Hours Before New York...

I've never found myself attached to a home, to a car, to an old piece of paper, a letter maybe, never good about saving money or particularly attached to people but what I do find myself gripping so tightly, so fervently to is seasons, times, moments. And that is what you would call the past. I've always been attached to it, always looking to my future & becoming excited, ecstatic even and anxious for its arrival. I've always wondered why I could never live in that future moment though. I couldn't wait for it to come and then it was as if I could only experience the present when it became my past. Wow. I just re-read that sentence and it perfectly describes my 21 year old life defect. I lived on memories and I don't know, maybe it is because when things are the past, you are able to remember them and re-live them whatever way you want. You can spin the truth, rearrange the facts. I'm not sure if I did that or not, given the fact that memory is so limited, so selective, so biased. However, for once in my life, though I'm terrified and overjoyed all at the same time about what the future holds for me, I'm living in the present time. I don't think on my past for comfort. I don't think on my past for pity. I don't think on my past to run down all the things I should have done differently for the list goes on and will go on until my final days. I am finally in the present. How strangely it feels to experience a live moment! And in this experience I can say that I wish I had done this more often! This can't be anything but a God given state. My emotions are not reaching out to what has passed in Geneva & my heart is not pained to be thrust into the jungle that is New York City, a jungle that I am completely and utterly unfamiliar with. What is this? Yes. Contentment.

It's Home

Its been weeks since my last post, mainly because Switzerland is now the place we call home. My 2 younger brothers, father, and trooper pup (not exactly a pup but rather a 115 lb Rhodesian Ridgeback who by nature is a guard dog/African lion hunter yet will always be "pup" to his family) arrived at the airport 3 weeks ago. While my quality time with my mother was truly indispensible & long overdue, it was time for the family to reconnect and experience Switzerland together. What I was most excited to see was how my teenage brothers would take in what could possibly be a pivotal moment in their lives. There are people who never leave their own state let only travel to another country. It is, indeed, a tremendous adjustment to pack up and leave a comfortable life of relative normalcy in the peach State and move to a country where the official language is one you've never really encountered before with ways of living and customs that are unfamiliar. However, the opportunity to live amongst the beauty of the Swiss Alps & Lake Geneva, the chance to connect with young people from all over the world at the College du Leman International School, and the occasion providing one with the opportunity to learn a foreign language spoken by close to 169 million people across 5 continents is truly amazing. I look on with ecstatic envy & joy that to know that my siblings will be able to live a life of such depth so early on.

When we all met at the airport, we rushed to retrieve Ridge from Cargo. In short, this person led us to that person and that person led us to this office and that office never lead us to Ridge! Not to mention, we could hear him whining behind this huge metal door after twelve plus hours in a crate on the plane. My parents finally got things straightened and out came our wheaten-colored puppy dog! He was so excited to be free but even more anxious to get water! The days that followed were jam packed: moving into the new house, buying food for that new house, finding stores that stay open past 7pm to purchase food, locating and transporting furniture, moving out of the apartment in Eaux-Vives and finding time to settle in. Our house is in a little village called Genthod. Every day my father and I take a run/walk on a path that takes us through horse fields, buffalo, pigs farms, corn fields, apple trees and vineyards. The place is incredibly peaceful. Not in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that I'd be living in the country country however it has been one of the highlights of our European journey. The sky, that looks close enough to touch, is constantly illuminated by the moon at night and the water and mountains provide breeze enough to leave an air conditioner untouched. The downside is that we live so far out that the bus that takes you into the city of Geneva takes 15 min. to get to and the train, 25 min. Even still, the country style living, lack of television and real furniture, and the reality of virtually no privacy whatsoever which would most likely drive a sane person crazy, has actually brought my family of 5 adults (which I gauge by the amount of groceries that are put away in a week) closer than we've ever been before. Many nights we sit around my computer and watch downloaded movies from the Internet. We sit down at the dinner table, all 5 of us, and enjoy a home cooked meal prepared by my chef of a father almost every night. We make up silly songs and make constantly remind the other we they have spilled crumbs all over their mouths or how badly they pronounce the French language. The move has been extremely challenging for us all. My brothers an d I have really never known life without our maternal grandmother being 5-15 minutes away. We have always been able to communicate what it is that we want and rather well, might I add, for we are an opinionated and head strong batch. 24 Hour IHOPS, Waffle Houses, McDonalds' and Krogers have been major staples in our lives. Yet the air here is different, the life is different. Change is never an easy task but I'd rather the type of change that opens your mind and your heart to the reality that nothing is impossible with God is the type of change I'd like to embrace all my life long.

