one week... (plus a few days)

I have just over one week of work left. This is strange. It feels like I just arrived yesterday. I can still remember setting up my blog when I was in Austin, TX and Geneva was just an idea of a far away place. Now, I have one week left to finish. One week left to do what I will do. Then I will be back in Austin. While I could continue to work for WSCF as a volunteer it will be much harder and I'm not going to lie to them or myself and say that I will do things that I might do, but probably will be too busy to do.

I have one week left. It is a little daunting. I am currently doing the mail out for Fed News. Which means that today was spent folding newsletters and stuffing envelopes and tomorrow will be more of the same. However, it will feel good to be done. Hopefully, if you're on my mailing list you'll get a copy (plus a personalized note) mailed out next week.

Also, I am still trying to finish Student World -WSCF's ecumenical journal - but my finishing it is a BIG question and there is also questions about what will happen after I leave. We will see, I suppose.

One week. I still can't believe it. It will happen, though, and I will be back in Texas very soon.

This picture was taken when I was in Edinburgh, Scotland (not to be confused with Edinburg, TX) by my friend I was visiting. It's one of my favorites.

Overwhelmed.. but making it

This week has been a bit overwhelming. It's the little things that throw me off the most.

Two little things:
1. My 'N' key is sticking. This means that I have to pay attention every time I want to have the letter 'n' appear. It's not a big deal - but somehow it makes me feel a little off.
2. On Monday, I left my plug adapter at home. I had taken it off of my computer to use with my camera charger and then I forgot to put it back on to my computer. I showed up at work Monday morning and voila my computer was a paperweight for the day. A small thing, but that made me very off balance all week.

However, this week has been good in many other ways. We hit our first target deadline for my project with the WCC. (http://women.overcomingviolence.org) I think the site looks great! (although I am a bit biased). It has just been stressful. I also have been working on Student World again. And Fed News. The latest edition is available online! All of this means that I am working on about 10 different projects. And to top it all off I agreed (a long time ago) to help organize the Ecumenical Learning Session this week. Which was supposed to be Wednesday, but we moved to Friday because we were too busy. It will be fun! We're doing a Christmas Tradition theme. So we'll just talk about what we do for Christmas and drink hot chocolate and decorate Gingerbread cookies! So excited! So fun things, but yet a little stressful.

This week has been stressful, but I think I am getting my work done. I'm feeling better about it - although it has FLOWN by. I feel like yesterday was Monday. Tomorrow is already Friday.

My work here is rewarding. My project with the WCC got picked up by Christianity Today. There is also a Christian News Channel in New Zealand that is looking to do a story on our study too! So I feel like this study we are designing might actually make a difference in people's lives. I hope (and pray) that it does. I suppose all this work is worth it in the end.

On another, unrelated note, I am going to celebrate Thanksgiving tonight by eating a traditional Scottish meal! Haggis, neeps and tatties (which apparently in English means Haggis - ie. sheeps innards - with mashed potatoes and turnips).

Ascension Day

Switzerland has many National holidays - actually I am not sure which holidays are National and which are Cantonal (think Counties for most states in the US or Parishes if you're from Louisiana). Tomorrow, Thursday, is Ascension Day. I get a holiday for the Ascension of Our Lord. I don't get the following Friday off. Therefore I have to come to work and then I get my weekend! Many people are going to be taking Friday off (or making the bridge as they would say in French - in fact in France both days are holidays... ah the French). My office will be very empty on Friday. Only two of the seven of us will be here. It should be fun. I will also spend the majority of my day stuffing envelopes. After having finished Fed News we now have to mail them out. Hopefully they will be delivered from the Printer in time. So much to coordinate.

Tomorrow, during my day off, instead of enjoying the beautiful Swiss countryside with a hike I am going to indulge in pure American culture. I am going to watch Star Trek! The movie is out here and I found a friend who also wanted to spend the day indoors in the air conditioning watching a sci-fi movie. Should be fun. I'll give my opinion of it when I get back.

Left my voice in Taize

I am back at work - back in the full swing of things. Except I left my voice and my health in Taize. I have a cold.

We are just about done with both the Federation News (which is up on our website here) I am going to the printer today to make the hard copies. I am very excited to get this publication done. We are finishing up the Red Book for our big donor meeting on Thursday. It will be nice to give them up to date information. I have seen the pdf copies and it looks really good! It will be nice to have it in hand.

I hate being sick. I really just want to be in bed with a cup of tea and a good book, but instead I am here at work.

Reflections on Taize : This was my fourth visit to the the community. I have enjoyed every visit, but I wish I could have stayed longer this time. Three days is just not long enough. I bonded with my fellow interns and I sang some songs. I also spent some time reflecting on my own faith journey :where I am, where I have come from and where I am going. I am at a crossroads right now. I am looking out into the Future and I need to decide what that will look like. I realized I still have legalism lurking in my soul. I see Church as what I "should" do; I struggle to accept and live the Freedom that is offered in Jesus Christ. I suppose that is the choice I am facing - live in the "rules" of the Church that give me a sense of security or take the step towards Freedom that is not secure at all. I am learning how to do that day by day.

Reflecting on my blog

The last entry I wrote was about my work here. I see this blog as part of my work. I see this blog as a way for me to reflect on what I am doing while I am doing it. Sometimes it is hard to do that. When you are in the forest you cannot accurately say how big it is. Yet you can see the tree that is standing just in front of you in a way that you could not if you were in a helicopter looking down on the green expanse below. I believe that both viewpoints are necessary, although they cannot be actively experienced at the same time. Hopefully I can take what I learn in the forest with me into the helicopter or vice verse.

