Hoi it’s me Chloe B (Hey that rhymes), today marks 10 days until exchange which is equal parts terrifying and exciting. It still hasn’t hit me yet, despite the fact that my rooms packed up and I have a giant suitcase staring at me from the corner. This will be my last blog post before I leave and I really wanted to write an expectations/ where I’m at post.
I know that everyone has told me “Don’t have any expectations going into exchange” however that is extremely hard to do as you can’t help but to think about what this year has in store for you. An expectation is defined as “A strong belief that something will happen or be that case” so with that in mind I guess it’s more what I think might or could happen. I think that my exchange year will be one of much personal development, an opportunity for me to go out into the world, form friendships with people from an array of different countries all while being one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Every current or past exchange student has told me about how challenging exchange can be but it’s all worth it when you’ve reached the end and get to look back at all that’s happened. They’ve also told me to take every opportunity that comes my way which has lead me to form some of my goals for 2020.
Goals, I’ve written myself a list full of all the things I want to accomplish this year in terms of personal growth and reflection. I’m not going to put them all in my blog just yet but I did want to talk about saying yes. I know it may sound cliche to say that I’m going to say yes to everything (within reason and providing it’s allowed) but as a person that can be quite hesitant, it will be something different for me.
To be completely honest I wouldn’t say there is anything that I am “most excited about” as the list would be never-ending, I’m excited about everything. While saying that I do have a few things that I am the most nervous about. The first being speaking German everyday and learning the Swiss dialect of my area. Currently, my German is alright and I am working on it every day however I still am unsure how it will go when I have to speak it every day. A part of me is nervous about being away from all that I know and what’s comfortable for me but at the same time, this is also one of the most exciting parts.
My bucket list for exchange is quite long as it’s full of things that I want to do/ see and try. Some of these include
- Blausee
- Geneva
- The Matterhorn
- Chillon Castle
- Lausanne
- Zurich
- Ticino
- Cheese fondue (I mean I am going to Switzerland)
- Rosti
- As much chocolate as humanly possible !!
After writing all this I couldn’t help but to think about how crazy this all is, that time in two weeks I’ll be there in Switzerland it’s crazy. I think that instead of saying I’ll change, I want to say that I’m going to grow as a person and learn more about myself. I’ll still be me, Chloe, at the end of it but a slightly different version and I’m looking forward to reading back on these posts in 12 months and think about how far I’ve come.