Monday, July 6, 2015

Goodbye Switzerland!

Hey everyone! I have officially left Switzerland and we are beginning our trek back to Los Angeles with a short stop in Wales and then London. Today, I wanted to dedicate this post to my time here in Switzerland because that is where this blog was founded and has been two very important and monumental years in my life.

Well, I guess let's start from the beginning. I lived in California since I was one year old so California always felt like home for me and always will. After just finishing seventh grade and starting a new school, new sport - dance, and was feeling very content. Then, one evening my dad sat us down and told us we would be moving to Switzerland on an expat assignment for two years. I felt completely filled with shock as I didn't even know what or where Switzerland was. Naturally, I cried for a very long time until I began to open my eyes and realize how great of an experience this will be. I mean I will be able to say that I lived in Europe for two years and went to an International School in CH which is pretty cool. So, my dad moved over early in October whereas my mom, sister and I finished the school year and moved over that summer.

It was definitely an adjustment as Switzerland is so diverse and different than America; new language (and a very hard one at that), new culture, new food, new way of life, new people, new school, new everything! After a summer of exploring our new home, the school year began in eighth grade. Eighth grade is a pretty awful year to start school in since its the final year of middle school but since I went to an International School everyone was used to moving and kids came and left very frequently. My two years at ISZL were amazing, especially this last year at the high school where I made many more friends and the school itself was much more independent.

I also joined a dance team in Switzerland which was very interesting to say the least. Dancing here is much less strenuous and less hours than it would be back in California which was a bit of a shame but I got to experience and learn a new style of learning dance and even perform in a couple of shows. I also tried cross country running and track and field for the first time which turned to be a passion of mine and I often enjoy running when I have time.

Lastly, another big component to this adventure has been all of the traveling, sightseeing and exploring. Not only did we see much of Switzerland but we were fortunate to also visit many places in Europe and Asia because of how close we now lived. I love to travel and so these past two years were a great opportunity to see all of the history and culture of Europe.

Overall, I will truly miss Switzerland and am so grateful to have lived in such an amazing and beautiful country. I will also miss all of the great friends I made here who helped me through moving into new every-things and made my time here nothing but spectacular. However, I am also really looking forward to getting back to LA and I can't wait to see what the future holds.

Goodbye Switzerland, Hello California!

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