Skiing in Verbier!

So, I decided to give myself a break from studying to blog. This weekend, I went to Verbier, which is a town in the Swiss Alps that comes alive during the winter months. It is quite a fancy place with a mixture of great skiing and great nightlife. (Kate Middleton and Prince William have stayed there.)

I was lucky enough to have met a good friend here, Courtney, who has a chalet up in Verbier and kindly invited us to join her for the weekend. Urvi, Courtney, Courtney's cat, and I headed up on the Saint Bernard Express (yes, that is the name of the train!) to Verbier early Friday.  We arrived before noon, had a nice lunch of grilled cheese, and headed to the slopes!

I cautiously grabbed my skis and went onto the slopes- going from East Coast skiing to the Alps is quite a big jump. The conditions were great, and I got right up on my skis and luckily it came back pretty easily to me.  I was able to do the medium pistes and one black diamond! It was very exciting! Courtney also was a great help and we went "off piste," which is when you go off the trail. Luckily there has been tons of snow already, so there was lot of powder! Throughout the mountain, there are tons of places where you can stop and have lunch on your way down. It was so interesting to see people head up the mountain just to have lunch and some drinks!

After a weekend skiing in the Swiss Alps, I have asked myself, "Can I ski on the east coast again?" We will see, but I loved my experience in the Swiss Alps!

Family Visitors

So, I am taking a quick break in studying to update you on my second group of visitors to come through Geneva, my parents! Being real American patriots that they are, they decided to head to Switzerland for their Thanksgiving Holiday (and to celebrate their 32nd wedding anniversary)! Even though it was their first Thanksgiving without turkey (which is miraculously hard to find in Switzerland, or really expensive), I think they truly enjoyed Switzerland as they traveled through Geneva, Lausanne, Luzern, and Zurich all in 5 days! (I kept them busy.)

Even though we did have some zut alors that led us running around Zurich because of a bad map, we nonetheless had an amazing time. They stayed in Geneva for 2 days while I was finishing up some work, where they enjoyed fondue and the Patek Phillipe watch museum. I think it always interesting to get people's opinions on Geneva, and they were impressed by the transportation system and the parking garages throughout the city that tell you how many spots are in each garage. I think they want to bring American politicians here to bring them back to the US!

We then traveled to Luzern, which is a beautiful city nestled in between the Alps (picture above). We came in late at night and woke up the next morning with sheer delight to see the sun and the beautiful mountains! We then headed on over to Zurich so they could see the largest city in Switzerland (picture to the right). We went to the Kunsthaus Zurich (the art museum), where we saw a Picasso exhibition based off of Picasso's exhibition in 1932 that was held in Zurich. We finished with a nice dinner to celebrate their anniversary (that I was invited to!) and headed back to Luzern.

It was a whirlwind trip, and it was great to see them. They left in the just the nick of time as Geneva and Europe in general got a huge snow storm (the largest one in Geneva in 20 years!). It was interesting to see another city that can't deal with snow! Felt just like home in Washington! I will try to update before I am on my way home, but there is a lot of school work to be in the 15 days before I hop on a plane back to the Good Old USA!

Le chien suisse

The dogs here constantly amaze me. My friends always laugh at me for my love of dogs, but hey, they are (wo)man's best friend!  Thus, this will be a little exposition on dogs in Switzerland.

There are two dogs that are native to Switzerland, the Bernese Mountain Dog and the St. Bernard. These big mountain dogs are from the Alps (St. Bernard's specifically from the Italian Alps and Bernese Mountain dogs are from the canton of Bern, which is in central Switzerland). You will not see many of them in Geneva because it is a little too far from the Alps, and it's a city so having such big dogs in the city would be hard! But I did spot a Bernese Mountain dog in my neighborhood, and I saw a St. Bernard in Gruyere (yes, the town where they make the cheese!).

Even though these dogs are native to Switzerland, there are all types of dogs in Switzerland, from big golden retrievers to small chihuahuas. The big dogs hold a special place in my heart, and they are the ones that I am most fascinated with. No matter what the size of the dog, however, they go everywhere with their owner. Into stores, restaurants, and on the trains, it is a dog lover's paradise. Opposed to the dogs in the US, they fit right into Swiss society, incredibly orderly and rule abiding. They sit outside patiently waiting for their owner and sit quietly on the train. Here, I asked myself, "Why are these dogs so well behaved?" There is actually mandatory dog training if you acquired the dog after September 1, 2008. You are required to go with your dog to the trainings.

