Pascal is 23 years old and from Winterthur, Switzerland. When he wasn’t busy impressing us with his magic skills or winning Table Tennis against fierce competitors, one could find him exploring Santa Barbara with friends. We enjoyed getting to know Pascal during his 4 weeks here in Santa Barbara, and will miss the fun energy he brought to the school. Visit our Facebook page to watch him perform magic live, and read on below to learn more about Pascal!
Yes. It was a dream of mine to come to the US for many years! I am happy that I finally got the opportunity to come to Santa Barbara.
Something that was surprising for me was the openness of the American people, but I really loved that. A culture shock itself did not happen, I felt almost immediately like I was home here in Santa Barbara. You can smile at people on the street, and they won’t think that you want something from them, which is what people in Switzerland think.
I really miss cheese and good bread. European breads are just perfect. Here, the bread is just toast… I don’t know what Americans think Swiss Cheese is, because it is very different.
I tried to participate in some activities, but most of the time I landed up in some bars. I really liked the local bars and barkeepers. I enjoyed showing them some of my magic tricks, even if I got beer on my cards.
I love playing Football (soccer). I really enjoyed competing against my friends at Table Tennis and bar games like pool. I enjoy practicing magic tricks as well. See here: Pascal Magic Trick Movie
You should go out and meet English-speaking people, so you can use your knowledge. You learn so much more through conversations with strangers than anything else, you just have to go out in the world and practice.
My favorite place in Santa Barbara is the Sandbar on State Street. I went there with friends several times and always had the best time. I will miss going there with my friends, as well as getting to know the people that worked there.
A group of us went to Las Vegas for the weekend and I had a really great time there. Also, many of us went to the Lakers game, which was a great experience for me, even if they ended up losing the game.
I will go to another (short) language stay in Whistler/Canada, where I will be for 4 weeks. After that, I will meet my friends in Los Angeles and we will travel around the West Coast. I am excited to get to travel before I have to go back home to Switzerland.
