Submitted by Morgan Gravatt on the 2019 summer session program in Italy sponsored by the Department of Hospitality Business Management…
This past weekend, we were granted the opportunity to travel on our own, anywhere we wanted to. A group of us decided that we wanted to explore more of Switzerland so we decided to visit both Bern and Interlaken, in the space of 48 hours. While we had a strict time restraint, we knew that we wanted to see and do as much as possible, since three of the four of us had never been to Europe/Switzerland before.
As excited as I was for this weekend, I was very nervous. While I had never been to Europe, I also have never traveled far and overnight without an adult. Additionally, I am very unfamiliar with trains, bus systems, and navigating city streets, since I am from a very rural area at home. Too much of my surprise, the navigation was extremely easy. I was amazed at how remarkable Switzerland’s public transportation was. In fact, upon receiving our train tickets, we were told exactly which stations and tracks we needed to be at in order to transfer to the appropriate train for our destination. Even though we had this information, I was still worried that we could get lost in a train station we did not know and miss our next train. Even while walking around Bern and Interlaken, we were able to navigate the bus system extremely easily, and get to other locations, without the help of others, due to the buses arriving in a timely manner and every stop being announced on a screen. Again, I could not believe how every single track and path was clearly labeled. While most of the signs were in German, we were still able to determine the meanings, due to pictures and words that looked similar to the English language. After realizing how amazing Switzerland’s public transportation is, compared to the United States’, I felt much more comfortable traveling in unfamiliar cities, without someone who knew exactly what they were doing.
In addition to feeling more comfortable navigating in a new city, I also felt very safe due to the fact that the majority of the people spoke English. I also met a great deal of Americans. While standing inside of the Funky Chocolate Club, in Interlaken, Switzerland, I coincidentally ran into a family from Georgia. The one daughter was in college and asking me about my study abroad experience, since she had a strong interest in going abroad herself. During this conversation, I was able to tell the girl all about this life changing experience, from meeting new college best friends to exploring the food in a new country to even seeing how classes can be taught outside of the United States. Due to conversations like this, my love for study abroad has grown even stronger.
In addition to feeling as if I was a more independent adult, navigating around new cities and meeting new people, I was able to conquer a fear of mine, while staying in Interlaken. I have never been a fan of heights, but due to my prior goal of getting the most out of my abroad experience, I was able to stand at the top of Harder Kulm (4,335 feet above). While I was nervous at the time, I continued to push past my nerves and try new things. I truly felt as if I was becoming a better version of myself, while participating in these activities because normally I am afraid to try new things. I have finally understood the saying, “you don’t know if you like something unless you try,” through my experiences thus far in Study Abroad. While this weekend was not set on our schedule through the University, I could not thank my professor enough for allowing us to explore the country, on our own. To participate in experiences like these, with other UD students, is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I will forever cherish.