Now you know all about dogs in Switzerland (and probably more than you ever wanted to!). I will leave you with a picture of a dog on a tram! (I apologize for the quality of the pictures, but I feel weird taking pictures of people's dogs so I have to snap it really quickly!)

Dog on train to Champery

Barcelona: Gaudi and Tapas

Parc Guell for Sunset over Barcelona!

This will have to be a quick update. Even though the work load remained light for a while, it has picked up. The semester has flown by and I am a lot closer to home now than I realized. There are comforts and people that make miss home, but it has been quite an adventure. My latest adventure was with a very special visitor from home ;) We spent a couple of days in Geneva exploring the Swiss life, and then headed on out to Barcelona.

Barcelona treated us very well. With our combined love of maps and tunnels, we headed out into the land of Catalan Spain to eat tapas, see Gaudi, and walk by the water. The first night we arrived, navigated the train and subway system, and headed down the famous "La Rambla." With our stomachs rumbling and it still be 2 hours until dinner time (in Spain they don't eat until 10!), we had our first Spanish ham that did just the trick to hold us until dinner. We had a nice dinner in Placa Cataluyna before retiring early before our super Barcelona day.

We walked all over Barcelona, from our hotel down towards the water to see the site of the Olympic stadium and the beautiful Mediterranean. We walked along the water, and then back through the Gothic town. We then navigated our way up to Guadi's La Sagrada Familia, which was started in 1882 will not even be completed until 2026. It was definitely the most unique Cathedral I have ever seen in my life. The pictures I have can't even start to describe the intricacies of it. Here is one picture, but I would definitely look it up online! We ended our tourist adventure watching the sunset in Parc Guell and eating tapas in the Gothic Quarter. Barcelona treated us well, and I had a great time!

La Sagrada Familia

Paris, je t'aime!

I apologize for the delay in posting. I am still kicking over here in Europe, but yes, I do have school work to do and got a European cold for 10 days. I knew I was running at a fast pace, so it was bound to hit anytime. I decided, however, to take a break from studying and writing papers to take the 3 hour train ride on the TGV (the French high speed rail) to Paris. I mustered up the courage to head to Paris by myself, thinking my French at this point was good enough, where I would later meet another exchange student. But, the first day I was on my own!

I arrived in Paris, bought myself a metro pass (and was complimented on my French!), and used the metro to find our apartment for the next 3 days in the Latin Quarter (5th arrondissement). I quickly dropped my bags off and headed to what Paris is known for, art museums! My first stop was Centre Pompidou, which is a modern art museum that was commissioned by the former President/Prime Minister of France, Goerges Pompidou. I loved it! I saw Picasso, Matisse, Giacometti, Arman, Pollock, and so many more! Afterwards, I headed to Le Marais where I had my first crepe! Later, I met up with an exchange student in Geneva, who is actually commuting from Paris. She was having people over for Mexican, so it was nice knowing someone there in Paris! (And she lived about 10 minutes away in the 5th, so it worked out well!)

 I was joined on Friday morning by another exchange student, who had previously lived in Paris. We walked around the Latin Quarter, ate crepes in Montparnasse, walked down to the Bastille monument, and then headed to Jardin des Tuileries, which is a famous garden near the Louvre. We drank the most amazing hot chocolate at Angelina's, where you actually have to add cream because the chocolate is so strong! That night we stayed on Rue Mouffetard where we had a traditional French dinner, with French onion soup, beef bourguignon, and topped it off with sorbet at the end. The next day, it was raining quite heavily in Paris, so we spent the morning in un grand magasin, Le Printemps. It was fun to walk around and see all the designers, although I had to keep my hands off!! Before I headed back on the train, we walked down the Champs-Elysees.

I fell in love with Paris. There is so much to do and I had such an amazing time exploring. I really hope to go back at some point, if not during this trip then another time. While there were no major "zut alors," I did make a mistake when I was buying some wine for dinner. The man in the store asked if Paris was treating me well, and I said, "Je t'aime," which is "I love you," rather than "Je l'aime" (I like it). The wine store man got a good laugh out of it. Oh the adventures of speaking French!

On the Champs-Elysee!

"French" Switzerland: National Identity

So, I have taken a little break from my travels to enjoy living and studying in Switzerland. As I have traveled throughout Switzerland, it is amazing to me how the Swiss have four different languages (Swiss German, French, Italian, and Romanesch), but yet there is allegiance to the Swiss state. Even though I could probably do an entire research proposal on how national identity transcends language in Switzerland, I will spare you from my political science academia and talk about "French" Switzerland, where I have found a home for a little over three months.

