a version of a bread biscuit, but it was very good. The day was lovely although at times it smelled of cow manure. After 3 sessions of campfire cooking, it was time to eat dinner. Evening program this evening was International Night. The skits, songs and games were very entertaining. During the SWAPs session after the event, I have managed to acquire many silly bracelets. All and all it was a good day at the chalet.

14/7/10

I woke up at 5am and walked about 4 minutes to the train station, I grabbed a café and a freshly baked pastry and then boarded the train. I woke up extra early because I did not want to miss my train back to Adelboden. I slept virtually the entire way to Frutigen. I arrived at Oey, the bus stop, at 8:20am; I walked up the hill, changed for work and went straight to the kitchen. I drank another cup of coffee and morning meeting and then the daily house chores began. During the break, I had the urge to complete some staff challenge points. I therefore cleaned all of Stockli house by myself, it took me about 2 hours, it was very dirty. Horray I earned more staff challenge points. After dinner clean up, I briefly checked email in the office since that is the only internet location. Emma, Jane, Elaine, Susan and I all had a games party in the tent to earn more staff challenge points. After our card games, I was finally very tired so I went to bed. I am working a half day tomorrow and I need to be rested. =)

13/7/10

I woke up at 5am and walked about 4 minutes to the train station, I grabbed a café and a freshly baked pastry and then boarded the train. I woke up extra early because I did not want to miss my train back to Adelboden. I slept virtually the entire way to Frutigen. I arrived at Oey, the bus stop, at 8:20am; I walked up the hill, changed for work and went straight to the kitchen. I drank another cup of coffee and morning meeting and then the daily house chores began. During the break, I had the urge to complete some staff challenge points. I therefore cleaned all of Stockli house by myself, it took me about 2 hours, it was very dirty. Horray I earned more staff challenge points. After dinner clean up, I briefly checked email in the office since that is the only internet location. Emma, Jane, Elaine, Susan and I all had a games party in the tent to earn more staff challenge points. After our card games, I was finally very tired so I went to bed. I am working a half day tomorrow and I need to be rested. =)

12/7/10- Paris!

Paris Paris Paris.

Today I woke up and again walked around the Notre Dame, there were many tourists waiting to go in the Notre Dame so I opted to just take photos from outside. The architecture in Paris was so beautiful and it even reminded me of some Switzerland cities I visited in the ‘French’ area. Paris is a city filled with history. I learned that the gargoyles on the outside of the Notre Dame were built to drain the water from the roof since their mouths were open and had openings to let the water drain. I then went to the Montparnasse area and I bought an umbrella since it was forecasted to rain. I even got to see a French university and it was so pretty. Grace and I went to one of her favorite crepe shops so we got a crepe to eat for lunch and it was very good. I wish I had a crepe to eat right now. The nutella crepes were only 2 Euros, the food is much cheaper than the food in Switzerland. After our lunch, we rode the metro to the Eiffel tower since I wanted to maybe climb the tower, but the line was unbelievably to long, and I did not want to wait in that line. Our next stop was Montmarte, it is Paris’ highest elevation, and it once was a farming community with windmills all around. It was a very quaint and pretty part of Paris, with small roads and alleyways, tourist shops and beautiful scenery. At the top, you can see mostly all of France. We then walked over to the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur. It has gleaming white domes that tower over Paris like a church of the 12^th century. We walked inside the church and then walked the 326 steps up the tower. The view from the top was pretty phenomenal; there were many buildings and houses crammed all around. You could even see the Eiffel tower in the distance. I actually preferred to see the Eiffel Tower in the distance versus walking up the actual tower. The view was pretty cool, but it is hard to tell what specific things are in the distance since I am not that familiar with Paris. We enjoyed gelato as we were walking around the streets. I even got some souvenirs. There was even an artists square with artists painting and selling their paintings. After our Montmarte adventure, we headed back to see the Arc de Triomphe. It is  the largest triumphal arch in the world; it is 161 feet high and 144 ft wide. The arch was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 and there are hundreds of names of generals who commanded troops in Napoleonic victories. The arc is located at the western end of the Champs-Elysees. Champs-Elysees is the main boulevard of Paris filled with designer shops, many people and shopping galore. After our journey down the Champs-Elysees we reached the place de la Concorde. It is an octagonal traffic hub built in 1757 to honor Louis XV and it is one of the world’s grandest squares. There was an Egyptian obelisk which was carved in 1200 BC, the oldest man-made object in Europe, and was presented to France in 1829 by the viceroy of Egypt. Our next stop was the Jardin des Tuileries. It was filled with statues and chairs to relax and enjoy the scenery. We continued down the path until we reached the Musee du Louvre. We did not go inside, but the gardens outside were beautiful. I even had a picture taken with the glass pyramids in the background. There were gypsy women all around, I was warned to ignore them; they ask if you speak English to try to sell you various things or what not. My friend, Rene, told me that she got approached by a gypsy and got asked if she lost a ring, Rene said no but the gypsy gave here the ring and said she can keep it, then demanded that Rene pay her 2 Euro for the ring. So, I just ignored anyone who asked me if I could speak English, I felt rude but it was safer that way. We then rode the metro back to Grace’s house, so I could get my bag and then eat dinner before I had to leave. I was able to meet the family that she was living with, so that was nice. I even got to meet her roommate from China. It was a very long day and we accomplished a lot of sites to see, I was very pleased. We hopped back on the metro and went to the area of the train stop. We grabbed a bite to eat just before my train departed. I was off back to the land of the Swiss. I had one change over in Strasbourg. The train was 20 minutes late, and after I boarded it did not leave until another 40 minutes later. So arriving in Basel was delayed. I slept overnight, well a few hours, in a hostel, a all female mixed dormitory room, and then woke up at 5am to catch a train back to Adelboden. I was working the next day so I had to be back before 9am.

