Winter Wonderland and UNAIDS

Today there were flurries in the morning. This is not that rare for Switzerland. Normally, when it snows though, it doesn't stick to the ground, at least from my experience. But, this afternoon it snowed and snowed and snowed. It's very pretty to look at from inside or to go on a short walk, say from the bus stop to my house. Other than that, it's cold and makes me think it's December, when really tomorrow is March. Oh well....I hear they are getting 10-20 cm of snow in Paris, poor Anakin.

Today, in all the local Suisse newspapers, there were stories of the bird flu. Apparently, they found a dead bird infected with the virus à Genève right by the jet d'eau on the Lac Léman. This is remotely scary because I pass that location every day...don't worry though. Earl, our director, said as long as we don't touch any dead birds or bird excrement and don't eat any raw poultry or eggs we should be fine. Why I would want to do any of the aforementioned things is beyond me. I'm not in danger, so no worries. Anways, if they do close the borders I have an out because my host dad is a border policeman as I mentioned before.

In other news, today we were briefed by a man who works for UNAIDS, which is the U.N. branch that deals with AIDS worldwide. It was very interesting because I am all about finding ways to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. He was very optimistic to finding a cure in the near future, which was positive. He wasn't enthusiastic about any of the Millennium Development Goal initiatives and had a rather bleak outlook on what international organizations are doing to combat the virus.

He also spoke about the relationship between military personel and illness and between military personel and sex trade. He said that some will come back from deployment with HIV/AIDS or an STI as a result of unprotected sexual relations. Interesting tidbit: the Netherlands and Senegal are the only two countries who have never brought home an infected person from the military after deployment in a peace-keeping mission. So, this means that not all missions have been successful in preventing the spread of the virus, only peace-keeping missions. Because the Netherlands starts so early with sex education (ie. not promoting abstinence only) it is more widely accepted to use a condom during any sexual encounter even if you are married. In Senegal, I was less clear on the resoning, but something to do with an excellent prevention program and a culturally conservative state. I thought this was so interesting because it showed that promoting abstinence doesn't always work. Shock and surprise.

I asked him if there were any programs about destigmatization of HIV/AIDS needed to occur and how important it was to successfully implementing condom use all the time. Because even at my university we have to go to the bathroom in the nurses office to get free condoms. I think it's stupid that we should conceal something as important as condoms in one location that isn't even open after 4:30 PM on week days and not at all on the weekends. Conclusion: I am scheduling a meeting with him to ask more questions and possibly do my internship with UNAIDS.

Other than that I have recently found that my new favorite food is cheese and bread. Simple, but soooo delectable. Also, I find that I drink next to no soda over here and moreso bubbly water. So far, of all the kinds I've tried I like Sanpellegrino the most.

Pictures of What I've Been Doing

I thought I would share a few pictures of me here in Switzerland to prove to you all that I am indeed here and not just skipping out on everyone's lives. The one above is of a vineyard outside of Nyon. The white wine here is quite excellent.


This is one of me and Lac Léman on one of the nicer, sunnier days.



This is Nyon yesterday when it was sunny and frickin freezing because of la Bise. Today it's snowing. Go figure.



This is the view from the SIT office in Nyon. I like the architecture of the buildings here a lot. Hence, lots of pictures of scenery.

Famille française

After I graduated from high school I went on a trip with my French Club to France for two weeks. I know, I'm a bit of nerd for being in French Club, but it turned out to be a good move in the long run. Anyway, we went to Chartres, a small city about 30 km or so outside of Paris. I stayed with a host family for one week and loved it. My family and I have kept in touch ever since and next week when I go to Paris for an 'educational excursion' I'm meeting up with them!!!

I am so excited to see them again! It has been about 3 years. The mom and two daughters will be coming up to Paris and we're meeting at the Notre Dame, which is good because it's so easy to find. So, hurray! They also offered for me to spend the night in Chartres so we can talk more and catch up on what has been going on in our lives for the last 3 years. A lot, I imagine.

