You know that you are having an enriching holiday when you are in a XII century Gothic cathedral one moment and a 6 million dollar helicopter the next. Sounds extravagent, but I suppose it comes with the territory when you are in the "sexiest city in Switzerland", otherwise known as the Olympic City, Lausanne. Lausanne is surrounded by vineyards and is situated in the French speaking part of Switzerland, north of Geneva about 40 miles, flowing upward from the lake via tight cobblestone alleys and bustling marketplaces. The city has stunning panoramic views of the French Alps and the lake below, on which the white sails resemble brilliant diamonds speckled across a topaz sea. Indeed, its romantic feel is enduring.
For most of the day I traipsed up and down the cities streets, in and out of museums, and stopping for a while to wash my overworked feet in the Fountain of Justice, of all places. Perhaps the most memorable part was my stroll along the lake. I have a great fondness for nature, particularly large trees, and the lakefront was truly an arborists dream. Majestic sequoias, cedars, pines, and deciduous specimens lined the path, in such an orderly pattern that I knew I could only have been two places in the world, Switzerland or Japan.
In the evening I was privy to a very local, and I suppose quite rare, inside look into the most well known medi-vac agency in Switzerland, Rega. A chance meeting on the plane ride over here landed me, pun intended, at the Lausanne Rega airbase. A new friend, who happens to be the bases doctor, gave me a tour of a Eurocopter EC-145, fully equipped for emergency rescues (which they do plenty of in the high mountains). I spent time in the hangar, too, conversing about the operation over dinner with some of the crew. My brothers, one a helicopter pilot in the US Army and the other a firefighter paramedic would have been, with great reason, envious, though I did actually do it for their future pleasure.
Tomorrow is my final day in Geneva (I should have stayed a month!) and I will get a chance to step into the mountains for the first time. As I plan on living in the desert for the next 4 months it is sure to be a momentous experience on my present course. Au revoir
Friday, August 31, 2007
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Hither I Go
The past few days have been an immersion of sorts, an immersion into the operational world of international activists, a realm that I have been at most conceptualizing during the last year in graduate school . My condensed foray in Geneva has brought me, thanks to my erudite and irresistably whimsical relative, quite close to many leaders in the field of human rights and international law. Perhaps I am overly capricious, but it is certainly interesting here.
Despite my present level of enjoyment, I have been thinking much on Israel and Palestine. I recall a conversation at a Starbucks on the east side of Oahu five years back, in which a college friend shared with me, in an exasperated style akin to a high school debate club, his impassioned perceptions on the Israel\Palestine question. His bias was clear, mine ambiguous, because at that time I knew very little aside from the television imagery I had been encultured with (and no doubt deeply impacted by still to this day). It was at that point that I committed myself to working towards understanding something that I found nearly everyone had an opinion about, however different were their perspectives.
As a Conflict Transformation graduate student it could easily be argued that it is only obvious that I would choose to study, and experientially, the most symbolic and headliner conflict since World War II. Professionally speaking, I am confident that it will be of benefit for a number reasons. Notwithstanding its relevant value in that regard, however, I wasn't thinking that 5 years ago when I was an Asian Studies major. It was something else, perhaps the misguided romantic in me, that led me to have great concern and interest in the little sliver of land that has an importance which spans the globe. Although presently unknowing, I hope to soon come closer to realizing this inner impetus in the coming months.
And there is anxiety, though it comes and goes. Some people are more anxious than others about it, and they will try to transpose that angst onto you, as I have found. It seems appropriate to observe it for a while, to acknowledge it, and as a necessity to let it go because you don't want to ponder on it too deeply. In a very real way I am accepting it as a training opportunity, a chance to functionally deal with my own fears and mental limitations. Speaking for myself, and inversely in some way as a Westerner, I have not experienced adversity all that much. Having an appreciation for M.L. King Jr.'s adage that character is not formed when things are all that good, but when things are outright tough, I am motivated to be somewhat vulnerable. Not vulnerable in the brazen, foolhardy kind of way, but in the way in which we develop courage through challenging moments, outside of our comfort zones. In the personal sense, and its hard to tell what is more important these days, this is why I am going to Palestine, to Israel, and to every new place I encounter both externally and also within.
Despite my present level of enjoyment, I have been thinking much on Israel and Palestine. I recall a conversation at a Starbucks on the east side of Oahu five years back, in which a college friend shared with me, in an exasperated style akin to a high school debate club, his impassioned perceptions on the Israel\Palestine question. His bias was clear, mine ambiguous, because at that time I knew very little aside from the television imagery I had been encultured with (and no doubt deeply impacted by still to this day). It was at that point that I committed myself to working towards understanding something that I found nearly everyone had an opinion about, however different were their perspectives.
As a Conflict Transformation graduate student it could easily be argued that it is only obvious that I would choose to study, and experientially, the most symbolic and headliner conflict since World War II. Professionally speaking, I am confident that it will be of benefit for a number reasons. Notwithstanding its relevant value in that regard, however, I wasn't thinking that 5 years ago when I was an Asian Studies major. It was something else, perhaps the misguided romantic in me, that led me to have great concern and interest in the little sliver of land that has an importance which spans the globe. Although presently unknowing, I hope to soon come closer to realizing this inner impetus in the coming months.