The French part of Switzerland, which only comprises of 20% of the population, is concentrated around Lac Leman (Lake Geneva). As the strikes in France seem to be waging, the French Swiss chug along like normal. They are adamant here that they are Swiss and not French. All the signs are in French and all the Genevois speak French, which has some small differences from Parisian French, but I cannot tell! What I do love though is I am speaking and improving my French everyday!

I have picked up on some French terms that make me laugh. I have heard often the use of "C'est une catastrophe" (It's a catastrophe!). Now, when I hear catastrophe in English, I think that something disastrous has happened... there is a flood coming our way or multiple people have died. No, it is used often, and I am utterly confused by where the "castastrophe" is. My favorite time I heard "catastrophe" was when I was in a coffee shop and there were no open seats. A girl walked in and loudly exclaimed, "C'est une catastrophe!" I looked up quickly from my studies, and thought, "Oh no, is someone hurt? Is there a massive storm outside?" No, no, no, don't be silly. It is just the lack of enough chairs in a coffee shop. Heaven forbid!

So, the French often use much exaggeration, and I have decided that one phrase can get through almost any conversation. "C'est incroyable" (It is unbelievable.) Almost any animated French conversation, just walk up and say "C'est incroyable." It will fit in perfectly and validate that person's story.

Oh, and someone questioned me about the use of "Zut Alors" in today's French usage. Yes, I have heard it. Yes, it came from an 8 year old girl on the tram, but it must be making a come back from the youth!

(Pictures are in the Lauvaux Valley along Lac Leman. Great company, view, hike, wine, and fondue made for a wonderful Saturday!)

Benvenuti a Milano

It is quite amazing how time flies. The weekends are flying by and I will be back in Washington DC before you know it! So, to continue our travels, Alicia and I went off to the Italian part of Switzerland and Milan for the weekend. Alicia has a friend in Milan, Mattia, and he graciously hosted us for the weekend.

We left quite early on Friday morning with two other Americans who are getting their masters at the Graduate Institute. The Italian part of Switzerland is warmer and the Swiss call it their "Riviera." As we traveled along the train, all of sudden the clouds cleared, and it was sunny!  We stopped at Bellinzona, where there are three castles. It's amazing the transformation from French to German and finally Italian. It is quite amazing!

Our first stop was in Bellinzona. There are three castles all in one city, but we only made it to two. You definitely felt more in the Italian part of Switzerland- the roads, the architecture, and the food were all Italian like!

After a nice lunch in Bellinzona, we traveled to Lugano, which is a resort town right on Lake Lugano. It is definitely beautiful, but there was not a lot to see there! Alicia's friend, Mattia, and his girlfriend, Alice, met us for a nice dinner in Lugano, where I ate the typical Italian Swiss meal, risotta and sausage, and had my first gelato!

 That night we traveled to Milan, but I feel asleep on the car ride home because it had been such a long day! For all of you know that know me well, this should not surprise you at all! We woke up early the next day, where we had an Italian breakfast (cappachino and a brioche). Then we headed on into the center of Milan, where we walked down Via Buenos Aires, took the underground into the City Center and saw the Duomo, and walked around the castle. After a long day of walking in Milan, Mattia's mom graciously made us the most amazing home cooked Italian meal- with pasta and homemade sauce, buffala mozzarela, and proscuitto! I could barely move! But it wouldn't have been so great without all the great food and people that made the trip so special :)

In front of the Duomo in Milan

An European Education

So, I have decided to a take a break from what I have been doing today (quite boring but somehow taking way too much time) to write about what I came here to do- study. Through many hurdles, I have found myself in three interesting classes- Contemporary Issues of Conflict and Security, States of War and Peace- Statebuilding and Peacebuilding, and Humanitarian Crises and Responses. All are taught by quite interesting professors and I am getting the hang of them not always telling you exactly what needs to be done.

These are some observations that I have had so far (Note: I am just pointing out the differences!)

First, the students talk while the Professor is talking. Now, maybe I am Americanized, but you do not talk while the professor is talking. It is rude, distracts other students, and, in the states, the professor will probably call on you promptly. I can still remember my days in elementary school where we would get the marbles taken out of the jar if we spoke when he/she was talking. Thank goodness we don't have marble jars anymore.

