Geneva - And Getting Here

Well, this is finally happening. I left yesterday and flew to Germany, hung out for a few hours and then made my way over to Geneva. I even found the train stop and the hotel without getting (too) lost. The weather is sooo nice - it's tank top weather, which i love. Side note: it was NOT finally spring in DC. While it was 84 on Monday and Tuesday, the rest of the week was spent in 40 weather and cold wind. it even snowed on Friday night.

Back to Germany, I mean i KNOW it's Germany but i never saw so many people drinking huge steins of beer at 9 in the morning. NINE. My Geneva airport surprise was how many people brought their dogs to the airport with them to meet family and friends.

So of course everyone speaks French here, and of course, I've been taking some beginner lessons and i understand but for some reason i can't get it to come out of my mouth. i've been thinking of how i would say this or that, but no. nothing. I am just nervous that people will be upset at me for taking so long to try to say what i want, especially when they all speak English too.

I took a stroll downtown and checked out Lake Geneva. I had hoped to do a little shopping but a lot of the stores were closed because of Easter Monday. It was so refreshing to eat a real meal after all those hours of travel and presentation of questionable airline food. I chowed down at a little thai place on some panang curry.

I started my anti malaria medication today. Tomorrow i meet all day with ICRC staff. i am hoping to also learn more details about the rest of my trip such as where i am staying, who is meeting me at the airport, and what my itinerary is for my trip. I am sure that it is figured out and that they will take good care of me. it would just be comforting to know and to be able to tell my family where i'll be when.

Tonight i am going to try to read up on some ICRC stuff, prep my travel bag for africa (complete with hand sanitizer, sunscreen, first aid kit, and other wonderful items. i am also hoping to score some ''delegate's cologne'' i hear this is the term for some kick-ass bug spray the ICRC has. cross your fingers. My plan is to just relax since I have a long day tomorrow and an even longer one the day after with my flight to Liberia. I'm really going to be there at this time tomorrow. I still am not sure I believe it.

by the way, you don't know how hard it was to type this on a keyboard in Geneva. So many keys are different (the Z and Y have traded places, for example), there are extra keys and it's a scavenger hunt to find some. The Exclamation point has hidden itself incredibly well.

6 Days Left

Here I am, six days away from departure with no visas and no itinerary. I hear the visas are coming, and it's just a matter of waiting for the embassies.

The ICRC has given me only minimal information so far. I know that one day in Liberia will be spent meeting with officials at the ICRC delegations and the Liberian National Red Cross, and the other out in the field meeting with the actual people who have been separated from their families because of the conflict and are using Red Cross Message and Tracing services. I'm told that the delegations in Liberia and Sierra Leone will arrange for my transportation to Sierra Leone. But I haven't been told yet how I will be getting there. I assume it will be via ICRC small plane. No news yet on how long I'm spending in Sierra Leone or exactly what is planned for me there. I hope to receive more details in the next few days.

One of my co-workers was especially helpful to me today. She is from Liberia and when I asked her for some guidance about currency exchange and value she immediately called a friend who just arrived in the US from Liberia. He was able to answer my questions. My co-worker also gave me her personal cell phone to ask her any questions and gave me the name and number of a woman in Liberia that she considers a mother figure and told me she could help me anything I needed while I'm there. I am comforted by their friendliness, openness and how eager they are to welcome me and help me out.

NYC with the Fam

We visited David in New York over St. Patrick's Day weekend. Christianne and my mom were already there visiting, and Cynthia came down from Boston so we had a mini-reunion :)


Christianne came from 99 degree weather to snowy, icy, and bitter windy weather. She was quite the trooper. She really enjoyed stomping in the snow and making snowballs, but didn't quite care for them being thrown back at her!

It's finally spring in DC