When I was 17 years old, I traveled to Europe for about three weeks, with 25 other students from my high school. I rank this trip as one of the most important moments of my life, and certainly a major turning point for me. My European tour became the primary catalyst of my pursuit of education, history, and adventure. We travelled to 12 cities, including: in Italy - Rome, Assisi, Perugia, Florence, Venice, Verona - In Switzerland: Lugano and Lucerne - In France: Paris and Calais - In England: Canterbury and London. It revolutionized my world view. The cities of Rome, Florence, Venice, Paris, and London especially ignited a spark in me to learn about the culture, history, and ideologies of Western Europe. This spark carried me to UNCG's department of history and education, where I learned that the history of Europe is intrinsically intertwined with the rest of the world. I continued to pursue my passion, becoming a teacher of AP World History, Humanities, etc. Simply put, Europe made me curious.
But the place that left an indelible mark on my psyche was Switzerland, specifically the city (and surrounding mountains of) of Lucerne. Still to this day, I tell everyone who asks that it is the most amazing place I have ever seen. We spent much time in the Alps, and spent an entire day hanging around the oldest wooden bridge on all of Europe (1333) -the Chapel Bridge (or Kapellbrücke, stretching over the Ruess River), rented speed boats on Lake Lucerne, and shopped around. I was amazed that I could literally jump up and touch the wooden rafter with my hands - the same rafter that witnessed the Black Plague. I remember wondering aloud how I had lived my whole life in school, and had never heard of this beautiful bridge, or even this city. Again, I was curious how Switzerland had stayed below my radar.
I think that my time (though relatively short) in Switzerland still impacts so much of my teaching, as I just hope to make my students curious about why things are the way they are.
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