Dear Switzerland🇨🇭,
I came to you in a time where I was doubtful of myself, confused with my mission, and itching for an adventure. You opened your arms and welcomed me, and answered each question in the 3 months I was with you.
You gave me an adventure first, actually multiple adventures. I’ve been to the Top of Europe, seen amazing views from the Swiss Alps, explored cute towns with rich culture, been splashed by the Niagara Falls of Europe (Rhein Falls), and most importantly, made incredible friends. 🏔️🚠🏰🌊
After exploring almost every week, here’s a list of places I’ve been:
- Zürich
- ETH Hönggerberg
- Lucerne (Luzern)
- Schaffhausen
- Rheinfall
- Castle Kyburg
- Stein Am Rhein
- St. Gallen
- Basel
- Zug
- Lindt Chocolate Museum
- Kunsthaus Museum
- Zurich Opernhaus
- Landesmuseumm
- Uetliberg
- Bern
- Fribourg
- Zermatt
- Matterhorn
- Stoos
- Winterthur
- Rapperswil
- Lauterbrunnen
- Schilthorn
- Lenzburg Castle
- Liechtenstein
- Rigi
- Pfadiweg
- Italy trip (Milano & Venezia)
- Denmark trip (Copenhagen)
- Einsiedeln
- Jungfraujoch
Since graduating during the pandemic, we didn’t get any ceremonies or parties or graduation trips. We all just kind of melted into the real world, and there was a huge pit in my stomach of yearning to explore the world. I had never had a break since starting uni, always working and studying during summer breaks. So after working a year at a nice but unfulfilling tech startup, I got the opportunity to go to Switzerland, and I took it. ✈️
These adventures really filled the hole in my heart, I loved them SO MUCH! I got giddy every time we had to wake up early to catch a train. Even taking pictures of locals’ mundane life was fascinating to me, I wanted to say to them “do you know you live in such a BEAUTIFUL place!”. These adventures turned into memories turned into treasured experiences I’ll keep with me forever.
And yet, I still don’t know what I want to do in this world. Unemployed, I applied to as many jobs I could. Rejected, I cried and felt unmotivated. I thought I wanted to be a consultant or project/product manager. But after pondering on it for many weeks, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ll give software engineering jobs another chance. My degree in Computer Engineering wasn’t the most inspiring to me, but I’ve come back to it with a new mindset and I’m ready to start the rigorous study routine to tackle the coding interviews. 👩🏻💻
During my time in Switzerland, I’ve gotten the chance to relax, and to actually have “nothing on my agenda” (or more like “only things I want to do on my agenda”). However, I still felt guilty about having this time, my mind kept racing around with “you should be working”, “you’re worthless because you’re not on track withe everyone”, “you don’t have a good job or any job”, “what are you doing”. It took me a while, but I identified and acknowledged these thoughts. Sometimes they hurt me, sometimes they didn’t. Eventually, I let them go, and truly enjoyed the moment. This is, after all, a once in a lifetime experience.
In the last few weeks, I felt ready. I had had my fun, had my time off, and I was READY to come back home and get a job. I felt sad leaving of course, but also grateful for this time here to recuperate, rekindle, and revive my soul. I know that the next few months on the LeetCode grind would be grueling and painful, but the reward is so sweet and I WANT it.
On the last sunny day of my stay, I walked the streets of Zürich for the nth time, saying goodbye to all the nooks and crannies that I had become familiar with. I ended up on a bench under some trees in front of Lake Zürich, where I had always gone to eat my lunch and enjoy the view as my routine. Sitting there reminiscing the memories, an elderly Swiss man approached me and sat next to me. “Stranger alert!” goes off in my head, but he’s kind and just wants to engage in a conversation. He asks me where I’m from, what I’ve seen in Switzerland, and gives some recommendations. Every time I turn to reply him, the sun is behind his head and it blinds me, so I can’t see his face clearly. And just as quick as he sat down to chat, he tipped his hat and bid farewell. I understand now, that this was Switzerland’s way of saying goodbye to me. 🇨🇭👋
Thank you for this lovely time together. Thank you for accepting me as a confused, burnt out, and hopeless person, and showing me the wonders in life. I will never forget my time with you, you’ve taught me a lot. 🙏
Sincerely,
Christy
###
If you enjoyed this blog post, please share your thoughts in the comments below! I’d love to read them.
Read more about me here or check out my Instagram!