Counting Down

It's been a while since I posted last, and somehow I'm down to 5 weeks left in Geneva. My life has become somewhat consumed by acroyoga, hanging out by lakes, and eating bread and cheese. Jeff will arrive on Friday (it seems so crazy that he'll be here, I have trouble even imagining what it will be like, but I can't wait to show him Geneva!!), and he'll leave the 25th of July. When he leaves, I'll only have 3 weeks left, and then I'll join him in California, where I'll get to hang out with my family and friends and cat there. Then I'll fly back to Michigan with Jeff and our kitty and get to work at the Evaluation Center at my university and work on my dissertation.

In the meantime, I've gained confidence with my spoken French, gotten closer to people both at/through work and outside of it. The weather is beautiful and summery, and I am generally very happy. If circumstances allow for it in the near future, I would love to come back here to live with Jeff for a while.

At the same time, I'm getting increasingly excited about going back. I miss my U.S. friends and routines, I miss feeling like I'm in control of my life, I miss cuddling and playing with my cat, I miss knowing where to get any ingredients I need for cooking/baking and being able to get them any time of day...

Jeff and I had originally planned for him to visit in April as well as summer, but I think I'm glad now that he's not coming until so late. I feel good that we've made it so long (it'll be about 5 months when he arrives) doing long-distance, and our relationship is that much stronger for it. From my experience of having my family visit when I lived in Senegal for 6 months, I anticipate that any loneliness or annoyances that I experience now will feel multiplied when Jeff leaves. I think it's a really nice thing that my time after that will be so short, so no matter how frustrated, lonely, or sad I get about being apart again will be very short-lived.

In my work life, things are going well. My work is better defined and I have more confidence in my understanding of the workings of the ILO than I expected to develop. Before I came to the ILO, I worked on a project for the Evaluation Office where I'm working now that allowed me to get well-acquainted with the type of work they produce. Now that I've spent 4.5 months working in the Evaluation Office, I better understand why the work looks the way it does and what challenges the Office faces in making any changes to the processes or rules governing these products. I feel really good about what I've learned and how it will help me later in my career.

A few random highlights since I posted last (about a month ago):

• Attended International Day of Yoga at the UN with friends and got a free yoga mat out of it

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• Went on a longer-than-intended but very lovely walk down the river to Jonction, where the two Geneva rivers (the Rhone and the Arve) meet
  
  
   Some guy hangs out on weekend mornings making huge bubbles for the children
  
   Check out the brown water and the blue water mixing
  

A dam in the river

• Got a cold, which gave me occasion to discover the huge variety of Ricola flavors offered at the ILO store

Discovered "Mexican Mix" in a can. The Swiss have an odd interpretation of Mexican food (please note, those are kidney beans, not black beans)

Had an incredible weekend acroyoga retreat with friends in the mountains

Watched many sunsets over the lake

Things that are making me happy:

• Reading good books (18 down!)
• Meeting and spending time with good people
• Beautiful (if hot) weather
• Living in a city where a lake is the central feature
• Living a 5-minute walk from said lake
• Eagerly anticipating Jeff's visit