Chamonix, Je t'aime.

What an incredible way to end/start the week!  After an incredibly lazy, but much needed Saturday, Sunday morning came quickly.  We had a 7am alarm welcome us into what would become such a memorable day.  We should have guessed it was going to be an amazing day when it started with us in "club" seating on our charter bus.  Danny, Mags, Steph, Lauren, and I took up this whole back lounge are with a table in the center and felt very VIP as we made our way to Chamonix.  Pretty much the entire bus passed out and was greeted by Mont Blanc as we pulled into our destination.  Right off the bat we took two cable cars up to Aiguille du Midi, which stands at 3842 meters (the highest I have ever stood on ground!).  Everyone definitely felt the altitude as we stepped off the cable car that had essentially just shot vertically towards the sky and dropped us off at our first destination.  We climbed to a viewing point, where the clouds slightly obscured our views, but nonetheless I felt as if I was among the heavens.  We were at cloud level and staring straight out into the Mont Blanc and her neighboring peaks of the Jura and Pre-Alps.  Inclassable!!  One of my new favorite French words literally meaning "unclassifiable."  I felt completely humbled by these monstrous mountains and tried to take in the picturesque views we were given as the sun broke through the clouds.  Our group made its way into the lodge and sipped on hot chocolates before heading up yet another flight of stairs for yet another incredible view of the mountains.  Our guides told us the legend of how Mont Blanc was discovered and "les dents des geants" or the pointy ridges to the right of the 3 Mont Blanc peaks before making a quick pit stop before boarding another cable car down to our next destination.  From there, we hiked 10 minutes, ran into some wild mules, and made camp for lunch on a cliff overlooking Chamonix and of course, the mountains.  After lunch, we broke off into three groups of ten and began our day hike.  Phillip, our guide, was not super confident with his English skills--yet another prime opportunity to practice our French!  He pointed out wild blueberries and cranberries and encouraged us to try 1 or 2--after telling us that foxes pee all over them and if you eat too many you will get stomach worms.  Lovely.  We still tried one :)  Definitely tart, so don't know if that was the "natural" environment or if they weren't quite ripe.  He also passed around some wild leaf that smells and tastes like celery!  Our hike was primarily flat, but we had a slight climb which ended in some of the most amazing views of the glacier!  Apparently, due to global warming and other extraneous conditions, the glacier recedes 4 metres ever year...madness!!  While we were taking in these unbelievable sights we heard a rock fall somewhere in the distance.  Apparently, there are a TON of accidents and deaths from avalanches and rock falls anyone climbing Mont Blanc anytime soon, beware!  The waterfalls in the distance were a pleasant sight as we took in our final views before climbing onboard our alpine train back down to Chamnoix.  Once again I find it SO difficult to convey the beauty and impressiveness of these magnificent nature scenes and try to do them justice with the multitudes of pictures I take!  We all collapsed onto the train and ambled our way onto the bus where we reclaimed our "club" seating.  The entire bus was passed out within 15 minutes and of course I get a second wind and am super punchy--don't worry this only last another 20 minutes before my face hit the table and I was out like a light.

View from Aiguille du Midi

Inclassable

Friendly mountain mule

"Mer de Glace"