Some perks of Swiss life include the chocolate (Nestle began in Switzerland), the bread, the fresh fruit & like I've stressed before, the coffee. The weather is probably perfect. The sun shines about 75% of the time and the rain is not annoying like it is in Hampton, VA with winds that blow up your umbrella and make you look like an idiot. The city is extremely dog friendly and guns are banned so crime is low. Another interesting fact I learned when I spent a day in the city with my new Scottish friend Jay is that smoking in public places would have been banned if it wasn't for the fact that Marlboro brings in so much revenue to the city of Geneva. Yep…that explains a lot! One of the most innovative things I've seen here is in the parking garages. They place tiny lights above each parking space. The light is green if the space is empty and red if the space is filled so when you reach the beginning of each row, you just look for a green light to identify the space. Another perk is that if you live in Switzerland, you can attend undergraduate school for free! Yes, I said FREE! For all those addicted to shopping, the favorite stores include Zara, Promod, and Globus.

I will admit that I miss my grandmother and I miss my friends. I miss being in school and having a job but I am so blessed to have this time with my family, the ones who love me the most, in this amazing country. I understand that there is a time for everything. A friend of mine lost her good friend and co-worker just the other day in a car accident. 21 years old and recent college graduate. One day she was here on this earth, living, studying, working, loving and laughing and the next, she was not. We are guaranteed entry and we are guaranteed an exit. I plan to experience all that I can in my life. Learning to be selfless, to accept and love the person that God made me & to thoroughly live my life through every high time and every low time, rejoicing with others in gladness and weeping with others in pain, using wisdom and love at all times, praying without ceasing. And I must admit, the life and times of a Swiss Miss get better and better as the days pass.

Happy Belated Weekend

On Friday, I got a chance to go out with some young people in Geneva. Along Lake Geneva, there is a street/strip (Mont Blanc) where lots and lots of people populate to have drinks, chat, eat ice cream, play guitar in a circle on the grass (lol), sky's the limit! I met several interns from countries such as, Serbia, Barbados, the U.S., and Canada. While standing outside chatting and getting to know one another, Simeon & Sofija began a conversation about how "sexy" the German language is. Yes, I had the same confused look as well. French? Of course. Italian, uhh yea. Portuguese? We can still work with. But German? So time passed and we talked of so many other things: literature, travel, cultural differences, the grammar of foreign languages, etc. While I started blabbing about conclusions I've come to when it comes to relationships and dating, two other interns join us, one of whom speaks Austrian German. So naturally, we return to the sexy German language debate. So at the request of these German-language-loving people, Nema is asked to say something in German. The verdict? For whatever reason (unbeknown to me...I can't even understand a lick of German)...Austrian German is quite racy! While the riveting German discussion was quite interesting, what I enjoyed most about that night was the opportunity to talk to people who are excited about learning, excited about exploring the world and delving into new cultures, new lands, new ways of life. It's refreshing when you can talk about the reasons why one Shakespeare play needs an entire semester of study by itself in one breath and then collectively crack up at the Belgian guy who is belting "Georgia on my Mind," after asking where I was from! I think it's true that we should all be violently snatched from our comfort zones and put in situations that force you destroy limitations and barriers set up by our own minds and our own environments. I'm thankful that I've had parents who have pushed the envelope and exposed their children to not only different countries but different perspectives, different types of schooling with different types of cultural atmospheres. Because when it is all said and done, you discover that what you think makes one group of people so different from another group is really just the same thing expressed in a seemingly different way. Even language. While most things do not directly translate from French to English or English to French, there is always a corresponding phrase or gesture or look that is amazingly identical. You just have to be open enough to discover what that phrase, that gesture or that look is.


