Slow Fade

So today was what I would characterize a very slow day. Basically we had around six hours of class....ughs and then afterward a bit of free time until dinner. Basically after dinner I then had to start studying for tomorrow's class. I tell you the worst idea ever is having a class like this. Sitting by a window, looking outside, it's about torture and you always want to leave. Anyways nothing big to report about today aside from being more than a bit worried that a strike by British Airways will cancel the return flight from London to Geneva. I'll wait till tomorrow. More to come then.

Majestic Grandeur and Epic Failure

Today was a day I was highly anticipating. We were going to Mont Blanc! To say the least, I am stoked. The only thing that held me back was the early wake-up time, but that's okay. So we got on the train to head to Chamonix, the town where Mont Blanc is located. The train ride was long, around 2-3 hours however with the beautiful scenery and good reading I was not really too bored. We only had to ride two trains on the way there and both times I had a good view to the area around me. Upon arriving in Chamonix we headed over towards the lift that would take us to the top of Aiguille du Midi, one of the highest cable cars in the world. There was no cable going to the top of Mont Blanc specifically, however we were on the mountain next to it. It was extremely cold out there and I was very happy it was not raining and snowing. With a peak height of 3842m or 12604ft there was quite a climate change and I was wearing layers. I wish I had brought a coat but I did not think it would be needed. Either way I still enjoyed myself. There were a number of skiers or snowboarders there, however it was an extremely treacherous place to do so. With holes in the snow/ice and the speed and rocks and lack of ski patrol this really is living on the edge. Not a place I am qualified to snowboard or ski, that is for certain. We finally came to the bottom around 2pm after having spent 3 hours around the top. Next stop was lunch afterward we had free time and I headed to call relatives for mothers day while it rained. That completed, I headed outside, took pictures of the area, and toured around before heading back to load our return train. The return ride was much longer and we had 4 trains we had to ride on the way back, even arriving at a different station. Around 11pm we headed back due to not being able to contact the bus. It was a wet rainy evening, I finally straggled in soaking wet at midnight. Really it good day but the end was quite disappointing and infuriating.

Hiking Mont Salève!!!!!!

So I awoke today quite excited. It was first off Sabbath and secondly I was going to be able to go to the top of Mont Saléve. At first, I thought it would be simply a bus ride up...at least that was what the group had planned. However when I went downstairs around 2pm for departure, I ran into Shelley a girl who goes to school here, who asked me to join her on a hike to the top. I..could not really say no and said yes. To which effect I had a blast! The top of the Mont is 1300m or 4265ft. I don't know what altitude I started at, however lets just say it took about 2hrs to get to the top and it was some climbing. What better way to spend Sabbath? In nature and in the view of such a majestic foe that the mountain offered, it's hard to imagine a better day. I did get understandingly tired on my way up however once there, it felt good. I was and still am quite proud to have hiked to the top of it. Probably one of the hardest hikes I've had in awhile. Anyways once getting to the top we walked across some cow pastures, apparently they feed the cows at the top. As well we also saw a lot of para-gliders on their way down - the top of Mont Saléve is good for that. We went over to another path which brought us by a flag that had been painted on as an April Fools joke by a group of American students roughly 20 years ago. The story behind it is quite funny. In essence one night they went up and painted the Swiss flag on the Mont. The French guard was mobilized as well as police etc because it was believed that Switzerland was invading. However they found out it was an American prank and made those who had done it go up every day to scrape off the flag before they had to leave...eventually it was repainted to do a French logo that is in this region. Similar to the Swiss cross, however also not the Swiss flag. We went there and then we began our descent which took around an hour or two in total with the hike to see the flag. I arrived back to the school at 6pm worn out and ready to eat then relax for the evening. What a beautiful Sabbath Day!!!

International Red Cross and Patek Philippe

So today was an okay day. It was quite a busy one and involved tours to two locations. My favorite of the two, the International Red Cross Museum was very nice. Our tour guide was Australian and she was great showing us around, fielding questions, and really making our time in the museum a lot of fun. It was an extraordinary difference made by one man, and the museum really showed that. We ate lunch in the museum and departed to head out to Patek Philippe, a luxury watchmaker. On the tram ride over myself and two other girls were separated from the main group due to an issue in communication. Either way I was able to get us off and find our way back to the group, thanks to my handy dandy Geneva Museum Map!! YAY! We really weren't even noticed being gone until we saw them, go figure... Anyways, the watch museum was okay, but really our tour guide there was a very condescending type of funny. A rude arrogant man who really...well was not that nice. One of the haughty European types. Anyways we went around the museum which was okay, but I was bored and quite noticing the time ;) Anyways. That ended and the group had the option of staying in Geneva or going back to Collonges. I elected to stay with a group in Geneva, go around, get some pizza and such before returning. The others did stay a bit longer to go get French pastries, however I decided to go back before them catching all the trains just right and arriving back at the bus station by 620pm. It was then a 'lovely' walk up the hill of death, whereby I arrived back at the school by 635pm. Not too shabby if I do say so myself. Anyways, that's really all that happened. Was a great day and pictures will be posted soon.