Sick in Switz

The last two days have been a bit of a drag.  I woke up on Thursday morning with a bit of a sore throat which progressed into congestion later in the day.  I wasn't feeling great but thought maybe just the colder weather was playing games with my allergies.  This hypothesis was denied the following day when I woke up, was only breathing out of my mouth, and felt awful.  A draggy day that was made even more so by the fact I had to make it through both Art History and Health, I thought my bed would never come soon enough!  A lot of people have friends visiting from other abroad programs so the house was a lively place Friday evening.  I quickly resolved to changing into pajamas, borrowing a friends DVD collection, and cuddling up in bed--where I stayed the rest of the night.  Coincidently enough, one of the girls, Sammy, visiting goes to Santa Clara!  We didn't really know each other that well but it was fun talking about our abroad experiences, living situations for when we're back on campus, and missing the first week on campus of our Junior year!  It was so great getting to interact with Sammy and I will be excited to see her around campus come January!  Anyways, my Friday night I had a date with a 1 litre bottle of 7Up, multiple episodes of Friends, and a little bit of Mean Girls!  Mags and I turned on the movie and turned off the lights and I was out in 15 minutes!  Sleeping for 10+ hours really helped and I felt a lot better today!  Still had a relatively lazy day--caught up on Grey's Anatomy and Glee season premieres, made Taco salads for mine and Mags' dinner, and watched 21 with Steph, Mags, Danny, Rob, and Lauren joined us once her Law paper was done!  Looking forward to feeling even better tomorrow and hoping the fresh Alpine air of Chamonix will supplement that as well :)

WHO, What, Where?!

So this week has, per usual, flown by way too quickly and has been jam packed with work and not so much play.  Monday night I finished my take-home portion of my Public Health quiz and had a lazy night. The next morning, my art history class visited the Museum of the Reformation, which is located next to the Cathedral de St. Pierre.  Inhabited by the Mallet Family in the mid 18th Century and was upgraded in a Neoclassical style to keep up with the times.  We saw a lot of original prints from some of the first printing presses in Geneva as well as a receipt for an "indulgence" or a Catholic vice to ensure entry into heaven from the 1520s.  There were a lot of interesting paintings depicting various historic events in Geneva and considering the context/severity of the Reformation, the museum was laid out in an original, engaging manner--definitely a contrast to the principles of the Reformation!  Later that day Dr. Philip Jenkins spoke to our health class about antibiotic resistance, a topic I did not think I would be very engaged in...that quickly changed.  Dr. Jenkins presented his material in an interesting way and showed a film that only further supplemented his point that the matter is not taken as seriously as it should be.  This class continues to surprise me and is reaffirming my interest in the field of Public Health!  I am always surprised by the level of interest I have in all these topics and I am excited to really figure out which field is most engaging for me!

With that being said...later that night I received an exciting email from our internship coordinator, Aline.  She indicated that I have been placed and will be going in for an interview with the WHO Child and Adolescent Health Department!!  I am so excited to finally have my prospective placement and am SO excited to further read up on the department and become more familiar with this incredible organization who plays such an integral role in the field of public health.  While this was exciting for multiple reasons, I couldn't help but be even more excited for our field trip and lecture AT the WHO on Wednesday!  Yesterday was an extremely early morning.  Mags and I couldn't bear to have our alarms go off in the 6 o'clock hour so we set them for a little after 7...we arrived at the WHO, or OMS (Organization Mondial de la Sante) as they call it here in Geneva, a little before 9--after a 40 minute tram ride--checked in and received our official visitor's badge, and met up with our professor.  Our lecturer met us in a room across the hall from the WHO library and presented on Primary Health Care reform with a focus on China's development.  He was so incredibly knowledgable on the subject and I was talking with my friend Rob afterwards and we both couldn't help but ask, "how are we supposed to get to that point on a subject?!"  I hope whatever experiences I have in the intern world here in Geneva are going to motivate me to achieve that level of depth and understanding and really kick me in to gear in terms of continuing my intensity of work throughout my schooling!  

Last night, I had my second night of soccer practice.  I was greeted by everyone with a warm, welcoming, "Salut!" and the customary three kisses on the cheek!  Doing this with almost everyone is time consuming so it is important to get there early!  Alex was there today, along with her daughter Natasha, so it was fun seeing her out practicing "sur le terrain."  We broke off into groups and played possession before finishing off the practice with shooting--or "frapper."  My first shot was rusty to say the least, but my next several shots made good connections with the ball.  There's nothing I love more than the sound that's made by a good, solid strike of ball and cleat ("crampon").  I am so happy I have decided to do this.  Definitely brings back some good memories from my childhood all the way through high school.  Not to mention, the team's official jerseys are green and white...I think it's a sign :)

