"We traveled around Switzerland for two months and the trip changed the course of my life. It was part of a program called The Experiment in International Living program, and through the support of an encouraging professor, donations organized via the university newspaper, and a car wash that she hosted with fellow students, my mother raised the $1,500 needed to participate and she was off to Switzerland at the age of 19."
"Nearly seven years after that conversation, we made it happen. It was September 2025. We had one week, and two Swiss Travel Passes, which would allow us to journey by train (and bus and boat) eastward, from Geneva to Zurich."
"The goal wasn't to recreate her trip exactly, but to pay tribute to key places, and to see which forgotten memories surfaced themselves along the way."
In 2018, a conversation about a summer in Switzerland led a daughter to vow to retrace her mother's journey from 1960s America. The mother, a young Black woman from a segregated town, had participated in The Experiment in International Living program, which changed her life. In September 2025, they traveled through Switzerland, visiting towns like St. Gallen, Lucerne, and Zurich, aiming to honor her mother's past and uncover forgotten memories. The trip became more urgent due to family circumstances, emphasizing its emotional significance.
Read at Conde Nast Traveler
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