The Time Has Come

Here we are, hours away from ending what has been one of the most memorable six months of my life.  From a summer in Namibia, Wales and Greece to a semester abroad in Geneva things are finally coming to a close.  Last week I finished my 8 week internship at the WHO.  We had our Farewell Cocktail party on Friday night, and now our final weekend in Geneva has crossed over to the day of departure.

This final weekend was all about reaffirming our already established and deeply rooted love for Geneva--our home for the past three and a half months.  Saturday morning I had breakfast with Mags and Danny at Celine et Sebastien, our favorite cafe right around the corner from Rue Muzy.  We enjoyed the most delicious reverses and pastries before meeting up with people at Manor, a department store, to make some final purchases.  Following that, Danny, Kathleen and I ended up wandering aimlessly for several hours.  With no particular destination in mind, we strolled the right bank all the way to the WTO and decided to walk all the way up to Nations where we were greeted by the usual protest outside of the UN.  Since we had already come that far, we decided to make the trek back home.  Literally, we hit some of my favorite and most travelled destinations in Geneva and it was so refreshing visiting them while enjoying ceaseless conversation and good company.  Later that evening, 9 of us walked back along the right bank and had a fondue feast at the infamous Bains de Paquis.  While some of the girls had gone to Chez Ma Cuisine, I wanted one last genuine Swiss fondue indulgence.  We scraped the pots clean and devoured multiple baskets of bread and it couldn't have been more delicious.  We wandered out on the jetty and had the most incredible view of the city from one of Geneva's secret niches none of us had previously discovered.  As an end to the night we even threw coins into the lake and made "Geneva wishes" before leaving.

Sunday was a day of mixed emotions.  While the majority of the day was composed of packing and spending as much time as possible around everyone, we managed to slip in a polar bear plunge into the freezing cold Lac Leman.  Needless to say we made quite the "un Swiss" scene off of the Bebe Plage.  After that, everyone headed into Old Town to celebrate Fete de l'Escalade.  There was a huge procession and reenactment of the fall of the Savoyards to the Genevois, complete with costumes, fire and lots of vin chaud and lanterns.  We then proceeded to make our last visit to Parc de Bastions before finding our way home.  After getting back to Rue Muzy, half the house compiled all the remaining food everyone had and made a huge and delicious feast.  We had stir fry, pasta galore and cookies to somehow try and consume by the end of the night.  Bottles of wine were passed around and everyone was at ease and enjoying comfortable conversation.  Post dinner, things took a turn for the emotional worse.  Some goodbyes were said and there were hours spent embracing and reminiscing.

Looking back on it all, we all shared endless, unforgettable memories throughout the entire semester.  Pictures tell more than 1000 words and with the amount of photos taken across the semester, novels could be written.  Everyone says it but it is 100% true:  time truly does fly.  As much as you may try and soak in each and every moment and live each day to its fullest, somehow the end will always catch up with you and goodbyes must be said.  For me, one of the hardest things to deal with has been the fact that a lot of these people will realistically be seeing each other in the near future.  One disadvantage of living on the West Coast: not being close in proximity with some of the lifelong friends I have made this semester.  We all have unexplainable shared memories that no one else outside of this program will ever be able to understand and this is an undeniable fact.  It is as if we have a million secrets that even if you share them, people on the outside cannot quite comprehend the sentiments and stories behind them all.  However, in this plain and simple fact lies the sole reason I am reassured throughout this whole "end experience."  These experiences will be relived and retold to the best of their abilities throughout the entirety of my life.  I will never forget the friendships I have made, the lessons I have learned and the memories I have made with the help and guidance of these 46 unique and individual people who have grown into my abroad family.  For that fact alone, I know this semester along with these people will always remain in my heart.

