First Impressions
After a delayed flight and subsequent complete flight rearrangements, I made it to Geneva. Delirious and hungry, I spent my first afternoon desperately trying to remember everyone's names and backgrounds...and then asking them five minutes later what their names were and where they were from...and then becoming too embarrassed to ask for the third time and giving up entirely. Luckily, after a better than expected night of sleep, it was much easier to remember who everyone was the next day.
Nyon, the town in which our orientation is based as well as our classes for the rest of the semester, is incredibly quaint. While not what you imagine when you picture classic Swiss villages in the Alps, the old architecture and small streets are beautiful in their own way. What struck me most was the juxtaposition of this classic older style next to the equally common modern looking buildings. There are a significant amount of apartments and other buildings, sleek shiny with class exteriors, that remind me of how modern Switzerland is. While it has its history and old buildings, Switzerland is incredibly advanced in almost every way.
My first full day in Switzerland was spent half in the Nyon classroom getting a thorough orientation to certain elements of the program while the second half was spent in Geneva. The train ride into the city was incredibly smooth (both literally and figuratively) and when we arrived in time to get lunch, the train station food offerings were surprisingly delicious; I was able to have a personal tomato and spinach quiche! I can certainly get used to this level of delicacy... For the afternoon, we split our group of 27 students into two, each following an Official Geneva Tour Guide through the old part of the city for two and a half hours.
I was surprised to learn that Geneva is the place of so many firsts. From the many stories our animated guide had to offer, I learned that a Genevan stationary store invented the first mechanical pencil, tonic water was thought up in a Genevan apartment, and of course the Red Cross originated in Geneva as well. Our tour guide also mentioned many stories of important world figures and events that took place in or spent time in Geneva such as the Reformation, pivotal negotiations between Britain and the US after the American Civil War, and many important scientific works that have taken place at the University of Geneva. Oh, and of course, possibly Geneva's most important offering: the world's longest park bench. It's true, you can look it up.
Switzerland's deeply engrained neutrality is another element that we learned much about on our tour. Firstly, the cross on Switzerland's flag is supposed to represent the four languages spoken in the country and how, although Switzerland is made up of so many different cultural backgrounds, they all peacefully coexist together to make the country of Switzerland. I thought that was pretty beautiful (especially considering the current deep divisions in the US). Another example of this unity and neutrality was evident in something I observed throughout the tour: Geneva used to be a walled city-state a very long time ago but they were later absorbed by other empires at the time, eventually to become a part of Switzerland. Many cities throughout human history have been walled - this is not what struck me most - but rather it was the fact that the wall was completely deconstructed after it became integrated. Most cities will preserve this part of their history, maintaining the wall, but not Geneva. I thought this a beautiful symbolism for the importance of cooperation and communication among differing groups. Although not particularly representative of the culture of neutrality, a third thing I learned today that stuck with me is that Geneva's electricity is 100% renewable. They get all their energy either from water (the Rhone or imported from up in the Alps) or from the sun. How cool is that?!
After the tour ended, we split up into smaller groups to go our own ways. A few friends and I wandered around old Geneva and eventually got some pizza for dinner before taking the short train ride back to Nyon. Jetlag and a broad range of new, delicious food options makes me incredibly indecisive but eventually I will eat my way through this city!
À bientôt!
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