As I near the end of the experience, I have been reflecting on lessons I have learned. There are many take-aways from this summer that will stick with me.
1) While cars are helpful, they are not necessary every day. The US MUST do a better job of increasing public transportation-buses, trams, maybe even trains to other cities.
2) Be environmentally friendly-recycle and reuse.
3) Produce is so much better if it is fresh! Nearly every Swiss family has a fruit tree and/or a vegetable garden. You cannot beat the taste! Plus it is "free," just the labor!
4) Every item of clothing does not need to be dried. Europeans hang most if not all of their clothes. Just think of the energy savings this could bring!
5) While air conditioning is a gift, you can live without it. Sleeping with the window open and rain falling is very soothing. I plan to shut mine off more often.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
The final five...
This is my last week in Geneva. I had the day off and went to Yvoire, France on the boat. It was so nice, just what I needed- a day on the lake in the sun! I am now down to my final five days in this international city.
This weekend, I leave for the peacebuilding course. The complete reason I am in Geneva. I am so excited for it to begin! We will have 25 participants in the course, literally from all places around the world. Each has a different background and all bring various experiences. Some were former police men, some are border guards, others work for their countries' department of foreign affairs, or heads of state. We also have participants in the United Nations. I am excited to learn from each of them!
Part of the training will be in the forest. We will simulate situations that peacekeepers experience in the field. Although, this is meant to be a surprise, so I will have to tell you after it happens. Being a policy geek, it will be a great change to live out the "peacekeeper" lifestyle and see what happens when people work in post-conflict settings. More soon!
This weekend, I leave for the peacebuilding course. The complete reason I am in Geneva. I am so excited for it to begin! We will have 25 participants in the course, literally from all places around the world. Each has a different background and all bring various experiences. Some were former police men, some are border guards, others work for their countries' department of foreign affairs, or heads of state. We also have participants in the United Nations. I am excited to learn from each of them!
Part of the training will be in the forest. We will simulate situations that peacekeepers experience in the field. Although, this is meant to be a surprise, so I will have to tell you after it happens. Being a policy geek, it will be a great change to live out the "peacekeeper" lifestyle and see what happens when people work in post-conflict settings. More soon!
Monday, August 20, 2007
Saying goodbye
The adventure is slowly coming to an end. This summer, I have met many amazing people and think I have made some life-long friends! There were 40 students on the Duke program and it seems that every week there is another goodbye party for another person that is leaving. This is a weird balance for me, as I still have a month of my time in Switzerland left!
As always, I have found many fun new things to keep busy. In the recent weeks, I went out to a karaoke bar and sang for the 30th anniversary of Elvis's death. This weekend, I went on the boat with friends and enjoyed some Swiss shopping. Of course, we have also been eating-Lebanese, Chinese and Ethiopian food last week!
A new fun event has been joining a local trivia team at the British pub, Pickwicks. This is a great place in Geneva. Although I do not really care for hamburgers back home, this is a great treat to have in Switzerland, and a Pickwicks burger is ideal! (Most Swiss dishes contain minimal meat-perhaps some sausage or meat in a hot dish. Even sandwiches are sparse with one very thin cut piece of meat. The carnivore in me cries out! Mom and dad-steak when I return?!?) Thus, meat at Pickwicks is a treat! You also cannot beat the fries there.
Last week, our trivia team took third place which earned us each one free drink. (Tonight, I have invited my host sisters and their boyfriends for night out of trivia.) It should be a smashing good time!
For your reading enjoyment (and to test your knowledge), try answering a few of these questions that I got right:
1) Which animated family was the first to sleep in the same bed?
2) Elvis was known for using this muscle, the levator labii superioris, often. For what did he use it?
3) The term "Deep Throat" was made famous in the political arena. Why?
4) What is the name of the family that Mary Poppins works for?
5) The muscles are connected to the bones by what?
6) Which feline chased Tweety?
7) What is the term for diseases where one uncontrollably falls asleep?
8) What is the name of the girl that wears glasses in Scooby Doo?
And, just to make it an even 10, here are two more which I did not know....
9) Who is the French President?
10) Where is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum located?
