Chocolate Coma and a bit of Envy

I feel like this is starting to become a regular feeling and my body may or may not begin to revolt shortly.  Tonight I crashed the French 1 dinner down in our basement.  All the French classes were invited so I just tagged along with Mags, Lauren, and Steph.  Apparently at the French 2/3 dinner everyone in the house jumped on the bandwagon, but I had been at soccer and had missed out on the festivities last week but there was NO way I was going to miss out this time around!  What a good choice that was:)  I am now pleasantly full with ratatouille, chicken in double cream sauce, chocolate mousse, crepes with jam, and loads of delicious fruit.  Needless to say, I wish I could eat this way every night but I know my body would absolutely HATE me if I did--one good thing about the expensive nature of Switz!  However, if you check out the exchange rate we are doing quite well and are definitely getting more "bang for our buck" these days.

On another note, my internship at the Child and Adolescent Health (CAH) department at the WHO has been confirmed!  I didn't even to have an internship, which obviously has its benefit in the sense of not having to stress out, but additional it's negatives in the sense that I miss out on a chance to practice my professional interview skills.  Not to mention I don't get to wow my supervisor in my pre-planned, super professional interview outfit.  Oh well, maybe first day get up instead:)  Needless to say I am quite pleased and very eager to start on October 17th!

The girls and I are off to Lugano for a quick trip.  Despite the 10 hours of train travel, there and back, we will spend 16 hours in the Ticino canton town, who is conveniently hosting a Harvest Festival this weekend!  I am sure I will have much to report after this weekend's adventure.  Unfortunately, I will be missing a soccer "Canadienne" or potluck tomorrow night as well as a day trip for a game in Grenoble on Sunday.  This is technically our "revision" weekend so I felt like I couldn't quite miss a full weekend of studying with finals coming up next Thursday and Friday. I am currently feeling quite envious but excited for all my Santa Clara friends who are meeting up in Munich for Oktoberfest tomorrow.  Wishing I could be there to tackle Jacqueline and Casey but I am looking forward to Madrid even more now.  We might even try to plan a weekend in Paris, so fingers crossed everything works out!  Anyways, have a blast and be safe to all my Broncos heading East this weekend!! xxx

"There's time enough, but none to spare!"--1 month updates

So 4 weeks have come and gone--can you believe it?!  I know I'm having a difficult time comprehending this awesome feat.  I month ago today, I was downstairs with my 47 travel companions too tired to comprehend what was going on, sipping my first coffee of the trip, and in awe that these people in front of me would be the ones I learned to love and call my friends.  Well 30 days later and while the awe is still a part of certain elements of this experience, I would have thought I had known these people for much longer than a month.  One of my beliefs that has been reaffirmed on this trip is that fact that people need other people to survive and keep their sanity.  We love to share stories about ourselves and in return reciprocate the time spent talking with time spent listening to other people's experiences.  Additionally, at the ripe old age of 20, I have had enough encounters with people to know who I get along with well.  This process is only accelerated through the frequent travel opportunities and condensed time spent with under 50 people.  However, I have been pleasantly surprised by some people, who I guess I pre-judged or something to that extent, early on.  I can now affirm the fact that I am a person who does like the feeling of "instability" and am quick to get comfortable with what I know.  This weekend, I spent some time with people who I am now incredibly excited to get to know better and spend more time with these next several months!  Like I learned in my Sociology class last quarter, only if pre-judging turns into prejudice is there a problem.  You have to give people some time to surprise you and I guess that's one of the many lessons I have learned here in Geneva these past 4 weeks.

Other qualities about myself that I have reaffirmed durning my time here...

1) I LOVE to travel.  Being on the go is something I really enjoy--new experiences, getting to know and love a new place and people you share these experiences with, and trying something different than I have ever done before.  Travel is the basis for these new insights and I love it!  Looking forward to this weekend's day trip to Lugano and especially FALL BREAK (t-minus 10 days!!) in Madrid and Marrakech!!

2) I LOVE food.  Even though things were expensive initially (the exchange rate has altered in our favor in the last week or so wahooo!) we still managed to eat food we enjoyed.  Even if that meant a loaf of French bread and a chunk of cheese.  Also, while I do love food I need to improve my cooking skills and repertoire.  Pasta gets old quickly (like within the first day) and your body really starts hating on you if you eat a chocolate bar every day of the week.  Also, my affinity towards wine has grown immensely! I am no wine-o but I do enjoy a nice glass of wine.  While it is hard for me to admit to this, because I feel old saying "I like wine," I recognize I am drinking cheap wine and am no connoisseur.  A 4CHF wine will do for me and of course the whole "wine experience" also includes who you are sharing your bottle with.  Good company overrides taste for me ANY day:)

