As I’m procrastinating, I’m daydreaming of Europe, where I’ll
be so soon! I can hardly believe senior year at TCU is coming to a close. It is
truly bittersweet, and how I feel about
it is constantly in flux. One minute I’m ecstatic about future possibilities,
the next I’m unbelievably sad about the upcoming goodbyes and separation from
some of the people I love most. Over the next two weeks (what?? So fast!), I
will try to balance school work, packing, planning, and having an amazing last
hoorah with my wonderful friends.
After that, in just a short 16 days, I will be
in a plane on my way to Zurich, Switzerland, my new home for 14 months. Here, I
will be an au pair for two adorable boys and hopefully, fingers crossed, learn
German. For all of those who are unaware, I’ll give a quick break down about
demographics and language in Switzerland. There is no actual Swiss language.
Rather, Switzerland is broken into different language regions, and I will be in
the German-speaking area. Actually, the official language is Swiss German,
which is quite different than standard German, but I will learn standard
German. The other major language region is French- speaking, and there is also
a small Italian-speaking region. These language regions are due to the
countries that border the different parts of Switzerland. Switzerland is
bordered by France, Italy, Austria, and Germany.
Switzerland is an amazing central
location, so I am incredibly excited to spend some time traveling around Europe
and immersing myself in different cultures. The next year feels so open, and I
can’t really envision what it will look like, which is a bit liberating. Go on
this journey with me and see how the next chapter unfolds.