Rösti on a Rainy Day

Happy Monday everyone!  After another incredible weekend, Monday seemed to come again too quickly. I woke up with slight headache and puffy eyes--definitely a "glasses" kind of day for me.  This essentially set the tone for the rest of the day.  I woke up to the lovely sound of rain against our window and made my way downstairs for a quick breakfast.  I still wasn't feeling well so turned on a relaxing playlist and allowed myself to doze for another hour before buckling down and finishing my Public Health studying.  I didn't have class until 2 today, which was nice and allowed me to prepare for my quiz until then.  Steph, Mags, and I talked through slides together before making our way over to Vollandes.  We had a very engaging HIV/AIDS speaker from South Africa today, and the allotted 2 hour lecture time reached closer to two and a half hours.  Professor Schnur had to cease questions, which I am sure could have gone on a lot longer, due to the fact we had to complete our in-class section of our quiz.  We were all slightly taken aback by the style of the quiz, nothing too out of the ordinary...just not what we expected, and for whatever reason I was in the rarest of form from after class on throughout the evening.  We still had a take-home portion of the quiz to complete and I was very frustrated with the amount of content our professor was expecting us to cover in 500 words!  I couldn't seem to let this go so relaxed a little in a warm shower before starting my outline.  Before I knew it, dinnertime had arrived!  Mags, Steph, Lauren, Danny, and I decided to actually make a real dinner of Rösti tonight!  The five of us got to work and produced the most delicious creation I have eaten in our house here these last 3 weeks!  We each assigned ourselves to a task and before we knew it we had fried up potatoes, bacon, onions, and cheese into one big grilled pile of deliciousness!  We gobbled down our food and decided Rösti is the perfect, Swiss comfort food for a dreary day like today.

I got back to finishing my paper but quickly was distracted by the fact Katie was online!  Today is the first day of classes at SCU and I was eager to hear about that along with Welcome Weekend.  I only allowed myself 5 minutes of chatting with her but just seeing her face was exciting in itself!  We are scheduled to have a more in depth catch up tomorrow whenever she is free.  I can hardly believe today starts the quarter for everyone at the Clara and I must admit I felt far away and distant from home for the first, real time today.  Knowing that I only have one more "start to the school year" at Santa Clara really hit home and I think I have finally allowed myself to miss everyone.  That combined with the fact Andrew is now down in the Bay really made me miss the familiarity of the start of the school year in California.  A little nostalgia just added to the dreariness and unease of the day.  I guess the weather may of been a slight reflection of how I feel towards missing out on all the West Coast adventures currently going on.  I know these feelings are temporary and I think it is refreshing to realize that even though I am having the time of my life over here in Switzerland, it is okay to miss the comforts of home.  

Shout out to Andrew who is now officially a Cali Brah...cannot wait to hear all about Orientation etc.  You better wait for me to get home to go to Chef Chu's!!  Go get 'em Cardinal :)  Also, to my Santa Clara family--I cannot believe 2 years have already passed since our first days together!  I know you're tearing up Europe, Africa, and of course the Clara.  Missing you all and thinking of you as always.  Happy first day of classes! :)

Countdown to Cottage

Miss these crazies

Benson Fountain and Palm Trees

Fête des Vendanges

I just got back from the Fête des Vendanges in Russin.  A short 12 minute train ride outside of Geneva, Russin is a small town surrounded by vineyards and not a whole lot of anything else!  The train station is very small and the train itself is a lot smaller than any of the other trains we have taken outside of Geneva.  Danny, Maggie, Tommy, and I left an hour earlier than the big group that we met up with earlier and even though it was starting to rain when we left we were glad we made the trip earlier.  There was something quaint and special about wandering around town in a slight drizzle and before the big crowds arrived.  A little background on this two day festival:  this year marks Russin's 49th annual festival!  There are carnival type rides and games for "la fête des enfants" that happened yesterday, market vendors, and most importantly...food vendors!  Apparently it is possible to try or "gouter"135 different wines of 30 different varieties along with traditional food dishes.  Since it was a lot less crowded when we arrived around 1:15, we made a round around the whole town to scope out what was cheap and delicious looking.  We settled for some "white" sausage that was served with mustard, fries and bread.  The food was hot, delicious, and completely satisfying for a rainy, fall day.  I went up to thank the two women who had served us all and we ended up having the sweetest conversation, in French!  They asked where we were from, what we were doing here, etc. then one of the women proceeded to tell us about how her daughter and son-in-law live in Montreal and the differences she has noticed between their French language and actual French from France.  I still am not completely able to say exactly what I want without having to pause and think about it for a second but I hope that with every encounter, like this one today, I will gain more confidence and be able to mindlessly have conversations with people like I did today.

