Full Circle

Best friends castling through Bellinzona!

I know I haven't updated this in awhile, and I'm very sorry for that! This past month absolutely FLEW by, and I was extremely, extremely busy. I finished my Independent Study Project with little to no stress, which is extremely unusual for me. I did, however, develop tendonitis in my wrists from all the typing, but I successfully wrote a 34 page paper, 45 pages with everything included, titled "The Smug Life: An Explanation and Evaluation of Human Smuggling and Policies in Europe." Personally, I'm almost proudest of my title. Naming papers is literally the hardest part of the entire endeavor BUT this time around, it was easy! I owned my 30 minute presentation and really ended the semester with a "BANG." I couldn't be prouder of myself, so I hope you all share these feelings.
So, here I am, with 24 hours left to go in Switzerland. It's a very, very strange feeling. Today, Jasmine and I went on our final run and had our final lunch of bread, cheese, and salami, and went our separate ways. I just said goodbye to my homestay family... so, so strange. Nothing has hit me yet!

Bellinzona, Ticino, Switzerland

I've been trying to figure out the best way to express the meaning I've taken from this experience as well as share my past few excursions- it's been an eventful month! I decided to ask myself the simple question: what did I get out of this experience? what did I learn? what am I taking home? Let me tell you- the list is not short. So, quit now if you have literacy issues.

Classic tourism, you know.

To begin- My trip to Ticino, the Italian part of Switzerland, with Jasmine. As you may recall, we were supposed to be heading to the Southern shores of Malaga, Spain, but thanks to the 26% unemployment rate, the Spainards finally exploded and a strike broke out. Of course, the airline we chose was a striking airline, so our flights were cancelled and we were forced to make other, non-Spanish speaking, vacation plans. In retrospect, I wouldn't trade it for the world. We began our tour in Bellinzona, a place known for its castles. After hours of exploring, the sun set, and with a handle of tequila and some Sprite, we went back up to the largest castle and drank the night away. Let me reiterate- we drank in a castle. In Switzerland. At night. For free. At this time, I had the stark realization that I had never felt so free in my entire life. Not a care in the world, just living in the moment. I hadn't realized for just how long I had been living in other moments, but I wanted to stand on the edge of that castle and scream to the world that I was finally free! Except, unlike in Titanic, the castle would not have a tragic ending. My movie is much more interesting. Of course, if I happen to be in a plane crash tomorrow, this post will be extremely ironic. Anyway, onward!  
We traveled to Locarno the next day and Lugano the next, and my sense of freedom continued. Nobody to answer to except myself, and nothing but laughs with my new best friend. What more could I ask for?

Fondue is feeling hot, hot, hot (you have to sing it)

Sacre Coeur, my favorite

Two princesses at our palace, Versailles 

Next came PARIS! I know, I've been there before. But this was redemption weekend. I was meeting my oldest AND best friend, Lisa, and was determined to have a weekend without a breakup, a cold, a tumble down the stairs, or the stomach flu. Because I am now a professional world traveler and can literally navigate myself flawlessly in almost any situation (this is not an exaggeration, it fascinates me but I ALWAYS get to where I need to go. Watch out Dora...), I arrived at my hostel at Lisa and my preplanned time of 7pm. Except, to my dismay, Lisa was nowhere to be found. I figured her navigation skills were not quite as fine tuned as mine, and just checked into the hostel and relaxed for about 20 minutes. 730... still no Lisa. I decided to go to the market next door and get some fruit (because I can't go 30 minutes without eating any) and a bottle of wine. I mean... when in Paris... right? I worked my.. wrists..? off working on that damn paper, and by god, I was going to drink a bottle of wine by myself if I had to. So, I sat on our balcony with my wine and plastic cups, and watched pedestrians until about 845, when I finally spotted little Leonard (my pet name for Lisa)! Our hotel was in Montmarte, my favorite area of Paris, so we went and ate at my favorite fondue place, and then went up to Sacre Coeur at night, because it's breathtaking at any hour.

Surreal life we're living, no?

