I am a senior Political Science major studying in Geneva, Switzerland for the Fall 2016 semester. I have always had a strong desire to travel, coupled with my love for humanitarian work and non governmental organizations, Geneva was an effortless decision. Geneva is on the smaller side of a European city (~300,000 people), so it has been an easier transition from life at Kent to life in Geneva. The city itself is gorgeous, full of history, and outright beautiful. While studying in Geneva, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to Paris, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Rome, London, and more. Geneva is centrally located in Europe, which makes it easier to travel all around, and travel is cheap!
My favorite city I’ve visited so far has been Berlin, Germany, because of it’s incredible history, and there is so much to see! Berlin is both incredibly historical, but also new because of it’s post-World War Two status, making it a mesh of all different types of people, architecture, and history. The people were friendly, the food was great, and I saw a city that has impacted so many and held such an important role in restructuring Europe after WWII.
Some of my favorite memories here are from the good friend I’ve made who is from Vienna, Austria. I’ve traveled around Switzerland with him, and it’s so fun to see the differences between us and our mannerisms and to compare our differences in cultures. He and his family let myself and a few friends stay with him and his family when we visited Vienna over fall break, and they showed us the true “Austrian” experience through the city, food, and great hospitality! They were some of the best days of this entire study abroad experience.