11/7/10-Paris!

I woke up early because I wanted to make sure I was not going to miss the bus or train for my journey to Paris. Luckily, I made it to Paris on time at about 1pm. The train ride scenery was wonderful, I got to see the yellow/wheat colored foothills and I even saw a few windmills. The view was somewhat tranquil and calming. I did sleep for some of the train ride as well. Grace (a friend from college) met me at the train station and we hopped on the metro and went to the Opera Garnier or place de l’Opera to go see a ballet. Although there are many sites to see, I actually enjoyed seeing a ballet, it was the same opera house where the Phantom of the Opera preformed. The ballet was called La Petite Danseuse de Degas. I have taken ballet since I was 3 and it was very nice to see a ballet in a foreign country, especially a French ballet. After the ballet, we went back home to where Grace lives. She lives in a ‘suburb’ of Paris, so I got to see what a French home looks like. It was small, condensed with many floors. We got a bagette on our way back to the metro stop. The metro system is very big and is probably the dirtiest part of Paris; sometimes the subways smell like urine and if you look around you may find the homeless man producing the odor. There were people playing music in the station, selling fresh fruit, or even women begging for money. It was definitely a city experience. And what I learned on many metro rides is that most Parisians are listening to their Ipod and looking very depressed, unhappy or pissed off. So, to fit in and not look like an American, I did not smile and I just stared at the ground so I would not make any eye contact with any creepers that were lurking about. It was actually kind of fun, Grace and I played along as being ‘French’ people. It was the final match of the world cup!! So in honor to celebrate, we went to the Eiffel tower and sat on the grass to watch the game on a huge big screen. When we switched lines to get on the metro line for the game, there were so many people walking in the station, it was unreal. When we boarded the metro to the park, we were literally stuffed with people, like sardines. We finally got to our destination and there were even more people. There were many people selling flags, blow horns, scarves and random trinkets from Spain and the Netherlands. There were also people selling stuff on the floor, mini Eiffel tower souvenirs, purses, hats and much more. I was flabbergasted as to how many people were already at the park, and we were about an hour early. So we ate dinner on the lawn and enjoyed watching the game from afar. It was a lot of fun because many fans were loud and crazy. Some fans even climbed trees to watch the game. And if I turned around I would at least see a couple making out, and that goes for all of Paris. After the game, we walked along the river and sat and watched the Eiffel Tower light up for the night. It was probably one of my favorite Paris moments. It was still very light outside and it was only 10pm. After it was lit, it then ‘sparkled’ and there was flashing/sparkly lights on the tower. It was very pretty. We celebrated Spains’ victory, we sat in the lawn, watched the Eiffel tower, watched many guests run and scream in celebration with Spanish flags all around. The vendors selling the Eiffel Tower trinkets would walk around and just come up to you and try to sell things. I learned that you have to ignore people to be left alone, because you never know what may happen. We were walking back to the metro and I got picked up by some random guy, thrown over his shoulder and after I screamed he set me down. I was fine, but I think he was very happy about Espanas’ victory. It was an interesting experience, and Grace just said ‘only in Paris.’ My friends Rene and Simone were in Paris and after they were done with dinner we met up to go out for Rene’s birthday. Although it was Sunday, there were still places open. She was staying in the medieval part of Paris. This part is where Paris was born.  On our way to the Latin Quarter, we walked by the Notre Dame Cathedral. It was very massive in size and the detail was beautiful. We went to a little café and enjoyed a glass of wine and talked the night away. We were all tired for some reason, so it was nice to sit and chat. I was even given a rose by someone as they were passing by, I never even saw their face. Anyways, we walked back along the Seine. Paris is the city of lights, and the view down the Seine River was very pretty. 