Sunday was an awesome day. The Church of the Nations never disappoints. There was a woman Bishop from Kenya who spoke. She had wonderful testimony after wonderful testimony, sharing what God has done in her life. She said that this is the time to act. Sometimes you have to stop praying over and over for the same thing when you already know that you need to put an action right next to your faith. It was a rich message and truly for me. After she spoke for an hour and a half, she prayed for people longer than that! After service, there was pot after pot and dish after dish of food from various ethnic origin that was absolutely amazing! Because we were new and guests at the church, they treated us with so much warmth, hospitality, and love. We sat around talking for so long, we didn't get home until 4:30! We took a a bus ride to the mall area to check the times (everything closes earlier in Geneva than in the States and on Sunday most places are closed all day) and then took a bus ride to a quaint little town called Carouge. It was quiet there, a different feel from the center of the city where we have been spending most of our time. After wandering around Carouge, we headed back to our side of town and dined at a Lebanese restaurant. I wanted to cry because the food was so good. Literally. The waitress was so sweet. We told her that we were working on our French so she really helped us by going back and forth from English to French and allowing us to practice our skills. She broke down the menu for us and suggested the best things to order. It was such a pleasant experience. The Lebanese music was a perfect touch as well! I couldn't stop dancing in my seat. We stuffed ourselves and went home, anticipating another week full of new and unexpected joys.

The Church of the Nations

Yesterday night, my mother and I went to The Church of the Nations for Wednesday Night Service. The intensity of God's Spirit in the place was one that I don't know I have ever experienced in my life. The praise and worship lasted for OVER an hour. And you would think that at some point you would start to say "OK, come on now, that's enough" but every time the praise team went to sing another song, the lyrics would speak to you so deeply that you started to wish that the song just wouldn't end. One of my favorites was, "There's nothing you can do to make Him love you more and nothing you have done could make Him close the door." And sometimes we as human beings do not fully understand that line. You can go to church every single day, fast every single month, have a bible for the office, for the purse, for home and it won't make God accept or deny you any more or any less. And regardless of any mistake that is made yesterday, today or tomorrow, as long as there is breath in your body, God continues to say "come on in, let me give you rest." And that's what's so beautiful about Him. He doesn't judge, He doesn't care about the sins. He doesn't even think about them, that's why He sent Jesus. His grace is available so that we can move from the sin debate and starting living the life He created us for. Standing, worshipping God in The Church of the Nations with Swiss people, African people, Indian, Asian, Arab people, I realized just how real He is. I realized just how precious, strong, beautiful and mighty. Nobody was concerned with what so and so was doing over here or what so and so was doing over there, we were all just dancing and singing and showing adoration to the only One who is always there. Even when we don't deserve it or even when we don't know it (lol), He's there, moving things out of the way and making plans and sending this Word and that job and fixing this marriage and that marriage and restoring childhood dreams and exposing the gifts and talents He's placed in His children. I realized that I'm done with debating God and Jesus. I'm tired of explaining my beliefs and trying to persuade someone to believe. Everyone should have an opportunity to experience the love and the acceptance that God provides. The peace He gives is unlike any other and when you praise Him and you live life His way because you want to and not because you have to...well...everything changes. I'm excited about this exposure. I'm excited to meet friendly new faces that are welcoming. After church, we walked to the Cornavin train station with Desire and Tymmo. After a spirited discussion for about 30-45 min. about the Congo, my feet (in the 4in. heels) were screaming for relief. It was quite refreshing, though, to speak about current issues. According to Tymmo, the solution is a better governing power structure, one that will take charge and provide education to the people, especially the women. Desire, on the other hand, takes into account the fact that women have many children to care for and that there is also a certain mentality that has spread the land like a plague, making many reform ideas virtually impossible. Understandably so, the mentality of an oppressed people is always quite complex and the answers to the tough questions never seem to be as black and white as we hope. So, we pray. And we keep talking and we keep encouraging people with wisdom, common sense, faith, hope and love to lead. My mother and I walked to the bus filled with amazement and awe about our enriching experiences. What in the world are we doing in Switzerland?? LOL I don't know but I'm loving every minute!

The weekend & Other things...