I was so happy when I saw 'One Missed Call' on my cell phone and it was from a number in France. I was also quite pleased that I was able to communicate with the mom. It's scary to talk to someone on the phone in a different language because you can't see the expressions they're making. But, I did it successfully. I can't wait to go to Paris and see my best friend and my famille d'accueil!

Party Animal

Last night six of us were going to go to a club called Macumba in France. Apparently it's one of the largest in France too. But, after much deliberation and cost-benefit analysis, we ended up going to Lausanne again. (I was just kidding about the cost-benefit thing. I know people don't always understand when I'm joking.)

The six of us composed of Lizzie, Kristen, Kim, Jo, and Whitney. Which I know means nothing, but just for reference. They are all in my smaller group and are pretty cool. Jo and Whitney especially.

Anyway, we ended up taking the train over to Lausanne at 11 and then walked over to L'Atelier Volant, my absent host sister's favorite club. Because we got there before midnight there was no cover, which was excellent. We all bought drinks and waited until more people showed up. In the meantime we did the thing that girls do. You know, dance in a small circle. L'Atelier Volant played more R&B style music, which I think people liked more than the house music at le MAD. ALSO, upstairs there was a slasa room, so we feabily attempted to salsa. The people upstairs were good salsa dancers and put us to shame. My new goal: to learn salsa and ballroom dancing in general.

So we headed back downstairs and as we were dancing boys would come up and randomly dance with us for a few songs before we shyed away back to the small circle of girls. But, once, when I was done dancing, I looked up and didn't see anyone. A surge of panic rose within me, but rest assured I found them and asked them never to leave me again. And they didn't the rest of the night. Hurray.

We basically danced the whole night away. But, towards the end of it, Jo and I were dancing like maniacs. And it was so much fun. I think I was either laughing or smiling the whole night. Jo goes to Barnard (sp?) in New York and shes's awesome and likes having fun, much like me!

When 4:30 finally rolled around we rolled out and went back to the train station to catch the first train at 4:44 in the AM people. We all fell asleep or zoned out on the train and smelt like smoke. When we got back to Nyon, Marco, my host dad, picked up my friend and me and drove us back to our respective houses because otherwise we would have had to wait in the cold for the bus for another 45 min. He works wierd hours so he had to wake up at 3. He's a border policeman, so I guess that's why. But, I didn't go to bed until 5:30 AM! Hence, I am now a party animal. Thankfully, I fell asleep literally 1 min after my head touched the pillow and I am not sick as a reslut of staying up so late. I think I can get used to this partying all night thing...

Conclusion: If you're ever in Lausanne go to L'Atelier Volant. It's fun, safe and you'll meet a ton of people.

I ain't seen the sunshine since, I don't know when...

It has been overcast here since Monday. When my dad said to be prepared for gray days, I really doubted that he meant all the damn time. But, I guess it just makes me appreciate the beutiful days that much more!

Yesterday, I made banana bread for my host family. It was the first time I had ever tried it and I must say it turned out well. My host family liked it too (phew!) They didn't know what it was and were a little apprehensive to taste it, but they liked it. Maybe I'll make it more often.

Also, randomly, the cat is missing. It just left on Thursday and hasn't come back since then. Apparently, it's the first time this has happened so I hope nothing bad happened. I'm not sure how to express sympathy and console others in French yet. Hopefully, it won't be needed. (By the by: Chelsea how are the kittens!?)

Yesterday I handed in my paper on the Muhammad cartoons and called it a day. This weekend will be a relaxing weekend I have decided.

Clarifications

Just a few clarifications. ICRC stands for the International Committee of the Red Cross which is a different organization than the Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. I have been told that the latter is more of a national movement. There are multiple national Red Crosses, like American Red Cross, British Red Cross, etc. Those are all part of the Federation. BUT the museum that I went to encompassed both the ICRC and the FRCRC. My fault.