10/7/10

Although we went out the previous night, Susan and I were on the early breakfast shift. We actually had a very enjoyable early morning breakfast experience. After breakfast, we went to morning meeting and luckily Karen was the only senior staff member working. Karen is young so she enjoyed hearing about our shenanigans of the night. I vacuumed and mopped Main Chalet and then took a 30-minute catnap before lunch. I was very tired. After lunch cleanup, I took a 3-hour nap and woke up just in time for dinner preparation. I have the next two days off and I plan to go to Paris. I am very excited. After dinner cleanup, I went to the office to go print out my hostel and train ticket information for my 2-day holiday. I was very excited. But, as soon as I walked back to Stockli the entire server crashed and I was unable to access internet. Therefore, I could not research about Paris or update my blog. But luckily I had got the necessary information printed before the server crashed. I packed my bag for Paris and then went to bed as my train was leaving tomorrow at 7am. 

9/7/10

I gave a tour to a group of guides from Scotland in the morning. They were very lovely ladies and they were eager to learn about the history of the Chalet. I opened the shop after the tour and then the bell for lunch rang. We enjoyed another lunch outdoors. Jane and Emma built a tent while we were preparing for dinner, since we had planned to sleep in a tent/camp overnight. We wanted to earn more staff challenge points. After dinner clean up, some of the vollies wanted to go to Boden a town south of the chalet about 40 minutes away by foot. It was the annual ‘Schwingest,’ which is a wrestling festival. Therefore, they had tents, restaurants and events set up for the festival. We hung out at a barn that was turned into a bar. Elaine and I went over to the big white tent and saw a yodeling festival. It was a very fun night and there were lots and lots of people in Boden, which is a town that barely exists. We walked back from the festival and camped in the tent, it was great fun.

8/7/10

I was on the 8am breakfast shift. It was a normal day on guest services, I was in charge of laundry and doing the floors of main chalet. During the afternoon break, Christina, Jane and I went to town to get some snacks and such from Coop. It was very hot outside and my shoulders got a little bit sunburned. After dinner cleanup, I enjoyed watching some episodes of the Unit and then I went to bed. 

7/7/10

This event I am working guest services. I woke up to help with the late breakfast shift. It was opening ceremony for the new event, which began at 9am. We finished washing up in the kitchen and then it was morning meeting time. Today, I vacuumed and mopped Main Chalet. I took out the trash and recycling and did laundry. We had bratwurst and veggie patties for the BBQ lunch. And since it was sunny, we had lunch outdoors! After lunch cleanup, I had an afternoon break. I worked on some of my staff challenge points that I will hopefully get signed tomorrow. Emma and I are planning on building a tent tomorrow evening so we can camp and get more staff challenge points. We have to cook for 95 guests this event, so it does take some time to prepare dinner. I sliced ham and cheese for 2 hours, it was tons of fun let me tell you. I sat and enjoyed dessert on the veranda with Jenny after we finished dinner cleaning. It was nice to observe the beautiful mountain scenery. Emma and I even had a nice chat with Christoph about tent building. I then relaxed in my bed until I fell asleep.

6/7/10-Vevey/Montreux/Jazz Festival!

Its my day off!! Elaine, Agus, Jackie and I decided to all take part in an adventure. Our first stop was Vevey, a small quaint city situated on Lake Geneva. We walked around a bit and then decided to have lunch by the lake. We also went shopping as well. After spending a few hours there, we hopped on a train to go to Montreux. Our first destination was Castle Chillon, it is about 3km south of Mountreux and it was only a 10 minute bus ride. The castle dates back to the 12^th century and was in a perfect location on the water and tucked away in the mountains. It took about an hour and a half to walk through the entire castle; we saw prison chambers, dungeons, chapels, sitting rooms, dining halls, fortifications, watch towers and even a defense bridge. It was a very beautiful castle and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. It was even a little bit crowded by other tourists. After the castle, we took a boat across lake Geneva to Montreux. It was a beautiful day and the boat ride was lovely. We arrived in Montreux and I was ready to go see the Jazz Festival. It was the 44^th annual Montreux Jazz Festival and I was really excited to see live music. We walked along the river and there were lots and lots of market venues, shops and food. We finally got to the park and we were able to enjoy live music. It was very nice to sit down and relax for a few hours and enjoy some groovy tunes. We enjoyed bands from the USA, Switzerland and Australia. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed my day off and glad I was able to go to a music festival.

