My gratitude/"miss-you" list, in pictures.

Living abroad isn't always easy, even in Swissneyland.  Everything's just a little different, from the language I have to speak to the  grocery stores.  And as I've found in the past week, even one of my favorite American/family traditions of dying Easter eggs has turned out to be harder than expected.  Giving up my very independent life to be a part of a community for a while offers a whole other set of challenges. 

To put everything in perspective, I started my mental "thankful for" list.  Specifically, I'm focused on the little things in life, the small blessings rather than the big things like family, friends, etc. that go without saying. Here it is, complete with pictures.

Things I'm incredibly thankful for: 

When the sun actually comes out and I can see snow-capped mountains shining in the distance.

This is Annecy, but you get the idea. 

How our closest mountain, the Saleve, has a slightly different personality every day.  I might be a little obsessed, but it's the little things in life, right?

When Sr. G speaks English.  I've never heard "Good Morning," uttered with such enthusiasm.  It kind of just makes it a good day.

When I go walking or running and find undiscovered beautiful places I haven't found before (seriously, I'm realizing in doing this that Switzerland is maybe the only place I've been where I appreciate the natural landscape more than the social one)

My morning espresso, seen here as part of a typical breakfast

How just when I think the UN is a bunch of talk, I attend an event and observe something that restores my faith in the importance of international cooperation.

How Swiss grocery stores have changed the way I think about chocolate.

How some of my favorite songs just make more sense here (I felt the same thing about other songs in Southern California)

The random things I miss the most:

Being totally understood.  Even when my audience understands English, I always feel like there's a tiny bit that gets lost.  At least Bad Bat still gets me.

Sports that aren't soccer/football.  Specifically, basketball.  A British Pub on my birthday, KU vs. K-State was as close as I got.

American craft beer.  My European colleagues don't get that we don't all drink Bud, which is sad.   Actually I miss beer in general here, but mostly because I can't afford it.  ~$10 for Guinness?  Forget it.

That exercise was really therapeutic.  I should do this more often.  What does your gratitude list look like? 

Geneva, the Low-Down: Part 2

OK here's part 2.  Unless otherwise specified, this info is for the Canton of Geneva (Essentially Swiss states/provinces that are historically and politically very independent).  This provides a rough estimation of the Geneva metro area . . .  and is easier to find reliable statistics for.  See on the above map, it's the small area in the bottom left.

Demographics

As of 2011, the Canton of Geneva was home to just under 414,000 people (nearly 178,000 in the city of Geneva).   The smallness of this number surprised me a little, but in hindsight makes sense.  I can see how it would be reasonably 4 times my hometown of Missouri (with students), or 2/3 of the District of Columbia proper. The wealth I see downtown, or as long as it takes to get from one end to the other made me think it was bigger.

Too much fun at the
international grocery store

Geneva is also, " the second largest city in Switzerland behind Zurich and the most international city in Europe with over 40% of its population coming from outside Switzerland," which I definitely believe.  Between migrants and the international community, I think I've heard that there's someone in Geneva from every country on the planet.  and I believe it.

As Part 1 mentioned, the population is mostly Catholic (~40%), and Protestant (~16%), along with 22% non-affiliated, and a smattering of Christian and other religious minorities, the largest of which are Muslims, at about 4%.

Culture Rant

1) Genevans LOVE their dogs.  Supposedly only small dogs are allowed on public transportation,  but from what I've seen, they understand the word "small," loosely.  Although dog ownership per capita isn't as high as the US, I see Swiss dogs everywhere. . .  in stores,  on trains, in other places I don't expect. And the Swiss spend an average of $36.09 on dog food, nearly 3 times the U.S. average, which is largely (but I don't think entirely) because everything here is so d*** expensive.  I suspect that Swiss dogs exist on a diet of solid gold, French cheeses, and dog-friendly Swiss chocolate.  And it shows. Thanks to spending too much time around my soon-to-be-veterinarian friend, I've realized that most of them are super fat, and  have a serious case of dog-human resemblance.


Interestingly, despite their reputation for order and decorum, dog owners leave their droppings EVERYWHERE. People don't like it, but also don't change their behavior . . . Dog droppings is annually listed as the top complaint of citizens in Geneva.   I second the motion.

