I got sick again, so I apologize for the delayed post. I’d like to take this as an opportunity to remind future travelers: take all your favorite meds abroad because you never know.

Notwithstanding my current predicament, it’s been a lovely past week. Last Monday, all the students and our homestay families came together for a Swiss dinner at the Chateau de Nyon cave. As our appetizer, the servers placed huge boards of cured meats and bread on our tables. Next came the potatoes in their quilted bag, which keeps them warm for our incoming meal. Finally, the raclette plates were passed around. Raclette is a traditional meal of soft-boiled potatoes with rich melted cheese. In a restaurant, the servers dish out the melted cheese onto your plate in rotations around the room. Typically, you squish down your potatoes/fermented vegetables and scoop the cheese on top so you get a delicious savory bite of cheese, starch, and juicy pickled flavor all at once. It’s incredible, but a very heavy meal. That’s why you eat fermented vegetables or drink wine to aid digestion–at least, that’s the traditional advice. For those who do not drink, hot tea is acceptable, but never water! Cold things are believed to slow down digestion and make the cheese clump in your stomach. 

Many Swiss people I have met tell me that Switzerland was an impoverished country until recently. Therefore, many of their iconic dishes are peasant foods or creative ways to deal with farm scraps. As the legend of Switzerland’s wealth goes, the Protestants in the 1500s banned all jewelry but exempted watches. Magnificent watches became the hallmark of Switzerland because it was one of the only ways people could display their wealth. Over a few hundred years, the technical precision of watchmaking converted to other industries like machinery and pharmaceuticals. Though I’m sure this is simplified, I would have to agree that the Swiss are excellent with details. The architecture, the art, the transportation systems, and the clocks are so impressive. It sounds silly, but what really made my mouth drop the other day was seeing a man dragging a giant tube along the Geneva train platform to vacuum specks of debris—no wonder it’s spotless.

From last week’s classes, the highlights were a guest lecture from one of the founders of Money Leman and our visit to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Money Leman is a complementary currency offered as crypto and paper money that is exchanged among a community of sustainable businesses in the Geneva Lake area. The goal is to keep business and money in the local economy as much as possible. I also found the EFTA extremely interesting as it’s an alternative trade organization to the EU between Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. These countries have industries, like fishing or farming, that they think will perform better with more autonomy and negotiation power than the EU provides. 

We had some free mornings before classes to explore my friend’s town of Versoix for a few hours. We visited the library, went to a thrift store, and hung out in a cafe back In Nyon. I feel lucky to have found someone in my program who enjoys the same relaxed activities. However, I still make it a priority to explore independently. On Saturday, I took the train two hours each way through incredible countryside views to Bern, the federal capital of Switzerland. Since I was by myself, I think I was able to allow my curious mind to wander more and notice details about the city. All I did was walk around, rest, and try to breathe in the city on what happened to be a gloriously sunny day. I fell in love with the quaintness of Bern’s old town, the light-hearted atmosphere, and the amount of green space available along the river.

Writing this, I’m feeling some déjà vu because, in every French class, I have to give a short presentation on where I have visited or a class topic I have found interesting. It has helped me pick up new words like émerveillement which means wonder. 

Je regarde toujours avec émerveillement. I always look with wonder.

This is how I described going to the Geneva Botanical Gardens in class. It reminds me of growing up in Chicago and visiting the Chicago Botanic Garden or the Lincoln Park Conservatory. Exploring the various greenhouses with my friend this past Sunday made me feel like a little kid again. With acres to explore, I am excited to return when the spring flowers start to bloom.

Next week we fly to Athens, Greece for two weeks to study the financial crisis.

Until later!

Finances (Tuesday 2/14- Wednesday 2/22):

– 80 CHF at Migros (covered by SIT food stipend)

– 24 CHF Cafe drinks/desserts

– 19 CHF Friday night spending (La Taproom in Geneva, Burger King snacks, and La Parenthèse in Nyon)

= 123 CHF/131 USD (80 of which was covered by SIT)

* calculations are not exact but close estimates

Perhaps I’ve started to feel like I have a routine in Switzerland, even if that routine is characterized by unpredictability and the little challenges that come with living in a foreign country. I think studying abroad is truly an exercise of open-mindedness. It’s important to be kind to yourself and allow room to adjust expectations.

