Hello!! I’ve officially been in Switzerland for a month now! At first, I thought that most of my time in here would be spent traveling every weekend, maximizing my time as much as possible, and exploring Europe! Yet I fell in love with the majestic mountains, the turquoise lakes, and the gorgeous views. One thing about Switzerland is that it has one of the best train networks. Over the last three weekends, I have gone hiking, running, and falling in love with this country’s tranquility (all thanks to its interconnectedness).

By far, one of the coolest things was going to the Aletsch Glacier – the largest glacier in the Alps. Never did I think I would be hiking the Alps until I hiked on an 13-mile, 8-hour trek, touching the icy surface of a glacier thousands of years old. However, I couldn’t have done this alone! I was able to meet other researchers from Canada and America, and in this community, you find everything else more fun. This community I’ve met has led to late-night shenanigans, early-morning runs, and lots of complaints about Zurich’s expensive culture.

One thing I love most about this country, though, is the work-life balance. In my accommodations, I live with many sixth-year German students, and in our shared kitchen, we exchange ideas and talk about how different our healthcare systems are. One thing that my friend mentioned was: “You can always tell how Swiss a person is by how much time they spent outside during the weekend… and you can always tell how good of a mood they’ll be in by how much time they plan to spend outside.” Despite the European heatwave, going outside is a deeply ingrained cultural practice that I have learned to embrace and appreciate!

Until next post, Tschüss!