Sunday, July 20th
I slept pretty well and got up at around 8:00. Breakfast was being served until 9, so I went up to the cafeteria where I found Jenny Rious and Jeff. We had the usual John Knox breakfast - cold cereal, hard bread, coffee, and juice. I came back to the room and had a nice shower. Then I went out to the picnic tables with my computer. The view is the same as last year, of course. It’s just breathtaking.
A bit later I went into the classroom to work with Brenda and Amy.
Jeff and his sons came in. The boys played quietly on their computers. Ollie, Jeff’s younger son, has one of those “One Laptop One Child” computers that were originally made for third world countries. Jeff bought one for his son and donated one. It’s pretty nifty.
Of course Max, his older son, has graduated to a MacBook Pro.
Later this afternoon I was laying on my bed reading with the window wide open when I heard all this giggling. I wandered over to the other building and found Shawn, Apryl, Beth, and Maxine in a room visiting. Paula and Karen wandered in and out as well. We talked and talked and had a few laughs.
I had only had an apple and some peanuts for lunch (Thanks, Amy!), so was starving. The other girls just got in today and were exhausted, but we walked down to a little restaurant at the bottom of the infamous HHH. We had salad and pizza and creme brulee. It was delish. As we were eating the bus pulled up and Robert got out. He’d been traveling with his wife in London, Paris, and Venice, and just arrived. We waved him over and he sat down and ordered some spaghetti. Beth and Shawn had to get back to work on their project, so Apryl and I kept Robert company while he ate. Then the three of us walked back up the HHH, I put on my pajamas, and here I am.
Classes start tomorrow. Eek!
Back Again - Saturday, July 19th
It’s hard to believe I’m back in Geneva. My friend Apryl said that as she was trudging up the hill to the John Knox Center dragging her suitcase (She took the bus from the airport.) she thought, “I’m almost home.” It struck her as funny that the word “home” popped into her mind.
The trip was uneventful, but grueling. The airport in Paris was huge, and I only had an hour and 10 minutes to figure it out and change planes. The plane landed sort of out in a field. You had to walk down the steps and get on a bus, which took you to a terminal. Not the correct terminal, mind you. At that point I figured out that I needed to be in terminal 2E. So I waited for another bus, growing more impatient and worried by the minute. This bus drove and drove and drove and finally stopped at terminal 2A. Ugh. There was a lot of traffic, as well, and the bus seemed to be in no hurry.
Finally we got to terminal 2E, but there was a huge line going through customs. And I didn’t know which gate to look for. And they didn’t really speak English much. I had to go back through security - shoes off, laptop unpacked - you know the drill. On the other side I showed my ticket to an authoritative looking person and gestured wildly. She said, “Geneva? (Only she said something like Jhee-neev?) Go there!”, and pointed down a long hall. I raced down the hall and found the gate. Luckily the plane was late, because another problem was that I hadn’t used the bathroom on the other plane. At all. I was in desperate straits.
The second plane ride was only about an hour long, and I didn’t have any trouble getting through customs, changing some dollars into francs, and finding a taxi. I got to the Center at about 1:00 Geneva time (6:00 a.m. our time).
I asked for a single room this year, and it is really great. Well, it’s still brick walls and a cement floor, sort of like a dorm room. But there’s a big double bed, a closet, and a good sized bathroom. It has a TUB.
This picture was taken just inside the door of my room. A closet is to the left and the bathroom is to the right. You go down two steps to get to the bedroom.
The closet. I unpacked this year! Last year I lived out of a suitcase for three weeks.
This bathroom is great. You don’t have to climb over the toilet to get to the shower.
There is a small bedside table.
And a desk.
It’s really all I need, and more. Tomorrow I’m going to see if I can find some tape to hang the picture Annie gave me. Then it will really feel like home.
This year I’m in the “bunker”. It’s a small building next to the main center. Mine are the three windows just to the left of the door. I had one window open because it was pretty muggy in here. But there are no screens, and now there is a moth flying around in here. Grrrr.