That is neither here nor there. My work here in the office has been taken over by work on the Red Book and Federation News. When I first arrived I felt like I had very little idea about what exactly I was supposed to do. Now I know what I am expected to do, but it seems almost overwhelming. Almost I say, because I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are going to have both these documents done in the next two weeks! I am working on making sure that they are done well. Incredible. My work here will contribute to the success of the Federation. It is a great feeling.

As for my life outside of work I am also having a good time. I met up with an old friend last night. It was so nice to see someone that I hadn't see in a year. It was also nice to have a night where I just hung out and spoke in French. I really miss just living in French. I live in English here. I speak French occasionally, I even might get complimented on it, but my life (my work, my friends my meaningful relationships etc.) is in English. I suppose that is what I expected moving here. France is such an interesting place. My friend is currently looking for a job. In France, if you are looking for a job you get money from the State. They understand that you need to live. He pointed out, though, that since the you get so much money from the State the employer pays a hefty tax to the government on every employee. Therefore it is harder to get a job because the Employer doesn't want to hire someone who will not be worth the money they have to pay both to the employee and the government. I think it's worth it - but then again I am working for very little. I guess you could even say that I am paying to work here. Fundraising. It's a constant thought in the back of my head. Constant. At least that means I
am praying about it a lot.

I have to get back to my many documents for the Red Book and Federation News! I will put up some pictures of my Wine Tasting from last Saturday, assuming I get some from my friends, and of my brilliant soccer game on Sunday. I am still sore from that game. (I also learned the word for sore last night!)

A Very Full Day

Today was a very busy and full day. I spent the morning with the other Ecumenical Interns (Interns from the WCC, YMCA and YWCA) for our regular Ecumenical Training session. We talked today about prayer and styles of worship. We ended with a time to paint/draw our "spirituality of resistance." It was an interesting session. After that I was rushed off to a meeting to talk about in-house fundraising. That was also interesting. I have learned a lot about where WSCF stands monetarily and I think I understand better now what I have to do in relationship to my own and the WSCF funds. Then it was time for a late lunch. I am currently working on reading old copies of the Federation News. This is our twice annual newsletter that updates the world on what WSCF is doing. I am catching up on what WSCF has been doing over the past four years. I have also started a conversation with the editor of the Red Book. This is our annual report. I am going to be helping to get that published this next month. I am reading the older copies of that too. In addition I am working on my own fundraising letter. I am starting to feel like there is work that I know I need to do.

On a personal note, the foyer that I moved into yesterday is a bit depressing. I am very grateful to have a place to stay, however, I need to do some work to make it like home. I am going to go shopping this afternoon to buy some basic kitchen things as well as a towel. I am still looking for better housing. I actually have a house that I am going to go see tonight. Last night, Tin Tin, a girl from my church, who also lives in the foyer, was nice enough to give me dinner and get me set up nicely. Otherwise I might have gone hungry while I was feeling sorry for myself. That would have been really sorry!

Housing Search

I have been here in Geneva just over a week. Luckly, the General Secretary of the WSCF has been on vacation. This is lucky because I am getting to use his office and live in his flat while he is gone. I did not know this when I arrived. I was worried about where I was going to sleep that night, but God provided for me. During this week I have been looking for housing. I did some searching before I came, and I read about the "housing crisis" that Geneva is facing. I thought I would still be able to find something rather reasonably. I have so far been to see three different living options. The first was by far the most reasonably priced, however, there were many drawbacks. A woman here would rent her attic room out for only 200francs in exchagne for babysitting two nights a week. Atlhough this seems reasonable at first, the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was not a good idea. Firstly, her house was situated far from where I work. In addition to that, the room was small and the living situation would be difficult. I cannot imagine sharing one bathroom with two children and another adult. So, I politely said I would continue searching. I looked at another apartment a few days ago. For only 825 francs ($732)I could have a room in a small two room apartment. The kitchen was tiny. There was no shared space. (I imagine this was originally a one bedroom apartment that the current tenant was choosing to live in the living room and rent out the bedroom) I also have declined that apartment. I have been to see one other room. This room I am very excited about. Although I have not found out yet if I will get it. The room is in a house (!) in Carouge. This is an area of Geneva that is like an older smaller village. It is not very close to my work - but my work is easily accessible by tram and bus from this house. I would have my own room, but have 6 other housemates. The kitchen is HUGE! Which is important for me as I love to cook and spend time in the kitchen. They also have a very large living room and a smaller salon. I am hopeful that I will get this house. They interviewed a few people last night and they said they will decide over the weekend. I am hoping and praying that I can live in that house.


I just finished a meeting and lunch with a woman from Zimbabwe. We have in our office the Zimbabwe Geneva Advocacy Office. She came to meet with us and talk with us about her work with Youth Empowerment and Transformation in Zimbabwe. Although there are many, many problems right now with the government and the economy in Zimbabwe, I am hopeful because of the work I see people doing here. It is empowering to hear stories of success, and of failure, where people are really being transformed and are creating change. I think that the people I am meeting here are enacting the Gospel.

For the next issue of Federation News, I was asked to write a brief summation of why I am glad I am an intern here. I thought you might like to read it as well. (Federation News is the twice yearly report on what the Student Christian Movements around the Federation are doing.)