As always, I have found many fun new things to keep busy. In the recent weeks, I went out to a karaoke bar and sang for the 30th anniversary of Elvis's death. This weekend, I went on the boat with friends and enjoyed some Swiss shopping. Of course, we have also been eating-Lebanese, Chinese and Ethiopian food last week!
A new fun event has been joining a local trivia team at the British pub, Pickwicks. This is a great place in Geneva. Although I do not really care for hamburgers back home, this is a great treat to have in Switzerland, and a Pickwicks burger is ideal! (Most Swiss dishes contain minimal meat-perhaps some sausage or meat in a hot dish. Even sandwiches are sparse with one very thin cut piece of meat. The carnivore in me cries out! Mom and dad-steak when I return?!?) Thus, meat at Pickwicks is a treat! You also cannot beat the fries there.
Last week, our trivia team took third place which earned us each one free drink. (Tonight, I have invited my host sisters and their boyfriends for night out of trivia.) It should be a smashing good time!
For your reading enjoyment (and to test your knowledge), try answering a few of these questions that I got right:
1) Which animated family was the first to sleep in the same bed?
2) Elvis was known for using this muscle, the levator labii superioris, often. For what did he use it?
3) The term "Deep Throat" was made famous in the political arena. Why?
4) What is the name of the family that Mary Poppins works for?
5) The muscles are connected to the bones by what?
6) Which feline chased Tweety?
7) What is the term for diseases where one uncontrollably falls asleep?
8) What is the name of the girl that wears glasses in Scooby Doo?
And, just to make it an even 10, here are two more which I did not know....
9) Who is the French President?
10) Where is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum located?
Monday, August 13, 2007
Make new friends, but keep the old
Last weekend, I traveled to Germany and visited old friends. First, I saw Erin Doering, my sister's best grade school friend. She is now living in Berlin and will be there for one year teaching at an international school. Erin was recently married and is beginning the excursion with her husband, Patrick. What a cool way to spend your first year as a married couple! My second stop was seeing Conni Rober, an exchange school friend that came to Litchfield High School. The experiences reminded me that friendships really do span the world! In my opinion, there is nothing better than catching up with old friends half-way around the world.
I was literally the first visitor that Erin and Patrick had. They moved in their apartment 2 days before I arrived. I was thankful they would take me in. It was also very nice as Erin and I got to experience the city together. And, what a story Berlin has to tell! First, we went to the Berlin gate, which at one time was the passageway between east and west Berlin. We saw the Russian memorial museum, which was built out of the stone from Hitler's bunker. The most moving part was the newly constructed Jewish memorial, reminding of all of the lives lost in the Holocaust. There were thousands of stone blocks that visitors walked among. The blocks started out small, about a foot off the ground. As the visitors went further into the memorial, the blocks became taller. So tall, you got lost inside of them. Looking down the rows, each block was aligned. It made me think of the rows of beds in the concentration camps. The whole experience also reminded me how powerful a person can be in the beginning of a conflict. One individual can stand up against the violence and maybe stop it. However, as the Holocaust went on, an individual became lost in the chaos. As much as a person wanted to speak out against the murders, their voices became very small. I was really moved visiting this memorial.
Underneath the memorial was a museum for the victims. This also carried a strong message. The first quote on the wall said "It happened, therefore it can happen again: this is the core of what we have to say." The museum followed victims' lives. It showed the hope of children, married couples, and grandparents. Later their lives were snuffed out in the concentration camps. It saddened me to the core. I thought of all of the hope, potential and dreams that was lost in these violent acts. The museum also showcased letters written by people in the camps- from those that unloaded the train cars and administer gas in the chambers to those that burned the bodies. Each letter showed terror about the jobs they were given. This is one viewpoint that I had not seen until this time. The experience made me reflect...
Working on peace studies this summer, I had the opportunity to attend a meeting on post-conflict studies. It was a round table discussion on how to move a society forward after war. The participants said that history books must carry strong messages of the truth. As you can imagine, some countries want to bury the ugly, hatred of war, conflict and death. However, in order to learn, the participants said that future generations must learn the truth so the atrocities never happen again. I think that this is an important responsibility that we all must carry.
