Do you ever find yourself dreaming about all the places in the world you would like to visit and know better? Do you ever wish to meet as many people from different countries as possible? If the answer is yes, then Glion Institute of Higher Education is the perfect place for you. Here, people from all around the world are reunited to study together, including students from 97 different nationalities.
Know the People, Know the Country
I heard that if you really want to know a country, you have to know the people who live there. From the people, you can discover every little secret and detail about his or her country, and become more familiar with it. When you are young, you start building up your ideas about the world, wondering about how a person from the other side of the world lives or thinks. When you arrive in Glion, you finally have the opportunity to meet personally these people, and discover that in fact, you have more things in common that you would have immagined. In Glion, there is no discrimination at all; we all are a big family.
My Multinational Roommate
Personally, I grew up in Switzerland and I have always lived here, which for Glion’s standards is quite boring. When I first met my roommate, I was slightly confused: in fact she was Hungarian, Russian AND Polish. I didn’t even know you could be from three different countries.
Living with a person from a different country and with different habits teaches you a lot. Before sleeping, we often talked about our time at home, and I remember very well when she told me about the traffic they have in Moscow. She even showed me pictures of their road, which seemed to me a huge river of cars. You can imagine the impact those stories and pictures had on a Swiss person like me, who grew up with those strict rules for cars and roads.
Little Habits Make Big Differences
Moreover, I keep discovering little day-by-day habits, as we all live together and see each other almost every day. For example, dinner times: in the German part of Switzerland people are most likely to eat around 18:00 (6 p.m.), which for many people is way to early. I remember the first days of school when some Italians were shocked, because they were used to having dinner 3 or even 4 hours later.
Another example is the way people behave in class. Some people from Eastern countries do not dare to talk in class if they are not directly called by the teacher, whereas other people, mostly Europeans, have difficulties to stay silent for an entire class, even if nobody has consulted them. In fact, I discovered that in some Eastern countries, students can not talk during class, which makes it harder for them in Glion to find the courage to speak in front of many people.
International Network and Family
Here all students stick together, no matter where they come from, and they support each other. There is no negative competition, everybody helps each other. Even when you go out, it is wonderful to see all Glion students and alumni sticking together and supporting each other, even if you know each other just by sight.
Lately, with all the tragic events that occured around the world, Glion showed an amazing solidarity, which makes you really feel part of something. Even if you come from another part of the world, Glion students make you feel at home, and you never have to be scared of being lonely. Glion is family, Glion is home.