Here’s the view out my window. It was raining this afternoon when I took this picture.
After a little rest, I went downtown. I wanted to buy a little hot pot so I can make coffee in the room. Boy, was that a mistake. First I trudged down the HHH (Remember the horrifying hill of horribleness?). Down isn’t so bad, but you have to come back up! The stores were crazy crowded and I didn’t realize how tired I was. But I made it back in one piece. At the top of the hill, I turned and said (out loud), “HAH! I’ve conquered you!” I guess I was a little punch drunk with tiredness at that point.
Jeff’s wife, Susannah, and his two sons are here for the entire three weeks this time. Last night, after a short nap, I went out and sat at the picnic tables with a few people. The center doesn’t serve lunch or dinner on weekends, and I didn’t have any groceries as the stores close at 6 on Saturdays and aren’t open on Sundays. But I wasn’t too hungry after the plane rides, and I had some peanut butter crackers in my room. Well Susannah brought out this huge spread of food and invited everybody to have some. She had salmon and rice and broccoli and cut up fruit and bread and cheese and wine. It was so nice. We all shared a meal, and I went back to my room at about 10 as I was exhausted. All in all a pretty good start to the trip.
Memorial Day
Memorial day has always been a meaningful holiday for me. Here’s why.
“Dearest Mom and Pop,
My writing doesn’t look much like mine. I know I am nervous and I’ve been crying and sick to my stomach.
You wrote me a letter, Pop, and said to let you know if Dick was OK because you hadn’t heard from him. Well I was in hopes that something good would turn up.
Dick was reported missing in action on Oct. 16, and I prayed and prayed and made novena after novena to St. Ann using a prayer Aunt Clara sent me. I have been under a terrific strain since then because of the thought of what might have happened.
Well, I talked to the chaplain about it and he has kept in touch with me. He told me that my brother’s body had been definitely located and identified as killed in action.
He told me that it was a terrible thing, but that it was God’s plans that it be that way. I asked how long it would be before the War department notified you and he said usually between two and three weeks, so he told me to write home and my letter would probably get there first.
Now my next worry is how you and Mom will take this. I took it very hard. Dick and I scrapped and argued a lot at home, but not over here. He stuck up for me and I for him. We loved each other. In combat we fought elbow to elbow. In a close call he would say, ‘You OK, Bob?’ and I’d say ‘yes’ and vice versa.
I just can’t say any more about this. I am sick and my back aches and everything else… Please, Mom and Pop, try to take this and don’t either of you have a heart attack or anything. As soon as I find out if I can come home with Dick’s body, I’ll let you know.
Your ever loving son.
Bob”
Uncle Bob was 21 years old when he wrote to tell my grandparents about the death of his twin brother in the Korean War. Uncle Dick was buried on my second birthday.
Uncle Bob came home from the war and eventually married his brother’s sweetheart. At first they consoled each other. Then they fell in love. They had 5 children and remained a loving couple until he died 8 years ago. Rest in peace, dear uncles.
Friday Afternoon
Wow. Free time.
After lunch I was going to work a bit on the site, as I understood we were “in class” until about 2:30 or so. But when I got to the classroom, Gary and Jeff had taken the servers down, so there was no way to work. Yay, Gary and Jeff!
I hopped on a bus and went downtown for an hour or so to do some last minute shopping. I was alone, as I wanted to get back her in time to call the dentist when he opens. It was kind of bittersweet to wander around in Geneva looking at the fountain, the lovely old buildings, the iron balconies and, of course, the mountains. It’s a beautiful place, and I’m glad I get to come back next summer.
I got back and found Angie lying on her bed reading. We sort of don’t know what to do with ourselves after working so hard for 3 weeks. I decided to check my email, and then maybe I’ll read or pack or go sit at the picnic table and enjoy the scenery.
I was saying how I’ll miss the view, and Paula said that as she’s rushing across the grass in the morning, even if she’s late, she’ll stop just for a minute and think, “Wow. The mountains are so beautiful.” Then she’ll think, “Crap! I’m late!”, and hurry into the classroom. I know how she feels. The mountains grab me every time I go outside.
