And then everything changed

Yes, they exist: Experiences that are so profound, they change life forever. I had this experience when I was 17. The year before, my father had passed away. At the time, I had finished the lycee in France with honours and I was chosen to spend a year in the United States on a scholarship. I wanted to be independent, but first I was alone and would soon be lonely.

I had benefited from a liberal education in a co-ed environment. Even for back then, my educational background in English, Latin and Ancient Greek was quite unusual. In Washington, D.C. I came to a family with three children, none of whom spoke any French. They did not really share my interest in the state of the world, politics and my love of synchronised swimming. I enrolled in an all-girls school, where I was given endless assignments in American history and literature, science, and ballet.

My mother, my three brothers, and my friends were far away. There were no mobile phones, no emails, and no option to come back home before the end of the school year. Thankfully, there was an optional course in political science.

For three months I struggled intensely, torn between the wish to leave and the urge to master the challenge. In the process, I devoured a huge amount of French literature – and far too much chocolate ice cream and peanut butter. But then I managed to conquer my frustration. I came to realise that my American host family was in fact “my” American family and that they loved me in their own way. I began to appreciate that the all-girls school I attended offered an excellent education. I discovered a terrific synchronised swimming team in the local Jewish community.

A year later, I was not ready to leave. I had learned a lot about myself, about resilience, and more importantly, about respect and tolerance – values that have guided me throughout my entire career. The experience I had back then was the best preparation I could have had for the tasks that lay ahead of me. As per the motto of the all-girls school: Inveniam viam aut faciam - I will find a way or make one.

This article was published as a column in WirtschaftsWoche.