Second, students and TAs outwardly cuss when we are doing projects and/or school work, sometimes in the middle of class. I know that we aren't in a standard "professional" setting, but I prefer to keep my talking professional- heaven forbid these might be my co-workers one day! Personally, I don't like to say that "Somalia is F-ed." I think they are better choice of words that we can use to discuss the current political landscape.

Third, I have turned into quite the American patriot. I knew that there would be anti-American sentiment. We all criticize the government, but it is my government, right? Hearing it come out of someone not from America somehow has me wanting to defend America! With mentions of "the superpower over the pond" and "the American hegemon," I feel like I have to defend my country's foreign policy. This makes me better understand when immigrants come to the States they try to hold onto their old country as much as possible.

In other news- here I am in the Alps near the town of Champery! I wasn't the fondest person of this ledge if you can't tell :) I spent a wonderful day with 3 other exchange students in the Alps and watching sheep come down a mountain... it is sort of a Swiss fall festival to watch various animals come down the Alps.  There were definitely not many Americans there, and it was fun to see the sheep come down! Afterwards, we went up to the top of the mountain for some hiking and views.  A very wonderful day (without any Zut Alors nonetheless)!

Me and the sheep

Ausfahrt Munchen! (Exit- Munich!)

Alicia and I had been planning on going to Munich for Oktoberfest, but our ride ending up falling through on Thursday night, right before we were suppose to leave on Friday! The trains would have taken 8 hours, and we weren't able to leave early... Zut alors!

The trouble of not having a way to get to Munich did not stop us! I called almost every car rental in Geneva asking if they happened to have an automatic car available for the weekend... yes one did! So that meant it was time for a road trip, or what I liked to call "Old Core" (Old School and Hardcore combined).  Then, another exciting bonus, a girl from school, Diane also wanted to come! Thus, we were off to Munich, traveling through the Swiss countryside, Austria, and then on into Germany. A Zut Alors became the first time that I drove through Europe!

Our Volkswagen Golf for the weekend!

We arrived late at night and were quite lost, but were quickly found when we passed by the Allianz arena, which was built for the World Cup. It was a life saver... I might still be driving around Munich right now if we hadn't see the arena.

 We rested up and went to Oktoberfest at 8 AM, attempting to get into a tent. (They do reservations really far in advance.) We were unable to get in the first tent we tried... Zut alors! So, we then went and tried to get into another tent, where we almost got smooshed between eager Oktoberfest goers and a pretzel stand. Luckily, we found a place to sit out of the tent, however and sat across from some Bavarian youth and our first Oktoberfest beer. It was an interesting adventure trying to navigate the language barrier, but luckily our gracious host, Graham, was able to help us out.

After some time outside, we were able to get into a tent, Paulaner. At Oktoberfest, there has been emergence of wearing lederhausen and dirndl (a traditional Bavarian woman outfit). I felt under dressed in jeans and a sweater! It was quite a jovial time- with people singing songs from all around the world! It is hard to describe the atmosphere, but it was a once in a lifetime experience!

Gastronomique Suisse- Lutry!

So after the end of the first week of classes and the first weekend in Geneva since arriving (well and having found places to live), Urvi, Alicia, and I ventured off for what we thought would be a day of hiking and wine tasting in Lutry near Lausanne, which is about a 35 minute train ride from Geneva. Not so much. Zut alors!

Figuring it would be obvious from the train station on how to get to the vineyards, there was actually no one at the Lutry train station. . It was also pouring down rain. No tourist information desk, no person to ask questions, nothing. We saw vineyards, but no actual sign pointing towards wineries. Luckily, however, we quickly started to walk down towards the water/town, where we quickly found a "Fete des Vendanges Lutry" (Lutry Wine Fesitval). So, what were three young women suppose to do? We quickly decided to eat and drink wine all day!

Our first stop was at a fondue stand, where we had our first Swiss fondue!! We asked for one serving for the three of us, which included more bread and cheese fondue than I could imagine!

First Fondue in Switzerland!

After fondue, we had sparkling wine from Switzerland... and the feast continued with Alicia having a nutelle crepe, Urvi having chestnuts, and a waffle for myself. We finished the day off with a cup of warm, hot tea. After a full day of gluttony and bellies filled, we ventured back home to Geneva. "Zut Alors" turned into a wonderful day, but we still hope to find the vineyards... which will have to wait for another day!

Willkommen in Zurich

Wanting to travel before school started, Alicia, Urvi, and I took about a 3 hour train ride to Zurich for the weekend. On Friday we arrived at the train station in Zurich, and I realized quickly that I was not in French Switzerland anymore. Swiss German is only spoken, not written. In Geneva, I feel fairly comfortable getting around using my French. Only a 3 hour train ride led us into unknown territory where I don't know how to say a thing except Danka!

