This has not been the easiest or most enjoyable trip. I’ve been homesick, tired, and stressed. Switzerland is a beautiful country with wonderfully kind people; and still, I have been struggling to enjoy the experience. Because I experience such different emotions when travelling, I sometimes forget that going to a new place does not put your life and stresses on pause.
This trip has been proof of that. I have not been able to leave my stresses and troubles behind, and they have been weighing on me to the point of hindering my enjoyment. Coming when I am still looking for a job has not been a great idea. Switzerland is a very expensive country. Being in such an expensive place when I have finite funds and no income is adding more stress than the enjoyment of travel can compensate for. The past few days have been better than the rest, but I still struggle to find enjoyment and motivation.
I have been forcing myself to explore and partake in Swiss activities. While I would rather not have to force myself to do things my soul usually loves, it has been an improvement to where I have been: wallowing in depression and exhaustion in my hostel. I have been allowing myself to be tired, getting out of bed late and turning in early; but I do not allow myself to let the days waste away.
Many of theses issues, I would have known and been prepared for had I done the research I usually do. However, having booked my ticket three weeks ago on a whim, this was quite a spontaneous trip. If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that there’s a time and a place for spontaneity; and the months following graduation, when you are trying to get your life together, is neither the time nor the place.
One of my biggest goals with travel is to learn about life and the world; and this experience has taught me some hard truths. While this in not the way I would like to experience a country, I believe that it was an experience that was necessary. Up until this point, my mind has been so preoccupied with the need for adventure and discovery that I have completely overlooked vital and underappreciated aspects of life: comfort and stability. I forget that I have an entire lifetime to know the world, that I don’t need to rush to do it all now. Right now, I need to be focusing on building a life for myself; and this is exactly what I intend to do.
Sydney Hubbel 