Alright all you avid readers...I'm back! Tonight my mother and I decided to go to McDonald's. I know what some of you are thinking...McDonalds in Switzerland? Not some beautiful cafe overlooking the water? Nope, the golden arches. Geneva, ranked 2nd next to Zurich for the highest quality of living, is rather expensive and even though 2 meals at McD's was 22 Francs it's a lot cheaper than a cafe! So, the menu is way more extensive than the States. They have shrimp for crying out loud! And sandwiches on Ciabatta bread! I ordered a bacon, and onion chicken sandwich sans the bacon with fries and tea. The tea was slightly bitter and watered down but I kinda liked it. It was a unique taste. The fries tasted old but suprisingly similar to American french fries. However, the inside of the McDonald's was my favorite part. It looked like the lounge area of a night club! There were lots of colors and couches over here circular little chairs and tables over there, arkwork and televisions...it was unlike any McDonald's I had ever seen. But I've noticed that people here take their time when dining. It's a real experience. And the eating places are designed for comfort and relaxation it seems. The concept of fast food, even at McDonald's, is rather nonexistent. The waitresses and waiters are not constantly checking in on you or asking you if you need anything (an observation my mom and I made and were very pleased by). If you do, you just holler and there they are, ready to serve. Typically, you find men and women just sitting, having a glass of wine (and smoking lots of cigarettes, often times blowing smoke right in your face) or drinking a cup of coffee speaking french really fast or german (you might even catch some Russian speakers!). And I like that. Sometimes we live life too fast. It's good to just spend a few hours letting your food digest and enjoying the company of others. Last night, my mom and I got a chance to do just that as we had dinner at, what's supposed to be, one of the best Pizzerias in the city. It was crowded but it was worth it. I had spaghetti with black olives, tomatoes, and basil with a little white wine...Hmp! C'etait excellent! But what was better was the tiramusi I stuffed my face with afterwards. Oh Lord...everyone needs to come to some place in Europe at least once in their lifetime if only to eat the food! Earlier in the day, we went to Heather's house to enjoy one of the best tennis matches in Wimbeldon's history (well, at least in my generation). It was rather funny that an American was playing a Swiss (I thought it was fitting). Andy, I want to publicly say, on behalf of the blogging world, you played magnificently. And then the tears he was fighting back at the end..ahhh, he played with heart and soul. It was so intense, Zoe (the cute little pup) had to leave the room! So the events keep coming. Tomorrow I think I'll take a jog along Lake Geneva and bring you thoughts and photos from the park. Until next time...and remember (my brand new saying), You don't have to have somewhere to go, to go somewhere...(it's just nice to have a destination, that's all)...LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Coup de Girafe

I wanted to wait until we found the camera to blog about my new favorite cafe but I just couldn't wait (you will have to do with a web cam photo of the card!). It's amazing. The inside is rather spacious for a European cafe (or any cafe for that matter). Presently I'm sitting at a table for 4. Next to me is a little couch with red velvet cushions and soft canary yellow pillows. Flowers of what seems like every color and every kind decorate every wooden table in the joint. I got to practice my french a little by asking the waitress, "Qui est chante?" (I wanted to know who was singing on the track) and she smiled and replied that the music was in Spanish, a woman named BeBe. The color scheme fits the place--warm colors all around. There are a few pastels but they appear to be a little watered down, if that makes any sense. There's a random vintage typewriter next to the couch by me and right next to that is the most gigantic lamp shade I've ever seen! The radio across the room is shaped like a circular bowl...it's yellow too with matching speakers. Huge burgundy curtains are draped along either side of the front door. There are candles lined on the inside of the window's rim, all encased in decorative glass (mostly roses and leaves). They put them out when the sun goes down. They have the cutest little outside area to eat and enjoy the most romantic summer breeze coming from the mountains and Lake Geneva. When you sit in this cafe with a cup of "cafe" and a good book (Catch-22 at the moment, thanks Shireen), all the troubles of this life disappear and you start making serious plans about the future--a future that looks so much brighter and possible than it did in times passed. It seems that everyone is trying to make a better future than the last. But I've realized over the years that happiness, like many things, is not a feeling or an emotion but a choice. Who is it that says (roughly), when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change? (thanks Ma) And it's true. There will always be something in life that can be interpreted as negative and in desperate need of fixing. But when is the point where you stop fixing and start enjoying what you've fixed? You spend your whole today regretting yesterday and planning tomorrow and wanting what you may never have. I thank God for the simplicity of life that Europe affords. Good music. Good coffee. A great salad & pesto, mozzarella, tomato panini and the opportunity for introspection, I realize just how good God is.