Even though we haven't quite made the complete transition to autumn weather, clacking around town in boots, being surrounded by the aroma of delicious foods, and hearing carnival game sounds made me feel like I was at the Puyallup Fair back home!  I guess I can settle for a festival in Switzerland to fulfill my "fair fix" for the fall:)  2:30 was the scheduled start time for the parade "de  chars  décorés  et  fleuris--a float parade!  Danny and I grabbed a crepe au sucre et some mulled wine for our parade entertainment!  We crossed the road just as the first groups passed through and met up with some other people we were with who had claimed part of a wall along the road for our viewing pleasure.  There was a group of Bolivian dancers who were so lively and fun to watch, various marching bands, and countless groups handing out candy, chicken, and wine!!  So random but such an animated environment and response from such a charming little village.  We wandered around, listened to the ongoing parade (that not only seemed to be re-circling the town but also playing various American songs like Avril Lavigne and Nelly Fertado...), and relaxed on some benches near the town center.  Our little group hopped back on the train and got back home a little after 5pm.  What a pleasant little getaway before settling down for the night to study for Public Health and try and get motivated for this Art History paper due Friday...why is it these weekends come and go so quickly?!  Pure bliss in Swiss, it's gotta be the reason:)

Delicious Lunch à la fête!
 

Ready for the Parade!

