Sunday August 12 22:08

I woke up early to get to my train on time today. Agnes had breakfast ready for me, then we drove to the Bregenz train station to meet up with Mark (from California) and Emily (from Florida). We rode the train for 6 hours together and I got to know Mark and Emily pretty well, Mark is staying in Höscht (a town near Bregenz) and Emily is staying in Wolfurt (the bordering town to Schwarzach), After a half a year they will switch families. I learned today that after December I am allowed to travel by myself according to the local club’s rules. I may try to go on a trip with some friends, but probably not completely alone.  The whole train ride we could see mountains that dwarf the ones in Montana at every turn. After 6 hours we switched trains and headed toward Altmünster. The train ride was only for 10 minutes, but Mark, Emily and I were not ready for the doors to open and when our stop arrived we missed the door. We went to the next stop (Traunkirche), which was only 6km away, and tried to find a way back to Altmünster. The next train was in an hour, so Mark called Ingrid Zeller (a Rotarian at the camp) and she came to get us. She did not know the area very well and by the time she arrived we had almost got back on the train. Finally, after a 30 minute car ride due to traffic, we arrived at the language camp. We were the last to arrive and after we found our rooms, we went and met the other students over dinner. Afterwards we learned the rules of the camp and then got time to go visit the town. The lake, Traunsee, is extremely beautiful and the giant mountain across the lake and swans only made it more picturesque. We returned to the camp at 9, which is curfew, then went to our rooms. The actual courses start tomorrow, which I think will be difficult. I was interviewed, without my knowledge, on the car ride to the camp. I was asleep for most of the ride, so I will see what level of class they will put me in. I still don’t have a good Internet connection so I will have to wait until after camp to post these entries.