Also, the people who live in Switzerland are Swiss. Not Switz. It's funny because in French it's not Switzerland, but Suisse. And the people that live here are Suisse regardless of gender. Kinda nice.

This morning we were briefed on Medecins du Monde and the different role of American and French NGO's. He was a little hard to understand (as in he didn't speak English very well), but hopefully, after reviewing with the rest of the class, it will become more clear. I really like the way that the briefings are set up. I'm learning A LOT. It's hard to express exactly what and to what extent I am learning, but maybe when I don't have a million and one things to do, I can write a more in depth entry.

I am currently writing a paper on the effects that the Muhammad cartoons have had on human security in Europe for both Muslims and non-Muslims. Very interesting. Especially, because I get to read the newspaper everyday and it forces me to learn more and more French. It's a funny juxtaposition. In the media, there have been a lot of people claiming to be atheists and then not understanding why Muslims were so offended. Ummmm....Does anyone else see the ridiculousness here? I would not expect someone who doesn't believe in a God to understand anything about how the Muslims are feeling after their Prophet was insulted. That's why I'm writing about it. It helps me to understand the situation better.

On a happier note, here are some pictures!!! The one of the church is in Lausanne.

p.s. The bird flu is all around Suisse. By that I mean it's in France, Italy Turkey etc. Not so worried, but maybe I'll hold off on touching any dead birds like my French teacher suggested.

Musées

Sorry for the long absence. I was sick and after the 10 hour days I didn't have it in me to write about what had happened. But, now that I am getting better, here it is.

We went to two amazing museums this week. The first one was the International Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICRC) Museum. Not to be confused with the American Red Cross Assosiation. Two very different organizations. I was in the group that got to be guided through the museum in French too!! Woohoo learning! The ICRC started in 1863 with helping wounded soldiers. It grew into a humanitarian relief organization that helps victims of war or internal conflict. The organization itself is completely detached from any one governments agenda. Meaning it will not undertake a mission and help just one side of the conflict because of political backing. It's completely independent which is why it is also so special.

But, the museum was really moving. It had a reproduced cell where 17 political prisoners were kept for more than 90 days. As you can imagine the cell was super tiny. It also had special rooms dedicated to land mine victims, the Rwandan crises and how the ICRC functions globally. When we all left the consensus was that we were all a little depressed. But, at least there are organiyations like the ICRC that do what they do.

The second museum was the Musée d'ethnographie de Genève. There was an excellent exhibit called Nous Autres. I'm not sure of the direct translation, but it basically means The Others. It went into the etymology of certain words like savage and whether or not we as Westerners consider 'the others' to be savages, models, or humans. It dealt a lot with ethnocentricity and supported the idea that we were all a little ethnocentric at the core. It also went over traditions and how they are seen as gross or disgusting, but how we have very similar customs in our Western 'civilized' culture too. Conclusion: very interesting. I really liked it because it went all through out history and showed the absurdity of ethnocentricty.

Other than that, the weather here has been gray and rainy. Good for night time, bad for daytime. I was going to go to the Olymipcs, but decided against it. Something I will probably end up kicking myself about.

Things that I have observed

I forgot to mention that I have an official U.N. badge that lets me into the vicinity without too much hesitation or long lines. I feel very official. It's just for using the library and café. And, if I am stopped by security and I just so happen to be in a briefing/conference room where important negotiations are being held I am escorted out and banned from the premises. So, I will try to stay on my good behavior to avoid that from happening.

I do not know if it is as big a deal back in the States as it is here, but the woman with the new transplanted face was all over magazines, newspapers and the news here. They released some photos of the before and after and she looks pretty normal now. Except you can definitely tell that she was the one with the face transplant.

I have to eat! I'll write more later.

Happy Valentines Day!!!! This is my second favorite holiday of the whole year. I know I am very wierd, but I don't care. I like it because for the most part everyone is nice and everyone has smiles on their faces. I made valentines cards for my host family and bought them roses. They were impressed that I didn't make a single error on the cards. I then sheepishly told them that I had them corrected by my french teacher before writing them. Haha.

