As I sit in Annia's illuminated living room with 3 of the 4 Advent candles slowly burning in the corner and a black cat snoozing on the arm of a chair, I realize that this is almost exactly where I found myself four months ago. Landing in Switzerland with a whirlwind of activity around me, I sat down on this very couch and exhaled, both physically and emotionally, and happily realized this is where I would be for the coming semester.
Now, as I go through my bags and carefully balance their weights (23 kilograms each), I find myself once again on the verge of something new and wonderful. I am so thankful for the time I have had here in Switzerland, and I do not know who to begin to thank. My parents, certainly, for the sacrifices they have made and for the encouragement they have provided to help me realize all of my goals. This is just but one case of them supporting me in my pursuit of both living life to the fullest and learning along the way. My grandparents have also been so supportive to me all of my life, and for that I'm thankful. Claire Margaret, my little sister, is happy for me too, despite her having so many other things (like applying to college - good luck!) to worry about. What a wonderful family I have, and what a blessing that is in its own right.
My friends, too, of all types and degrees of relationships, have been there for me when I needed them, and even when I haven't. Among these friends are the Haselbachs, long time family friends to whom I owe so much.Daniel took me under his wing the first weeks I was here, including me in activities like paddleboarding on Lake Geneva and a trip to Luzern. All of the Haselbachs have so graciously included me in their lives even when that means speaking in English when they normally wouldn't, since my French is so poor. And then, there is Annia. Annia has been a Swiss mother to me this entire journey, providing her home and its resources to me on weekends when I just needed to get away or I just felt like being around a second family. I can't express how wonderful it has been to wake up in the morning at Annia's and share breakfast with her, talking about life and the happenings of the day. These moments, such as talking with Annia over breakfast or paddling down the lake shore with Daniel, are the sorts of things that have defined my time here in Switzerland.
I like to think that I have lived life to its fullest while I am here, traveling to numerous countries and seeing so many things that had previously been confined to my imagination. The beaches of Normandy are real to me now, as is the Berlin Wall, the Swiss Alps, the Roman Forum, and the Eiffel Tower. But, just as real and perhaps more memorable are the little cafés and kind souls who offer to point you in the right direction, patiently listening to my broken French or offering their help in their best English, then disappearing back into their daily routines. These experiences are so important in our lives; they remind us that, even though our passports are different and we have such different cultures, we're all human. There is so much peace in knowing that their are so many good people in the world that you could never possibly meet them all.
So, as I sit once again on Annia's couch, watching the first snow of the year fall outside, there is nothing I can do but smile and enjoy the profound sense of contentment I have for what I have lived over the past four months. Tomorrow night I will be home, with my family in North Carolina, and I am incredibly excited. I'll visit friends at Davidson, at home, and even make a short trip to Kentucky. All of those things, as well as the entirety of my life for that matter, will be illuminated by the warm afterglow of this experience. And that is something to be thankful for.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Angry Mob + Fire = Burning Cars
So, today started out really nice and lazy. I woke up nice and slow, read for a little while in bed, then decided to go into town for lunch. After a quick lunch, the plan was to go ride the cable car up the mountain and enjoy a nice vista of the Jura. However, things changed once a dozen, blue police vans whizzed past. The police maintain a very, very low profile in Geneva (and in Switzerland, in general) so the odds of going for weeks without seeing any are high. Needless to say, seeing SWAT vans fly by was a bit unusual. I look down the street and see a protest making its way down Rue de Mont-Blanc, and then I remembered what was going on: there was protest of the WTO Ministerial Meeting. The World Trade Organization is headquartered in Geneva, just like many other major international organizations, though it's easy to forget they're there sometimes.
It's important to point out that most of the protesters opted for peaceful means to demonstrate for their cause, and that it was a select few (few meaning probably around 100-200 out of the supposed 2,000+ people) who caused problems. That being said, the problems were definitely there. The Geneva police force seemed well prepared for it though I, of course, was not.
I walked down the street to take a look at the noise and saw what looked to be over a 1,000, later confirmed to have been over 2,000, people marching across the bridge and into the northern part of the city. I saw about 4 tractors pulling floats and effigies of figures I didn't recognize, as well as numerous flags and banners airing grievances against the WTO and the general, global community. After the tractors passed, things got out of hand. I heard a car alarm go off, then began to smell something burning. Black smoke began billowing from behind a large crowd and, by this time, I had positioned myself behind the police barricade that had formed to keep the protest from getting into the square I was eating lunch. Bright red flames began to billow out of a brand new Mercedes-Benz, and three other cars were ignited next to it. Soon, riot police were running towards the location and I was backing away. That was a little much for me, really. Sirens could be heard converging on our location from all over the city. I took a few pictures with my phone (it was all I had on me, because my point and shoot is broken, sorry for the poor photo quality) and then moved on to a safer, less chaotic and smoke filled, place.