Cornelia helped me place a call to the dentist, but unfortunately his answering machine picked up. I didn’t hear the first part of the message, so I’m not sure if they’re on vacation, or just come in late on Fridays. I thought they were there until noon. I left a message on their machine, but may try to call back in an hour or so.
Meanwhile, I guess I’ll put the computer away and go relax before our party tonight.
Friday - One more day.
EEK. I woke up this morning and was brushing my teeth, when I noticed that something felt weird. I either broke my front tooth or lost a huge filling. It’s not extremely painful, but it is uncomfortable and I’m waiting for America to wake up so that I can call the dentist. I’m really scared to do that because I think he’s going to say he needs to cap my 4 front teeth. They’re all thin because of grinding at night, and he needs to do them all at the same time to keep the look and color consistent.
We spent the morning going over business and viewing the week 3 videos. They were really good. We’ve come a long way.
After lunch I think we’re going to work on our site for a bit and then head downtown for some last minute shopping.
Tonight we’re having a good-bye barbecue. Sharman has worked with Marc and Cornelia and the chefs to make sure we’ll have hamburgers, chicken legs, green salad, fries and fruit salad. The fruit salad confused the chefs. They never serve fruit with meals here, and thought that it should be dessert. But Sharman said that it MUST go with dinner and we are having ice cream sundaes for dessert. Afterwards we’ll pack and get ready for our very early morning buses to the airport. Mine is at 6:30 for my 9:15 flight.
I just went outside and stood for a few minutes looking at the mountains and listening to the cow bells. I’ll really miss Geneva, but am looking forward to getting home.
The Countdown
Wednesday and Thursday were working days. We struggled over our site and got frustrated, and decided to go down to the flea market in the afternoon to get some toy turtles (that we are using as part of our site design). Sharman got the car and Amy, Brenda, Meghan, and I piled in with her.
It was pouring rain, and we got a bit lost in Geneva. We had a map, but it was difficult to know where we are as the street signs hard to find, small and, well… in French.
We called Marc and poor Sharman tried to drive, look at a map and manage the cell phone. Finally Meghan took over the map and we frantically looked for street signs to tell Marc where we were. It was kind of a comedy of errors:
Marc: Did you pass a butcher shop? A hairdresser?
Meghan: We’re on a street with cars!
We finally figured out where we needed to be with Meghan giving directions. “Sort of jog at the next corner. Don’t turn, just sort of jog to the right. But not really to the right, a little bit past the right.” But we found the parking ramp near the park where the flea market was being held. Amy jumped out and walked up to the park to see if the turtle man was there. It was pouring rain, and many of the vendors had already packed up and left, but there were a couple of tents still up. Amy got back in the car and we drove slowly around the park - but no turtle man. A wasted trip!
Afterwards we drove to Old Town and went to a toy store so Amy could buy gifts for her kids. Sharman and Meghan took the car and left, as they had plans to get fondue with a few people. Amy, Brenda and I walked across the bridge to Manor, a huge several story department store. We split company there because I was supposed to meet Shawn, Apryl and Beth for dinner at the Giant Chess Set park. We had made plans earlier in the day, and I was really regretting it. It was pouring rain and cold, and I just wanted to go back to the Center, but there was no way to get ahold of the girls. Luckily Meghan let me borrow her umbrella, as she was riding in the car.
So I wandered around in Manor, but at 7:00 an announcement came on that they were closed. I didn’t know where to catch the bus in the direction of the park, so I got on the bus going in the opposite direction, took that to the train station, and switched to the correct bus. As it passed Manor, Apryl, Beth and Shawn got on! That was lucky. I didn’t have to worry about getting to the park 45 minutes early and waiting. We had a lovely dinner, and I had creme brulee for dessert.
We walked from the bus stop (up the HHH) back to the Center in the rain. It was freezing. I bundled up in my bed and read for the rest of the evening.