Grocery 101

Welcome to Grocery 101. Today's lesson will cover the differences in American shopping and European shopping using real live experiences to illustrate. So as my mother and I walk to Migros, the supermarket down the street, we notice that in order to use a shopping cart we must pay 2 Francs. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, money for a cart. And it has to be the exact coin. So we ex'd that idea and grabbed two little blue baskets (which were free). When I studied abroad in England, the supermarket had plastic/paper shopping bags. Here in Switzerland, they do not. You have to pay for this large bag to place your groceries in. Something to note for all you extended stay travellers: the shopping here is very light. They don't do the big bulky thing we do at Publix, Kroger, Sams Club and certainly not WALMART (yuk--no offense to Walmart shoppers...I had to do it for a whopping three years in VA...thank GOD that has passed). This may be why everyone here is so thin. I have yet to see a fat/overweight person. Again, no offense to my fat people across the world but they just don't live here. I'm thinking they go shopping more often than we do back home but purchase less. Another reason for this is that many people walk, ride a bike, or use the transit system to get around. I applaud these methods of transportation over lazily sitting in air conditioned buildings all day and travelling in a car to get everywhere. I want to get a bike...feel the breeze blowing in this too expensive hair (opps, don't tell anybody) and maybe tone up some areas that haven't seen exercise in months. In fact, that's a grand idea. Back to the shopping, something that's very important: after you bag your produce (fruits and veggies), you have to weigh and label them yourself. Well, we didn't get the memo. So the cashier is holding up the bags of mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, cherries, etc. speaking french really fast and giving us this look that just screams "dumb Americans." The people behind us weren't as kind in their expression (yea...exactly!). So another guy grabs all our naked bags and prices them as we wait. I'm feeling pretty stupid at this point but luckily the guy comes back fast and we can pay. Another tip to remember that I learned in Bath, England and is reinforced here is this: if you decide to use credit card over here or debit cards, make sure you sign the back because they always check at the grocery store (which if you think about it is a very important safety precaution). In terms of the food, it is pretty much the same thing you will find in an American grocery store. The selection of cheeses is divine, I must say. The downside is that everything is either in French or German. You can tell what most things are but I tried to find some packaged chicken slices that were precooked and ended up with some vegetarian concoction. Eh, I will just have to find a translation website to see if it has protein. Observation # 4: Everybody smokes cigarettes. (Btw, I did catch a whiff of something else but that's neither here nor there...if the people want, I can do a blog devoted to my day in Amsterdam! lol) When I noticed this fact, I asked my mother about the mortality rate and she says it's low. And the poverty and unemployment as well. And she says they exercise ALOT. How the lungs do that...not sure. This woman sitting next to me at the cafe smoked about 3 cigs in one sitting. Amazing. Well, my bags are here, the kitchen is stocked and new member drinks are tonight...to go or not to go...that is the question...love 'n' ladybugs...peacein' out...

Geneva!

