Final Post & Retrospective

I ended up returning slightly early to attend my aunt's funeral. Because flights had to be switched around I arrived at the Philly airport about 2 hours before my family. That's where I'm writing this entry now.

All in all I spent 84 days in Switerland from May 20th to August 11th. I'll start with the good things. I found the chemistry to be fascinating. I think that I am better prepared for my future career and graduate school as a result of this experience. I worked on projects that I found interesting and I enjoyed the hikes that I went on with my brother.

I feel a need to be honest in this blog post, so I'll follow with the bad things. 

This was probably the worst 84 days of my life. While the chemistry was good, I have never before been so incredibly socially isolated. Failing to do proper research before I arrived in Fribourg, I only learned that it was a french speaking city 3 days before my departure. The linguistic isolation was one of the most challenging things I have ever dealt with. I struggled to make friends and stomach and lung problems for the last month made things especially painful. I grew increasingly depressed and anxious as a result of my time in Fribourg.

To anyone considering going abroad for an internship, I don't say these things with the intention of scaring you off or discouraging you. I am confident that others in my position could have thrived and had an excellent experience, and my time here wasn't all bad. I did enjoy the lab work and I did have the occasional good day. Most of the posts on this blog were written on and about those occasional good days.

I know now the vital importance of understanding your comfort zone and limits and knowing how far and for how long you can push them. 

To anyone considering an experience like this, just know that it can be challenging. Try your best to make friends and connections. Make time to do the things you enjoy. Make sure you are comfortable with your ability to communicate in the location that you are traveling to. Know your limits and don't be afraid to ask for help.

I know that experiences like this can be incredibly valuable and I still encourage other students to seek them out. Just please please please do your research before hand, and seriously consider the amount of time that you will spend there. If I had left a month earlier I would have had a significantly better story to tell.

I want to add that the people I met and worked with in Fribourg were very lovely and helpful. I did not ask them for help, and looking back I really should have. I hope you enjoyed reading this blog and I'm sorry to end it on a sour note.

I'd also like to genuinely thank the super-internship committee for this funding. The only thing that could have made this trip worse was a lack of financial security. I'm very thankful that I had the funds to live and eat. 

All the best,

-Sam