... the city of Berlin seemed to do this well. My last morning there, I went to the federal government center. Here, I saw the hope for the future. The building was historic and represented the past. However, a new glass dome was added. Visitors could climb around the walkway of the dome and look down over where parliament meets. It was neat to see how the city has bridged the past with hope for the future.
Moving onto Marburg, I saw my friend Conni! We spent a day in her life. It was so nice! We had ice cream (vanilla with warmed berries- a local favorite) with her son Mathis, walked the city, visited the local clock tower and castle. She also showed me her campus. Unbeknown to us, we completing the same studies and degree! It was fun to compare notes and catch up on life! We also had many of Conni's favorite things. She shared cinnamon, fig tea and her mom's home-made jam. Oh, it was wonderful! For dinner, we went out to a local pub (she ordered me local pasta with peas, mushrooms and ham in a creme sauce) and then had a drink at the coffee bar. The city was just as I had imagined - the cute little streets were just like the photos I saw in German class. We also took a walk by the river and had breakfast (salmon, champagne, bread, and jams) overlooking the mountain. Saying goodbye was difficult for both of us. We were all teary-eyed and vowed that we must visit more often. There is nothing like catching up with old friends!
I was literally the first visitor that Erin and Patrick had. They moved in their apartment 2 days before I arrived. I was thankful they would take me in. It was also very nice as Erin and I got to experience the city together. And, what a story Berlin has to tell! First, we went to the Berlin gate, which at one time was the passageway between east and west Berlin. We saw the Russian memorial museum, which was built out of the stone from Hitler's bunker. The most moving part was the newly constructed Jewish memorial, reminding of all of the lives lost in the Holocaust. There were thousands of stone blocks that visitors walked among. The blocks started out small, about a foot off the ground. As the visitors went further into the memorial, the blocks became taller. So tall, you got lost inside of them. Looking down the rows, each block was aligned. It made me think of the rows of beds in the concentration camps. The whole experience also reminded me how powerful a person can be in the beginning of a conflict. One individual can stand up against the violence and maybe stop it. However, as the Holocaust went on, an individual became lost in the chaos. As much as a person wanted to speak out against the murders, their voices became very small. I was really moved visiting this memorial.
Underneath the memorial was a museum for the victims. This also carried a strong message. The first quote on the wall said "It happened, therefore it can happen again: this is the core of what we have to say." The museum followed victims' lives. It showed the hope of children, married couples, and grandparents. Later their lives were snuffed out in the concentration camps. It saddened me to the core. I thought of all of the hope, potential and dreams that was lost in these violent acts. The museum also showcased letters written by people in the camps- from those that unloaded the train cars and administer gas in the chambers to those that burned the bodies. Each letter showed terror about the jobs they were given. This is one viewpoint that I had not seen until this time. The experience made me reflect...
Working on peace studies this summer, I had the opportunity to attend a meeting on post-conflict studies. It was a round table discussion on how to move a society forward after war. The participants said that history books must carry strong messages of the truth. As you can imagine, some countries want to bury the ugly, hatred of war, conflict and death. However, in order to learn, the participants said that future generations must learn the truth so the atrocities never happen again. I think that this is an important responsibility that we all must carry.
... the city of Berlin seemed to do this well. My last morning there, I went to the federal government center. Here, I saw the hope for the future. The building was historic and represented the past. However, a new glass dome was added. Visitors could climb around the walkway of the dome and look down over where parliament meets. It was neat to see how the city has bridged the past with hope for the future.
Moving onto Marburg, I saw my friend Conni! We spent a day in her life. It was so nice! We had ice cream (vanilla with warmed berries- a local favorite) with her son Mathis, walked the city, visited the local clock tower and castle. She also showed me her campus. Unbeknown to us, we completing the same studies and degree! It was fun to compare notes and catch up on life! We also had many of Conni's favorite things. She shared cinnamon, fig tea and her mom's home-made jam. Oh, it was wonderful! For dinner, we went out to a local pub (she ordered me local pasta with peas, mushrooms and ham in a creme sauce) and then had a drink at the coffee bar. The city was just as I had imagined - the cute little streets were just like the photos I saw in German class. We also took a walk by the river and had breakfast (salmon, champagne, bread, and jams) overlooking the mountain. Saying goodbye was difficult for both of us. We were all teary-eyed and vowed that we must visit more often. There is nothing like catching up with old friends!
