Another Starting Point

As I sit in Annia's illuminated living room with 3 of the 4 Advent candles slowly burning in the corner and a black cat snoozing on the arm of a chair, I realize that this is almost exactly where I found myself four months ago. Landing in Switzerland with a whirlwind of activity around me, I sat down on this very couch and exhaled, both physically and emotionally, and happily realized this is where I would be for the coming semester.

Now, as I go through my bags and carefully balance their weights (23 kilograms each), I find myself once again on the verge of something new and wonderful. I am so thankful for the time I have had here in Switzerland, and I do not know who to begin to thank. My parents, certainly, for the sacrifices they have made and for the encouragement they have provided to help me realize all of my goals. This is just but one case of them supporting me in my pursuit of both living life to the fullest and learning along the way. My grandparents have also been so supportive to me all of my life, and for that I'm thankful. Claire Margaret, my little sister, is happy for me too, despite her having so many other things (like applying to college - good luck!) to worry about. What a wonderful family I have, and what a blessing that is in its own right.

My friends, too, of all types and degrees of relationships, have been there for me when I needed them, and even when I haven't. Among these friends are the Haselbachs, long time family friends to whom I owe so much.Daniel took me under his wing the first weeks I was here, including me in activities like paddleboarding on Lake Geneva and a trip to Luzern. All of the Haselbachs have so graciously included me in their lives even when that means speaking in English when they normally wouldn't, since my French is so poor. And then, there is Annia. Annia has been a Swiss mother to me this entire journey, providing her home and its resources to me on weekends when I just needed to get away or I just felt like being around a second family. I can't express how wonderful it has been to wake up in the morning at Annia's and share breakfast with her, talking about life and the happenings of the day. These moments, such as talking with Annia over breakfast or paddling down the lake shore with Daniel, are the sorts of things that have defined my time here in Switzerland.

I like to think that I have lived life to its fullest while I am here, traveling to numerous countries and seeing so many things that had previously been confined to my imagination. The beaches of Normandy are real to me now, as is the Berlin Wall, the Swiss Alps, the Roman Forum, and the Eiffel Tower. But, just as real and perhaps more memorable are the little cafés and kind souls who offer to point you in the right direction, patiently listening to my broken French or offering their help in their best English, then disappearing back into their daily routines. These experiences are so important in our lives; they remind us that, even though our passports are different and we have such different cultures, we're all human. There is so much peace in knowing that their are so many good people in the world that you could never possibly meet them all.

So, as I sit once again on Annia's couch, watching the first snow of the year fall outside, there is nothing I can do but smile and enjoy the profound sense of contentment I have for what I have lived over the past four months. Tomorrow night I will be home, with my family in North Carolina, and I am incredibly excited. I'll visit friends at Davidson, at home, and even make a short trip to Kentucky. All of those things, as well as the entirety of my life for that matter, will be illuminated by the warm afterglow of this experience. And that is something to be thankful for.