Russin

Lazy Days and Memorable Nights in Geneva

After a Thursday filled with a field visit to the Museum of Art and History, public health, and a nice extended run by the lake and through the jardin d'eaux vives, we wound down the evening by watching No Strings Attached aka one of my current favorite movies.  We cuddled up in Lauren's bed and somehow managed to keep our eyes open until 1:30 when we the movie finally finished!  Obviously we started the movie later than planned and I definitely felt the repercussions of a late night and an early morning the next day.  We had part 2 of 3 of our field visits to the Art and History Museum.  Friday, we examined different mediums of art and are learning how to examine and describe art without simply pointing or generalizing areas of a piece of art.  This is surprisingly a lot more difficult than it sounds!   We saw some of the original frescoes from the Chapel of the Maccahbees of St. Peter's cathedral, which was pretty amazing to see!    We had yet another incredible speaker in Health from the International Health Regulation department of the WHO.  He was very engaging and had lots to share about ensuring countries comply with policies and regulations implemented by organizations like the WHO.  He is originally from Worcester, England so I talked to him briefly during our break about Dad and all the family in Wales.  Once health was over, I made myself continue my running streak and ran a new path along the lake and again through the garden.  Even though I more or less follow the same outline for my runs, I always manage to create a "new" run everytime.  There are so many twists and turns within the garden that I think it would be impossible to run the exact same route twice!  Danny and I made what has been my most immaculate dinner here since arriving in Geneva.  We collaborated and concocted and spaghetti sauce with ground beef, green peppers, tomatoes, onions, and garlic and poured it over noodles for dinner last night and lunch today!  We had a blast cooking together and it felt good to actually eat a real meal--not just Nutella on bread:)  Even though all of us were tired and planned on having a night in, somehow we all were convinced to go out with everyone to this club called Bypass.  There was free cover before 12 so we took the tram, while it was still running, and danced for a couple hours in a big group of us from the program.  Some of the girls took a cab back home but Mags, Steph, Lauren, and I did not want to spend money on a cab soooo we walked...3 miles home...barefoot.  I had worn wedges out (obviously with NO intention of walking home!) and there was no way I was going to prance about in them for an hour when I was tired and all I wanted to do was collapse in my bed.  Lets just say my heels are torn up.  Last night they looked as if someone had painted layer of tar on the soles of my feet, fabulous.  And even better that I was on my feet all of today in Neuchatel!  Probably not my smartest idea to decided to break in my new Cole Hahn boots either...oops!  Anyways, today 25 of us from the group went to Neuchatel where we were treated to a guided tour of town.  This year is the 1000th birthday of the town, something that is completely unfathomable to our enfant 250 year old nation, and needless to say they are celebrating right!  There are all these markets and festivities to celebrate this momentous anniversary/birthday!  Our tour guide, Ursula, was so sweet and showed us the city's wine caves (cellars), one of the immaculately designed original city estates, the famous castle and prison tower, and the heavenly entrance to the museum of art and history!  All of these Swiss towns are so historic, charming, and full of life I feel so lucky to have already experienced as many as I have!  And I'm not even 3 weeks into my time here yet!   We were greeted by some sporatic rainfall so we ended up spending a lot of our free time in a creperie and making a quick loop around town before heading back to the train station to head home.  Lauren bought and tasted some "raclette," a Neuchatel specialty, that essentially is a block of cheese cut in two and placed under a little flame.  The melted cheese is scraped off the top and served with potatoes, pickles, and pickled onions and it looked and smelled delicious!  Apparently we have a raclette set in the house and we are all eager to try and re-create it for ourselves!  On the train ride home nearly everyone fell asleep.  We all are planning on going to the Harvest Festival outside of Geneva tomorrow but have a lot of work and rest to get in before our 12 departure tomorrow! I can hardly believe I only have 3 weeks left until finals!!  Time flies and for some reason there is no motivation to do work on weekends here when trips to quaint, historic villages and day trips to festivals are at the tips of our fingers!  I foresee a week of late nights and buckling down ahead of us all...wish us luck!

Soccer in France...the "Firsts" Continue

Last night was my first practice with a women's soccer club just over the border in France! Our program's financial coordinator, Alex, and husband run the club and she saw I had some soccer experience and invited me out to play!  There are between 20-30 young women aged 15-26 who come out and practice Wednesday/Friday and have games on Sunday.  Apparently, in previous semesters, Alex has always found someone in the program interested in participating so as of now I am our program's recruit!  She even brought me cleats--that had been worn by her daughter...who is currently 9 years old. HA! I spoke French with the girls and coaches the entire practice, having to quickly pick up on French football terminology, and enjoyed meeting another international student from Senegal along with all the French and Swiss players!  After having been out of (real) practice for two years, it was such an incredible feeling being back out on the pitch!  Definitely using muscles that haven't been used in a serious "soccer sort of way" for a while so needless to say I'm comfortably sore this morning...what a good feeling!  We warmed up, did a circle warm up with a partner, "une binome," and progressed on to 4vs3 and 5vs4 offensive/defense drill.  We ended practice with "la vitesse" or agility training that involved ladders, cones, and lots of sprints!  There is such a fun, energetic, and inviting atmosphere so needless to say the 2 hours passed by extremely quickly!  On our way home, the girl from Senegal finally spoke to me in French!  Earlier in the practice when she found out I was American she immediately speaking in English...I persisted and continued using French so felt quite proud when she reciprocated and even commented on my accent and speaking abilities!  After having been apprehensive to go in the first place, I am so, so happy I made the leap and tried something new and on my own!  Depending on my schedule, I may even try and play in some of their games, which take place on Sundays!  I will be sure to keep you posted on the status of that and will have to bring my camera to a practice in the near future :)


Sidenote, I got a 40/40 on my Art History quiz!  Now, time to buckle down on the 2 papers and 2 presentations that are due in the upcoming weeks...