Volleyball

So, had a good evening. After eating went up to the room and got ready to play some volleyball. Needless to say I had a blast! My team won 2-1 and it was cool to hear people counting points in French even though I can not remember...nor did I understand most of what they were saying. I'm looking forward to playing more sports next week as this is a good way to have fun with the local students and just burn off some energy. Anyways that's all for today folks, bye bye.

Boredom and Meandering

So...I've come to believe that torture is sitting in a classroom on a beautiful sunny day listening to a professor drone on for 3 hours over a topic you're already familiar with. If you agree with me, you will come to see a bit of what my day entailed. It was torture, fire and torment torture, plain misery and let me say I was wanting to climb the mountain I kept taking pictures of during the class period. When the clock hit 12pm (noon) I was out of the door as soon as the professor recognized the time - with a bit of a helpful nudging mind you - sprinting for the cafeteria. After I finished eating, I headed to my dorm room, checked my email and then decided to go for a walk. I started out on a path through the woods which steeped downward meandering down the mountain path through a part of the city I had not seen before. It was a good time, sunny with a bit of a breeze and NO RAIN. I walked through an older part of the city, across a footbridge, then across some railroad tracks, up a highway inter-pass, and finally made way though the back areas of the city before deciding it was time to head back, really there was nothing more to see. I saw the most peculiar public restroom...quite nice compared to US outdoor port-a-pots. Then made my way up the hill. It was not nearly as bad today without the rain. It was a nice walk and really a nice day a lot of pictures were taken.

Arrival, Geneva, Rain, and the EVIL Hill

So, I'm officially oozing excitement at this moment. As I look at the map to the approach time to our destination of Geneva - 28 minutes. I cannot help but to be struck anew by the wonder of this new world I am about to visit. While…it may not be historically correct to think of Europe as the 'New World' to me it is and I look forward to the exploration of it. One thing however that's a bit disconcerting. It's already 7am at my destination of Geneva while to me it's a late…or early 1am! I was somehow able to sleep on the plane, but that was only after searching for an area to do so. Prior to that event I'd had the worst time imaginable with the individual in front of me nearly instantaneously placing his seat down, my personal torment to deal with as I precariously ate, watched a movie - the one with Brandon Fraiser and Harrison Ford - and then tried to sleep. That really was not working all that well and I did give up after a time. Resigning myself initially to no sleep. However a careful exploration of the front identified 3 empty seats, right in a row, and lots of leg room. You can imagine and rightly so, that I then proceeded to those empty seats and staked my territory. I did sleep quite well, almost like a bed, aside from one of the arm rests which would not go up. But overall this was a much better alternative than before and for others around me. I was fortunate. So now as we begin to arrive I'm at least somewhat rested and perhaps adjusted to this new time. However only time will completely tell that. What I do know is, I'm excited and it's time to explore in T-22 minutes. More to come later.

It's now 11am here and I am starving. We've arrived and the room is gorgeous. I have a great roommate and I think all will be going well! Our room is so clean. It is almost like a hotel room and puts the dorms at Andrews University to shame. There's a lot of French spoken, and I'm clearly out of my league in the language. Thankfully as well a lot of them know English. I've unpacked and while wireless and internet for that matter are not currently working now, hopefully they will soon. I know I have a couple people who are or will be expecting a phone call in another 3 hours or thereabouts. We'll be exploring around Geneva later today as right now we are at Collonges a school in France which is roughly 20-30minutes from Geneva. So really not a long way at all. More to come later

The afternoon walk to Geneva was something I was definitely looking forward to. We walked down a fairly steep, long hill…I'd estimate for around 1.5-2miles. It took us around a good 45 minutes to get to the bottom, maybe longer. Either way, it was quite long. Next we rode a bus to ride a train to ride another train before we finally headed to the United Nations building. Needless to say it was a nasty rainy cold day. It was not a place you wanted to stay around and walk in, you really just wanted to get out of it. We went shopping for a very brief time and I exchanged 20 dollars for 22 dutch marks before heading back. The rain was now harder and the wind too. I was dreading what awaited. That mammoth hill. However I knew I had to get to the top before a certain time or miss dinner. We stepped off the train around 5:40pm and I sprinted, power-walked, and ran my way up to the top. Needless to say I was soaked, wheezing, and I really did want to stop along the way but I did not, finally arriving at 6pm. I'd made it to the top of the 1.5-2mile hill in 20 minutes. Anyway dinner came next followed by a nice shower and finally collapsing into my bed and forcing my eyes to stay awake until i no longer could. I fell asleep around 9pm. Thus ends my first day :)