La rentrée scolaire

Yesterday was the first day of school!  The night before, Antoine came over to have dinner with Martine and me, and then I read my Fodor’s Switzerland book for awhile to get some ideas about where I want to visit.  So many wonderful places, not enough time! (or money…)  Then after getting all my things laid out for school, I finally went to bed.  Our classes start at 9:30 most mornings, so I catch the 8:45 train from Gland and arrive in Geneva about 20 minutes later.  Yesterday I woke up, got ready, packed my back with my things for the day, and had breakfast (yogurt and muesli yum) before leaving to walk to the train station.  Some other kids from my program live in Gland, too, so we all rode into the city together.  The train station in Geneva, Cornavin, is a very short walk from our SIT classroom building, so it’s very convenient. In the morning we had an International Studies Seminar lecture about International Migration, given by one our program directors, Heikki Mattila.  Mr. Mattila is originally from Finland, but he is in Geneva working for the International Organization for Migration (IOM).  Surprisingly the 3 hours went by pretty fast, and I was not bored at all.  For lunch we headed to Restaurant Manora, a cafeteria-style restaurant on the top floor of the Manor department store.  It’s really good and cheaper than most sit-down restaurants, but still not cheap!  I still can’t get used to how expensive everything is here… Then it was time to catch the tram out to Ecole Migros for our first French class.  I was put into the advanced class with 7 other kids from my program, and I’m excited because it’s a great group and our teacher is awesome.  Her name is Virginie, and she is Franco-Italian and lives in Evian-les-Bains, just across the border in France.  She explained all the activities that we would be doing throughout the semester, and then we did introductions (in French of course!) and an in-class essay.  I took it easy last night and did a little homework, some reading, and some Skype-ing, too.  I got to talk to Christine for a little bit, and Zach for a long time, so I was happy J  The weather was beautiful this morning when I left for the train station, and I took a picture of the vineyard that I pass on my way.

Yes, this is the route I take to the train station...

This morning we had our first Field Studies Seminar class, which Aline (one of our program directors) teaches.  She went over the syllabus and graded assignments for the semester.  We will be learning a lot of techniques to use in our field research, and we have to do several group projects and oral presentations in addition to an 8-page paper due the last week of classes.  It sounded like a lot all at once, but spread out over the next 7 weeks I think it will be completely manageable.  At the end of class, Aline announced that Virginie was sick today, so the Advanced French class had the afternoon free.  Yay!  After lunch, 6 out of the 8 of us decided to go to Lausanne for afternoon since we were unexpectedly free.  Good decision!  We stopped at the train station at Nyon to pick up our student rail passes (half price off all our tickets in Switzerland for the rest of the time we’re here!) and then continued on to Lausanne.  It was only about 25 minutes from Nyon, so not too far.  The first thing we did when we arrived was walk to the top of a pretty park and admire the beautiful views of the city, the lake, and the gorgeous snow-capped alps.  

Amazing :)

Then we continued down to the waterfront and walked along in a beautiful park, stopping to take pictures of each other and the boats that were going by on the lake.  It really was the perfect afternoon with perfect weather.

 Sophie and me by the lake

Quintessential Switzerland, non?

We had a nice time just exploring and then walked up to the old part of town…quite a hike uphill!  There really wasn’t that much up there, so we just poked around the few of the shops before getting a snack and eventually heading to the train station.  It’s hard to really shop here because everything is so EXPENSIVE!  That’s my only complaint about Switzerland so far, and as much as I love it I can’t even imagine living here because the cost of living is so ridiculous.  Martine made us a nice dinner, and now I’m just going to do a little work and maybe go out for a drink in Nyon with Sophie.  I really need to get in school mode and do some more reading, but it’s hard when there’s so much to do around here!