5/7/10

It was the final day of program and Susan and I were off to the Woodcarvers for the morning and then in the afternoon we were going to repel down a gorge. I have not been to the woodcarvers since training so I had to challenge myself and lead the hike by memory. I luckily knew where I was going…for the most part. The hike is a lot easier now than it was for the first time. It takes about 2 hours to get to the woodcarvers, it is downhill then across the road and then uphill. After the downhill portion, it took about 30 solid minutes to climb stairs and very steep hills, but once we got to the end, it was a flat walk to the woodcarvers, thank goodness. After the guests had time to browse and buy some wood items, we went next door to the Café to enjoy some Lemon cake. It was delicious, but it did ruin my appetite for lunch. After our mid-morning snack, we walked to go eat lunch at picnic tables by the river. It was very sunny and the weather felt great. After lunch, it was time for repelling down the gorge, horray. I went first so I had to go all the way to the bottom by myself. I was not nervous although some girls are scared to get to the bottom platform. I stayed at the bottom for about two and a half hours until all the guests finished repelling. I was wearing my rain pants and still managed to get them very muddy. Although it is bright and sunny outside, it feels like it is raining inside the gorge, especially at the bottom. After everyone was done, the staff allowed Susan and I to have a candy bar! I had peanut M&Ms. We walked back to the chalet, I did some laundry before dinner and then it was campfire for the evening program. The Australian guides gave me their sunhat; it has the Australian flag on it, I was very excited to receive their gift!! It was a very good day and I am very excited to go to Montreux for the Jazz Festival tomorrow!!

4/7/10

It was an adventure day today, and I had a very adventurous day. Susan and I led the high-route hike to Elsigenalp, and it only took us about three hours to get there. It was a very nice hike and it was not as difficult as I originally thought it would be. Our hike ended just by the lake, so we enjoyed a picnic lunch sitting on the rocks right next to the lake. Katie, a guest from Virginia and I, decided that we wanted to hike all the way to the top of Elsighorn. It was an additional hour and a half to get to the top. We met a very nice Belgium family on the way. We were kind of following them, since they too were traveling to the top. It took about 2 hours to get there, since we did not follow the path correctly and we hiked an additional 30 minutes, whoops. When we got to the top which was 2,341m high, and the view was so lovely. We saw Lake Thun, Niesen, Adelboden, Kandersteg valley and many more mountains that I do not know the name of. I have attached some photos of the lovely view. This morning, it was raining, but before we began our hike, the weather cleared. And by the time we were hiking back to Elsigenalp from Elsighor, the sun came out. It was the perfect weather to go swimming. We only had about 30 minutes to swim, since we had to take the gondola down at 4:30. The water felt great, and I finally was able to swim around! We then walked to the gondola, I was still wearing my bathing suit under my clothes so I was a little bit cold. We arrived at the base of the station and then waited for the bus to come pick us up. We went back to the chalet to prepare for evening program, which was games night and we played a PIRATE game!! It was so fun. The staff dressed up as pirates and then we had 3 minutes to hide and then the guests had to find us. I climbed up a tree and I was hiding very high up, so it was difficult for the girls to find me. I finally got bored after 30 minutes and climbed down so the guests could see me. I then only got found by 2 groups, horray I did not have to forfeit myself. It was a very fun game, and at the end the winning team had the chance to splash us with water. We had to 'walk the plank' and get hosed down in the process. This then turned into a gigantic water fight. It was tons of fun, and the guests loved to get the staff soaking wet. I was drenched from head to toe. After the water fight and mopping the main chalet building, it was shower time. After my shower, I enjoyed some all-American homemade apple pie to celebrate the 4th of July. It was made especially by 2 American volunteers =). I had a very good 4th of July. I am very tired, we have one more adventure day tomorrow and then I am off to Montreux for the Jazz Festival and to see a castle, yip-pay!