Swiss X

I normally don't fret about things in advance, but I think I might have done it subconsciously last night, 'cause I woke up at five. Ok, I had put the alarm on six, but still, a whole hour before.

The day of my German test. We were to show up 8.30 at the absolute latest, bold text on the "invite". I, of course, being notorious for getting lost, left early and so was there at 8, thinking I could wait there having my sandwich. No go, was not let in the door, "we are still preparing, sorry you have to wait". A couple of degrees and snow/rain. Nice. NOT. And I wasn't alone. All fifteen of us were early, so when we finally were let in, we were all anxious to get started.

First up a hearing test. Not the one with electrodes involved, but to listen to German, then answer some questions. Only they couldn't get the tape running, to the point where it got to be embarrassing. For them. So we were shown to a waiting room (aha, so there was one after all), then waited waited waited. Finally they called a technician, and we got started on the reading test instead.

35 minutes set aside, and I was done after 15. Directly on to the writing exercise (a letter to a fictive boss about being sick, and when you'd be back bla-bla-bla), 25 minutes allotted and I was done in 10. And I double-checked everything. Two of us left.

Was talking to the fellow immigrant afterwards, and we were both flabbergasted over the level. It's almost like there is something hidden. This was way too easy! So much for googling the names of the Bundespräsident and Stadt Zürich Präsident this morning!

Finally after another hour of waiting we got to listen to a voice talking for a minute, then answering some questions (why they couldn't have read us the tape in the first place is beyond me but this is Switzerland, therefore there are rules). Four questions, the last one in Swiss German, and I might have missed one of the answers on this one.

Now, on the instruction sheet it says that the whole test will take 90 minutes, so I thought I'd be home at 11 this morning, and then I can celebrate.

Nope. We were done with the three first tests by 12, and now I have to go back in the afternoon for the last one. Oral examination, but not to check the condition of my teeth, but to test how I speak. One of the guys were lucky enough to have the test before we left (he claimed he had to work clever bastard), and he told me it was easy. To look at pictures and describe what you see.

When reading the conditions I can see that you have to pass 60% of each test, and if I don't do that I don't deserve to stay in Switzerland!