My Zurich Exchange Adventures: Home Again

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Friday 7/1 - I got up at 5 AM, had my last breakfast in my Swiss home, took a shower, and then promptly departed for Zurich Unique Airport. My emotions were mixed - happy to be returning to the Bay Area I love, sad to be leaving my host family and others from Switzerland. The saddness for some people stems from the fact that we know we're probably not going to see some of those people for years, if ever.

My attempt for an exit row seat at the airport failed so I was crammed into coach for 11 hours. The flights were uneventful. On the plane I read, listened to an audio book, caught up on some emails, and spent some time just thinking about the trip. When you are immersed in something so foreign and new, the transition of stepping outside of that and leaving is pretty intense.

Saturday 7/2 - Up at 3:45 AM, still on Zurich time, so I will post my concluding thoughts and reactions from the trip:

All the cliches about travel are true. It does open your eyes. It does force you to consider things in a new light. It does make you understand the benefits of a foreign langauge.

It made me grateful that I am an American living and working in San Francisco. People condone the American work ethic as nuts, but compared to the alternative I love it. Here at home, people dream big, work hard at school and at their jobs, and go on and change the world. In Switzerland, they work hard and change the world too....but my impresson of the European culture versus the American culture is that the students aren't as ambitious. Maybe because there's not a whole lot going on right around them (Switzerland is, after all, a pretty small country). Maybe it was a wrong first impression. But I love the fact that at my high school and the people I'm surrounded by all dream big things and then work their ass off to accomplish their gradiose ideas.

The trip affirmed how important it is for me to take one year off, at least, after high school to travel the world. I'm vulnerable in my lack of understanding of global cultures. I've read a lot about globalization, but until you see and smell it firsthand, it means nothing.

I will never forget this trip - a first time out of one's home country is always memorable. I am immensely grateful that this trip had so many positive memories. Thank you to everyone who made it possible. And thank you for following me on these adventures - this blog will now be more or less dormant.

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