56 - So long and thanks for all the cheese - Geneve & Newark

 Friday, April 18

Well, it's finally here.  All good things must come to an end, no matter how cheesy the line or the country.  

I slept like a log on the couch and my colleague and his wife were happy to see me off in the morning.  I feel truly fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet such great, caring people.  In fact, I feel that way of all the colleagues and people I've met here this trip.  I ended up having 1:1 conversations with so many people this visit; it was part of the intended assignment and I surprised myself at how well I managed to stay engaged.  I'll try to keep the I made connections alive and useful but I've got a lot to think about and to learn about when I get back to the office.  
 
The early morning light in Geneva as I furtively double check I'm at the right bus stop for getting to the airport.  

The airport store offered some interesting souvenir items; sadly, none of them would come close to fitting in my luggage at this point.  A caquelon would be nice or even a bottle of abricotine, but my bag just met the weight limit thanks to the nearly 13 lbs of chocolate I stuffed in there.  Don't worry, some of it is for sharing with others 😉 
 
The Jura were the first thing I saw when I arrived, so it's apt that their the last thing I see when leaving. 
 
But I've learned over my stay about the area; behold, a dome thingy!😂 

Once at the airport, things went smoothly and I was back stateside in no time.  I think I easily could've stayed longer here, there's still much of the country to see and explore: I never got around to trying ski hiking or nordic sport (though I guess late April is a bit late for all that).  It doesn't hurt to leave a few things for the next time I visit the country and I know that I have good options at all seasons of the year in this country.  I still have a little more time on my possible visa stay but I've got other places and people to see and so I have no regrets in taking my leave now.  

Switzerland was a very different trip compared to my French adventures: the environment, my duration the nature of the work, and the people were all very different.  I'm going to miss Switzerland: the cheese, the mountains, the clean water, and the transit system.  Don't ask me to pick my favorite between the two countries, they're similar but also too different to simply compare. 


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