Saturday

I think I am mostly over jet-lag. Of course saying that will mean that I will be hit by a very severe case of jet-lag tonight. I've never found jet lag to be too hard to overcome. That is because I can always sleep. Even when I get 8 or 9 hours of sleep at night I still want to take a nap the next day for at least an hour. I sleep a lot. I think it's good for me.

Saturday. Today is Saturday. I got all my shopping done this morning. I finally got a Swiss adaptor, so now I am using my computer. They only had European to Swiss at the store, so my US plug is plugged into an adaptor for Europe which is then plugged into the Swiss adaptor which is then plugged into the wall. Perhaps not ideal, but it works. I had taken some things for granted here in Switzerland and just assumed they would be like France. However, I am learning very quickly that this is NOT France.

I have nothing to do today until 6 pm. At 6 o'clock tonight I have my first party. Two of the World Council of Churches' Interns are hosting a party tonight. I am going to bake chocolate cake (or maybe cupcakes) for the party. Of course I will also bring a bottle of wine.

I survived two days of work. Yesterday was different. Both Charite and Christine were out sick. Henriette doesn't work on Fridays. So, it was just Monika and I. I also met with Laurent and talked about my salary. I have a retirement plan! When I turn 65 I can claim retirement from the Swiss Government. First time in my life that I've had a retirement plan.

Fundraising update:

I totalled all my donations and all donations given to the NY WSCF office and pledged donations. I have raised just over $6,000 USD. I am very happy with that amount of money. I wanted to have about $5,000 USD before I arrived here in Geneva. So I am over my goal! However, I found out that my fundraising does not influence the amount of money I will be paid. The WSCF will pay me a full month's salary every month. However, if I have not raised enough money to cover my expenses then perhaps I will leave early. In the past the WSCF has taken a loss on the interns. However, this year the WSCF is facing a financial crisis, like so many other organizations and the world, so they are not sure that they will have the excess capital that they used in the past to cover the interns' cost. This means two things for me, one positive and one more difficult. Firstly, it means that I do not have to worry about having enough money each month. The salary the WSCF is giving me will be adequate to live in Geneva. That is good - I will be able to afford a place to live and have food to eat. However, on the other hand it means that no matter how frugally I can live I will still have to raise the full amount for my salary, more than $20,000 USD. Although, the WSCF might be able to supplement my money depending on their fundraising. However, I have a very long way to go.

Yesterday I met with the woman who was offering the reduced cost housing. She is very nice, however I have decided to not accept her offer. I think that I want more freedom in my living situation. I am still looking for housing. I have free housing until the end of March and then I will have to find something else. We have lined up a temporary place for at least April, but I am still looking. I am also praying for guidance in my housing situation. I know that turning down such inexpensive housing is risky, but I feel that it is not the right situation for me.

Almost leaving

I get on a plane in a little over 16 hours. I am not packed yet. (to be fair, I WAS packed when I left Austin, but I have to repack because of weight limitations). I am going to do that tonight. And everything else. Too much to do!

I wrote a post the night that I arrived here at my Parents' but I wrote it on my laptop. My laptop cannot connect to the Wireless here. So my post is sitting very nicely on my computer waiting to be uploaded. I'll probably do that tomorrow while I'm at the airport. I will spend a lot of time tomorrow in planes and at airports. In fact, I'll spend so much time it won't even be tomorrow when I finally arrive in Geneva, it will be the day after tomorrow!

I found out a housing possibility in Geneva. A woman is looking for help with her two kids a couple nights a week, in exchange I'd have a room in her house for less money. It is close to where I'll be working too! I am planning to meet with her either Wednesday or Thursday. I am hoping that this will work out for both of us. Saving money on my housing would be a huge help in the financial department. I am still very nervous about my money, but feeling less so in recent weeks because I've received quite a few donations. (I talk about this in the post I haven't yet posted).

I am glad I have a few days to spend here with my parents. Having a few days to decompress and figure out exactly what I'm doing in Geneva is good for me. I have a little pause before I start my next big adventure. My last week in Austin was very rushed. I felt like I was trying to squeeze as much in as possible. I am grateful for the rest that I can get here.