Christmas Time in Europe

 Two weekends ago I was bitten by the Christmas bug.  Mags, Caro and I made the long day trek to Basel (the part of Switzerland that shares a border with both France and Germany) for the opening weekend of their Christmas market!  Our day was filled with food, festivities and fun.  Once we arrived in Basel we had no clue how to best navigate the city and ended up deciding caffeine would assist in our decision making process.  After a delicious cup of coffee, we hopped on what we thought was the correct bus however, we ended up taking a long-winded half hour bus tour of the city.  It was a great chance to see parts of the city we otherwise would not have and the only thing we could do was laugh.  The city was covered in lights and every window was decorated with Christmas displays.  Over the course of the day we wondered in and out of every stall:  from candles to ornaments, to soaps and sweaters these stalls were full to the brim with festive christmas gifts and decorations.  We sampled fresh nougat, indulged in "Sweet Magic" pastries and feasted on sausages and "karteiffien puffer," or deep  fried shredded potatoes dipped in the most delectable garlic sauce.   We wandered around town and attempted to take the official Christmas tour, unfortunately right before we handed our money over the man at the tourist info desk said, "you know this is in German right?"  Game changer right there.  Thank goodness we found out before the tour had started but we were still bummed.  We wandered between the two market squares and wandered around the shops just outside the squares.  We made our way back to the center of town as the sun was setting and found ourselves just inside the Munsterplatz, or town hall.  There was a huge lit Christmas tree and the town's Christmas Wish Book that we all signed with our christmas wishes for the world.  After signing our Christmas wishes, we came back outside and were greeted by little kids running down the street in a "fun run."  As the evening progressed, different heats of different aged kids ran through town in the kick-off weekend run.  We cheered everyone on and enjoyed free tea provided by the local Migros!  Basel is known as one of the biggest and best Christmas markets in Switzerland and the greater parts of Europe and we got to be a part of the 2011 tradition.  After an incredibly festive and all around marvelous day in Basel, Sunday seemed like quite the drag.  I had to dig down deep to find some kind of motivation to work on the two papers I had due last week.  Overall, a productive Sunday leading into week 7 of internships.

Christmas Markets

Basel Festivities 

Hot Chocolate and Christmas Mugs!

During the week, Mags and I hosted another visitor--Andrew aka Chingy...Maggie's friend who graduated from Dartmouth a year ago!  I had heard a lot about him so it was fun finally putting a face to the name.  On Thursday was the big Christmas tree lighting in the town square.  There were several (long winded) speeches given by the mayor and other people involved in designing this years' Christmas lights and main tree decorations.  The tree was illuminated and the festivities really commenced with free Raclette and mulled wine.  I made my way home rather quickly for what ended up turning into a late night of finishing up papers before my Friday departure for Wales!

Friday couldn't have passed more slowly.  I was beyond excited to be on the plane and more importantly in WALES!!  Lauren and I had planned on meeting at the airport a little around 3pm for our 4:30 flight.  We made it in plenty of time and grabbed a coffee and perused the shops before making our way to the gate.  Uncle David picked us up from Bristol, an airport I had yet to fly into before this trip.  It took us another hour or so to get home, but the travel was worth the wait.  Kate, Sarah, Aunt Cath, Nan and Uncle Viv were waiting for us when we arrived and I don't think I will ever forget Nan's shrieking reaction and embrace when I saw her.  We were quickly exchanging stories and munching on appetizers before sitting down to our meal.  Aunt Cath treated us to homemade turkey and mushroom pie and vegetables galore.  I forgot how much I love (and was in desperate need of) homecooked meals.  We feasted until we felt stuffed and ended up spending a quiet night in catching up and sharing stories from the past semester and of recent Blaenavon stories.  


The next morning, after an incredible night's sleep in a plush, double bed Lauren and I woke to an incredible breakfast spread made up of tea and crumpets, cereals, yogurts and fresh fruits!  I indulged again (kind of a theme of the weekend...and the semester) and consumed mass amounts of blueberries and strawberries and of course a bit of everything else.  Uncle Viv met us at the house and shuttled us out to Big Pit--the working mine and UNESCO heritage site in Blaenavon.  I hadn't been down the Pit for probably10 years and it was great to go back.  I definitely could appreciate the content a lot more and actually enjoyed the museum aspect of the visit.  Going down the Pit itself was also incredible especially after hearing more in depth from Uncle Viv about how my great-grandfather and great-uncle had started working down there at the age of 13!  When we came home, Kate was back from work and we decide to head "downtown" to check out the Winter Wonderland going on.  There really wasn't that much to show for but the craft tent had lots of fun trinkets to look at and we showed Lauren the Welsh gift shop Kate works at.  After that quick visit, we headed down to the market town of Abergavenny, which was a lot more lively.  We wandered through the market itself and showed Lauren Abergavenny Castle.  After exploring we decided to go to the Angel Hotel, where my cousin Sarah was married this summer.  Coincidentally enough, another wedding was going on and we were lucky to snag a seat in the bar where we order some of the best tea and scones I have had.  We were serenaded by carolers out in main lobby and that only added to the incredible Christmasy vibes I had been getting for the past week!  We went home to reorganize ourselves before our night out in Cardiff.  It was a rugby match day and Shane Willams' last day so by the time we got into Cardiff, the entire city was smashed.  I don't think I have ever seen Wales in the state I saw it in that night.  We had an amazing Thai meal at "Thai Edge."  I seriously had been craving Thai for the past several months and between our prawn pad thai, beef masama and green curry I was completely satisfied.  We pub hopped for a while after dinner before catching the last train home.  The train was jam packed with rugby fans who continued singing and chanting despite the loss earlier in the day.  I may or may not have par taken in a good old "Oggy Oggy Oggy" chant as well :)  We recounted hilarious bar stories in addition to our delicious meal to Aunt Cath on the drive home from the train station and we were all ready for bed by the time we got back.  