On Thursday we worked most of the morning on our video and the site our group is creating. It was frustrating work, and we were all kind of discouraged and feeling lost about the direction our project was taking. But after lunch we had a group meeting, talked things out, and got ourselves back on track and fired up. We all felt really good and excited about our project again.
After the meeting Brenda and Amy headed downtown. I stayed in, as it was still raining and cold, and I needed some down time. I managed to read a bit and got on the Citizen Patriot web site for news. I chatted online with Brenda (from home) and began getting re-oriented for the trip home. It felt good.
After dinner I puttered with a few things. Amy and Brenda got back and our group met with Sharman to put the final touches on our video and get it uploaded to the homework site. We finished at about 10:30, so I just went in to bed and read until I got sleepy. My mind is heading home.
Field Trip!
What a day. Meghan, Amy, Brenda and I spent the morning working on our site. It went pretty well. At least we weren’t quite so discouraged as yesterday. We also worked a bit on our week 3 video, which is due on Friday.
Sharman and Jeff and Gary (I’m guessing mostly Sharman) planned a field trip for us today, and had the John Knox Center pack us box lunches. So at 11:15 we hopped on a tour bus and headed to Gruyere Castle, about 2 hours from here. The lunches were good. We each got a ham sandwich, a cheese sandwich, an apple, a banana, and a bottle of water. We were so excited about the fruit. They never serve it here.
Gruyere Castle is incredible. The street leading up to the actual castle is filled with little shops - very much a tourist trap. But the castle itself was fascinating, and there were breathtaking views of the mountains all around. The clouds were very low on the mountains and it threatened to rain all day, but I liked the dark mysterious look.
The castle had lots of statues and some really interesting doors, windows, and rooms. The ceilings were fascinating. And there were massive fireplaces in most of the rooms.
Bruce taking a picture of me taking a picture of Jeff taking a picture of Remi taking a picture.
Gary’s 2 year old son, Simon, finds a treasure chest.
A small chapel inside the castle walls.
Posing for their album cover.
Meghan (Hi, Mom!)
After a couple of hours, we got back on the bus and went to Chillon Castle, on the shore of Lake Geneva, just outside Montreux.
Gruyere Castle had the interesting statues, but Chillon Castle seemed more of what I thought a castle would be. Halls were narrow, rooms were small, and it was sort of dark and mysterious.
The children had a wonderful time running around in the castle. Annaje pretended she was the queen of the castle and we were all either princesses or servants.
Momo.
After we wandered the castle, we got back on the bus and drove into Montreux (about a 5 minute drive) for dinner. Then it was back to the John Knox Center. We were all exhausted. I blogged for a bit and then went to bed.
@night.dream(code)
At night I dream code.
Today was really difficult. It started out wonderfully. Brenda and Amy and Meghan and I met with the professors and talked out our project. We are all very excited about it and have some wonderful ideas. We seem to mesh well as a group.
But.
Then we went off and started to build our site. The design part went well. We hashed out the content and design for a bit and that was challenging, but interesting and fun. I decided to transfer our practice site info over to our brand spanking new site. That’s where it all fell apart. I couldn’t remember anything. Not fact one. Looking over the coding of the practice site didn’t help, and in fact confused me more.
The other girls had been planning this week’s video, which is due on Friday, and when they finished we tried to work together on the code, but the more we worked the more confused we got. We worked so very hard and got nowhere. Remi and Jaime tried to talk to us about creating models before we do design, but at that point our brains were full. We were all discouraged and staring into space.
We decided to take a break and make an appointment with Jeff and/or Gary for after dinner to get some help. I wanted some solitude, so I walked down to the bus and headed downtown. Bruce was waiting for the bus, so I sat with him and we chatted. He put things in perspective for me, and I felt quite a bit better after talking to him.
Here’s something odd. I was in Manor, a huge store in downtown Geneva, looking at notebooks and pens when I thought, “That guy looks familiar”. It was Jeff. A few minutes later I heard somebody call, “Mary Ann!” It was Karen. She and another group had come downtown to shop.