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Connecting the dots to make change
As you can imagine, it is amazing to be in Geneva and use the international connections. Yesterday, I had lunch with another intern and a man that works at the United Nations World Food Program. He told us that the amount of money spent in farm subsidies by Europe and America for one week, could feed the world for one year. Can you imagine that- everyone having a meal and no one going hungry?
Another interesting lecture I attended was on the United States and Energy. The U.S. has a mission office here, with workers that represent our country at the United Nations. A worker from this office presented on the U.S.'s efforts in energy. While the United States has not signed the Kyoto Protocol (the United Nations mandate to reduce greenhouse gas emissions) we have made significant strides in this area. You can check your own level of emissions by visiting this link: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html.
I find it fascinating to connect some of the dots from Minnesota to the international community. As you may know, the Minnesota State Legislature passed a bill entitled "25 by 25," saying that 25 percent of our state's energy should come from renewable energy sources by 2025. This legislation includes measures like producing more ethanol and also generating power from wind. The state currently has wind turbines in the Buffalo Ridge, down by Minnesota West Community and Technical College. We also have potential for more wind turbines in the Mesabi Range area. The exciting thing is that Minnesota State Colleges and Universities can train students to be workers in this area. Just think how much Minnesota could contribute to the world's energy independence!
On top of creating a more affordable energy option, producing our own renewable energy sources also provides for national security. Last fall, in my National Security Policy Course, we discussed how independence of energy eliminates our dependence on the Middle East for oil. How different would our world be without our presence in the Middle East? Would we be more safe? Could the war have been prevented?
It also intrigues me to think how one action in our daily lives makes a difference. One of my intern friends said she is doing two small things to help the environment each year. This year, her two tasks were buying a large container of yogurt instead of individual serving sizes (thus reducing waste), and consciously unplugging appliances that take a lot of electricity, like the toaster (it also cuts down on a bill!). Overall, it is exciting to think that we can individually take action to make a collective difference. It is also exciting to think that our state could be on the cutting edge of something great for our world! A big CONGRATS to our current lawmakers for having this foresight into our future. How do you plan to help?
Another interesting lecture I attended was on the United States and Energy. The U.S. has a mission office here, with workers that represent our country at the United Nations. A worker from this office presented on the U.S.'s efforts in energy. While the United States has not signed the Kyoto Protocol (the United Nations mandate to reduce greenhouse gas emissions) we have made significant strides in this area. You can check your own level of emissions by visiting this link: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html.
I find it fascinating to connect some of the dots from Minnesota to the international community. As you may know, the Minnesota State Legislature passed a bill entitled "25 by 25," saying that 25 percent of our state's energy should come from renewable energy sources by 2025. This legislation includes measures like producing more ethanol and also generating power from wind. The state currently has wind turbines in the Buffalo Ridge, down by Minnesota West Community and Technical College. We also have potential for more wind turbines in the Mesabi Range area. The exciting thing is that Minnesota State Colleges and Universities can train students to be workers in this area. Just think how much Minnesota could contribute to the world's energy independence!
On top of creating a more affordable energy option, producing our own renewable energy sources also provides for national security. Last fall, in my National Security Policy Course, we discussed how independence of energy eliminates our dependence on the Middle East for oil. How different would our world be without our presence in the Middle East? Would we be more safe? Could the war have been prevented?
It also intrigues me to think how one action in our daily lives makes a difference. One of my intern friends said she is doing two small things to help the environment each year. This year, her two tasks were buying a large container of yogurt instead of individual serving sizes (thus reducing waste), and consciously unplugging appliances that take a lot of electricity, like the toaster (it also cuts down on a bill!). Overall, it is exciting to think that we can individually take action to make a collective difference. It is also exciting to think that our state could be on the cutting edge of something great for our world! A big CONGRATS to our current lawmakers for having this foresight into our future. How do you plan to help?
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