Introduction:

I distinctly remember the first time I fell in love with Switzerland.  I was in the fifth grade living in Tokyo, Japan, when my grandparents decided to take vacation to Europe to celebrate my grandfather’s retirement. They brought home pictures of Switzerland and it was at that point that I decided to go to Switzerland to experience what my grandparents had.

First Impressions:

I arrived in Zurich on the group flight for all new incoming Franklin students in August 2001. I was overwhelmed in Switzerland after dreaming of it for nearly a decade. Many of the students were decked out in brand name clothing: Gucci, Armani, D&G, wearing their best to impress the eyes for first impressions…or so I thought. It turns out that designer clothing is part of their daily grind and that left me completely and utterly ostracized for the second time in my life (the first time being when I moved to California from Japan when I was seven).  

I stepped outside of the airport to greet our orientation leaders and immediately noticed the taxis parked outside: Mercedes E & S classes and Audi turbo 4-motion's filled the street amongst expensive cars - remember, these are taxis! Consequently, I was impressed and disturbed. On our way to school we passed through Swiss towns, lakes, and mountains, which were foreign from what I was accustomed to and the thought of  “what the #@%* did I get my self into,” ran through my head throughout orientation week.

Update:

I am in my second semester here at Franklin College and I have become well-accustomed. I speak English, French, and Italian, on a daily basis making me quad-lingual in addition to my native language - Japanese. I feel more prepared than ever to enter the job market upon graduation. I have to admit I was on the verge of not returning to Switzerland this semester due to the fact that I felt out of place the first semester and the fact that I missed my girlfriend Robin (her and I have been together for over four years). I am slowly starting to fit in with a select group of people, but being away from friends, family and above all, Robin, is something that I don’t think I will ever get used to.

Photography by Kohta Tabuchi ::: yossi33kt@yahoo.com

Web design by Wilson Tai ::: wilson@racingmix.com

: racingmix :