I arrived in Paris with a knowledge of the French language limited to the children’s lullaby “Frère Jacques” and the opening sequence of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. While my inability to master the language prevented me from truly experiencing the culture, I was not deprived of some of the best things Paris has to offer.

Swissness is a word usually used to describe what makes the average Swiss citizen tick. It may be what motivates lawn care workers to climb into each tree at the end of the fall to remove all the remaining leaves. It could also be what drives the police to search through garbage to track down those who dared to throw out a plastic bottle (don’t even try to jaywalk here). My favorite stereotype, and perhaps most contradictory, is that of the Swiss military.

As I embarked on my journey to the happiest country in the world, I fantasized about the people I would see: smiling, skipping and all that other “I-am-so-satisfied-with-my-life-right-now” kind of stuff. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Alright, so I can safely say that Student Center and the Course Catalogue are two of my favorite sites; they awkwardly appear when I hit the “Top Sites” button on Safari. I have no problems admitting that I love my classes at Cornell and really that one-liner “What courses are you taking?” does work on me…sort of.

My first night out in Lugano, Switzerland, I accidently ended up at a random faculty dinner party, bought 15 Swiss Francs worth of non-alcoholic beer and had to hitch a ride home from a stranger.