 Group (minus Fiona) in Lausanne

Je voudrais un Nespresso

Translation for those who don’t know French: I would like a Nespresso.  I really hope that you can buy these machines in the U.S., because they are awesome.  They are made by Nestle, and all you do is take one of the little disposable capsules, put it in the machine, put your cup underneath (large cup for big drinks, small for espresso shot), choose whether you want a normal-sized coffee drink or a small espresso, and one minute later you have a delicious drink.  So much easier (and tastier) than using a regular coffee maker.  Christmas present perhaps? 

Nespresso "Romeo" machine.  It's fancier than Martine's, but hey I can dream...

Anyway, last night was so much fun!  Martine made tacos for dinner, and then Sandra called me to let me know that we’d be leaving for the concert at 8:30.  She was going to be working at the concert (or “festival,” as they say here) for part of the time, so she sent her friends Gabrielle and Aurelie to pick me up.  They came to the house at 8:30, and then the three of us set out to walk to the bus stop, which is right by the train station. Neither of them spoke English, so I had to speak French the entire time!  Fortunately I had no problem understanding everything and talking to them, and they told me that I spoke French extremely well.  Both girls are 22, and Aurelie lives in Gland and Gabrielle lives in Nyon.  Aurelie is studying in Lausanne to be an elementary school teacher, and Gabrielle is doing an apprenticeship to go into the tourism industry.  Not as many people here seem to go to college the way we do back home.  It seems like they choose what they want to do and then follow a specific track that often does not include a degree from a university.  I’m not sure which model is better…if you know exactly what you want to do then I guess the Swiss model suits you, but if you aren’t sure or would just like to have the security of a college degree then it is better to go to university first.  Anyway, both girls were so cute and could not have been nicer to me, even during the first few minutes after we met.  We waited at the bus stop for awhile until the bus finally came.  Believe it or not, this bus was completely free and took us straight to the concert.  I wish I had had my camera with me last night, because I could no believe the beautiful setting in which the concert was held.  The bus took us up into the hills behind Gland, toward the mountains, all the way up to a beautiful vineyard and large house overlooking Lake Geneva.  There was a stage set up for the concert and a bunch of tents serving food and drinks, and people of all ages (from young children all the way up to elderly people) were outside enjoying the music and having a good time.  The 3 of us girls took turns buying drinks for each other, and whenever they saw people they knew they introduced me.  Luckily I am getting much more used to the “bises!”  I was actually very proud of myself last night because I had no problem speaking French with all these people whom I had just met, and I was able to get to know them and make friends with them.  We actually had a lot in common, and it was fun hearing about their lives.  I don’t think that would have happened if there had been a language barrier.  It was surprisingly cold up at the concert, so we were bundled up in jackets, scarves, and jeans…not typical August weather!  The view was gorgeous though…the Jura mountains were behind us, we were surrounded by rows and rows of grape vines, and we were perched up high overlooking all of Lake Geneva and the hundreds of little lights dotting the countryside.  You could easily tell where Geneva and Lausanne were because there were a lot more lights in those areas!  I was very much in awe of how lucky everyone there was to have such a nice concert in a beautiful setting with free public transportation, no trash lying all around, and so many people from the community present.  According to the girls there are things like this all the time. 

This picture is from the internet, but it looks similar to the place where the concert was held (except there was no town, just a large house and several buildings)

Ironically all of the bands that played sang in English, even though most people who were there didn’t understand any of the lyrics.  Gabi and Aurelie told me that all the Swiss bands sing in English, and it was funny for me to listen to the lyrics because a lot of them didn’t make sense or were really depressing.  The music was good though, and there were lots of cool lights and effects.  For the entire time that the second band played I thought that the lead singer was just a really effeminate-looking man and didn’t realize until the very end that it was actually a girl!  Let’s just say she looked very androgynous.  Sandra finished working at 10 and was able to join us.  She bought pizza for everyone because it was so cold, which was extremely nice of her.  All night I could not get over how friendly and welcoming Sandra, Gabi, and Aurelie were, and they all got my local phone number and invited me out with them next weekend.  I was not expecting to be able to make local friends like this, so I’m excited!  They were also impressed that I knew exactly how many cantons there are in Switzerland (there are 26, yes I'm a nerd).  We eventually took the bus back to Gland, and Gabi walked me all the way home to make sure I could find my way.  I asked her if the town is safe, and she said that it’s extremely safe and people our age walk around by themselves late at night all the time.  The only time you may every see anyone who is even slightly sketchy is at the train station, but even then they are harmless.  Quite a change from Durham! 

