I visited a playground on October 22nd. I had offered to purchase my friends’ some tickets for a Halloween soiree since I had some free time. I had some time to kill before stopping by the booth, so I walked around mindlessly and came across a park with a playground. It was late morning on a Tuesday, but it was filled with people, including young children, teenagers, young adults, and the elderly. The tree leaves were all various shades of yellow, and crows hopped across the sand. I’ve noticed that Geneva is constantly busy with people during the day, no matter what time it is. In Boston, the streets are always busy, but there was a noticeable difference between the weekdays and the weekends.

Daily life in Geneva feels much lighter and slower, similar to Hawaii, compared to Massachusetts. Something about being in the States makes me feel like an involuntary runner in an eternal marathon. I’ve noticed that community involvement is high in Geneva, from constant cultural exhibitions to food justice efforts, such as La FARCE and community gardens. Life feels balanced here, where work is not all that your life revolves around and is dictated by. For that reason, I find myself being drawn to Europe, in addition to its beauty and history. However, I’ve begun to question this romanticization of Europe and reconsider why I have a strong pull to Europe, specifically Western Europe.

I want to learn more about places beyond the Global North. While I don’t want to politicize my adoration of baroque architecture and other beautiful cultural elements that Europe offers, I also want to be mindful of how these preferences shape and have come to shape my worldview. After learning more about decolonization in academia and politics, I’ve become more aware of my own colonial gaze imposed by a biased society and desire to actively undo it. There is a reason why colonial powers can devote efforts to maintaining pristine recollections of their history and culture whereas previously colonized states lack proper infrastructure and cannot afford to focus on being “well-maintained” due to past or recent devastations.

I appreciate the sustainable, high quality of life in and the beauty of Geneva, but I also recognize that its privileged political position has allowed for this. While I consider myself open-minded and progressive, I hope to continuously develop a balanced appreciation of different cultures, regions, and people. I hope to travel to down south soon, whether that be to Southeast Asia or South America, and get to learn more about the efforts being taken outside of North America and Europe to promote a higher quality of life and restore what was lost to history.