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.