1/4th of a year

With my school I went to a monarchy the past three days . In the 12th grade my school organizes a special week for every class. For the ones who don’t study economic: a week, where they about economic learn in a practical way , and the ones who study economic go to a monarchy for a change. It is a little bit ironical but it does make sense.
Anyway. This tuesday my classmates and I headed off to the monarchy in “Engelberg” (middle part of Switzerland). We got separated from the girls after a stop at Luzern. Then we went on with our teacher right to the monarchy. After arriving and welcoming we went to our first prayer. In a catholic church, which was part of the monarchy, we stood on two sides faced to each other and read some psalms for about 20 minutes. It would be our first prayer out of nine with the monks. The rest of the afternoon we received our rooms and got some instruction from one of the monks.
We ate dinner with the monks in silence. No word was spoken. Only one of the monks was reading out of a book. At the end it was a little bit humiliating for me. He stopped reading and you could hear every single noise. Of course I was the only guy who was still eating. I could hear myself cutting my potatoes, drinking water and swallowing everything down. Really uncomfortable! Especially because I knew everybody was waiting for me and kinda looking at me while I still was eating. Thank God we had another prayer and I could apologize =D
The next day we had to get up at 5.00 AM!!! Not being a morning person, it was a really hard thing for me. At 5.15 the fourth prayer with the monks was on the schedule. Luckily the teacher informed us the day before that we wouldn’t have breakfast for another three yours, so I could get something to nibble before the prayer. This time the prayer was 45 minutes long. 45 minutes of standing without having breakfast before! Another great challenge for me. But I also succeeded over this great challenge!
After the prayer we had one hour quiet time for us where we could think about the prayers or sleep a little more. (I have to admit, I picked the second). After that we had a traditional catholic ceremony then finally breakfast!!!
During the day we went on a “spiritual hike”. Our teacher and a monk challenged us with questions about life boundaries, limits and what is important for us. The rest of the day we spent with praying, free time and in the evening going swimming. (The monarchy included a residential school with a pool.) We also had an interview with another monk. He told us about his time he spent in Kamerun, building up workshops and training the people there. He told us how important it is to have purpose to live and help the others us much as you can.
The next morning: 45 minutes prayer again. Then we got a tour through the whole monarchy: a really nice old library with reeeaally old books, a huge organ, prayer rooms, catholic church, huge baroque hallways, and stories about the Benedictines monks. All in all a nice tour through the whole area.
After lunch with the monks again it was time to go home. We spent three days there. It was a quiet time with a lot of time to think. Also we got a little inside in the life of a Benedictines monk. For me the prayers were really inspiring. They cut our day down, and give you a nice little break the recharge and stop thinking about work for a second. Maybe something I should do more.

Hello everybody!

Yes, I am still alive and I haven’t given up my blog. The last 4 weeks were just really busy for me. So busy that I couldn’t even update my blog.

So, you are probably asking yourself what did Raphy do in January? Well second of week of Januray I went to a snowboard camp! I got suspended from school for a week, which was really awesome! In that camp I got trained to a snowboard instructor. We stayed in a really nice hotel! Twin rooms with televisions, bath and shower included! I expected some military barracks with really uncomfortable beds. The whole week the sun shone, the snow was perfect and I just had a blast in that snowboard trainee camp.

Third week back in school! I had to catch up with all the materials I missed. Or better I should have. Still I had to study for some exams and write two essays: one about the city “Basel” and second a portrait of a teacher. The teacher one was actually fun to write.

Week four of January I got the chance to show off all my new learned skills in snowboarding. I went to another snowboard camp, this time not as participant but as a leader. My brother came along as a participant. Sadly he does skiing and not snowboarding. (snowboarding is way better…) Otherwise I probably would have been his instructor. The camp was a snow sport camp of my school. Every grade until the 12th grade has such a camp once a year.

I had a great time. It was fun to teach some younger kids of my school some snowboarding tricks. Only bad part about the camp: There was some kind of virus going around. About 85% of all kids got sick and had to throw up for a day. After having the virus 24h the kids were normally fine. Fortunately I didn’t catch the virus but my brother did. I am not telling you how many times he had to throw up that one night. It was just gross. But again, other than that, we had a great week!

Right now I have to catch up with a lot of materials and it seems like every teacher is just throwing around with test, exams, essays, books, and presentations assignments. So, right now I don’t see through the tunnel of school work, but I guess I will survive it. Since I have winter break in just one week!!!

Till then my motto is: Study or fail!

So, as the old readers probably noticed I am not posting as much as I used too! That has one simple reason: I am really busy right now. Am I really? I tried to put down some reasons and make a conclusion:

1. School

I have about 35 hours of school each week. That doesn’t sound like a lot. But I also have 11 classes. Sometimes, or better always, that results in a lot of homework, studying and other things that you have to do in your free time. The bad thing about school is that you can’t just come home and relax. No, you come home and study and do your homework. Or better you should be doing that… But I don’t need to tell anybody how stressful school is right?

2. Teachers

My teachers really like us. The want that we really learn something in their subject. So, each teacher makes his/her subject the most important one. But when you have 11 subjects that means you have to work in each class like it is your most important one. Does that even work? In my opinion not! My teachers also think pop test really encourage students to keep up with their material. For me this is just a bad sign that the teacher doesn’t know how to motivate his students right. Also they have the ability to let us write tests all at the same time! So one week I have about 8 test but then the other none. I think that could be worked out better.

3. Lack of motivation

It seems to be a down turn at the moment. After a great year like the one I just had, it is really hard to be back in the “real” world. To be back at your home court where many things have changed while you were gone. Also I see many thing in a different way and often not in a better way. I see how they could be improved, but I can’t help to do so. All those reason led to bad mood and that also creates stress because you can’t see through the huge pile of work you have to do.

4. Lack of doing what I should be doing!

I think this goes with point 3. Usually I am just not doing what I should be doing. When I should start studying for a test I go play the drums, When you should be doing my homework I go on my laptop and watch NBA-TV and when I should be reading a book a call a friend to escape from my duties. But this is not only with school things, also with other things I have to do… Then in the last moment I finally do what I should be doing. I guess this forth point should be called procrastination!

5. other activities

Besides school I am going to church, I play the drums and basketball, I create websites to earn some money, I have to clean the bathroom each week (I know, isn’t that horrible? ), I have a lot of other ideas for projects, I have this blog, and also I have to sleep! After coming home at 5 o’clock it can be really stressful going to practice come home really exhausted at 9.30 PM and still have to study and do some other stuff everybody has to do. But again this could all be worked out with a better planning and really doing what I should do.

6. Being really lazy!

I just have to admit, I sometimes am really lazy! Especially if I am not motivated,  I am REALLY lazy!

Conclusion:

I am just a poor kid who doesn’t have any bigger issues in his life then complaining about how busy he is. My stress basically results of procrastination (and teachers)! I am still in school, my adults wish they still would have school. When I think what other issues are going on on this planet, how people die because the have not enough food, people have to leave their homes because of war. I am just fastidious! Or my life is just too good and I really don’t have other worries. Please laugh at me! Because I am laughing at myself!