On with the observations. The transit system in Switzerland is based on an honor system. Therefore, you almost never have to show proof of tickets to the drivers of buses or trams. Really, it's for convenience sake. There are so many people that take public transit it would take forever if drivers were to check every time someone got on. The other week I was riding the bus in Geneve by myself. I was by myself because I was going to meet friends for dinner. This younger man was standing next to me talking on his cell when all of a sudden the bus stopped and two bus patrol people got on. They were asking to see everyone's tickets. They were the infamous ticket-checkers or people who spontaneously got on buses to make sure that there are no free riders. Everyone had them except for this dude next to me. He had to pay CHF45 and was very indignant about the whole situation. Then they escorted him off the bus at the next stop. I was a little scared. I will NEVER think I can outsmart the system especially in a foreign country. I wouldn't know how to explain my way out of it...but at least now I know what happens.

One last thing before I go to bed. The idea of civic duty here in Switzerland, as well as else where in Europe, is very strong. They have a different sort of mentality, as opposed to the value of individualism that American culture has. The Swiss are very environmentally savvy. Everytime someone in my host family leaves a room they turn out the lights. Even if they know they will be back in 2 min. Also, they eat a lot more of the food they prepare. They will save the food they don't eat and eat it at a later point in the week. Ok, we save stuff back in the States, but the Swiss are sure not to be wasteful. I don't have any conclusive evidence why they do this. It could be because they don't want their electricity and grocery bills to be high, but it's just what I have observed.

Lausanne

After going back and forth on whether or not to go, a few friends and I left almost immeadiately after our classes ended on Friday around noon for Lausanne. The reason for my apprehension is because I had a sore throat and did not want to make it worse. Oh well. We took the train up following Lac Leman to Lausanne, which is a rather large city on the side of a hill. The mood and way of life is very different from Geneve, which is comparable in size. A LOT of young people live in Lausanne or at least they go their on the weekends. There are a few larger universities there too. We stayed in a great hostel called l'Hôtel Crystal which was located right in the center of town. (We went on a shopping frenzy as soon as we got there.) But, for those interested in traveling to Lausanne definitely check it out because it was relatively cheap and very clean. The receptionists were also very helpful and encouraged us to speak in French which I thought was nice. After getting settled in we went out and about and I made my first purchase that was non-edible so I was excited.

After we asked the receptionist where a particular resto was. Not only did she tell us, but she also gave us maps and suggested five different restos just in case! We decided to dine at Le Jardin d'Asie a Chinese/Japanese resto that was pretty good. Afterwards, we were all exhausted because we had gotten up at 7 for class. So we lazed around for a few hours and then decided to go out on the town and try out our new dancing shoes. We ended up going to MAD a dance/nightclub that played throbbing techno. Not my music preferer, but it was fine. While we were standing in line this one guy came up to me and offered to pay for my CHF 25 entrance. Unfortunately, I had just given the bouncer the money, so I politely declined. A little weird...The place really did not start to get crowded or fun until 12:30 or so but after that I had so much fun dancing and laughing at all the hardcore dancers. Needless to say I did dance the night away. I did not end up leaving until 3 a.m. First time ever staying out in an establishment that late. It was crazy. And when I left A LOT of people were still there and more were coming. I got a taste of European party-ers and I liked it. Maybe not every weekend because this morning I was tired, but once in a while I'd be down.

Today, when we woke up we ate an amazing breakfast of croissants, cheese, cereal, yogurt, organe juice and tea on the top floor of l'hôtel. It was another beautiful day out, so we could see the Alps. Then we went to Le Musee de l'Art Brut and saw some interesting art done by self-taught artusts. Some of which were made by people who had psychological problems and ended up being sent to hospitals. Some of the things were very complex designs that the artists saw in visions and some were very simple line drawings. Apparently a lot of these artists were into spirituality and believed very strongly in nature and cosmology.