Swiss German???

Luckily, Alicia has a friend who lives in Zurich, Flavio, who graciously allowed all three of us to stay at his apartment and showed us around the town.  He also introduced to us a Swiss breakfast! It includes bread, croissants, coffee/tea, cheese, jam, and this interesting yogurt with fruit and muesli in it. 

I was so grateful to be taken around town by someone who knew the area! We walked down through a park near his house in northern Zurich, where there is a wall where it is legal to spray paint! After the confused Americans asked the Swiss gents out in the middle of the day spray painting about the legal logistics, the Swiss spray painter replied that there are no rules except that it is has to be better than the painting before it.

Then we took a boat (that is of course included with in the public transportation tickets you have to buy for the trams/buses) down the river through the Old City of Zurich into the lake. We then walked up through the Chinese Gardens in the South of Zurich until we reached a cool spot to eat dinner near the Opernhaus (Opera House).

On a bridge in downtown Zurich!

View from the Chinese Gardens

On the way back to Flavio's apartment, we saw a sushi restaurant that is on a tram that goes around town while you eat dinner! Zurich definitely is a bit more hip than Geneva! On Sunday, we sadly left Zurich, but were excited to start school. School started today, so I will update shortly on the adventures of attending school in Switzerland!

A home away from home

After an incredibly stressful couple of days trying to find a place to live in Geneva, I have found one! It all started when Urvi, Alicia, and I went to meet a woman that did not speak very much English. Quickly, we realized that the person living here would have to have some sort of French speaking skills. My host mother is so nice, and she quickly called all of her friends to see if they had a place for two Americans to stay saying I was from a "bonne famille en Virginie" (good family from Virginia). So, basically, I will be living with her and her twin daughters, who are 15. The price is right, and I think my French will improve so much!

The trials and tribulations of finding housing in Geneva says a lot about Switzerland in general. First, someone told me that Switzerland is basically a very polite police state. The people follow the rules. You do not break the rules. People wait for the cross walk, even if there are no cars coming for miles.

Second, the trams/bus system runs smoother than any public transportation system that I have ever been to. The trains leave on time. If it is late, people are pacing and looking at their watches. But for the most part, they are always on time. Maybe the Swiss transportation system could teach a thing or two to metro in Washington!

The great thing about trying to find housing was that we got to discover huge parts of the city. The Old City is gorgeous! We keep discovering new places, and the Old City is definitely a must for anyone who comes to Geneva!

Old City- You can see the Jet d'eau in the background!

The St Pierre Cathedral in Geneva

Taking an afternoon off- Nyon!

So the last couple of days have been quite an interesting couple days of trying to find housing, setting up cell phones, and using the trams/buses around Geneva. So... today after moving into a hostel where they told us to really watch our stuff, it made the housing search even more urgent. Having only a room booked until Thursday morning, I would really like to find a place to settle. But as they said, housing is horrible in Geneva. I don't think the "supply and demand" theory works for the Geneva housing market, but hopefully I will find the jackpot soon!

Nyon

So, there was a much needed day off. We traveled to a town about 15 minutes on train away from Geneva called Nyon. It was gorgeous (as all Switzerland is, at least the part that I have seen), and we traveled down into the town. Our original plan was to rent bikes, but alas, the bike rental shop was nowhere to be found, so instead we found paddle boats!  Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) is gorgeous with mountains all around it, so we paddled out until we got in the wake of a large ferry.... zut alors! Well we barely made it... 

 On the paddle boat!

View from the Paddle Boat!

We then had a nice verre du vin (glass of wine) looking over a gorgeous castle and the water. I could think of worse things! We also had quite delightful waiters who were quite entertaining... if only I could understand what they were saying!

Nyon- a wonderful quaint day trip. Couldn't have asked for anymore! Well, except for a room in Geneva, please.

Arrival!

So, I have just arrived in Geneva. To be honest, it was one of the easiest transcontinental trips I have ever had, and we had a nice cab driver who even complemented my French!  I am now relaxing in my hotel room with Alicia and Urvi (the two other GW girls here that are awesome).

So I decided to name my blog "Zut alors" based on the various adventures that will happen during this three month stay in Europe. When I looked up a translation to inform those non-French speakers of the meaning, similar phrases include "Dang It" and "Caramba" in Spanish. I hope to update more soon and continue to blog of the various "Zut alors!"