Swiss miss: 32 days and counting

My 2nd abonnement. I'm done with month 1! I liiiiiiiive!!!

And then I never thought I would even survive!

What a roller coaster of a month it has been for me. When I first entered my apartment room in July, I was totally disoriented. I didn't know what to do next. Unpack? Sleep? Eat? I ended up curling in bed, still wearing that airplane smell, crying while cuddling Mumuy. The silence of my room was deafening. After all the sulking and drama, I later decided to unpack, take a bath and then wait for my flatmate to take me to the nearest mall (not as big as what we have in the Philippines, of course) to go get my abonnement (transport ticket renewable every month) and buy some food. I remember how flabbergasted I was the first time I saw the soaring prices of goods. I don't even remember buying a box of rice (at the International Foods section). Maybe I did get one, I'm not so sure.

The following day, my grumbling stomach woke me up at 3am -- 9am Philippine time. I got up and ate my very early breakfast at 3am! I went back to bed afterwards but got up again at 6am -- 12nn Philippine time. I had lunch at 6am.

As I've finished breakfast and lunch at 6am, I had nothing else to do. I wanted to explore the city since owning my abonnement. With my flatmates still drowsing in bed, I got dressed and readied myself to go out. Then the unthinkable happened: I couldn't open the main door. There was some sort of a trick with the key which I couldn't figure out. Fifteen minutes or so later, I managed to open it and then spent another fifteen minutes to lock it back but I couldn't do it. So I left and whistled away, leaving the door open to predators...Another hurdle was the main door of the apartment building. Again I tried but I couldn't get it open! I ended up hitting number 3 in the elevator, and then I'm back to where I started. My flatmates later taught me the twisting stuff with the key but couldn't believe I was that stupid not to get the building's main door open.

That was a month ago. Now I'm cherishing my second abonnement, staring lovingly at 29.09.2008. Soon it will be 29.10.2008 and then that will be the last. No more one month renewal because I will then be heading back home!

I'm still jetlagged, by the way. Not with sleep, though (I fell down twice from my bed on my first week subconsciously thinking it was our wide bed back home) but with my eating schedule. On weekends, I still get up at 6am, no matter how sleepy I am, just to have "lunch".

Swiss miss: Going Swiss

I was in the supermarket yesterday meaning to buy a can opener, but ended up getting more:



I've always wanted to own a genuine Swiss army knife, but back home it's heavy in the pocket. I'd rather get a pair of blouse and a cheap pair of flat shoes instead of this multi-tool, for the same price. At least here, I can pretend that it's just twenty pesos.

There's more tool with the cork screw, but my nails are chipping off from taking them all off, plus I'm scared to get myself unwanted cuts. So much for bragging. Hehehe.

Swiss miss: Linking Mexico to Geneva

My husband has gone back home from Mexico for more than a week now. As there were very few fellow participants from the Philippines in that conference, he instantly made new friends with people from DOLE, DFA and other UN agencies. One of them was Peach. Vincent was so happy to have found a fellow UP alumni in the crowd! Peach was about his age, and so they clicked. In one of their conversations, he mentioned that I'm here in Geneva and will be here for the next two months. Peach works at the UN headquarters here and said that she'll be travelling back to Geneva right after the conference. Knowing how much I'm sore from homesickness, my husband was so excited at the thought that Peach and I could actually set up a time and meet while I'm here. Incidentally, Peach was once an intern at the ILO herself and her mother is friends with my landlord's mom. Things are beginning to fall into place, I should say.

Vincent mentioned Peach to me just once while he was in transit on his way back home. I never knew her contact details and my husband only knew her email address, which he often forgets handing out to me. I really had no way of getting hold of her. In short, I put aside the idea of meeting her personally.

To Vincent's right is Peach.

On a rainy Wednesday afternoon rush hour, my friend LK and I were standing near the door inside a jam packed bus, as we were headed downtown. An Asian girl hopped on the bus the next stop after the ILO's, and the moment she jumped in, she immediately recognized LK and joined in our Tagalog conversation. LK introduced me to her using my nickname (Teng). Somehow, she was able to make the connection because when we shook hands, she said, "Teng...Christine? Wife ni Vincent?" It was Peach. Grabe, I wanted to hug her at that moment! I thought to myself that this was the same Peach my husband exchanged stories with halfway across the globe. And now she's here with me -- on the bus! But I restrained myself from doing so kasi baka matumba ako. Hahaha! But I was so excited to have finally met her.

Her place is just two stops away from where she alighted, and since we were all standing in a moving bus, I just asked her to type in my cell phone her email address. We've been in touch through email since then.

Such a small, small world.

Swiss miss: Geneva, PHILIPPINES

Once again, I am congratulating myself for surviving yet another workweek, and another week crossed out of my waiting calendar! Yey! Vincent and I are also celebrating our eight months together today as a married couple. Although miles and miles apart, still we hug!

Weather here has been unfriendly these past days and I'm quite sure it will be in the days to come. When it rains, it means cold temperature the day after. I would print out weather forecasts weekly just to tell me when to and when not to bring an umbrella (By the way, I don't own one. I nick my housemate’s. Hehehe). I feel that summer is about to end, though. I would always check on the leaves of the trees outside of my room window and see if they're turning yellow everyday. 'Pag nagdilaw na sila, ang tuwa 'ko lang. It will mean that autumn is just around the corner, therefore I have survived one month in this costly city. And when the heaters are fired up on all floors of the apartment building, it will tell me that it's October and just a few weeks more of waiting, I'll be finally coming home.

