Cellphones

So I think I'm going to have to buy a new phone when I arrive in Switzerland. I found this great website - Telestial - that sells international cellphones for fairly cheap. This is probably what I'm going to end up doing, or just buy one on arrival. Before I got my current cellphone, I probably wouldn't have worried about having a cellphone, but now that I have my own I feel like I would be missing out if I didn't have one.

But then again, I'd prefer to not spend a lot of money on anything, so we'll see...

Travel Ideas

It's interesting for me to think about where I want to travel on weekends when I'm in Switzerland. Hence, a (often-changing) list of places to go to (if possible):
1. France
Even though I've been to the Paris and Lyon areas, I would like to explore France a bit further, especially considering my love for the French language.
2. Italy
Ever the classic with tourists, I don't imagine that it would be too difficult to visit Italy. Venice should be pretty, and, as I'm into history, the old Roman/Greek ruins would be intriguing.
3. Armenia
I'm really not sure how feasible visiting this country is, but it sounds fascinating, and is actually very safe. It would be interesting to visit a (somewhat) Middle Eastern-type country.
4. Holland
Something about this region of the Netherlands draws me to visit it. I can't really explain it, but the Neutral Milk Hotel song "Holland, 1945" might have something to do with it.
5. Ireland/Wales
This would be a bit more expensive, so it would warrant a longer stay (spring break, perhaps?), but I love the land in these countries, and the large amount of castles are also a big draw.

More to come!

Update

I received my camera today! I then proceeded to fill up an entire flashcard. I think I shall have to buy one that can take more photos.

I also finally received my college email address. The only reason I am so happy about this is that I can now join the network on Facebook (if you don't know what I'm talking about/think I'm crazy, it's better off that way).

Will post photos once I can install the proper software.

Italian Lessons

It's official: I'm signed up to learn Italian this summer starting June 6th. It's going to be weird starting a course while finishing up my high school career, but I'm sure I'll manage. The best part is that I can find the $100 textbook online for only $40. That's quite a deal, if I do say so myself.

Also: getting Firefox on my mother's laptop was an excellent idea; I highly recommend it.

Camera Crazy

I've been worried about this for a while now: what am I going to do when I get to Switzerland and don't have a camera to document my life? My mother has a digital camera which I use right now, and I have one that is broken (not my fault, it's really old). So basically I have no camera to use over there.

But wait! There's more!

Last night I was looking online for some quality digital cameras that would last for a while and take really good pictures. I found what I was looking for in the Canon EOS 6.3 MP Digital Rebel. Yes, it was expensive (about $450 used but like-new), but I'm fairly certain it will be worth it.

I love photography and can take good pictures with a little point-and-click camera, so I figure, with this new toy I can take even better pictures, and it will survive for a long time.

Lugano (a preview)

Most people I've talked to about Switzerland 1) never knew that they even speak Italian in certain parts and 2) have never heard of Lugano or Ticino. For your edification, may I present the following:

A Guide to Lugano (a preview)

Lugano is located in the southern canton of Ticino, where Italian is spoken. There are roughly 53,000 inhabitants and it is the third largest banking city ("financial market") in Switzerland. It is located on the edges of the beautiful Lake Lugano. As I have yet to arrive, I'm going to hold off on writing more, because, well, I don't really want to be wrong.

Lots and Lots and Lots of Paperwork

Deciding to live in a foreign country, even as a student, involves a ton of paperwork. Not only residence permits and the like, but little things that you never thought you'd be worrying about.

Example: I just got a cellphone as a Christmas present from my dad. When I was in London during New Years, I took it along and it didn't work, obviously. So now I have to figure out whether I want to get a new cellphone over there (or over here), or whether I should just get a new card (? I'm not sure if that's the specific term) for my existing phone.

So, as you can tell, I'm a bit stressed.