Kritika takes on Switzerland

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I don't usually do posts about my life but considering how crazy this summer has been I figured I'd better explain why I've been terrible about posting/responding/being on twitter!

I've spent about 2 weeks in Switzerland now, and it has been quite an adventure :)

I'm doing research at a university that's 1.5 hours away from where I'm staying. That means I get about 3 hours of free time on buses and trains every day, which I usually use to nap...and of course, read!

The cool thing about studying abroad is that I get to experience a lot of new things. Working 42 hours a week is so tiring, and all I want to do when I get home after my long commute is eat and sleep. It's quite a bit of effort for me to write my blog posts, and honestly if I wasn't hosting the Gentleman Bastards Readalong right now, I probably would have gone on hiatus.

I'm really glad that I'm hosting the readalong though, because it gives me something to stay connected with people. Sometimes being in a new place is disorienting and lonely. Even though I'm staying with family, it's not the same as being home. I'm quickly discovering that home is where the heart is, and that my heart is in my books. When I read about the adventures of Locke and Jean, I feel like I'm at home again because I have a whole familiar world I can dive into. When I manage to get on twitter at a time where it's not the middle of the night in the US, I feel less homesick because I can still talk to all of you fellow book lovers.

I'm really enjoying getting to explore Europe on the weekends. The beautiful views from the Alps, the charming old cobblestone streets, the open air concerts... but is it any surprise that one of my favorite things about Switzerland is the bookstores? I see a lot of them in the train stations, and it's really cool because I see a lot of familiar books with unfamiliar titles: books in German, French, and Italian; UK editions instead of American ones; books I've never seen or heard of. It just makes me really excited to see all the shiny books and the pretty covers :)

6 more weeks of Switzerland, here I come!

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Comments

  1. JennyJuly 16, 2015 at 10:28 PM

    It's tough being away from home and it sounds like you're so busy. That's such an awesome opportunity though. And, yes, as long as we have books, we'll survive.

    ReplyDelete
  2. KritikaJuly 19, 2015 at 8:54 AM

    Yeah I'm starting to get a little homesick now that it's been 2 weeks, but having my books and my fellow book lover community definitely helps!

    ReplyDelete

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