2) The Swiss a sense of order and decorum is enforced by law.  Stores don't stay open late, and unless they're in a gas, bus, or train station, are closed on Sundays (Restaurants remain open).   Part of me likes this because it enforces family/community time, which my experiences working in a grocery store on Christmas Eve have made me see as important, but can be inconvenient and can defeat the purpose. Saturday gets sucked up into errands, and then, unless you can afford to eat out (which I can't), Sundays in can feel stifling.  Hence my 1 1/2 hours in transit to get an hour of English exposure at Mass.

3)  Excerpts from promotional articles I found interesting.

Although we are maybe a bit on the conservative side, take our time to warm up to each other and visitors and slow in adapting to new trends, we got a bit bolder over the years in expressing our attitudes. More

And

Ask any multinational executive why he or she is in Geneva and one of the reasons inevitably mentioned will be “…and because it’s a great place to live!” This subjective evidence has been backed up officially by the famous survey carried out by Mercer Consulting that ranked Geneva the Number One city worldwide in terms of quality of life – two years in a row!
What makes for Geneva’s high quality of life? First, Geneva’s natural beauty. . . . Geneva is small, with Europe’s shortest commuting time from office or home to airport. . . .Geneva’s small size also translates into a greater sense of community. . . .  This sense of community, added to Geneva’s low crime rate, make it one of the most secure cities in the world. More

In short, Geneva is, Geneva is, Geneva is a per-fect place.

Geography Tidbits

• Height above sea level: 1230 ft (375 Meters), somewhere between Phoenix and Oklahoma City. Interestingly, the maximum depth of Lake Geneva, at 1020 feet Meters, means that at its deepest depths, the lake is just 200 feet above sea level. 
• Area: 109 square miles (DC is 68)
• Population Density: (Compared to DC at 10,298/Square Mile)
• Canton: 4,540.8 /sq mi
• City: 31,417 /sq mi 

Some Landmarks

Jet d'Eau: The most perplexing and famous of all city landmarks I've seen.   It's literally just a jet of water, a manmade geyser that shoots up 460 feet from Lake Geneva. I can personally testify that it is visible from approaching airplanes. It's cool, but can't say I get the point exactly.

Palais des Nations:  Former headquarters of the defunct League of Nations, now UN Human Rights Council Central.

The Old City:  Former haunt of Rousseau, Calvin, and others, featuring fancy hotels and restaurants, St. Peter's, cantonal administration buildings, and cobblestoned streets. 

The Flower Clock:  Appropriate given the importance of watchmaking to the city.  Cool, I guess, but along the lines of the Water Jet, I don't exactly get what all the fuss is about. 

Need to add a couple more yet, but there's a taster. 

Geneva: the Low-Down, Part 1

So now that I've had a chance to explore and get exposed to old Geneva, seen signs dedicated to the presence of Rousseau, George Eliot, and John Calvin on the streets now lined by cafes, bakeries, Swiss watch-shops and yes, H&M, I decided it was time to spend some time the historical, geographical, and social landscapes of Geneva and share the findings with you.  My Cairo entry to this effect is still getting hits, even though it is vastly outdated (at that time, Hosni Mubarak had been president for almost 30 years)

And  nearly a month later, and with less than a month to go, I decided it was really time to do that.  This isn't an attempt to be comprehensive; you can get that from Wikipedia  and history books (so again, Wikipedia). But it's my attempt to dig up some answers about what has stood out during my experiences here.

History

One of the things that first puzzled me when I arrived was how Switzerland is everywhere abbreviated CH . . . websites, money, license plates.  There's basically no way to get from SW/U-CH, so I was confused.   Luckily the Straight Dope, one of my favorite parts of the Washington City Paper has already tackled this one.

Some of the original settlers in Geneva were the Helvetians, a Celtic tribe.   Julius Caesar wrote:

Helvetii are confined on every side by the nature of the place; on one side by the Rhine, a very broad and deep river, which separates the Helvetian territory from the Germans; on a second side by the Jura, a very high mountain, which is [situated] between the Sequani and the Helvetii; on a third by the Lac Léman [Lake Geneva to Americans], and by the river Rhone, which separates our province from the Helvetii.

