The End of an Era

This evening I took a one-way train from Lausanne to Geneve-Aeroport, boarded a plane with two heavy bags, and left Switzerland indefinitely. Last night some of my Poken friends and IMD classmates came out to celebrate my last night on the town. We had cocktails at Kai Zen, followed by La Berlinoise at Bavaria. It was a very fun evening and I was glad to have the chance to say goodbye before I left.

I spent most of today cleaning as the Swiss have very, very strict standards regarding the state of an apartment when it is handed over. Unfortunately I was informed at the handover that I had still missed a few spots in the kitchen but there was nothing catastrophic.

Packing up my stuff required, as it always does, some decisions about what to keep/pack and what to toss. Some casualties of this move include my old, huge laptop (nicknamed "the aircraft carrier" by some clients of my previous company), my favorite shoes (that are large and very worn), and several bottles of wine (but I know they will bring happiness to the Poken staff). Eventually I managed to squeeze everything into my two suitcases and lug them down to the station.

Instead of heading directly to the US, though, I'm taking a detour through Amsterdam, where I have never been before. Here I am staying with my IMD classmate Tomas, his wife, Lucia, and their son, Albert, who was born during our school year. Unfortunately the cost of checking my heavy luggage on EasyJet was three times the cost of the ticket but, oh well, these are the costs of moving.

When I stepped off the plane this evening, the moon was bright and the air was crisp and cool. It felt like the first step toward an uncertain, exciting future. It felt like the right step.