Then it was off to the jolie cathedrale. The information on the cathedrale was poorly constructed so I was not quite sure what the story was, but the inside was very nice. Lots of stained glass that reflected on the stone grounds. It was also located at one of the highest points of the city so we could look out on Lausanne. I will see if I can get more pictures up.

Ok, so then on the walk back to the train station I saw Robbie Herman. Only people from EPHS will find this amusing. But, of all the places to see someone from high school!! And, what is even more odd is that he is also studying in Geneve. I was in awe for a while afterwards. When I saw him I was like, WTF mate? What are the chances?

I know this is a long entry and bravo to those of you that finished it.

This and that

After french class today I was finally able to use my own computer in an internet cafe. You can imagine my excitement when I went online for the first time in two weeks. Well, if you are young and semi-dependent upon AIM you can. Anyway, I put this lovely picture up of les Alps. That and much more is what I got to see all Sunday. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. It was beautiful.

Yesterday was also beautiful even down at the lake! It is usually overcast and you never see the sun, but yesterday it was sunny and it felt like spring had sprung. I could see the Alps across the lac Leman and the Jura behind the house. Very picturesque. But, today it was back to gray sky. I guess I do not notice it much because I am always en train de faire les choses. See? French is much easier if you mix it with a little bit of English now and again. I find it difficult to speak only in English now. That is good because it means that I am learning. At least I hope so...

One of the first days I was with my host family Marco and Jaquotte took me to the Swiss version of BINGO. This was a fun game to play especially to learn numbers or chiffres better. Jaquotte said she could see my mind working out which number was called and then a second later I would understand and mark it off on my BINGO sheet. The luck of the Irish must not have transferred through to me because I did not win. BUT, Marco did win! I think he won some fish and honey. Random.

So, there is this game show that is on a French tv station that we get. I do not know the name of it or really how it works. But, I do know that there is one person who plays to win as many Euros as possible and has to choose whether or not they want to switch boxes with other players (?) The main player has a box, but they do not know how much money it is worth. So there is a lot of switching boxes and sometimes there are tears shed because they should/should not have traded boxes etc. Also, there is a catch to the prix: everytime you switch boxes there is a telephone call from some random person. If you win you have to share the money 50:50 with that lucky random person. I asked my host family if it could be someone like me that calls and they said yes, but I would have to pay .50 Euros (that cents people) to make the call. Is this making sense to anyone else? I know I probably have not described this to the best of my ability, but that is because I do not even know what is going on. More to come on this when I finally figure it out....

Today, I had to wait outside in the cold for 45 min because the bus did not show up. I was shocked!! Everyone has been telling me that punctuality is very important here. For a bus not to show up...I guess I am discovering more and more that the little cultural differences are not the same as the ones people have warned me about. But that is why studying in a foreign country is so much fun!

This entry is a little all over the place, but that is because I just remember things and write them. Hopefully, everyone can follow. Also, a note about my grammer: I really do not consider it to be a big deal and hopefully everyone is able to just deal with the fautes that I make. If not, tant pis.

Les Alps

Yestday the Jura, today the alps! (tomorrow school...boooo). My host parents took me to snowshoe in the alps today! My host brother took off to snowboard almost directly upon arrival. I think I may re-try to snowboard, but only with people that I know a little better and can speak engilsh. But, it was gorgeous. Moreso than yesterday. We started out easy. We went down the mountain to a small resto that was still located on the skiing/snowboarding grounds. We ate a loooong lunch and then we decided it was time to head back. Was it as easy, hell no. Was it funnier than going down, oh yes. We climbed up the side of a mountain. People from the midwest will find that hard to believe, but literally up the steepest mountain ever. It was hard, but so much fun. My host mom thought she would die and kept repeating it every 20 metres. But, heureusement we made it up in an hour and a half. Needless to say, we worked off all the good food we ate for lunch. But, it was so beautiful! The mountains streched out for miles and were covered in snow. Everyone was all smiles. It was a good day. Also, the sun was out at the top of the mountains which was nice to feel warmth on my face. It has been rather cloudy here lately. Eek, I have to go downstairs to dinner. I will make a more thorough update later.