Going down the Pit!

Could we be anymore British?

Kate at Thai Edge about to enjoy our delicious starters

The next morning Aunt Cath prepared the most delicious Welsh Breakfast before we made our way to the airport.  I definitely got emotional saying goodbye to everyone but I am so happy I was able to make it over to Wales for a weekend.  I have come to appreciate and love my Welsh family so much over the years and now that I am older I can definitely appreciate the time we spend together a lot more than I think I ever was able to when I was young.  I don't think we could have had a more special and memorable last travel weekend of abroad and I am so happy I got to share some of my family with Lauren!  

I love my Nan!

Family Loving

Seasons Greetings from Blaenavon

An Overdue Thanksgiving

Thursday marked my first Thanksgiving spent away from the United States and away from my family and closest childhood friends.  The day itself was pretty uneventful.  A few comments shared around the office and at lunch all saying the same thing, "it is so weird we're not home right now...I wonder what float is passing down the parade route...who won the dog show" etc. but it was nice to be in the same position as so many other people.  We all shared family and personal Thanksgiving traditions so the whole essence of Thanksgiving was definitely not lost.  I even managed to stream part of the parade from my office! :)  The real festivities began when everyone returned home from work.  Everyone's spirits were high and getting ready made me feel like I was in high school again--getting ready for homecoming or some other "dress up" event. 

The program took us to the Intercontinental Hotel, a swanky hotel close to the UN, where the American Club of Geneva hosts a traditional Thanksgiving meal for anyone, but particularly American workers and their families living here in Geneva.  We felt super classy showing up dressed to the 9s, checking our coats, and having a photo snapped as we entered the venue.  There was a cocktail hour prior to the meal--I'm not going to lie, it is going to be so bizarre coming home and not being able to enjoy a glass of wine or a drink out on the town with family or friends...definitely have gotten too used to the European lifestyle!  We made our way into the ballroom where dinner was being held and I found myself sandwiched in between Kathleen and Danny. Lauren, Mags, and Caro were at the table along with some others and the night from then on out was filled with good food, people, and laughter.  We feasted on clam chowder, corn bread, turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and an endless table of desserts.  There was even a special line dancing performance--definitely something that has never been part of my traditional Thanksgiving repertoire but hey, this wasn't your typical Thanksgiving to begin with!  Later on in the evening they invited everyone (aka our program) onto the dance floor to learn their moves.  This pretty quickly turned into BU dominating the dance floor, along with an adorable little blonde girl, and before too long I had been spun up and down the dance floor by my nearest and dearest on this side of the Atlantic.  I was able to talk to Mom and Dad on Thanksgiving day which was nice and staying busy all day long kept me from getting too homesick.  It was definitely one of the most memorable Thanksgivings to date and I feel like this year had presented so many things to be thankful for.  

Some of the things I am thankful for:

My friends and family back home

My friends who have become my family here in Geneva

All the opportunities the past 6 months have presented me with--Namibia, European adventures, internships, etc.

Being able to stay healthy and active

All the new relationships I have fostered at school and all the relationships from home I have maintained 

The love and support from all those currently surrounding me in my life.

It is so hard to imagine everything is wrapping up in 2 weeks time.  This semester is definitely something to be included in the "things I am thankful for..." what a life changing and memorable experience this has all been.  So much to be thankful for this year and I am glad to have had the opportunity to begin to reflect on all those things :)