So today, not so good. But here are some lessons learned:
Lesson 1: Do not walk to Geneva from apartment (round trip = 8 miles) in Chacos.
Lesson 2: When grocery shopping, weigh fresh fruit and vegetables and then get the price tag that the weigher machine spits out to avoid humiliation (the clerk and the people enjoyed my stupidity by laughing at me. I think they were also saying "stupid American.")
Lesson 3: Do not attempt to carry groceries back to apartment.
Lesson 4: McDonald's does not take credit cards.
Lesson 5: Cinq (which is French for 5) is not pronounced sink.
On the bright side, the people at the office asked if I could wait until Friday to start. That gives me one extra day to try and figure out how exactly to get there. Also I think they will be closed on Monday, and if that's the case, Interlaken here I come. Maybe I'll be better at trying to speak German.
On another note, the public transportation in Geneva is great with one exception. It's f***ing confusing. Don't get me wrong, Geneva has sidewalks and bike paths galore, buses, trams, trains and taxi's. But just trying to figure out the train system gives me a headache. I've been to Paris, London and even Buenos Aires where the subway/train system is incredibly simple and easy to follow. I wish Geneva would attempt to replicate those systems. Wishful thinking I guess.
I purchased a monthly train pass, which I *think* means I can ride anywhere in Geneva numerous times a day for a month without having to purchase a ticket. I'm sure I'll get on the train tomorrow for the first time and show the conductor my nifty pass and he'll say, "that's not a ticket, get off."
Anywho. I'm excited for Nina to get here. Having someone else to share this entirely different (and scary) experience will be nice. For those who don't know, Nina is my roomie for the summer, we found each other online and she'll be interning at the U.N. But she doesn't arrive until next Friday. I think things also will get better when I start working. Although leaving at 7 a.m. to arrive on time sounds not so fun. Regardless English is the primary language at work, yay!
Au revoir.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Day One
Culture shock is a funny thing; you feel happy, sad, homesick, excited all at once.
I spent more than 16 hours on flights and in airports so my mood was not the brightest when I arrived in my new summer home, Geneva. Up until the point I stepped out of the terminal in Geneva's International Airport, my stress level was sky high. First, Paris' Charles DeGaulle Airport is terrible. Don't ever fly there or through there. It's like one giant maze where French military are wandering around with AK-47s, little French children are running around like mad, and worst, yet English is no where to be seen or heard. I had no idea if I was supposed to pick up my bags in Paris (like you typically do when you arrive in the U.S.) so I just went on to my connecting flight to Geneva imagining my bags going round and round the luggage carousel in Paris.
Well, I finally arrived in Geneva and the line to get through customs/passport checkpoint was 100 miles long. Oddly enough when I got to the back of the line it started moving really, really fast. As I moved toward the checkpoint I noticed the guards were giving everyone a free ride, all you had to do was flash your passport (no need to open it to the picture page). I'm glad I paid $52.50 + $50 in shipping fees to get my entry visa. Also that means no stamp in my passport. Darn you Swiss police.
Anywho, moving on. My bags did arrive, thank you lord. So I grabbed them off the carousel and went to wait for Ximena (the lady we're renting the apartment from) because she was nice enough to give me a ride to the apartment and give me the keys and such. It's a really cool apartment, brand new, however it's in a suburb of Geneva, which means I have to take the train everywhere, but more on that in a moment. She spent a total of 5 minutes telling me everything I need to know and then departed. Well, there's nothing like being thrown into an unfamiliar apartment in an unfamiliar country where you don't speak the language. Lovely.
Since I didn't sleep on the plane I decided to test out my new travel alarm clock (which is useless) and take a nap. I've traveled to 10% of the world (or so my Facebook application tells me) and believe you me I know that's the biggest 'no, no' when it comes to jet lag and readjusting your body clock. But I was slightly overwhelmed so I allowed myself a 1.5 hour nap, which actually turned into 3 hours because of my lame alarm clock but it was well worth it.
After the nap I decided I should venture out on my own. It's about a 10-minute walk to the train station, which heads directly into Geneva. I was planning to ride the train until I realized I had no Swiss francs, problem numero uno. So instead I walked a mile or two toward the center of Bellevue (the town/suburb) where I'm staying. No ATM to be found. Also no grocery store, problem numero dos. Unfortunately I had to settle on a Nature's Vally granola bar and a box of nasty raisins that I got for free on the flight to Europe as my dinner.
As the day comes to a close, I'm going to take a shower and hop into bed. Hopefully I'll wake early so I can walk into Geneva (close to 4-miles, one-way, woo-hoo), get some francs, go grocery shopping and find my way back to the apartment.
Until tomorrow.
Au revoir.
I spent more than 16 hours on flights and in airports so my mood was not the brightest when I arrived in my new summer home, Geneva. Up until the point I stepped out of the terminal in Geneva's International Airport, my stress level was sky high. First, Paris' Charles DeGaulle Airport is terrible. Don't ever fly there or through there. It's like one giant maze where French military are wandering around with AK-47s, little French children are running around like mad, and worst, yet English is no where to be seen or heard. I had no idea if I was supposed to pick up my bags in Paris (like you typically do when you arrive in the U.S.) so I just went on to my connecting flight to Geneva imagining my bags going round and round the luggage carousel in Paris.
Well, I finally arrived in Geneva and the line to get through customs/passport checkpoint was 100 miles long. Oddly enough when I got to the back of the line it started moving really, really fast. As I moved toward the checkpoint I noticed the guards were giving everyone a free ride, all you had to do was flash your passport (no need to open it to the picture page). I'm glad I paid $52.50 + $50 in shipping fees to get my entry visa. Also that means no stamp in my passport. Darn you Swiss police.
Anywho, moving on. My bags did arrive, thank you lord. So I grabbed them off the carousel and went to wait for Ximena (the lady we're renting the apartment from) because she was nice enough to give me a ride to the apartment and give me the keys and such. It's a really cool apartment, brand new, however it's in a suburb of Geneva, which means I have to take the train everywhere, but more on that in a moment. She spent a total of 5 minutes telling me everything I need to know and then departed. Well, there's nothing like being thrown into an unfamiliar apartment in an unfamiliar country where you don't speak the language. Lovely.
Since I didn't sleep on the plane I decided to test out my new travel alarm clock (which is useless) and take a nap. I've traveled to 10% of the world (or so my Facebook application tells me) and believe you me I know that's the biggest 'no, no' when it comes to jet lag and readjusting your body clock. But I was slightly overwhelmed so I allowed myself a 1.5 hour nap, which actually turned into 3 hours because of my lame alarm clock but it was well worth it.
After the nap I decided I should venture out on my own. It's about a 10-minute walk to the train station, which heads directly into Geneva. I was planning to ride the train until I realized I had no Swiss francs, problem numero uno. So instead I walked a mile or two toward the center of Bellevue (the town/suburb) where I'm staying. No ATM to be found. Also no grocery store, problem numero dos. Unfortunately I had to settle on a Nature's Vally granola bar and a box of nasty raisins that I got for free on the flight to Europe as my dinner.
As the day comes to a close, I'm going to take a shower and hop into bed. Hopefully I'll wake early so I can walk into Geneva (close to 4-miles, one-way, woo-hoo), get some francs, go grocery shopping and find my way back to the apartment.
Until tomorrow.
Au revoir.
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