On Tuesday, we had a morning meeting at the World Trade Organization (WTO). We gathered at the “bubble door”, a decorative art piece in the main entryway of Geneva Cornavin station, before our expedition into the streets. Like a school of fish, we oscillated between conversation groups but generally walked as a unit. We were freezing cold when arrived at the security gate at the WTO. We were given a tour of the main meeting room where all the WTO members sit facing each other at rows of long tables. We sat in the seats closest to the stage as countries like “Armenia”, “The United States”, and “Sri Lanka”. Our guide, a member of their Communications department, explained to us how the process to enter the WTO typically takes a decade because it means negotiating thick books of tariffs on all the goods and services a country trades. The WTO is built on the basis of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) from 1947 which many countries signed in agreement to limit the barriers to free trade. This World War II revitalization effort for trade goods evolved into the WTO in 1995 and now covers services and intellectual property as well. All decisions made in the WTO are made unanimously which means every single member has to agree. This means that it’s very hard to have a member leave, as they need to vote themselves out as well, which came up at the start of the War in Ukraine in regard to Russia.

The stated purpose of the WTO is to improve the welfare of people worldwide. However, the WTO concedes that globalization has not benefitted everyone equally. At Whitman, my classes discussed how some countries have become producers, where cheap labor and the environment are exploited, while others have become wealthy consumers. The new Director-General of the WTO, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, is the first African and the first woman to lead the organization. She’s sought to bring this understanding of inequitable globalization to the forefront of policy discussions. 

It was electrifying to be in the room where fiercely debated policy decisions are made. During very tense times, members can stay for hours hashing out decisions with members sleeping on the floor and pizza delivery. The light-filled futuristic architecture, with towering glass and rounded walls, had a lightness that did not divulge the weight of its importance.

For days after our WTO visit, I had time off from classes to conduct interviews for an internship, a substantial component of my program. I was able to interview with marvelous organizations and received offers from all three. It was hard to choose, but I have decided to join International Bridges to Justice, starting in March. Their mission is to help those in developing countries secure justice by way of competent legal aid and resources in an effort to stop torture before it happens. I will have six weeks with them where I will be working on writing grants to fund their grassroots resource centers in twelve different countries. I will also be conducting some legal research independently to help expand their legal advice Wiki page.

I had a free day mid-week to explore Geneva and I ended up going out by myself to the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire. It has to be the most uniquely curated museum I’ve ever been to. So stunningly immersive. I visited the church of Protestant Reformer John Calvin, St. Peter’s Cathedral. Then I bought a scarf in an effort to fit into Swiss fashion and much-needed warmth. While I enjoyed these days, being deeply surrounded by French and unfamiliar things plus the stress of moving around a foreign city made me very tired. After a busy few days, I had hit my limit and that was ok. I sat in the Basilica of Notre Dame and allowed myself to be quiet. Not every moment of study abroad needs to be packed and, in reality, I am still the same human with the same needs as I was in the United States.

Over the weekend, I decided to take it easy. I walked in the medieval city of Morges by the water, I drank wine al fresco in Lausanne with my friend, and we saw a unique underground concert in Nyon by a Swiss band singing pop-rock in English. On Sunday we went up to the Jura, the mountains just beside the lake to the north. While clumsily trekking in our snowshoes, we couldn’t believe how lucky we are to be here. Looking up at a weather station, leaning against an old stone wall, madeleines and sandwiches in hand––the sunshine reflecting off the snow made me feel renewed and adventurous again.

Talk soon.

Finances (Tuesday 2/8-Monday 2/13):

– 107 CHF on food (covered by SIT food stipend)

– 20 CHF thrifting sweater + shirt

– 38 CHF scarf from Zara

– 27 CHF charging cable

= 192 CHF/209 USD (107 of which was covered by SIT)

* calculations are not exact but close estimates

Though I’ve now had two weeks in Switzerland, my process of studying here began much earlier. In the winter of sophomore year, I began my application for the Gilman Scholarship, a program through the U.S. Department of State to award scholarships to Pell Grant recipients who may not typically be able to study abroad. With the help of the Whitman Off-Campus Studies office, I submitted a successful application and received a scholarship. I truly encourage everyone eligible to apply. As part of the award, I have to complete a service project which, in my case, is this blog! 

