switzerland

So, I'm coming up on two years since that tearful goodbye at the Zurich airport. So much has changed since then, but I still wanted to finish my blog to make sure I had documented all the precious moments and memories from my 2.5 years living in Switzerland.

As most of you know, I decided to move to St. Louis for a "great opportunity" with Deloitte there instead of moving back home. I honestly thought that this might help my transition back to the U.S. and I think it did. It was so great to be home for the couple weeks around Christmas and then to know that I was only a 5 hour drive away from home in St. Louis and could come home any weekend I wanted to. The weekend after moving home and 1 day before going to St. Louis for the first time I actually ran into what is now the love of my life at a bar that I was at celebrating my friend Tracey's 30th birthday. I didn't know it then, but that fateful meeting has changed my life so much. I moved to St. Louis and threw myself into work, per usual for me. When I was home for my 30th birthday in April, I ran into John again, at the same bar and that was it. After 7 months of long distance and becoming overly frustrated with the amount of work expected of me (literally every waking hour), it was time for me to start pursuing other opportunities back in Cincinnati. I did my research and found a great opportunity at GE. It was the only place I interviewed and I felt like it would be a great fit, so I accepted my offer in early October with the agreement that I couldn't start until December so that I could finish out busy season on my 9/30 year-end St. Louis client.

While I enjoyed my time in St. Louis and met a few really great friends there, my favorite memories are the weekends where J was visiting and we would explore the city together...hanging out at Forest Park, trying new restaurants and bars, and walking around SLU campus (where J went). I will not miss the 5+ hour drive along I-70 and neither will J! Illinois has to be the most boring state to drive through and we were doing it almost every other weekend.

I moved home Thanksgiving weekend and started work at GE on December 7, 2015. EXACTLY one year after I had flown home from Switzerland. J surprised me and flew home from Florida on Christmas Day where he was vacationing with his family and proposed. We got married on July 3, 2016 and lived happily ever after :)

Needless to say, the last two years have gone so quickly and yet I'm happy to report that I still keep in touch with many of my friends from Switzerland with whatsapp messages or Skype & FaceTime calls almost weekly. Daniela and Christine were even able to make it to Cincinnati for our wedding in July! Work took me to Europe in August 2015 and again to the UK in May 2016 so I was able to meet up with some of my Swiss friends on those trips.

I don't have any regrets in life. I am so happy with the way everything has turned out and truly believe that everything happens for a reason. To say that I loved my 2.5 years in Switzerland is an understatement. I will cherish that time for the rest of my life. Thank you to my Swiss friends for everything you taught me and for keeping in touch and helping me through the transition home. Thanks for taking me places or traveling with me and making memories that will last a lifetime. Thanks to my American friends and family for keeping in touch while I was over there and helping me through the transition home. Thanks to those that came to visit Switzerland and allowing me the opportunity to show you my home away from home.

Love,
Jenna

last night/day

I honestly tried to avoid thinking about it and putting off that it would actually come, but it came anyway...my last 24 hours in Switzerland...My AMAZING friends threw me a going away dinner party at Claudia's. We ate, drank and just talked and enjoyed each other's company. They were even so great to get me the sweetest gifts - a photo memory book from my time in Switzerland and a fondue pot with my name on it (how cool is that?!) were a couple of the things that I will treasure forever. After another night in the hotel I was staying at (since I got kicked out of my apartment on December 1st) and packing my two HUGE suitcases, one carryon, backpack with ski helmet hanging off (the movers had already come for most of my stuff and this is what remained), Christine picked me up and drove me to the airport. Adrian, Piotr, Jelena, Claudia, Thomas & Tara met us there for one last coffee (I think the guys drank beer despite it being approximately 7am) and some last laughs before a tearful goodbye. I was truly blessed to find this amazing group of lifelong friends.

blausee

The blausee or "blue lake" was another place in Switzerland I wanted to visit. It is actually part of a nature preserve and fish farm. There is a restaurant there that overlooks the lake which also serves fish fresh from the lake as well. I had won a bet (I don't remember what the bet was...!) and so Adrian owed me lunch and this restaurant is where he took me.

swissminiatur

Continuing my last week in Switzerland...I wasn't working and wanted to spend as much time with friends and also make sure I'd checked off some things from my bucket list. So, one day I took the train and went to Ticino (southern part of Switzerland where they speak Italian) and visited Swissminiatur. It's a little tourist attraction where they've built a miniature Switzerland...literally.


I got to Ticino early and walked around town and had some yummy Italian food for lunch before I headed over to the Swissminiatur.

Pretty views along the lake on a cloudy day

And the highlight of the day...Swissminatur - isn't it adorable, especially with the real mountains in the background? I was the first tourist in when they opened and there were only 1-2 other people there the whole time I was there, so I was able to walk around at my leisure and reminisce on all the places I had seen in real life during my stay. It was a great stop for my last week in Switzlerand.

Matterhorn

Bern

vorab

Last chance to ski in Switzerland!!! I had to take advantage and go skiing one last time while I was in Switzerland. Matt and I went to Vorab. It is somewhere where neither of us had ever been. Verab is a mountain in the Glarus Alps, close to Graubunden. The weather wasn't ideal and it was a weekday, so we were definitely out there with the super serious skiers and snowboarders.

 

friends

As my time in Switzerland started to wind down, I found myself spending time just chilling with friends. Whether it was coffee dates, gym dates, running dates, or lazy dates at the lake, it's always great to spend time with these smiling faces :)

Christine & Tara

Jelena & I at the gym...I was working out and she was taking selfies!

Alayna & I after a longggkggg run along the lake

Daniela & I after meeting up for dinner at the train station

Elvira with Tara

fondue night

Lise insisted that I learn how to make proper fondue before I leave Switzerland. She had me, Tanja & Daniela over for a girls night of fondue. I was responsible for the dessert and they requested cheesecake (because I'd smuggled graham crackers into Switzerland). Cheese on top of cheese on top of cheese....everything was delicious and it was so much fun! I can't say I'm a fondue expert, but I know the basics and I have the expert only a phone call away.