This week was rather exciting. I was able to find the only Filipino merchandise store in Geneva. When you enter the store, you are suddenly transported back to Manila. Maingay sa loob as fellow Pinoys exchange chit-chats, even if they are strangers to each other. They also offer money transfer service to the Philippines, so most Pinoys go there to send money back home. They also have a huge TV overhead where they show TFC programs. I was there for two straight days to accompany a friend (she's actually the one who took me there), and while waiting for her, I was watching Iisa Pa Lamang. Hehehe.

Since it has no competitors, ginto lahat ng presyo sa tindahang ito. But I didn't care. Thanks to this store, I had tuyo for breakfast this morning, I would have a teaspoonful of bagoong on my plate everytime I have dinner, I will have gata for my vegetables and will cook ginisang munggo this weekend! Haaay, ang sarap.

Oh, and the UP Singing Ambassadors will have their concert here on September 8th. I once sat down for lunch with a fellow UP alumna (who's a regular ILO employee) in the cafeteria this week. Pareho kaming nagbabaon ng lunch.

He said he misses UP. I told him, "Lalo na 'ko".

Swiss miss: Ting-ay gone missing

I didn't get a decent sleep last night because I was subconsciously keeping track of my husband as he travels back to the Philippines. We were in a minus 7-hour timezone difference from where I am right now so when I am about to sleep, his day was just about to start. It's good that he's now back home surrendering to jetlag. As soon as he's gotten enough rest, we can at least catch up.

As his London-HK flight was delayed, he had to literally dash to his boarding gate as soon as he touched down in HK in order to make it to the boarding gate of his Manila-bound plane. He did make it to his seat, but later noticed that his carry-on bag was gaping open and realized that he was missing something. In the haste and panic, he dropped Ting-ay along the way!

Ting-ay is our little stuffed pup cuddler (read about him HERE). He's been with us for four years and losing him is truly heartbreaking. Vincent took Ting-ay along with him to Mexico while I took Mumuy, our cowlette cuddler, with me. Read the latest about them HERE.

So saaaad.

Swiss miss: It's Frrrriiiidaaaayyy!!!

As the common expression here goes...Voila! I have Friday Madness on my computer. It's good to feel like I'm home. If it weren't for Magic, I wouldn't even realize that today is 080808, the opening of the Beijing Olympics, and lots of weddings taking place (good feng sui they say). Right now, it's almost 11PM in the Philippines while it's nearly 5PM here.

I go to work eight to five, but because I had an extended lunch break (I got together with new Pinay friends to send off another Pinay as her internship ends today), I should leave at around thirty-forty minutes past five. People respect the honor system so much here, at work and on public transport. Coming from an office where a bundy clock is god, this is something else. No one watches me from behind. I owe it all to the bundy clock training, though. My feet lead me to my office when I should be working.

Going back to the subject, I never really looked forward to weekends when I'm out of the country. In fact, I DREAD weekends here. It only means I need to work up a plan for me to get out of the apartment and let the days pass. Maybe ride several buses the whole day around town and walk back home, if only to kill time. But this weekend is not a problem for me. It's the culmination of Fetes de Genève (Geneva Festival). Lots of happenings going on around the edge of Lake Geneva. They say the fireworks are spectacular. I'll be going with my new Pinay friend I met here at the ILO.

I have a strong feeling that I'm going to be excited every Friday beginning today. It means I've survived five days equals one week scrapped off my waiting calendar. I also have a feeling that a wonderful surprise is in store for me in the weeks to come. I'm keeping the expectation :)

Happy weekend, people!

Swiss miss: Surviving Geneva

I'm alive! After almost 20 hours of long haul, I'm here. Today is my fourth day in expensive Geneva (and I mean really expensive) and my first day at work at the ILO Library. But obviously no, I am not working. How's that for my first day? 'Wag tularan.

I actually went here yesterday just to be sure I won't get lost in my way on my first day and then get the feel of the place. Almost everybody here wears coat and tie, despite the scorching heat outside. Yes, summer is in its peak but because I came here overly prepared for the cold weather, I am to wear my turtle necks to work everyday beginning today. But right now, it's raining outside and as it is the classic me, I have no umbrella. There's a storm coming, I was told. Seems that I brought Cosme and Frank with me to Switzerland ('di tulad ninyo ni SA, Emang!).

Today is Swiss National Holiday. All offices and establishments are closed, EXCEPT for the dakilang International Labour Organization, although most people here in the Library, even my supervisor, are on a holiday. My supervisor left me with some readings, though. My other focal person gave me a tour of the Library and introduced me to some 15+ staff members but because of my faulty memory, I can only recall 4 names with the correct faces. I was shown into MY office, complete with PC, printer, phone, and soon, a name in MY door. Now that is overwhelming. But what overwhelms me more is the bulk of work laid for me. REALLY. I was told that by my mid-term, I will be a part of the team to revise the ILO Library's indexing and thesaurus guidelines. Whoah! I was blown away! Makes me not want to go back next week. Hehehe.

How am I doing really? The work, I can handle. But the loneliness whenever I enter my apartment room is unbearable. Add to that is the agony of seeing the airport everyday (as that is my bus stop to ride another bus to the ILO), giving me the feeling that I am sending off people back home while I stay behind, EVERY SINGLE DAY. I live just four short bus stops from the airport and I can see planes flying off every five minutes from our balcony (see photo). The balcony is my least favorite part of the apartment.

I want to go home.