I slept late this morning because I was so tired, and when I woke up I had yogurt and muesli and a peach for breakfast.  Then I sat outside with Martine for awhile before going on a walk/run around Gland.  I still can’t believe I am living here and will be for several months…it’s like paradise.  The houses look like cuckoo clocks or music boxes, and there are beautiful flowers, trees, and vineyards everywhere.  I saw many families out walking or biking, and I found Gland’s public beach.  It is small but very nice, with steps leading down the grassy hill to the small sandy beach.  There are some picnic tables and several docks and platforms for swimming.  There is also a nice hotel next door with an outdoor restaurant that overlooks the beach and the lake.  I cannot imagine living here and having all of this so accessible and nice and clean.  If this is what their taxes go to then I guess people here don’t resent paying taxes!  All along the lake I saw little boats tied up, and in some areas I saw gates belonging to houses that reminded me of the house in the Sound of Music.  This must be where all the really high-up bankers live.  I returned home after an hour, showered, and had a little lunch of bread, cheese, and a peach.  I also tried “convis,” which is a local spread that people put on bread with butter.  It is very salty and strong, but it wasn’t bad and I figured I at least needed to try it.  This afternoon I’ve just been reading some of the required articles for my classes next week.  I’m getting excited about all the research I’m going to get to do for my project!  We’re going to learn how to conduct interviews, keep a field journal of all of our research, etc.  It will be a lot of work, but we are given so much time to complete it that I’m really not worried, considering that all the research papers I’ve done at Duke have had to fit into my hectic busy schedule.  I promise to take a lot more pictures this week and to take some with my friends, both American and Swiss.  First day of school tomorrow!  

Le village de Gland

This morning was a stressful rush of getting all of our stuff packed (again) and outside to the bus, which would take us to Nyon to meet our host families.  I did not enjoy lugging my suitcases around again, but we finally made it to the Hôtel des Alpes in Nyon, where we waited for our host families in a nice reception area.  We all kind of felt like orphans or puppies waiting to be adopted.  We also worried about mastering the “bise”—kissing someone on the right cheek, then the left, and finally the right again when you greet them.  A few of us were among the last to be picked up, so we watched everyone’s families come in.  There were host parents of all ages, some with children and some without.  Some families were international—from places such as Italy and Ireland—but all spoke French of course.  At last Martine arrived, and I could tell it was her the second she walked in!  Fortunately I nailed the bise without any problems.  Martine is very sweet, friendly, and welcoming, and she doesn’t really speak any English—only French.  This is a good thing because it will force me to really become fluent and get comfortable speaking the language.  We loaded my bags into her car without too much difficulty and began the short drive to Gland, which is less than 10 minutes from Nyon.  I love Geneva, but I may love these little towns along the lake even more.  Nestled along the lake against a breathtaking backdrop of rolling hills and the Jura mountains, each town has its own train station, making it a very quick and easy trip into Geneva.  Some towns even have beautiful castles or chateaux that are centuries old.  The weather today has been kind of overcast, so I can’t even imagine how pretty all of this is in full sunlight.  Gland is a very cute little town, and Martine showed me the route that I will take to walk to the train station.  It is not far and easy enough that even I should be able to find my way without getting lost.  How nice to be able to walk to everything!  Martine’s house is adorable and quintessentially Swiss.  It is on a quiet street halfway between the train station and the lake, and it is even better than I imagined.

