voulez-vous...get some cheese...avec moi?

And...I'm back! Sorry, for the delay in posting. For all of you that know me (which is pretty much everyone reading this blog, but I am still optimistic that Obama is following me secretly- and by that I mean, they're always watching, Big-Brother-style), you knew this was going to happen; I would prioritize securing shelter, studying, and traveling over blogging. How dare I? Well, I am finally getting my priorities straight: 1) blog, 2) travel plans, 3) school work (Wait, Dad, I came here to study? I can't hear you, I think my Internet connection is shotty, google talk is cutting in and out. Click.).

No one likes excuses (so "get some cheese" for all the whine that is about to go down), but I have a good one as to why I have not been blogging lately. Do you remember when I arrived here, to this grand city, a piece of heaven on earth, and I had to go on a crazy apartment hunt? Well the good news was after a week of searching I found a place! But that is just where the story begins, my friends. The apartment fell through, after I had arrived there with all my stuff, and I was homeless, again! Running count of my being homeless in Geneva...4 times. Anyone thinking, "this has the makings of a movie- Homeless in Geneva". If anyone knows Nora Ephron and she is looking for a sequel to Sleepless, I'll sell my story for the right price. Fortunately, this story has a happy ending; I found another room in a Foyer (dorm), which is cozy and nice, so don't cry for me Argentina, uh-hum I mean, people. I will not be homeless.

But additional reasons why I have not been posting as frequently as I would have liked is because living in Switzerland is like that bad relationship that you just can't quit. When you arrive here, similar to when you arrive to a bar, grocery store, library (where ever you like to meet your men/women), you scope out the scenery, spot out Mont Blanc aka Mr./Ms. "hottie with a body" and approach. Before you know it, you are consumed by the picturesque views, long hikes, and rolling hills of vineyards, aka first dates, long talks, and just plain rolling in fields together. All good until the water starts boiling, and now your head is spinning and you find yourself wondering why you are running through the streets of a city that prides itself on decorum to secure an apartment (yes- I did run through the streets of Geneva, literally, to get this apartment, from where I write this post. I'm telling you people, makings of a movie). Or it's all dandy until your program director tells you no we can't register you for that class you want, even though you are paying for this one semester what the students here pay for their entire Master's education over 2 years. Or it's not good enough to have a student visa to enter this country and study here for a measly 4 months. Nope, you need a $200 residency permit as well (yet another card with your name and date of birth to identify you with). So now, I have 4 Swiss ID cards and a U.S. passport. Hey, Swiss officials- you can touch this.

Long story short, I have been busy running through the streets like a mad woman, fighting for classes, and accumulating as many ID cards I can, so that when I get back to DC, I can properly make it rain.

But like that bad relationship, every time you think you should just leave, the clouds clear, breathtaking views are revealed, and you are are right back where you started...loving the place. That is the great thing about Geneva, if you have a bad day, you are homeless every once in a while, they take another picture of you and slap it on an ID card...you can turn around and look up or hop on a train and lose yourself in the majestic alps (see pictures below).

A view of Mont Blanc from the end of my street.

A view of the Grenzgletscher (Grenz Glacier) in Zermatt.

I wonder if the people who live here say,"Yah, to get to my house, just take a left at the big waterfall, then a right at the smaller one". Lauterbrunnen, Interlaken.