More than just parties, I promise!!!

So, contrarily to what some of you may think based off of my pictures, I actually did come here for more than just partying! I have officially begun my internship at the Defense (British spelling) for Children’s International. Yesterday was a my first day. There are other students who work in the same area as me so we rode the tram and bus together. I work in the Nations area of Geneva, right next to the UN and the famous big chair. I got there early and waited for my supervisor to arrive. She is very nice but has a lot on her plate! I was a little overwhelmed at first. She gave me a task that I was not sure how to do but I worked through it and with the help of her and the other interns I figured it out. There are 2 other interns in the office. They are very nice! One is from the German speaking side of Switzerland (she said I could go home with her for a weekend!) and the other is from Geneva, but has lived all over the world as her father was a diplomat. She is doing a lot of translating, Norina, the girl was the German speaking side of Switzerland is doing the newsletter and other publicity related tasks. I have 2 jobs. The first is fundraising and the second is executive assistant. After work yesterday I went to the Coop (grocery store) near my office and got some groceries before the store closed. Stores close at 7!! I then took the bus going in the wrong direction, got off, turned myself around and made it back home! I made dinner with some of the other interns, hung out with everyone, video chatted with some people from home and went to bed!


This morning I got to work and had 10 e-mails! I felt so important!! J I have a work e-mail address and got responses from some e-mails I sent out yesterday and some tasks from my supervisor. There have been many interns in this office and they all write notes for the next intern, which makes things a lot easier! This year is DCI is the 30th anniversary and there are al to of exciting events happening! In November there is a big seminar on Child Participation in Juvenile Justice Advocacy and Lobbying. It is really interesting. It is a 2-day event with speaker and workshops, basically discussing how children can help participate in advocacy concerning Justice and lobbying. I have been working on a lot of things, for example frame working the budget and making brochures. A history of DCI book is being made and I am working on finding a printer for the book. At around 1pm I took a lunch break with the other interns and staff. We all brought our lunch and ate in the park by our office. It is so nice today, upper 70s and not a cloud in the sky! It’s awesome getting a whole hour for lunch!!! Everyone is very interesting. One of the guys who I ate with left Georgia in 07 and has been traveling and working all around the world since, for example he taught surfing in Guam and English in Thailand. Last night he slept on a random persons living room, tonight he might sleep in the office. But he loves what he does and loves to travel; he was very nice. I am looking out my window from my office right now and see the clear blue sky and the mountains lush with greenery. It is absolutely breathtaking! I am really liking the kids I am staying with and I am looking forward to hanging out with them this weekend! We are all so tired after work we make dinner and collapse!!! I need to do laundry already (but I'm too tired after work)!?!? Some possible weekend plans we discussed last night...take the train into France and go shopping, WALK into France, take the cable car up the mountain, go out in the University district, go to Old Town, take a walk through the botanical gardens, bike ride through old town, go to the top of the cathedral! Who knows!? Miss you all soooooooo much!!!! sorry this post is kind of long and boring...I promise I won't bore you with all the details from work!!!


xoxo


P.S: RAVENS FANS:Don't worry...I represented the birds over here!!!




What you've done becomes the judge of what you're going to do - especially in other people's minds. When you're traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don't have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road. ~William Least Heat Moon, Blue Highways

OkToBeRfEsT 2009!!!!

What a weekend!!!  Friday afternoon I arrived in Munich, hopped on the train and got to the city center.  When walking out of the platform the first thing one sees is the center of Marrienplatz, with the most enormous beautiful castle, one has ever seen!!  I walked to the hotel and went up into our room.  It was incredible, the accommodations, superb!!  I quickly dropped my things off, changed, and went to meet the girl for dinner.  “The girls” I am referring to are Kierstin Ruppert and Poppy Hall, 2 of my best friends from GFS.  I have known both since we were in 4^th grade and love traveling with them!  Poppy is studying in Paris, and Kierstin, in Florence.  We ate at a restaurant in the city center.  It was underground and served typical German food with a unique flair.  About halfway through our meal a rather ahem-interesting-ahem young man decided he wanted to join us.  He was from Ireland and very funny!  After dinner we walked around for a bit and then went back to the hotel to get a good nights rest to prepare us for a full day Saturday!  During Oktoberfest most of the activities happen during the day so bars, pubs, clubs, etc. close relatively early (11:30pm-12). 

