The planning for this autumn in Switzerland has begun! Two weeks ago I was nominated for exchange studies at the ETH Zürich, and last week I completed the formal application that was sent to Switzerland. Being nominated, I think that only formalities remain and I am now confident that I will be studying in Zürich next year!

So many things are ahead of me now, I will have to find somewhere to live, I will have to find new friends, a new church, and really get up to speed with my Swiss German. Having barely spoken the dialect for fourteen years I try to watch as much Swiss television as possible (Schweizer Fernsehen has a Youtube channel, which is excellent).

From what I have heard, the studies at the ETH will be top notch and very demanding.  My greatest fear is that my mathematics skills will be inadequate, the first and second-year students at the ETH receive a very thorough and rigorous understanding of calculus and algebra. At the same time, I have been studying at one of the most math-intensive and theoretical courses of studies possible in the whole of Sweden, Teknisk Fysik, and I don’t think that I could possibly have learnt more than I have.

There is so much to explore and enjoy. I have been browsing old photos from my childhood and memories are coming back to me. I remember the forest and the mountain in Siggenthal-Würenlingen. I remember the hill fort of Baden.  Valleys and alps. Nature and cities. I’ll return there in September.