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What I Do & Don't Know About My Semester Abroad

Preparing to study abroad has been a crazy rollercoaster for me, many super exciting moments and some frustrating ones. now that i'm down to a few short weeks left in the good old USA the reality of it all is starting to set in. after filling out stacks of paperwork, translating numerous emails from french to english, and researching geneva, switzerland online, i can officially say that i have received my student visa! spending 5 months in an unknown country requires you to be adventurous, courageous, and i'm starting to really believe that you also have to be some degree of crazy.

as my departure date quickly arrives i constantly find myself thinking about all the different things that i could possibly be forgetting and trying to make sure i'm really ready to do this. oh wait, i don't actually have a set departure date, ((note to self: add BOOK FLIGHT to tomorrow's TO DO list)).

even though i may have a list of unknowns about this trip, i couldn't honestly be more excited. my competitive side is really looking forward to this challenge! as i think more about it, i realized that there aren't many situations in life we come across where we know and understand each and every detail. in my opinion, being successful is being able to confidently say to yourself "i may not have a clue what i'm doing, but i'm going to throw myself into it and do my best." so here's to rolling with the punches, going with the flow, and taking in all that geneva, switzerland has to offer me!

i thought it would be interesting and even somewhat humorous to put together a few lists. one list of the things that i know for sure, and another list of the things that i am totally clueless on. so, here goes! hopefully this will be fun to look back on at the end of my time in switzerland and laugh at how clueless i was and be impressed at how much i learned.

things i know for sure::

-i have to be in geneva on september 8th for a week-long orientation

-classes start on september 15th and end on january 30

-i am studying at HEG school of business administration, university of geneva

-i am taking 6 classes: business law, intercultural human resource management, supply chain management, leading yourself, french for non-native speakers, international organizations

-my apartment is less than 2 blocks from lake geneva

things i definitely don't know::

-french

-if i'm bringing my phone with, the people at us cellular didn't know what to do either

-how exactly i'm going to navigate myself from the airport in geneva to my apartment by train while dragging two suitcases and a carry on and trying to avoid getting pickpocketed

-i don't know anyone except a few administrators at my school who i've been emailing with

-how i'm going to have time to hike, ski, and bike every mountain in switzerland

-the money conversion and how to read temperatures in celcius

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