There are 3 floors including a basement, which is where I will do my laundry etc.  The kitchen on the first floor is very nice, and there is a cute dining area that connects.  Attached to the kitchen there is also a pergola that opens out onto a beautiful yard and flower garden.  I love my room on the second floor—my window overlooks the backyard, and a bunch of other very cute houses are very nearby.  I also have a beautiful view of the mountains!  My desk is right by the window, so I have a gorgeous view right now as I’m tyiping this.  The closest neighbors have a beautiful flower garden, and their kids are playing soccer outside in the yard.  All my things are finally unpacked into drawers and a wardrobe, and at last I don’t have to worry about living out of a suitcase.  After I unpacked, I went downstairs to see if I could help Martine with lunch.  Her youngest son Vincent, who is 21, and his girlfriend Sandra were both here for lunch, and they were so nice!  Vincent is only home on the weekends, because he is in the army, so when he is home Sandra comes over a lot.  She’s really sweet and invited me to come to an outdoor concert tonight with her and some of her friends, so that’s what I’ll be doing this evening!  I’m sure Sandra speaks a little English because she spent some time in Dallas, but I have only been speaking French so that I can improve.  Vincent is funny and talked about his army truck, which I have yet to see.  Apparently it’s really cool.  Martine made a delicious chicken dish with rice for lunch, and we also had salad.  Dessert was a tart made with apricots and espresso.  So yummy!  Vincent and Sandra left for the afternoon, so I gave Martine her gifts and she showed me around the house a little bit more.  She has some really neat artwork because she spent several years living in Venezuela and Brazil with her ex-husband.  Pretty neat!  I also got to meet François, another of Martine's 3 sons, who is a banker in Geneva.  I will probably spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing before dinner and the concert.  It’s nice to finally have a little downtime after the craziness of the past few days :) 

View from my window (mountains are obscured by clouds)

J'aime bien le chocolat

My favorite thing about Geneva so far is that there really is chocolate EVERYWHERE.  I know I talk about food too much, but I would at least like to say that I seem to have picked the right country.  When I got coffee at the airport it was served with a piece of chocolate.  I could get used to this.  Getting used to all the rules on the other hand has been a little bit of an adjustment, but it is so beautiful and nice here that I can hardly complain.  People here LOVE rules, and they worry about details a lot.  Did you know that you are fined $100 if you put your feet up on the seat when you’re on the train?  That seems to be Switzerland in a nutshell.  The first couple days have kind of been a blur, given my severe jet lag, but I can already tell that by the end of this trip I will be very glad that I studied here.  Leaving Duke for a semester is daunting, but I think it will work out for the best.  Arriving at the airport and meeting the group was kind of overwhelming, because none of us knew each other and we were flying in from all over the place.  Luckily I quickly found that everyone is really nice and easy to talk to, and we all seem to share similar interests.  Surprisingly making friends has been the easiest thing so far, and because there are only 27 of us (mostly girls) I already know everyone.  There are a lot of people from the Pacific Northwest, which I find very interesting, because their lifestyle and world views seem to be very different from what we’re used to back East.  It’s fun hearing all about it, but I’m definitely proud to rep the South.  Transferring all of us and our luggage to the youth hostel via bus was no easy task, but we finally all made it (though we definitely attracted some stares along the way).  We have been staying in a hostel (5 people in each room) for the past few days until today, when we finally moved in with our host families.  I will talk about that in my next post, because I have so much to tell from the past couple days!  Suffice it to say that I love my host family.  The hostel was pretty nice (except the shower cuts off after about 10 seconds, so you have to keep turning the water back on all the time!), but it was hard because none of us were settled yet.  We were crammed in with all of our stuff, and honestly it was not hard to feel a little bit uprooted and very far from home at times.  That being said, I could already tell that I’m really going to enjoy this program, and I just need to give myself time to get acclimated.  And hanging out with my friends has made it much easier.