7:30am our alarms went off and we excitedly got ready for the day!  We ate breakfast at the hotel and hopped in a cab to go on over to Oktoberfest.  This was like NOTHING I had ever seen before.  The best way to describe is would be to imagine a state fair…times 20 plus hunt cup/pimlico plus tailgating plus outdoor bars.  Everywhere you look there are booths selling food (pretzels, sausage, candied nuts, etc), rides (ferris wheel, roller coasters), and beer tents.  The beer tents are about as big as a football stadium.  You have to wait in a line and then periodically as people leave they let more people in.  We got there by 9am so the line was not very long.  There are hundreds of wooden tables filled with people and we just went and sat down where there was room.  We ended up making friends with a group of local Germans, Australians, and Brazilians.  Most people are dressed up in typical German outfits and the waitresses walk around and you have to scream how many beers you want to get their attention.  The beers are HUGE! Each tent serves a different type of beer.  The waitresses can carry 10 beers at a time!!! I have no idea how they do it, the beers are so heavy!  There are also people walking around selling pretzels and other snacks.  I have never seen so many people in my life!  At any moment you can expect to hear at least 3 languages being spoken.  Out of nowhere a table will start singing and the entire tent will join them.  People are dancing on tables and slamming beers.  Prost, the German word for cheers is heard everywhere!  It was incredible!!  ****(The following part is for my OSU friends J, especially Amy) The Aussies at our table decided to play the “mine” game.  I was got paying attention and when asked whose beer is that I stupidly responded, “mine”, so there I was.  Surrounded by literally thousand of people doing 10 push-ups in the middle of the beer tent!  Kierstin and Poppy both had friends who were also at Oktoberfest.  We met up with Poppy’s friends in another tent, and then we met Kerstin’s friends!  Both of them have awesome friends!!

            By 3:00pm we were hungry and tired!  We went back to the hotel for lunch and Poppy and Kierstin headed upstairs for a nap.  Sometime during the festivities my camera took a dive in a full mug of beer.  It could not be resuscitated. L  So I went out into the center of town and had to invest in a new camera.  It was nice getting to walk around.  Munich is like no city I have ever seen before.  It has store, restaurants, and bars built into these enormous castles.  There are people everywhere!!!  I wish I could have spent more time exploring the city!  I would love to come back!  The Germans are much much different than the Swiss.  The Swiss are very calm, content, helpful, quiet and value personal space.  The Germans I met were loud, rowdy, fun, and personal space did not exist!  After getting a new camera I went back to the hotel and joined the girls in their nap.  Dinner was on our mind when we woke up so Kierstin and I went to the Hofbrahaus, recommended by Greg.  It is right by our hotel.  It was crowded and we had t wait for a few minutes to get in.  The Hofbrahaus, or HB, is a huge old castle that now serves several purposes.  There is a large room that has an um-pa-pa band and many long wooded tables where everyone sits.  There is another portion of the castle that serves as the restaurant.  Kierstin and I ate in this area. We got traditional German braised meet and a delicious drink that is beer mixed with lemonade.  When we first sat down we ordered water and the table of gentleman behind us were not happy with that beverage selection!  After dinner we walked around for a bit, got some gelato and went back to the hotel!  It was a fantastic day and great way to start our birthday celebrations (Kierstin turns 21 in 2 days, and I turn 21 a week after her!)  I would absolutely recommend Munich to everyone!  Oktoberfest really is indescribable. This morning Poppy had an early flight so she left and Kierstin and I had breakfast and did a little souvenir shopping.  The airport is a 50 minute train ride from the center of the city so I hopped on a train and am currently en route back "home".

Prost from Munich!!  xoxo

I have been having trouble placing pictures so they not very organized.  Sorry!