After dinner we met with Gary, and hashed out our models and it made more sense to me.
I’d not been able to find my debit card (but knew it was in the room someplace) so I went back early and organized my stuff, read for a bit and went to sleep.
No pictures today. I almost took a picture of myself putting drops in Meghan’s ear. She’s having a bit of trouble with it being stuffed up and not popping, so Sharman went and got her some drops. After a dose or two, she felt like the drops were starting to help.
Sunday, August 5th
Sunday was a catch-up day. Angie and I slept until about 8:30 and wandered down to breakfast. Afterwards I raced back to pack up some clothes, as the washing machine was available, and I didn’t feel like hauling my laundry back downtown.
I looked at all my pictures, caught up on blogging, and did my weekend homework.
In the evening, Shawn and Beth and I went back downtown and ate in the park. It was a really nice meal and we had the wonderful chocolate deliciousness for dessert.
The buses run on a different schedule on Sundays, so we didn’t catch one coming back until 10:20. We raced up the Triple H (Horrifying Hill of Horribleness) as I’d told Tom and Jean that I’d be on Skype between 10 and 11 Geneva time. Why am I always in a hurry coming up that hill?
Made it back at about 11:05, but they were still on, and we had a nice chat. Then I chatted with Bob and Susan and the girls, braced myself for another week of classwork, and went to bed.
Saturday in the Mountains
Sharman and I woke up to a beautiful day in Lauenen. We went downstairs, where a sort of continental breakfast was provided for us. It was bread and croissants, butter, jam, cheese, coffee and juice.
We checked out (using a bit of sign language to find out if the breakfast had been included) and drove a bit further up into the mountains to a place with hiking paths.
Oh. The professors rented a car, but since both Gary and Sharman wanted to take trips this weekend they had to get another. Gary has his wife and 2 sons with him, and the boys still need car seats, so Sharman and I were forced to take this one.
It was a tough job, but somebody had to do it.
We didn’t actually hike, just ambled down a couple of paths for a short way. It was really gorgeous, and there were woods and streams as well as the mountains.
After soaking in nature for a bit, we got in the car and drove to Gstaad.
Sharman’s family’s name is Seibenthal. She was looking for a book written by Gottfried Von Seibenthal as a gift for her dad. We were looking for a bookstore, but apparently Gottfried owns a kitchen store, and sells his books from there.
Sharman found her book and I bought a few gifts. As the lady was wrapping one of my gifts, the lights started blinking. Another clerk came in the room and said, “Closed!” I asked the clerk who was helping me if the store was closing, and she said, “Just until 2:00.” They actually close all the stores for lunch!
We wandered down the street looking for a restaurant. This place looked promising until we noticed the waiters in their bow ties and jackets.
We decided to look for something a bit less pricey.
Actually we found a nice place and ate, as usual, outside.
After lunch we drove back to Saanen. There was a huge flea market going on, and the streets were blocked off.
Sharman had seen a large bell in a window that said, “Von Seibenthal” (her name), and “Saanen” (her ancestors’ home), and we were on a quest to find one. Someone told us that there was a museum that might have and/or sell the bells. We looked, and looked, and looked for that museum and could NOT find it. Shopkeepers tried to help us with directions, and also pointed out, with sign language, that some of the flea market booths sold bells.
Finally we noticed tons of signs for the museum all around us? How did we miss them?
And the bell booth we couldn’t find?
Really not that difficult to see. Sigh.
Unfortunately the Seibenthal bell was an antique, and priced at $1300. Sharman decided to pass, and we headed home.
We got back at about 6:30, but the John Knox Center doesn’t serve dinner on Saturday nights. Some of our classmates had been to a farmer’s market and brought out bread and cheese and olives and sun dried tomatoes and a few other things. We made a meal of this along with some yogurt, peanuts, crackers, and chocolate.
Angie had been on a hike up the mountains, and we were both pretty tired, so we went to bed at about 11:00 and read for awhile. It was a lovely day.