The next day, we went to Versailles, and I have to say, I hope everyone who is reading this has stopped to think about how amazing the human race is. I will be the first to admit, I am as big a cynic as they come. Humans are stupid, humans make bad decisions, they are naive, they're destroying the world... etc. etc. BUT. Think about the Pyramids and the Sphinx in Egypt. Think about all of the churches that have been built all over the world with textbook perfection. Then there all of the painted ceilings, detailed architecture... all before modern technology. I also find it extremely ironic that even with our modern technology and building capability, people don't visit modern buildings, they visit old ones. New and improved structures aren't marveled at, the old ones are. Food for thought... Versailles is no exception. It's WAY too excessive for my taste, obviously. Velvet walls? Really, Louis? But really, it's incredible that something of that valor was constructed and maintained so long ago. It really boggles my mind. Anyway, after a day of delicious crepes and more exploring, we got another bottle of wine and headed to Sacre Coeur for the afternoon. I could have stayed there for hours, people watching and socializing with the various people who spoke English. No sense of time, nowhere to be. We eventually headed to dinner and then to the Eiffel Tower to see it sparkle in all its glory. Again, to reiterate- I casually went to see the lit up Eiffel Tower with my best friend for a Saturday night activity. I. Am. So. Spoiled.

Jackie, Jasmine, and I with about 20 Asian tourists. Best. Day. Ever.

I flew back on Sunday, after an extremely delayed flight... the airport lost our airplane. Really, though, I really don't understand that. Losing an airplane? I would think that a piece of machinery of that size would be a little bit hard to dislocate, but I stand corrected. The important part about that story is a) they found the plane, and b) I wasn't stressed or deterred by it at all. Confused, yes. Still don't understand it. But I knew I'd get home eventually, and that feeling is a feeling I've never really experienced.
During the week, I nailed my presentation... hooray for public speaking confidence. It's an extremely underestimated life skill!

Jackie and myself, reunited, once again! 

THEN, on Thursday, Jackie came to Geneva! I could not have asked for a better closing weekend. Everything really came full circle for me. On Thursday, we quite literally walked around Geneva for 3 hours, just exploring and relaxing, and enjoying the sights that I quite frankly hadn't enjoyed all semester. It's a beautiful, beautiful place. Thursday night was the program's final farewell drinks party... and a party it was. We were all EXTREMELY happy to be done with our program and were really letting it all hang out, if you will. I, in fact, told one of our professors that he reminded all of us of Gru from Despicable Me. Luckily, I'm super smooth and told him that it's a good thing and we will miss him every time we see it, but really Dana? I need to take my confidence down a notch sometimes, that situation could have been bad! He was a sport though, and he has children. So, I think in the end, he took it as a compliment. At least that's what I'm telling myself. The rest of the weekend was just as relaxed as the rest, and it really made me reflect on my experiences here and myself as a product of these experiences.
Here we go-

Cows mating... backwards. So confusing for all parties involved

This semester has changed my life. Everyone says that, but I really, truly, mean it. I say this all the time, but when I arrived here in January, I had a totally different picture of what my life would look like on this very day. Some people in this program are doing exactly what they thought they would, but my life totally took a 180 degree turn. No boyfriend, no Chicago, and a summer that is looking to be adventurous, action packed, and risk filled- a summer I never thought I'd have. I'm taking a nanny job, which is not glamorous at all. But want to know what? I really don't care. I've realized that life is about living, not about all the things you achieve. Yes- I will achieve great things. I have known for a very, very long time that I am destined for this. But the difference is, now I just don't feel the rush. My life needs to be about happiness and the relationships I have with people, as well as balancing what is important to me. Which, in the end, is my happiness. I look at my future with a giant question mark, but not a scary one. Big, open doors. I can literally do whatever I want.
I worked hard in school and have the grades and I have the passion, so I can go anywhere, do anything, and be whomever I want to be. I don't need to stay on the rigid path that I had carved out for myself. I can go wherever the wind takes me, and that is an incredible feeling.
I have to credit the people in this program for who I have become. Never in my life have I been around people who have made me feel more inspired, supported, and incredible.
The people in this program are some of the most good hearted, smartest, driven, and loving individuals I think I will ever meet in my entire life. I came into this program thinking I was just a mediocre honors student from CSU, not anything special... they were all Ivy Leaguers!

