Our seven students and two faculty members have returned to the United States! All those who went on the trip had a truly fantastic time and would go back in a heartbeat. As we are now back in the United States, we all have some final thoughts and stories we would like to share with everyone.
Grace recalled that her favorite part of Switzerland was visiting Geneva and the castle at Chillon. She loved the way the town had a lot of different shops as well as the history and architecture of the buildings. Grace also mentioned that she enjoyed taking a ride on the funicular, which allowed the students to go up the mountains!
Ally was also really excited to take a ride up the mountain in the funicular. She said “this was something I really wanted to experience and now it’s actually happening! I’m so excited!” It truly is wonderful to see the students so excited and enjoying all the different opportunities they had on the trip.
Rachel mentioned that she not only loved the scenery and being able to travel all over Switzerland, but also all the different kinds of food. Most of our students were really excited to try authentic Swiss chocolate and fondue. Both Rachel and Ally loved going into different chocolate shops and being able to try new foods.
Aidan was also a big fan of the funicular. Once we got to the top, students could climb up a tower and have a panoramic view of Switzerland! Aidan did not go up to the top, but she mentioned that it was amazing to see how beautiful Switzerland is and it “almost looks too good to be true.”
Teresa really enjoyed being able to try a wide range of food and the culture and acceptance of the people. Teresa thought it was so special how people in Switzerland speak multiple languages and value the history and culture. Students had several opportunities to try other authentic foods like Rosti and more German style dishes. Of course Teresa also mentioned that Switzerland is just so scenic and beautiful.
Melissa enjoyed everything about Switzerland (especially the beautiful lakes), but also remarked about the friendships developed on the trip. Most of our students did not know each other before they left, but now they are very close. Traveling in a group is tremendously beneficial not only because students are exposed to new cultures, but because they are talking to people from GCU and getting the chance to come out of their shell a little bit.
Our two faculty leaders, Dr. Field and Dr. Hausmann, remarked that the trip and dynamic of the group was wonderful! Both of our leaders pointed out a lot of important landmarks and other aspects of Switzerland that the students enjoyed learning about.
Our students feel tremendously grateful to have had this opportunity to travel to Switzerland. Words cannot express all that we have seen and experiences we had in Switzerland. Although we are all returning to class and work today, we are ecstatic to share all of our experiences with the GCU community and will always remember our travels to Switzerland! 
