Before going to Switzerland back in February, I had never been out of the United States. Not even to Canada, which is just across the Detroit River from me. The US and American culture was all I really knew. So imagine just how bizarre it was to me when I could pick out who was American and who was European on my flight to Chicago just by how they were dressed and how they behaved.
During my four months, I visited a total of 8 countries and 12 cities. I met people from all over the world, from my roommate from Vancouver to a guy from South Korea who was traveling by himself throughout Europe for six months. It was difficult saying good bye to all my friends, knowing that for some, I don't know when I'll see them again. Everyone who lived in my building really became a family, all of us thrown together in an unfamiliar country, and it was hard knowing that, after living together for four months, we'll probably never all be together again.
But enough of the sappiness; I kept it together saying my goodbyes in St Gallen and I am going to keep it together now as well. So I'm going to address a few of the questions I've been getting since I got home.
What did you like most about Switzerland?
Definitely the Swiss efficiency. I could immediately tell once I landed in the Chicago airport that I certainly wasn't in Switzerland anymore just by the lack of efficiency I saw. For example, in Switzerland, it is very unusual for public transportation to be late. A lot of things are automated as well. When I flew out of Zurich last Tuesday, I checked in at the airport at a kiosk. This kiosk printed my boarding tickets as well as the tag for my checked bag. I selected my seats for all my flights here too. I then went up to the counter and just gave them my bag. This was an extremely quick process, much faster than checking in at any other airport I've been to. In Chicago, I had to wait for the train between terminals. Not only did I have to wait more than 5 minutes for it, but there also was not screen saying when the next train was coming.
What did you like least about Switzerland?
The fact that everything closed at 7pm on Mondays-Fridays. And at 5pm on Saturdays. And nothing was open on Sundays. I'm used to running errands (and by running errands, I mean going to the grocery store) on Sundays. Since most of my classes ended after the grocery store had already closed, I had to make sure I got there in the morning if I wanted food to eat the next day.
What was your favorite place you went?
This is a hard question to answer. Everywhere I traveled was cool for a different reason. Munich was unlike anything I could have imagined. London reminded me of the US. It was surreal seeing the Eiffel Tower in Paris. I could talk to everyone in Madrid because of my Spanish minor. I ate my way through Rome, and Easter at the Vatican was a once in a lifetime experience. However, I think my favorite place was Lugano, Switzerland. Lugano is a small town in Switzerland right by the Italian border. It's like being in Italy (the food was, again, delicious) while still being in Switzerland and having the Swiss efficiency. Part of the reason why it was my favorite place could have been due to the fact that it had been raining and cold in St Gallen for about ten days before we went to Lugano, and it was 72 and sunny in Lugano.
What do you wish you had known before you went?
It seems like everywhere else in the world, other than the United States, puts chips in their credit cards. My bank (which I had issues with anyway while I was abroad) conveniently forgot to mention this fact. I was unable to use my credit/debit cards in quite a few places because I didn't have a chip in my card. I wasn't planning on using my cards a lot, since I got an international charge on every purchase, and it was more common to pay in cash there anyway, but it would have been nice to have the option to use my cards at places other than the ATM.
I truly believe that the University of St Gallen is USC's best partner school, simply due to its rankings. Here is a link to the rankings listed on the university website: HSG Rankings. According to a study conducted by the New York Times, HSG is ranked #18 among schools in 20 countries based on the employability of graduates (New York Times Study). And if these rankings don't make you want to spend an exchange semester at HSG, maybe these pictures of Switzerland will: Switzerland Pictures. I will definitely miss seeing this view everyday from school!
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