Last few weeks!!!:(!!!:):):)

Well my last few weeks are approaching and I'm scrambling to see everything on my list before I leave.  Basel has been my home for the last 5 months and I definitely feel sad about saying goodbye.  I have learned a lot about myself during my stay and have met many new people.  Just yesterday the older lady (approx. 80 yrs old) said, "You must speak German, haven't you been here for a while?"  LOL.  This cracked me up because she actually expected me to learn German in 6-months.  Learning German is only one of the daily hurdles I face.  In addition, I need to calculate the exchange rate on the fly, convert the temperature, and adjust to the metric system:)  While in Basel I joined a gym called Crossfit which is sort of like boot camp.  Julia one of the grad students living in my building also joined which has helped keep me motivated.  She left this morning so we'll see how strong my commitment really is....  I completed my first Rhine Swim yesterday which was amazing.  You basically strip down to your bathing suit in front of everyone relaxing on the Rhine and jump in with your "special" bag.  The current is strong and very fast so it's important to pay attention where to get out of the water.  Being the little fishy that I'm, I decided to ditch my bag and flow with the current.  I learned my lesson because I almost crashed into a poll.  All is well and I was able to swim away to safety.   The water was freezing due to the rain from the past week and on again off again clouds. Many Swiss are appalled by the idea of swimming in the Rhine as many of the local pharma companies have been fined for illegal dumping.  Basel has gone to great lengths to restore the Rhine and it is absolutely lovely.  I HIGHLY recommend taking a dip if you are ever in Basel.