"Les Flots Bleus" Yvoire, France

3) I LOVE new experiences.  "Keep new friends but make the old" definitely holds true on this trip for me.  I am missing everyone at home like crazy but have been able to suppress this sense of "missing" people due to the other amazing people who have come into my life.  Whether we are trying to navigate the Swiss train system, unknowingly paying 40CHF for water at a restaurant, or romping around the Alps, new experiences shared with new friends is an UNBEATABLE experience.  While I like the comfort of familiarity, pushing myself outside of that comfort zone is definitely something that builds character and a better sense of understanding myself.  I am an independent person but like being surrounded by people.  Going to soccer practice that first Wednesday two weeks ago really challenged me but now I LOVE going!  Doing things that may kind of scare you is an important part of life and trying things completely on your own is a completely different feat on its own.  However, when it's all said and done you feel good about yourself for trying something new--even if it doesn't meet your expectations, you have learned something new about yourself.  And who knows, maybe it has exceeded your expectations! :)

Happy hikers on Mt. Blanc

4) I am an emotional person.  While this is something I don't readily admit, after a misfortunate experience in class on Monday, I have only reaffirmed the fact that I am emotional.  While I feel like I take constructive criticism well, I recognize I also take it personally.  If something does not go how I expected it to, this is more with respects to school work, and I invested time in it and do not see the results I was expecting--I am not a happy camper.  Maybe I don't deal well feeling like I "failed" or "disappointed" someone but tears are often my response.  Something to work on perhaps, or maybe just something to embrace.  I knew walking into my professor's office I would likely well-up at some point, but maybe that's not such a bad thing after all.  I know myself well enough to know how I respond in situations and sometimes that's not such a bad thing.  Anyways, I am emotional when it comes down to it and I recognize and have embraced this quality about myself...or am on the way to doing so.

Highlights from this week so far?  Definitely our Sunday trip to Chamonix!  I have posted endless pictures on facebook but similarly to Interlaken, pictures just cannot do these mountains justice!  After having been sick at the end of last week and a lazy day on Saturday, the fresh Alpine air was incredible.  I have literally never been that high (altitude wise, don't worry M&D:)) in my entire life!  Standing at 3842 metres, or nearly 12,000 feet was mind-blowing and definitely a natural high in itself.  You could look out and be directly "face en face" with Mt Blanc!  Our hike and guides were hysterical and made the day even more enjoyable.  The day was definitely surreal and yet another confirmation of my ALPaholic tendencies.  My Monday morning visit to the Stettler Chocolate factory also has topped the charts.  Incredible.  Delicious.  Biggest sugar rush in a while.  We took the bus in the direction of the UN and got off in this industrial looking neighborhood.  Upon entering the back room where the chocolate production takes place, we suited up in "snappable garbage bags,"footies, and hair nets before entering the actual room.  As soon as we crossed through the doorway, my slightly stuffy nose was greeted by the delicious, warm scents of, you guessed it, chocolate! Stettler does not actually produce the cocoa bean but sells chocolate products of their chocolate brand across Switzerland, France, and Germany primarily.  During the first demonstrations, we were kept silent by a sample of the liquid chocolate that fills the molds and creates the products sold and distributed by chocolate.  With little spoons, so you don't just chug this liquid form of heaven, we meticulously scraped and re-scraped our glasses while Robert explained to us the tempering, molding, and producing procedures.  We were treated to demonstrations of how to make chocolate flower pots, marzipan flowers, and Stettler's famous pavés, or chocolate bricks, that are meant to represent the cobblestones and bricks of Old Town.  During these demonstrations we were treated to samples of these pavés, which literally started to melt as soon as you touched them!, and dark and milk chocolates (plain and with rice krispies inside).  Needless to say we were a quiet but satisfied audience.  We learned more about the history and process of chocolate production and had the opportunity to ask about Robert's training experience etc.  Lets just say, I'm ready to start my 3 years of training ASAP!  Probably one of the best Monday mornings I have ever had.  Pictures to follow:)

View from Aiguille de Midi (3842m)

Mountains beyond mountains

I am still happy as a clam here in Geneva and am looking forward to continuing my exploration of this country--as well as a few others along the way:)  Even with a minor bump in the road this week, I am still looking at things in a positive light and trying to re-vamp my motivation these finals days of Part 1 of the academic time here in Geneva.  I still cannot believe phase 1 is starting to wind up already.  I am definitely not a fan of the emails we have received indicating our "part 2" activities, which include our Farewell Cocktail party...but it's time to continue living in the present and continue enjoying every day I have here!

Things I am looking forward to?

1) Being done with Art History.  

2) FALL BREAK!  Madrid and Marrakech with the girls and exploring Switz with Danny!

3) Seeing Casey and Liz in Madrid!  Essentially ALL of SCU is meeting up in Munich for Oktoberfest this weekend (except for Liz and me) so getting a Santa Clara fix in a week and a half will be very exciting to say the least.  Refer to #4 of the "things I have learned" and I think that will sum up the reunion.  

4) This weekend's day trip to Lugano!  Bekah (friend from home, one of Andrew's best friends from high school) went to school there for 2 years and Andrew visited her his Sophomore year at Brown.  Cannot wait to finally see the town especially since they are hosting a Harvest Festival this weekend!  

5) Mom and Paula's visit at the end of October.  Perfect timing for another taste of home in Geneva:)  Who doesn't love seeing their Mom and getting to show family around a place you have grown to love so much?!

Much love from Geneva:) xx

Jungfrau Mountain: Outside of Interlaken

Le Jet d'Eau: Geneva, Switzerland

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