Walking along the lake my first afternoon

These first few days have been a blur of orientation activites…LOTS of paperwork and explanations of our coursework, independent study project, homestay, transportation, field trips, etc.  Trying to process all of this while fighting to stay awake has not been easy, and I’m very ready to just get started with everything.  On the first afternoon I walked along the lake with some of the other girls.  It was absolutely beautiful, and the snow on Mont Blanc was shimmering in the distance.  People were outside everywhere—in the parks, on the beaches, on sailboats, walking and biking, and even waterskiing and wakeboarding on the lake.  It truly looks like paradise here, and we really enjoyed just wandering and taking it all in.  We talked about all the things we want to do and see here, and how weird it is to think that we will be living here for 15 weeks.  By the time we reached the Botanical Gardens, we were so tired that we decided to turn around and head back to the hostel for showers and (finally) bed.  Thursday afternoon we got to have a guided tour of the Old Town, which ended right in front of the University of Geneva.  The beautiful park there was full of people enjoying the sunshine and getting cold drinks and ice cream.  We took a much-needed break before walking all the way back to the hostel.  We could have taken the tram, because all of our transportation is free, but nothing is really that far away in Geneva, and walking is much more fun.  The entire group went out for dinner at an Italian restaurant, and it was really fun spending time with everyone all together.  The food was delicious, and afterwards we were definitely ready for a couple glasses of wine.  The weather was so nice that we headed down to the lake, where there are some outdoor bars and tables.  The jet d’eau (HUGE fountain on the lake) was all lit up, and there were people everywhere.  We had a great time just sitting and drinking for awhile and admiring how pretty the city is at night. 

Swiss flag on a building in the Old Town

Yesterday morning was full of school-related activities…first a VERY detailed run-through of all the syllabi and expectations for our classes, and then lots of information about what to expect for our independent study project.  For the first part of the program, we’re in class every morning from 9:30-12:30, and then 3 afternoons per week we take French at the French school from 2-5.  Then during the 4 weeks of the Independent Study project we are completely free to structure all of our time—interviews, research, writing, editing.  The assignments and project sound a little overwhelming, but I have a feeling that it will actually be very manageable compared to Duke!  For lunch some of my friends and I went to the grocery store to buy food for a picnic.  Sophie and I shared some fruit, Brie, bread, and salami…so delicious!  The grocery store was nicer than anything I have ever seen back home, and many items were actually cheaper than Whole Foods.  I have a feeling that we’re going to be doing a lot of picnic lunches to save money.  Our lunch stipend gives us enough money for a sit-down meal, but I would rather buy cheaper things and use the money for travel.  We ate outside next to a church and then caught the tram to the French school, where we had to take a French language placement test.  The test actually took almost two hours and included both written and oral sections, but I did very well and will find out my placement on Monday.  For dinner a few of us girls took a water taxi (free with our student cards!) across the lake to the Old Town and had a nice meal of chicken, salad, and Provençal French fries before heading to a really pretty bar with seating outside in one of the old historic squares.  Most of the girls got beer, but the hot chocolate on the menu looked so delicious that I got that instead!  Fiona and Julia were feeling adventurous, so they ordered a mysterious drink called “Suze.”  Unfortunately Suze was nothing more than 1/3 of a glass of yellow, disgusting-tasting alcohol that left a very bad aftertaste.  Note to self: don’t ever order Suze.  It’s got to taste worse than Absinthe.  I was impressed that they both managed to finish it!  We sat outside for a long time just enjoying the weather and the beauty of the Old Town before catching the tram back to the hostel.  I have to say that I am definitely not going to miss living in this hostel...it's too hard dealing with 15 weeks worth of luggage!

View from our window in the hostel

I know that some people say Geneva is boring compared to many other European cities, but honestly I think that’s what makes it such a great place to live.  It’s gorgeous, clean, safe, and the traffic is not bad at all.  Just being here is so nice, and the public transportation can take you anywhere quickly and easily.  I definitely want to take advantage of the lake while it’s still warm outside.  We saw a public beach with two very tall platforms that you can jump off of into the water (one looked to be about 10 meters tall.)  I will definitely be doing that!  I’m going to try my best to keep this blog up to date and not bore y’all with too many details, even though it’s tempting to describe every single thing that I do.  In my next post I promise to tell all about Martine and the town of Gland!