On Jackie and my neature walk. Swiss countryside, SO beautiful.

They very well could have let me assume this and exerted their assumed superiority over me, but they didn't. Instead, they reminded me every day how smart, beautiful, and special I was. People that I'd known for mere weeks were telling me on a daily basis all the wonderful potential they saw in me. I went through some hard times this semester, times that, at moments, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to recover from. But my classmates were there for me to pick me up and give me whatever I needed, and literally held my hand every step of the way. When I would cry, I had 27 shoulders to cry on, and 27 people promising they would kill someone for me if they needed to. When I raged about how stupid I was and how I couldn't compete, I had 27 people telling me that I brought something to the table that was my own, and I needed to own that and let my incredible talent shine. I had 27 people to laugh with, to eat with, to talk politics with.

Kavya! Oh, how I'll miss your precious face. 

I have never felt more myself or more uplifted and inspired. I found people with so much positivity I never thought it was possible, and people with so much love for the human race I restored my hope in the world. I developed new friendships, some of which are so strong, they have secured spots in my future bridal party (once I find someone who I decide is good enough to marry, of course). I have so much love for all of the people in this program, and I am positive I will cry my eyes out once this becomes real for me when I am home.
So, what is Study Abroad for me?
It's a new life. It's a new perspective. It's a new appreciation for all relationships in my life, including my friends old and new, and a new love for my family. It's new memories. It's a new best friend. It's new relationships with your old best friends. It's life. It's love. It's everything I ever wanted it to be, and I wouldn't trade my new life for the world.

The three best blondes anyone could have!

Life As We Know It

Happy April! 

Sam and I in Zurich

My life has been preeetty uneventful these past few weeks, as our independent study period gives us literally infinite amounts of free time. Free time that we are, of course, supposed to be using to write our papers, but everyone knows that doing things ahead of time is overrated. I kind of went on civil protest due to the fact that we are supposed to have a total of about 10 hours of interviews completed, and nobody in this godforsaken city wants to give me the time of day. I have sent out over 100 emails, have made over 20 phone calls, and have only received probably 10 emails back. SO irritating. Not only that, but some of the experts just flat out lie to me! One woman told me she was not an expert in the field of human smuggling and irregular migration... but, wait for it... I read a 312 pg PDF the day before that was authored by the same woman. That's okay, lady, I didn't want to talk to you either. Next time you decide to publish 312 pages of something on the internet and display your contact information, prepare yourself for the possibility that people might want to contact you and, you know, discuss the topic that you CLEARLY know a lot about. The other problem I've encountered is the fact that people here go on 2-3 week Easter vacations. Really!? Obviously they didn't get the memo that their vacation time is super inconvenient for me. However, despite some increasingly rude responses and the ridiculous amount of vacation time, I have had a few very interesting interviews that have me totally nerding out about school and my topic. Finally, some fire under my belly! 

The view from the Cathedral 

Last weekend I went to Zurich with Sam. As I think I've mentioned before, she is a Swiss citizen, so she has a large number of distant relatives in the country that she has been traveling around to visit. Thankfully, she was kind enough to bring me to meet her great uncle and great aunt in Zurich! 
Not a joke, I've never met more precious old people in my entire life. The couple, Marcus and Fleur, were about 80 and were more full of life than many people I know my own age. They were SO thrilled about our presence in Zurich, despite the fact that I wasn't even related to them, and promised to show us a FABULOUS day. First, they insisted on buying us a "proper" lunch. When we sat down, we realized they were eating, and were informed that "old people don't need lunch, we have years of fat stored up. Young people need to eat, eat, eat!" I mean... If you insist... 