For the rest of the afternoon and into the evening, the public transit was out of whack and police were out in full force. I have never seen anyone in full riot gear before, much less an angry mob burning cars, so it was a spectacle. I can't say I understand either ways of manifesting (the French word for protest is "manifestation," by the way) their frustrations with the WTO, though. The peaceful protesters banners said all sorts of constructive things, ranging from "The WTO is Bad" to "Stop the violence in Darfur!" While I certainly agree that the violence in Darfur is bad, the WTO doesn't have much to do with that. A lot of the things being yelled and protested about weren't related to the WTO at all...it just seems as though some people live for a good protest. The violent protesters are a little easier to criticize. Burning up people's cars and smashing the storefronts of innocent people doesn't seem like the best way to further an agenda of progress, though the "black bloc" activists are supposedly anarchists. So I guess they don't really care.
The Swiss were very prompt in their deployment of street sweepers to clean up the mess, though. Once night fell, most of the trash had been picked up. Unfortunately, store owners and four car owners will be beginning the clean up process tomorrow.
Needless to say, all of this was a lot of excitement. I met up with some friends and watched a bit of football (European football) before heading back to the John Knox Center. The transportation was all out of whack, but we made it safe and sound. Thank goodness, because I've been looking forward to cleaning my room.
It's important to point out that most of the protesters opted for peaceful means to demonstrate for their cause, and that it was a select few (few meaning probably around 100-200 out of the supposed 2,000+ people) who caused problems. That being said, the problems were definitely there. The Geneva police force seemed well prepared for it though I, of course, was not.
 |
| From Geneva Protests 28 November 2009 |
 |
| From Geneva Protests 28 November 2009 |
I walked down the street to take a look at the noise and saw what looked to be over a 1,000, later confirmed to have been over 2,000, people marching across the bridge and into the northern part of the city. I saw about 4 tractors pulling floats and effigies of figures I didn't recognize, as well as numerous flags and banners airing grievances against the WTO and the general, global community. After the tractors passed, things got out of hand. I heard a car alarm go off, then began to smell something burning. Black smoke began billowing from behind a large crowd and, by this time, I had positioned myself behind the police barricade that had formed to keep the protest from getting into the square I was eating lunch. Bright red flames began to billow out of a brand new Mercedes-Benz, and three other cars were ignited next to it. Soon, riot police were running towards the location and I was backing away. That was a little much for me, really. Sirens could be heard converging on our location from all over the city. I took a few pictures with my phone (it was all I had on me, because my point and shoot is broken, sorry for the poor photo quality) and then moved on to a safer, less chaotic and smoke filled, place.
 |
| From Geneva Protests 28 November 2009 |
 |
| From Geneva Protests 28 November 2009 |
For the rest of the afternoon and into the evening, the public transit was out of whack and police were out in full force. I have never seen anyone in full riot gear before, much less an angry mob burning cars, so it was a spectacle. I can't say I understand either ways of manifesting (the French word for protest is "manifestation," by the way) their frustrations with the WTO, though. The peaceful protesters banners said all sorts of constructive things, ranging from "The WTO is Bad" to "Stop the violence in Darfur!" While I certainly agree that the violence in Darfur is bad, the WTO doesn't have much to do with that. A lot of the things being yelled and protested about weren't related to the WTO at all...it just seems as though some people live for a good protest. The violent protesters are a little easier to criticize. Burning up people's cars and smashing the storefronts of innocent people doesn't seem like the best way to further an agenda of progress, though the "black bloc" activists are supposedly anarchists. So I guess they don't really care.
 |
| From Geneva Protests 28 November 2009 |
 |
| From Geneva Protests 28 November 2009 |
The Swiss were very prompt in their deployment of street sweepers to clean up the mess, though. Once night fell, most of the trash had been picked up. Unfortunately, store owners and four car owners will be beginning the clean up process tomorrow.
 |
| From Geneva Protests 28 November 2009 |
 |
| From Geneva Protests 28 November 2009 |
Needless to say, all of this was a lot of excitement. I met up with some friends and watched a bit of football (European football) before heading back to the John Knox Center. The transportation was all out of whack, but we made it safe and sound. Thank goodness, because I've been looking forward to cleaning my room.
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