My purpose in writing is to illustrate the professional development benefits of studying abroad and the attainability of an abroad experience. Of course, I will also be sharing travel and adventure anecdotes. This brings me to this past week…

For most of our “working” time, we were running around Geneva, from train to bus to tram, to visit various organizations which have created relationships with SIT for those who apply to become interns. After we return from Greece in mid-March, we will embark on a six-week internship in our admitted organization. Most of them are start-ups looking to make a difference in the environmental sphere, combat climate change, or fix a social problem. A few internships are clustered at GENEUS, a start-up incubator, and Impact Hub, a co-working space. Toward the end of the week, I submitted my resume and cover letter to three and arranged interviews (SIT reserves two and a half days for independent interview work). I’ve already had to sign an NDA to discuss a certain start-up’s technology–I will reveal more next week once I know where I’m headed!

We have French for two hours Mondays and Fridays which means that I’ve now had three classes. Having studied French for four years in high school, I tested into Intermediate French which means I’m in a class of just three students. The majority of the program has no French experience and is in Beginner French. All the classes are complete French immersion with a native speaker. It is a sharp learning curve, but it is extremely valuable to know French here. Despite Geneva being an international city, daily tasks and life in the city of Nyon and the surrounding villages are very much conducted in French. Though people may know English, there is a preference that you try to speak French. 

Our homestays are also meant to be French immersion, although different families seem to have different expectations. With my homestay, we had a rough start on French because I was sick last week. We are working towards speaking more French, though I’ve been very privileged since she speaks perfect English. We’ve been able to have fascinating conversations about life, politics, and cultural differences. I think we have been warming up to each other and I try to show appreciation by helping her cook dinner, taking out the dog, and helping clean up the kitchen. I feel very safe and comfortable in my life here even though it’s been barely more than a week.

I commute every day from my homestay in a village near France to either Geneva or Nyon. The public transportation is excellent and without parallel. Our Swiss Pass from SIT allows us to use virtually every form of public transit anywhere in Switzerland for free. We are completely spoiled as many Swiss do not even have this *extremely* expensive pass. I took advantage of this fact this past weekend by traveling to Lugano, a city in the south of Switzerland near the Italian border with friends I’ve made in my program. We took the five-hour trip Saturday, explored the city over 24ish hours, and returned on Sunday night. I can’t recommend Lugano enough. We emerged from snow and mountain tunnels into a breath of summer, Mediterranean color, and Italian atmosphere. The sunshine was absolutely blissful and danced on the gorgeously clear water of Lake Lugano.

We found an affordable Airbnb in Campione (an Italian enclave inside Switzerland) and split the cost among us five. For a one-bedroom private apartment that could sleep five, it was only $26 per person. Though we splurged on a nice lunch, we made pesto pasta and shared a bottle of Prosecco for a calm night in. Sunday morning, Lugano was tranquil and we looked around in awe as the bustling streets of Saturday had been transformed into a peaceful network of stone staircases and church bells. To punctuate our trip, we took the funicular rail up Monte San Salvadore for panoramic views and lunch with a phenomenal view.

I should cut my writing here, but next week I’ll share my thoughts about our visit to the World Trade Organization and interviewing for my internship.

Merci, à bientôt!

Finances (Sunday 1/29-Monday 2/7):

– 25 CHF Airbnb in Capione (split bill)

– 7 CHF for Capione groceries (split bill)

– 25 CHF lunch in Lugano ( 15 on pizza and 10 on Aperol Spritz)

– 20 CHF more cold meds

– 75 CHF at Migros on foods/snacks  (covered by SIT food stipend)

– 15 CHF on coffee at my favorite spots (Ex Machina in Nyon and Foound in Geneva)

= 167 CHF/180 USD (75 of which was covered by SIT)

* calculations are not exact but close estimates