And there is anxiety, though it comes and goes. Some people are more anxious than others about it, and they will try to transpose that angst onto you, as I have found. It seems appropriate to observe it for a while, to acknowledge it, and as a necessity to let it go because you don't want to ponder on it too deeply. In a very real way I am accepting it as a training opportunity, a chance to functionally deal with my own fears and mental limitations. Speaking for myself, and inversely in some way as a Westerner, I have not experienced adversity all that much. Having an appreciation for M.L. King Jr.'s adage that character is not formed when things are all that good, but when things are outright tough, I am motivated to be somewhat vulnerable. Not vulnerable in the brazen, foolhardy kind of way, but in the way in which we develop courage through challenging moments, outside of our comfort zones. In the personal sense, and its hard to tell what is more important these days, this is why I am going to Palestine, to Israel, and to every new place I encounter both externally and also within.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
A Geneva Walkabout
It has been a superb couple of days here. I have had the great fortune of meeting several of my aunt's former students and closest friends - over lunch at a rustic chateau in France, over coffee (topped off with frank discourse on a viable academic direction I'm pondering upon), and over a fabulous dessert rendezvous in her apartment along Lake Geneva. My brief stay has been deeply affecting.
I must express my admiration and esteem for my aunt, Virginia Leary. Geneva is her home, and as a former lawyer, professor, and dedicated humanitarian it seems an appropriate place for her. A lifetime of insight regarding human rights law, academia, and public service is what I have been absorbing in our chats together, and from her good nature and humility. She follows in the footsteps of her venerable father, long-time law school dean and devoted father, and her precedent-setting mother (in the 1920's chaining herself to the White House gates for womens rights!). Quite fascinating, and I am so grateful that I have had the chance to come to know her more significantly.
Today, I took a long stroll around Geveva, walking by the UN with an amalgam of sentiments drifting across my mind, to the US Embassy, a veritable fortress nowadays, to Pugny, a characteristically Swiss locale, and to the Old City, the cobble pathways and medieval architecture indelibly imprinted upon my mind. My feet are tired, though my Swiss safari is far from complete.
Tomorrow, to Lausanne for continued peregrinations, and not forgetting my daily immersion in the refreshing blue of Lake Geneva. Ciao
I must express my admiration and esteem for my aunt, Virginia Leary. Geneva is her home, and as a former lawyer, professor, and dedicated humanitarian it seems an appropriate place for her. A lifetime of insight regarding human rights law, academia, and public service is what I have been absorbing in our chats together, and from her good nature and humility. She follows in the footsteps of her venerable father, long-time law school dean and devoted father, and her precedent-setting mother (in the 1920's chaining herself to the White House gates for womens rights!). Quite fascinating, and I am so grateful that I have had the chance to come to know her more significantly.
Today, I took a long stroll around Geveva, walking by the UN with an amalgam of sentiments drifting across my mind, to the US Embassy, a veritable fortress nowadays, to Pugny, a characteristically Swiss locale, and to the Old City, the cobble pathways and medieval architecture indelibly imprinted upon my mind. My feet are tired, though my Swiss safari is far from complete.
Tomorrow, to Lausanne for continued peregrinations, and not forgetting my daily immersion in the refreshing blue of Lake Geneva. Ciao
Sunday, August 26, 2007
The Journey Continues
Looking down, the city of Geneve, its aged artifices, narrow streets, and, of course, the pristine Lake Geneve, all lie sixty feet below me. I arrived in Geneve early this morning and will spend the next week in this vibrant international city, visiting my marvelous aunt and steeping myself in the crisp Swiss mountain air before I enter Palestine on Sept. 2.
It has been an unforgettable summer. I was able to engage with youth and adults from over 40 countries in the various institutes and programs I had the chance to serve in internship, spent nearly a month in the "Last Frontier", aka Alaska, fishing, canoeing, hiking, and spending time with my parents and brother (see photos), and the last couple of weeks with a very close friend, Phoebe (just three blocks from Amherst College where my great-grandfather graduated in 1903!) preparing myself for international work that will occupy my energy for the next 4 months.
This blog will serve as my journal, my respite, and to inform others about just what (and where) in the world I am doing. I look forward to taking you along for the ride.
It has been an unforgettable summer. I was able to engage with youth and adults from over 40 countries in the various institutes and programs I had the chance to serve in internship, spent nearly a month in the "Last Frontier", aka Alaska, fishing, canoeing, hiking, and spending time with my parents and brother (see photos), and the last couple of weeks with a very close friend, Phoebe (just three blocks from Amherst College where my great-grandfather graduated in 1903!) preparing myself for international work that will occupy my energy for the next 4 months.
This blog will serve as my journal, my respite, and to inform others about just what (and where) in the world I am doing. I look forward to taking you along for the ride.
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