...

In 1848 the Swiss, following the religious civil war of the Sonderbund pitting Catholics against Protestants, wrote a new constitution and had to pick an official name for the country. As you point out, the Swiss are multilingual (having three official languages - German, French and Italian - and four national languages, the aforementioned three plus Romansh AKA Rhaeto-Romanic). To keep everyone happy, the official name for the country was chosen in a neutral language, Latin, using the old Roman name for the country's people. The confederation of the Helvetians is thus known as Confoederatio Helvetica or CH for short.

The medieval and early modern history of Geneva is, like most of Europe, a mess of royals, dynasties, and  international alliances. This great source notes that it was a  uniquely successful independent urban republic in the early modern period; it resisted the encroachment of France and the kingdom of Savoy by forming permanent political alliances with Bern and Zurich.  The Swiss emphasis on neutrality and independence makes a little more sense in light of how much they struggled to stay that way through those tumultuous times.

Not surprisingly, the Catholic church was mixed in there as well. In fact, the flag of Geneva (which I plan to acquire one of before I  leave), features half of the imperial eagle and half of the papal keys.

Which brings us to. . .

Religion

Geneva's history is tied in with the Protestant Revolution.  Martin Luther helped to kick off the Revolution in 1517 Germany with his famous 95 theses. And word spread fast.  As a part of that power play, and that alliance with Bern and Zurich to kick out Mr. Savoy in 1530, independent Geneva shucked the Church and joined the new independent faith, Protestantism.

1536: Enter John Calvin, of Calvinism fame.  Long story, told well here, but the short version is that first they kicked him out when the code of conduct he wanted signed into law was  a little much to take in.  He fled to Strasbourg, but  in a couple years Geneva asked him back.  He continued to write, to preach, and helped news laws to be passed cultivating the Calvinist moral ethic . . . it was basically a theocracy.  Here are a handful of the laws:

• Punishments for adulterers (men were beheaded, while women were sewn into a sack and drowned in the river). Fines or imprisonment for gambling or drunkenness
• No eating rich foods (ironic, as it seems that all the food in Geneva is both rich and for the rich)
• No wearing bright colors or jewelry
• Church on Sunday
• No playing cards
• Everyone should be home by 9 pm each evening

Needless to say, this was not universally loved, but with the support of powerful Genevans on the city council, it held long past his death in 1564.  Geneva became a haven Protestants fleeing less-friendly European countries, and the faith spread far and wide.

In 1553, the first French Calvinist (Huguenot) ministers went to France from Geneva, where the success of their ministry surprised even Calvin. In fact, the word Huguenot (which I always struggled with in my history classes probably comes from the German word for confederation, referring to the federation of Swiss Cantons.   And the Huguenots who fled France in 1685 were the first referred to as refugees (sorry, I got stuck on the etymology dictionary)

Calvin's Chair,
Historic St. Peter's Cathedral

As of 2000, Catholics (~40%) did outnumber Calvinists (16%), but Protestantism's impact is widely perceptible in the character of the city. Geneva, although French-speaking, didn't do anything for Mardi Gras, I was disappointed to find, and the Church doesn't really have the public presence it does in places where it constitutes a majority or plurality.

Famous Genevan exiles: 

• Like Calvin, Voltaire was also first welcomed, then kicked out of Geneva because of Calvinist social prescriptions (in 1758).  Unlike Calvin, he was asked to leave for violating those prescriptions, not proposing them, and was not asked back.
• Jacques Rousseau was a native son of Geneva, but left when he was 16 and converted to Catholicism. . . he went to France and became famous for his writings and thinking.  He returned to Geneva in 1754, converted back to Calvinism. "But his political and religious views scandalised Geneva,".   In 1762, he was exiled, and his books were burned. 

Methinks the city  has a love-hate relationship with historical game changers. 

Anyway, may add later, but there's everything I wanted to know about Geneva in history and religion. If you have any questions or comments on my attempt at historical accuracy, throw them into comments.

