Sarah Grabowy, Healthcare Delivery in Switzerland, Summer 2026
In the months before study abroad, I expected the big moments, like visiting the World Health Organization and standing at the top of the Swiss Alps, to be what I would reminisce about the most. And while those moments were certainly unforgettable, what I cherish the most about my study abroad trip even months later are the everyday moments.
I miss sitting in the lobby of the hotel, hours before our first check in, and deliriously laughing (since I got zero sleep on the red eye flight there) as I got to know students on the trip that I had only briefly met prior. I miss walking through Zurich, Basel, and Geneva and starting to know where I was going based on landmarks instead of Google Maps. I miss sitting on the tram, train, and bus and looking out the window, realizing how quickly something that once felt so foreign had become part of my everyday life. I miss grocery shopping at Coop and Migros, Swiss staples, and stocking up on fresh bread, surprisingly great premade meals, Swiss chocolate, and other snacks with labels I couldn’t read. I miss sharing that food with my friends on the trip as we ate together and sat outside, enjoying the atmosphere of the cities we visited. I miss our tour guides, Dani and her son Theo, who made every effort to make sure we learned about the history of their beautiful country. They helped us to learn words in Swiss German and French, and we took pride in using the ones we could remember (such as Danke, which is thank you in Swiss German) as much as possible. I miss the spontaneous local adventures they took us on. One night, Dani took our group to the most famous rooftop bar in Basel, equipped even with toilets with a view of the city. In Lucerne, Theo took us on a boat across the water and guided us on a spontaneous hike for an amazing view of the Alps.
I miss the inside jokes our group created and the memories we made together. On the night of my friend Kaitlin’s 21st birthday, everyone used their free time to come to a group dinner and celebrate. On a free day we had while in Geneva, our group collectively figured out how to take the train to Nyon and we explored the old town and its castle together.
Looking back, I am surprised that some of the moments I miss most are not the ones I gushed about to friends and family when I talked about going on this trip. But while the United Nations was fascinating, Interlaken gorgeous, and the chocolate delicious, those ordinary moments were what made my study abroad experience so extraordinary.
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