Summer 2024: Part 1 - Switzerland, Portugal, Dubai

Switzerland:

It’s a privileged experience to still travel with your parents at age 23 for summer vacation. I know this. I know it when I show up at the airport, with no clue of how much my ticket cost. I know it when I see the familiar entrance of a branded hotel in a new city. I especially know it when I see the flock of people in the hotel lobby, mingling and curious at our arrival. Why, you may wonder? It’s because this is not just any ordinary vacation - it’s a vacation induced by my father having his partner’s meeting in Zurich.

So these well-dressed, well-mannered people are colleagues, spouses, children of a large consulting firm. And it is WEIRD. It feels like a summer camp for adults.

I am on vacation with my family in Zurich. Well, technically, my mom, younger brother, and I are on vacation while my father attends his partner’s meeting for the week.