Boat Rides and Breweries

I got a little (okay, a lot) lost but found my way back!!  There is a communal kitchen at Le Cenacle and we all made dinner and chatted! We met some really nice kids from Michigan State University who have been living here for a few weeks.  They are also on a EUSA program and are essentially doing the same program we are.  We hung out together and then went to a Swiss brewery in the University district.  It was a great time!  16 of us went and got 2 tables!  We got a 3 liter spout of beer that was made right there in the pub!! We then walked backed home because the public transportation system stops running on the weeknights at mid night.  The city is walkable, so we trekked the 30 minutes back home, with a pit stop at a local bakery!  It was a great night, especially when it ended with me skyping with my family!!Yesterday, Thursday, September 24 was my first full day in Geneva!  We woke up and had an orientation about our next 10 weeks in Geneva! It was exciting and fun to get to know everyone a little better.  After our orientation we ate lunch and went on a boat ride on Lake Geneva!  It was a beautiful day for a boat ride on Lake Geneva…everyone said to enjoy it because the nice days will be few and far between once autumn hits! There is a large fountain in the middle of the lake that shots up 17 tons of water PER SECOND!  That’s a lot of water!!!  A walking tour of the Old Town was what followed!  It is an amazing city!  So many different parts of the city, it is so full of culture!  The Old Town is full of cobblestone streets and gorgeous old churches with a mix of nightclubs, fountains, pubs, and restaurants.  We visited the old Jewish corner and the botanical gardens, there are Buckeye trees everywhere!  I then went to get a Swiss phone number (it is in the about me section if you want the number) and then went to find my office so that I would know where I was going!  To get to work I have to take a walk to the tram stop, and then transfer to the bus stop.  

This morning I woke up very early to have a work orientation at DCI.  My office is next to the United Nations building and many other NGO and government buildings.  The director of DCI sat down with me and introduced me to the company and others in the office.  She explained the mission and some of the things that I will be working on.  She is very overwhelmed so told me that I will be having a lot of responsibility, which I am really looking forward to.  She told me that I would be doing a bit of everything including working on the conference in November, donor reports, research for grant proposals, and a lot of fundraising.  My title is “Fundraising intern and executive assistant”.  In my office there are many other small NGOs and Non-profits and everyone works together.  I will be working 9am-6pm with 1 hour for lunch; work is a 40-minute commute so I will be very busy and tired during the workweek!! On my way out I grabbed a cup of coffee at a local café and went back to Le Cenacle for another orientation about our internships.  My friend, Ami and I, stopped for lunch at a kabob restaurant and am now at the airport on my way to Munich to meet up with Kierstin and Poppy to celebrate our birthdays!!

And so it begins....

(with my passport and tickets ready to go!)

It is 6pm now and I am finally settled in after a long day(s) of travel!!  The journey began yesterday (Tuesday) night from Dulles where Mom and Dad bid me bon voyage. I landed in Heathrow Airport 7 hours later and almost missed my connecting flight because the line for security was soooo long!  I ran down the terminal and made the flight in time!  As we were approaching Switzerland we could see the alps coming through the clouds, it was incredible!!!  I landed, went through customs, and got my luggage...no problem!  I then went to take the train to the center of the city.  A former John's Hopkins Doctor who was in for a conference with WHO (World Health Organization) helped me find the right train and made sure I got off on the right stop.  He was so nice.  I then had to take a tram and the doctor helped me find that as well!!  From the tram I took a bus, getting on the bus was a difficult task with 2 large suitcases, a backpack, and a large tote bag...but as soon as the driver and patrons saw me struggling 3 of them jumped up to help me get my bag on and moved so I could sit with my things.  It was so thoughtful and much appreciated!  I got off at the bus stop and a young woman saw we reading a map and offered to help me and direct me to my home!  I managed to make it up to the house and get my key, met some of the other kids on my program, checked in, showered, and napped!!  The room is simple but nice and clean and I have a great view of the garden! (see pic below)

I then unpacked and went on a walking tour o the neighborhood with other EUSA students and one of the guides (Joanna).  The EUSA team has an office right in Le Cenacle with lots of resources for us to use.  We stopped at the grocery store and got some food; we will have access to the kitchen and all of its utensils tomorrow.  I also did some shopping for a swiss phone; I will probably get one tomorrow and will post the number as soon as I have it!  Will post more pictures soon!!!

Home Sweet Home!

During my stay in Geneva I will be staying at Le Cénacle. Le Cénacle was built in the 19th century and owned by Pastor Martin; the property was then sold to the Roman Catholic order, and was used as a monastery for the sisters. The estate is now owned by new management drawn from Italy. Le Cénacle has its own beautiful park! I am looking forward to calling Geneva home.

http://www.cenacle.ch/index.php?page=accueil&lang=en