My first dining out experience in Geneva was...very enjoyable. We ate at Chez Marino Pizzeria which is at the intersection of Rue Des Eaux Vives (a big main street) and Rue Muzy. The ambiance (as Colby would say) was perfect. This little old Italian man who looked like part owner would walk around with a towel over his shoulder and sing (loudly) Italian songs as he walked pass each table. You would think that it'd be irritation but I found the lil guy endearing. A real taste of Italy. I ordered a 4 cheese pizza. The goat cheese on it was extra flavorful and I realized after the fact that my palette needed toppings (note to self). Anyone that knows me knows that I was terribly lost for 2 days without coffee so...drum roll please.........ABSOLUTELY MAGNIFICENT. Thumbs WAY UP for the leading lady (Disney's Hercules...sorry for that outburst...that one was for you Ry). Anyway, it was so good that about an hour later I had to go across the street from Marino to Coffeeland and get more. Well, let's just say they are not playin around with the strength of their espresso. Well, I take that back. Here, they serve you straight espresso in a tiny cup and give you cream and sugar to fix it as you like it. Most coffee chains at home don't work like that. Most of what you're drinking is water or milk. But this is definitely to my liking. Cafe Intermezzo does something similar but not quite (at least I've never ordered it). Dining out gave me an opportunity to confirm some of the initial observations about Swiss inhabitants that I had started to make from the time we landed at the airport. If I may...my three observations: Observation # 1: The people are gigantic. It certainly isn't a bad thing, but I was inspired to research the ancestors of the Swiss (is it the Nordic peoples? I still haven't researched...the Internet just came back on) because it seems that all the men and women are well over 5'9! Observation # 2: The general expression is blank. It's not as if the people are void of personality, flare, or God forbid style (that's the next observation) but they look as if they are preparing for a photographer to jump out of the bushes a snap a photo. It's that pouty-I'm-not-really-concerned-about-you-because-I'm-a-timeless-European-god/goddess. Note to reader: Keep in mind these are just my observations! Observation # 3: Everyone is so stylish! The people of Geneva are definitely one up on the world. I noticed a lot of white: women wearing flowy white dresses at or above the knee, women and men in those nifty cotton or linen button downs, and lots of white linen pants as well. I must say it looks very fresh and clean. The women's shoes are to die for. The men wear their clothes fitted but not too tight. It's a very sophisticated look. Another thing I noticed was that the city of Geneva is rather diverse. Walking around I saw Hispanic, Asian, African, Italian, all kinds of people and many, many interracial relationships (which seem to be a norm). I'm assuming that when you have a similar cultural connection (just like in the States), it widens the door for a romantic connection which I think is very cool. Anytime people defy the arbitrary man made limits of the world, i.e. dating within the race, (which by the way limit an individual's opportunity to experience all that this one fleeting life has to offer) I get excited! I must be off to retrieve my bags (imaginary applause)...until next time...

Landing

So, we arrive in Switzerland to find that our bags have not arrived with us (the main reason to always pack your life in a carry on...at least internationally). It wasn't not a total bust because 4 bags and 4 carry ons (if you include gigantic purses, sorry guys) between 2 rather petite ladies was something I was not particularly looking forward to. Now, we can take a train, get a cheap taxi and head to the apartment a lot quicker (which is what we then do). The promise is that our bags will be delievered in a few hours but if you've ever had bag trouble, you know that's a big fat lie (or hope rather...it's a lie tho!). So I'm tharving as Ry would say (I consider it thirsty+starving but he has a different definition) but we can't leave the apartment because none of the contact cell phones work and if we miss the delivery, we miss the bags and we NEED the bags. So no food for the night, no hair products, no towels which means no shower...did I mention no food? When I get antsy, I make up songs (well...that's not true. I always make up songs but antsy was the catalyst here). Last night it was "Bienvenido." It was a fun, nifty little tune until I started getting into and was singing quite loudly. My mother informed me that they call the police on you around here if you make noise after 10pm. So that got shut down. Thank-you ma. The next day has arrived and still no bags. Still no food. Still no towels and still no shower...but my breath is fresh...thank GOD for that!

Dans Paris...

It was impossible to sleep on the plane. I was stuck in the middle (a situation that happened while I was distracted by my oversized carry-on not being able to fit in the overhead compartment), upright with air blasting up my nostrils. At one point, I couldn't breathe good! I'm exhausted and surely dehydrated BUT the plane did land so all thanks to the Big Guy. The chicken and rice was scrumptuous (sp) and the little coffee I had wasn't half bad. The french men working in Charles De Gualle Airport are quite handsome and my temporary Lolita look seems to be "pulling them in" (as my family would say) quite nicely. YET that's neither here nor there. A french man is the LAST thing I need in my life. The question remains, then, what do I need in my life? Well, for starters, I would really like to brush my teeth and rinse with flouride. I wouldn't mind a giant cup of coffee (blacker is always better), my cheap nasal spray (which surprisingly works miracles up my nose) and...ummm...a big buly man to carry all my bags through this airport then in Geneva and then carry me to my final destination. Is that too much for a girl to ask? Geeze Louise!