My semester at ETH Zürich finished up in the beginning of June and my time in Europe is (unfortunately) coming to an end. I had a very positive experience at ETH. My classes were very challenging and the professors came from a variety of disciplines and I found them to be very engaging in lectures. It was interesting to see how different the European university system is compared to UGA. For instance, my only grades were my final exams! That was a lot of pressure towards the end of the semester but I was very committed to studying so hopefully I am rewarded. Though I was very impressed by the courses I took here, I am looking forward to returning to UGA and taking classes in a more traditional setting where my entire grade doesn’t depend upon one test.

Since I have finished at ETH I have been very fortunate to stay in Zürich for an extra 6 weeks for traveling. I just returned from a trip that lasted 10 days in Israel. Israel was a fascinating place and I travelled from the very south to the northern cities. In just a short time I saw the desert, the Ramon crater, oases, waterfalls, the Dead Sea, Jerusalem, Haifa, and Tel Aviv. It was an incredible experience and I have many stories of my time there that I look forward to sharing with friends and family.

Tomorrow, my parents and sister will arrive in Zürich for a family vacation. I’m very eager to see them as it’s been 5 months since I left Atlanta. Our travel plans include sightseeing in Zürich, visiting Luzern, Lausanne & Montreux (in the French portion of Switzerland), and doing some hikes in the Appenzeller region. Then my sister and I will travel to Lisbon, Portugal with a few friends I met here on exchange to attend the Nos Alive music festival. After seeing southern Portugal and cities in Spain such as Seville, Madrid, and Barcelona, I’ll be on my way back to Atlanta after a final goodbye to my friends in Zürich.

As everyone promised, my time here on exchange flew by and I’m reluctant to leave Europe. But I have made many close friends from all over the world and I hope to be back here shortly. I’m also looking forward to sharing my experiences with friends and family from home and catching up with my friends in Athens!

Auf wiedersehen!

 

sunset on Lake Zürich
sunset on Lake Zürich