Wobbly panorama of St. Pierre's in Geneva,
 from whence spake John Calvin

When Rights Collide

Stealing once again from the IIMA blog, here is a post on a really interesting event I attended a couple weeks ago. It was my first time (of several, now) being in the room with the incredible High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay.  She's an incredible person, an international rockstar whose story is one of fighting for justice in the face of really incredible inhumanity.

The event (which I found out I was supposed to attend about half an hour before I had to walk out the door) was fascinating, particularly in light of my interests in peacebuilding, immigration, the Muslim world, and interreligious work. The Rabat Plan of Action is about striking the balance between several basic freedoms and rights that can come into conflict: freedom of expression, the freedom from fear of being attacked because someone else's speech has incited a mob to violence, often because the mob feels their right to freedom of religion is under attack. We've seen this come to a head over and over again, most recently with the Muhammad video in September.

This is an issue that will never be fully resolved (nor should it be), but should be addressed seriously, as any kind of prevention and preparedness for future crises might actually save lives.  The United Nations, whatever else there is to be said about it, provides a venue where all  nations, experts and whatever consensus exists on human rights that we have can come together.  I'll be interested to see what happens on this going forward.

The Rabat Plan: Challenging Hatred while Preserving Free Expression

On Thursday, February 21st, 2013, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay participated in an event to launch the, “Rabat Plan of Action on the prohibition of advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.”
The plan was inspired by several events in recent decades, from the role of media in spurring the Rwandan genocide to the recent film, “The Innocence of Muslims,” that led to retaliatory riots across the world.  As the High Commissioner said, “this spiral of violence has made it incumbent on us to renew the search for correct balance between freedom of expression [...] and the equally vital need to protect individuals and communities from discrimination and violence.”

She heralded the Rabat Plan as an important step providing stakeholders with ideas and tools to implement existing human rights norms while preventing incitement to hateful acts.  The launch event included several high-level experts, including Jorge Sampaio, High Representative of the Alliance of Civilizations; Adama Dieng , Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide; Frank La Rue, Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression; Heiner Bielefeldt, Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief; and Agnes Callamard, Executive Director of “Article XIX”.

The experts upheld that efforts to challenge incitement should be grounded in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: both article 19 advocating freedom of expression, and article 20 prohibiting the advocacy of national, racial and religious hatred.  Thus, several experts argued that the best way to challenge hate speech is not by restricting expression but with more speech.  “More speech,” which can both prevent and respond to violence, should consist of education, intercultural and interreligious dialogues, and engagement with traditional and social media.  Similarly, they heralded the mutually reinforcing ties between freedom of religion and free expression.

Afterwards, States engaged in an interactive dialogue.  Several Muslim-majority States made comments reflecting recent experiences with anti-Muslim speech.  Other countries spoke of the importance of challenging hate speech both at the grassroots and through international condemnation.

IIMA shares the High Commissioner’s hope that the Rabat Plan, will make “a very important contribution to a more peaceful, and more respectful world.”

If someone says, "Do you want to go to Annecy?," you say "How high?"

So yesterday I was on my way back from English-land (John XXIII Parish, English-speaking Catholic church). It's a really nice, really international crowd, although I won't deny that the two key reasons why I trudge there on Sundays are:

• It's the one place I know of in Geneva where native English speakers gather in large numbers.  I didn't realize how much I missed this until I walked up the first time with "Bonjour" on the tip of my tongue, someone said "hello," and I almost cried.
• It's one of the few places I can be out in public on Sundays.  Stores are closed, it's still really cold here, and restaurants are expensive.   So church it is. 

I get back, am grabbing a late lunch and two sisters who are visiting for training on UN and Human rights, along with Sofi are heading to Annecy, and ask if I want to join.   Spur of the moment, I say yes and hop in the car.   Long story short, it's one of the most gorgeous place I've ever been.  Flat-out fairy tale village, complete with mountains, snow, crystal-clear canals, two lakes (also crystal clear), cobblestones, a tiny castle on a tiny island, swans, etc.See for yourself.  We visited 4 different churches, each in a different architectural style (Romanesque, Gothic, Neoclassical and Baroque), so it was a Hickman High School AP World Life & Lit dream.   

See for yourself.