Keeping busy

I cant believe how fast time is going by. Two more months and I will be at the end of my ambassadorial year! So much still to do and so much left to learn.

Being abroad has definitely brought many wonderful opportunities but as anything in life it has also come with sacrifices. It has taken a toll on me emotionally in some aspects, but as I follow my always present philosophy of life, I try to stay positive and remember to take the best out of any situation.

Thankfully, the weather has majorly improved and Twinsie and I have found plenty of ways to enjoy Switzerland to the maximum and stay "busy, busy."

Gruyere is probably one of the cutest little places I have ever visited. While there, we visited the cheese museum and learned about the process of making the famous swiss cheese, tried some fresh ones ourselves and enjoyed walking through the old city.

Broc is another town near Geneva and home to another famous Swiss delicacy, CHOCOLATE! Both the Caillet and the Nestle factories are located in this beautiful little town. The chocolate museum and factories were a blast. I was happy to learn that even the best Swiss chocolate has its roots in my beautiful Mexico. We had so much chocolate that I promised myself I would never eat it again (naturally, that promise only lasted a few hours).

La Saleve is a mountain in the French Alps. Although not expert hikers, the weather forecast promised a beautiful day out so Tugce and I decided to take on the challenge and joined the hiking team for the day. It was tough but the view and sense of accomplishment when we reached the top was worth every bit of effort. We have now been bit by the "hiking bug" and decided to join the team in their weekly weekend adventures. I can't wait to see all the other beautiful views that Switzerland has to offer.

As part of Gender week, the Gender Dialogue Committee at IHEID put together a showing of The Vagina Monologues which was interesting and very successful. I was happy not only to see the talent among my classmates, but also the support and interest (the place was packed). For another event, my friends and I attended Gender Bender where you had to dress as another gender. I finally got to let the masculine side of me shine! haha

Finally to finish off the week in a great way, I joined a couple of Rotaractors in a visit to the Children's Hospital in Geneva. We spend a few hours playing and interacting with the children. It was a beautiful and rewarding experience. It is true that children, even in the worst of times, have a way to bring a smile to your face.

The days are going by fast and in a blink of an eye I will be back home for the summer with lots of stories to share and memories to treasure.  Life is surely giving me a lot of lemons and I am making sure to produce the best lemonade :0)

BACK TO REALITY

The holidays were nice but after a long awaited and well deserved break it was time to go back to reality. A reality that involves long lectures, waking up really early in the morning and going to bed really late at night, reading, reading, and more reading, brain overload, and making the library my second home. Luckily when this reality starts to seem a little too overwhelming, I have the privilege to say I get to live it in Geneva, a truly beautiful place.

Yes, it is freezing cold and way too early to have to walk to a Statistics class, but how could I ever complain when I get to admire this view on my way to the Institute.

The back to school party was a big success. Glow sticks everywhere and familiar faces made the night really special. It was nice to catch up with friends and hear about their holiday adventures.

Getting my project of the ground has been quite the task but all hard work pays off and the first packets have finally been sent. I have gotten wonderful feedback from the participating schools. The students seem excited about the World Connect Project and I couldn’t be happier.

Rotary continues to be of course a big part of my life in Geneva. I finally got to meet all the members of my host club. I was invited to one of their luncheons and given the opportunity to give a short presentation. I was happy to share a little about myself, my country, my Rotary District, and even my experiences here in Geneva with the Swiss Rotarians, all in French!  We exchanged banners, cards, a meal, and wonderful conversations.

This week was also the International Day of Women. I attended a benefit concert with a couple of Geneva Rotaractors that one of the Rotray Clubs in Geneva put together to raise funds for a young women house and school project in Africa. The concert was magnificent and I once again got to meet many wonderful Rotarians. Ironically, it was on this day that I learned that even in conservative Rotary Geneva, there have been some feminist successful movements. The Palais Wilson Rotary Club not only accepts women as members but has a woman as president this year. Rotary Geneve Lac also voted just last year in favor of accepting women as members. I have always loved to see the differences between Rotary clubs around the world, some of which I find really interesting and reflect culture and/or tradition. I, however, love even more that it the commonalities, such as the messages of Service Above Self and cooperation to make a difference that takes precedence. Men Rotarians, women Rotarians, Rotaractors, Interactors and every person that holds these messages at heart can and is part of the Rotary family.

The cold continues and there is a stack of books and articles for me to read on top of my desk. I miss my family, boyfriend and friends. I have some essays to write and emails to respond to. I could really use some sleep and those Birthday-cake Limited Edition Oreos everyone in the States keeps talking about. Reality is here, but even when I sometimes wish things were a lot easier, lets face it, my reality in Geneva is far from being that bad.