Benvenuti in Svizzera!

So, I've been in Switzerland for a couple weeks now, and I'm finally getting around to starting the blog I promised. It's been a busy week of traveling, orientation, and figuring out what exactly I'll be doing for the next 4 months. It's already been an adventure, to say the least. So far, I've chased a hotel shuttle while dragging 3 suitcases, had a bit too much fun with my in-seat television while doped up on Ambien, and battled 9 hours worth of jet lag.

I've met a very interesting group of people in my fellow study abroad students and a few new full-time students of Franklin, who are in many ways very unlike me. But I love them nonetheless. One of the guys reminds me a lot of (for all my UCSD friends) John Chung, with that same laid-back, friendly, will go along with almost anything personality. I am definitely the one who drinks the least, so I'll need to watch my probably not very high alcohol tolerance. All I really do drink though is the wine I'm beginning to develop a taste for, thanks to my semi-wine connoisseur parents and that bottle of Gewurztraminer Susan and I had last quarter.

I am a bit closer to two of the study abroad girls, and we had a fun weekend walking around Lugano and trying a couple of restaurants. I like Italian food, but I don't think I'll want it for a few months after I get back to the States. I've had some sort of pasta almost every day that I've been here. It was also surprising just how quiet downtown Lugano was at 8 PM on a Saturday night. Quite a contrast to San Diego.

As for the rest of this overview, I have a single room with a full-size bed in a converted brothel. I have also dropped both of my political science classes, picked up third year Spanish, and am now trying to decide if I want to change the secondary track on my International Studies major. I promise most of my entries will be more exciting than this little summary. I'll expand on some of the points I mentioned above and tell new stories of my experiences and thoughts here in Switzerland. I have many thoughts I look forward to sharing with you all, and I hope you are all doing well, whether in Eugene, San Diego, Lugano, or somewhere else. Now I will drink the Apricot Decaf tea I brought from Oregon.