The famous lake

Next, we walked around the Old City and Marcus and Fleur told us everything I could ever want to know about Zurich, as they had grown up there. We went to a cathedral, similar to the one in Geneva, and climbed all 60 flights of stairs... with Marcus! He took those stairs like a champion. Better than I did, I'm pretty sure. After the cathedral, we went to the Üetliberg, the tallest point in Zurich, where we could REALLY see the entire city. We climbed about 20 more flights of stairs, Marcus still in tow, and hiked up the mountain like champions. Switzerland is, without a doubt, the most constantly stunningly beautiful place I've been in my entire life. Later on, we met up with MORE of Sam's relatives, her mom's cousin or something, and had dinner at a beautiful restaurant. One thing I learned about my German roots? They LOVE meat. The more meat, the better. I had to hide my horror while reading the menu (the English version, of course... the German version looked like this: awia sdkngiwehg lswiurevnv mcsks hfhqo qlhsoidg je). SO MUCH VEAL. Veal kidneys, veal head, veal liver, veal ravioli, veal roast, veal sausage... I seriously was traumatized. So many dead baby cows. Luckily, I was able to settle for some pork. After dinner, we went back to Fleur and Marcus' house, a huge house in the Swiss countryside. 
However, my favorite part of the weekend was observing the way the couple interacted with each other. They still held hands, flirted, and joked around like they were teenagers. They told us stories about how they lived in Finland for a year and decided that when they moved back to Switzerland they needed a sauna (which they had in their house), and showed no signs of slowing down. Sometimes it's easy to think that a life like that is impossible to obtain and is a dream, but Marcus and Fleur proved to me that it is not. They were so in love, so happy, and so ready to take on the world, that I (naturally) became extremely philosophical and began to think about my life and the world around me. I want THAT for my future. Endless happiness, constant adventure, and a life so full of magic that I don't have anything negative to say. 

ALL of Zurich.

When I got back to Nyon, I was still in the middle of my philosophical thought process, and started to observe the people around me. I see people that are perpetually unhappy with their jobs and are constantly stressed, irritable, and tired. For what? To come home at the end of the day and barely talk because you're both so exhausted, and often fight? It doesn't seem like that would be a tolerable way to live. Then, I started to think even further. As I recently discovered that I can, indeed, create a state of happiness regardless of any situation due to the human brain's amazing capabilities, I started to wonder, it is even possible to blame anything but yourself for unhappiness? Some people blame their jobs, blame school, blame significant others... but we all literally have the power to change all of that. You don't like your job? Either find something you like about it, positive reasons to put up with it, or quit and find one you like better. Don't like school? You could drop out of school and work at McDonalds, or you can remember that you are privileged to have an education and one day will be a better person for the experiences and things you learned while you were at school. Don't like your significant other? Either you are perpetually unhappy with yourself and are taking it out on someone else, or you are dating someone really super lame. So, either change your mindset and change yourself, or stop dating a super lame person. Literally there is no excuse for unhappiness. Sadness, yes. But unhappiness? No. 
Then, there is this new "YOLO" trend. Personally, when I see it, it reminds me of a candy bar or something and makes me want to eat more chocolate. And, "you only live once" is a pretty valid saying, because to my knowledge we haven't quite figured out how to master death. I like it in the sense that I think it does push people to make changes in their life, like I mentioned before, that will make them happier, and take steps in their lives that they wouldn't normally take. I like that. I can use a little more adventure, you know? What I DON'T like, however, is people using the saying to act like complete idiots. 
"JUST CHEATED ON MY BOYFRIEND, OH WELL, YOLO!" "Just took 17 shots and woke up in a random man's bed, oh well lolz, YOLO!" "Got a girl pregnant and did coke last night... YOLO!" "Tonight I'm going to drag race my car down the street after drinking 8 beers and hope I don't die, YOLO!" 
No, you're dumb. The fact that you only live once does not mean that you should go around making decisions that could ultimately end your life, or decrease the quality of your life immensely. That, I would say, is extremely counterproductive. 

Marcus. Trying to be him.

My point, after this long rant, is this: life is always changing. I am in a place in my life that I literally did not think I would be in 3 months ago, and I could easily be upset about that. But I'm not. In 24 days I will leave Europe, and I could be depressed about that, but I'm not. I saw the epitome of what I want for my life in a darling, happy, 80 year old couple, and after observing the world around me, I wish that happiness upon everyone else. 
So if you don't care about anything else I have to say other than this- don't waste your life being a sourpuss. You will lose your friends, and probably even your dog will hate you. Be HAPPY! Always find the silver lining, and never settle. 
With that, I am confident I will be happy for the rest of my life, and I hope that all the people I love can be happy too. 
Adios, amigos!