Switzerland & Germany
Does a dream mean anything if it isn't realized?
Thinking about Switzerland, and how incredible it's going to be when I finally make it there. All these years of dreaming will finally mean something. Or do they already mean something now?
Looking beyond the purely motivational factor of dreams. What do they really mean? And what do they show about us as humans, and who we really are.
— November 15, 2016 / 10:29pm
I’ve been in love with Switzerland since 2010. I was watching the Vancouver Olympics on tv -- bobsledding was on -- and a Swiss team was up next. “Where in the world is Switzerland?” I asked my parents, the word so foreign on my tongue. "Somewhere in Europe,” they replied. My curiosity was piqued. So I hopped on Wikipedia (a favorite pastime of mine) to learn about this mysterious country I had never heard of before. And as I read all about this country, I fell in love with the four distinctly unique regions -- German, Italian, French, Romansh -- the dialects, the traditions, the majestic scenery, the chocolates, the trains, the sense of national pride that spans cultural differences.
I credit Switzerland for my initial interest in political science and as a contributing factor in why I ultimately chose to major in the subject. For what does it mean to be a citizen of a country with such linguistic and cultural differences? What does it mean to be a citizen of a nation at all? America is more of an idea than a place, but Switzerland seems like the place where that idea is actually… actualized.
Once I found out about Switzerland, I couldn’t get enough of it. I read so many travel guides and books about this country, subscribed to Swiss news in English, dreamt constantly about being there, and what it would be like once I was.
I finally made it to Switzerland in 2018 with my family. All those years of dreaming were realized at last. Switzerland was just as incredible as I imagined it would be. From Zurich to Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen to Chur in the east -- the people were so kind and welcoming, the cities so quaint, the red and white flag fluttering in the breeze everywhere you looked, the scenery absolutely breathtaking. Now I dream of going back again and spending more time in this extraordinary country.
Munich was cool too.