Les Jura

Today my host family took me to the Jura mountains! It was gray and dull outside their house, but as we got higher into the mountains the fog cleared and it was gorgeous outside! It was the first time I had seen sunshine in two days. It was wonderful. But on the ride up I thought I would get sick because the car hugged every twisty turn up the mountain, but much to my surprise I was fine. There weas a lot of picture taking so as soon as I figure out how to load my pictures on to their computer I will put them up. We went to a huge lake called Le Lac des Jeux. It was nice. There were cafés outside on the ice which I think is funny because in the states I have yet to see anyone with a desire to sit outside. (However, you may have seen such occurances, but this is my blog afterall.) We stopped at small Latieres along the way to get some cheese for the week. I have discovered that I like Gruyere that is un peu salé or salty....

On the way down the mountain we could see the alps crystal clear. I also took some pictures. It was tres jolie. My host dad explained to me where all the famous peaks were, eg. Mont Blanc. At the base of the mountains there were hazy clouds that looked like mist. So the experience was quite magical. It looked like it was a place that was very mystical. Like in the movies. Conclusion: Beautiful.

Just as a side note, there is a lot of graffiti here in Switzerland. I was actually really surprised. I was expecting a perfectly pristine country that would reprimand you severly for defacing the train stations etc. I am sure they do if the police catch you in the act, but I have found that, for example, Geneve is like any other large city. Granted it is a lot cleaner than say NYC, it has all the other quirks that large cities have...

I keep telling myself that I will read the 100+ pages I have due this Monday, but it is SO hard to force myself. Maybe I will go and try to do that...

Attention: Special shout out to OAM

Coucou. Like many people on my program have noticed Suisse is expensive. But, not unmanagable. Both breakfast and dinner are provided for every day (I think...) so really it is just lunch and whatever snacks I decide to purchase throughout the day, which so far have been very limited. The restos where you can get lunch have meals starting at CHF14 which is something like 12 dollars. I think the cities in Suisse are like big cities anywhere. In NY of course everything is expensive, but you can still eat a good meal for 10 bucks! Moral of story: I still eat (do not worry mom and dad), but I just reserve my hunger for dinner and breakfast.

Also, there is no such thing as a 15 min lunch break. Nono. They take there time here. Most stores close for the lunch hour which usually lasts from about 12:30 - 2. Which I think is great and I also think that we should adopt something similar in the States. Except, it probably would never work because we are a consumer driven culture! Still, props to Suisse.

Today, another girl and I had to research the resources that the Institut universitaire d'études de dévloppement library had to offer. We had the whole morning and it only took us about 45 min. They have most things that people think a library has. For example, books, magazines, and internet access. The thing is that they have a much more international collection than most places. I think that was supposed to be the focus of the exercise. There were other groups that did the same thing at other libraries and organizations. This is all in preperation for our monster paper that we have to write at the end of March.

In French today we talked about the woman, Isabelle, who had the partial face transplant and tatoos and piercings. All in French mind you. I really like my french teacher, as I think I already mentioned...If you ever get a chance to take French from a native speaker - meaning someone that grew up in teh culture - do it. I find it has been much more profitable than taking it from an English speaking teacher. Just a personal preference I guess.

In other news, last night Gwennaele and I tried to get my computer connected to the internet, but of course it did not work. I think I might try again, but until then I will have to partager with the rest of the family.

Much love to everyone who actually takes time to read my blog. I miss you all.

(This is a special shout out to my OAM people: I hope you are all doing well and continuing to do the good work that you do. Make sure to keep Kristopher in line...just kidding...)