more of Switzerland

hi!

I hope everyone is doing well. I am still in Switzerland at the Youth Hostel. It has been pretty chilly here with some rain (just like Providence!). I have been extremely busy here so Im sorry I have not been keeping up with e-mail (although i have read them and appreciate all the e-mails so much). I want to tell all of you about Switzerland. First, in Geneva everyone speaks French so I have had more difficulty communicating with people than I anticipated. Second, all people eat here is bread and cheese. For every meal. We have all been craving fruits and vegetables and finally found a super market where we could buy some. As you may know, Switzerland (and especially Geneva) is very liberal espeically in terms of services such as universal health care. Geneva brags that out of 190 ethnicites recognized by the UN, 188 are represented in the city. Yesterday, Monday, we had a group tour of the Old Town of Geneva. It is very quaint with narrow streets and little shops all around. We also saw the school that Calvin started and the church where he preached during the Refomation.
In the afternoon we took a tour of the Red Cross musuem. The Red Cross was founded by a French man named Henry Dumont but he lived in Switzerland so that is why it is here. The story of Dumont is sad because he was a terrible business man and went bankrupt and lived his adult life in poverty until he was recongnized for his work with the Nobel Peace Prize just 10 years before his death.
Today, we were able to visit the World Health Organization in Geneva. We had a guest lecturer who was a doctor that worked to prevent HIV/AIDS. He had quite a strong accent though so it was a little hard to understand.
In the afternoon, a spokesperson from a local organization that works with HIV and AIDS patients came to talk to us about her work. After that, we went to a little Irish pub to watch the Inauguration. It was so amazing to watch Obama take the oath (even when forgetting the words). I was also glad that in his speech he spoke of the enormous challenges that are in Americas future (as well as to hear about changing the health care system and public schools). Although I know it will take time, I have so much hope and faith in what he (and we) can achieve!
Our days here are extremely full. We have breakfast at the hostel (bread and yogurt) around 7 30 and then we usually do not get back to the hostel until around 6. After we eat dinner we usually just talk, email or go to bed. The conversation outside of class has also been extremely interesting. There are so many smart people here with different perspectives.
Tomorrow we go to the UN and on Thursday we finally begin real class. I am actually really looking forward to going to India to have more of a routine and to be in warmer weather.

I am sorry my typing and spelling has been so horrible. This computer does not have spell check and this is a French keyboard so it is a bit different than I am used to. Please e-mail with any questions you have or just to say hi. I will try to get back to you if I have the chance.

Love,
Barbara