Swiss miss: Fall is coming

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/

I've been constantly in check of the weather since mid-August (if my faulty memory serves me right), mainly, for rain. I'm not an umbrella person, so I'm always on the look out when I should bring an -- or in my earlier days, kidnap my flatmates' -- umbrella. Interestingly, weather forecast here is something you can depend on 99% of the time. Upon learning that, I would always see to it that I print the forecasts at the beginning and end of the week, and prop it up (that, plus the bus time tables) on my study desk at home. It's not an obssessive-compulsive thing. I just need to keep myself in check all the time (e, OC nga).

Since I've been accustomed to this (ay, OC nga talaga), I noticed some changes these past days. Sunrise and sunset have been extended and shortened to 30 minutes respectively. I thought it only gets cold after a downpour, but judging from this week's 5-day forecast, I'm now thinking twice. Could it be that autumn is really coming on in full swing?

I was bragging to my husband that I now have rosy cheeks (naks!) because of the cool breeze. This morning however, when I felt the cold, damp air on my face (while steam escapes from my nose and mouth as I breathe) on my way to work, I got worried. I can feel my face and lips going dry and am feeling a little itchy again because of the cold climate. I guess it's time to bathe on body lotion twice over and then wear my second skin.

Oh, wait. If autumn indeed has come, I only have a few weeks left to stay here then :)

Swiss miss: Rainy days

Our workweek was shortened to three days this week. The city observed Jeune Genevois (Genevan fast) last Thursday, but the ILO decided to close office until Friday, therefore, a four-day holiday. I've been dreading this long holiday since last month for the simple reason that I have no idea where to go with who. I'm not sure if I will thank the weather for completing the picture for me. Rain started pouring down since the start of the holiday, today being day 3. It seems that I'm holing up indoors after all. I did manage to go out yesterday afternoon and strolled along the old town before heavy rains started hammering down again. I won't risk doing that today, though. It's minimum 10 degrees low outside. I got up late this morning, thinking that it's still dawn, when it's already past 10. That's how dark it was (and still is) outside.

Since I've known this dreadful holiday for weeks, I somehow anticipated everything. I stacked up for the rainy days, so to speak, not even knowing that rain is going to come down. I have more food than usual . And now that I'm stoned in my room, I am again full of random thoughts.

I was reading the news over Inquirer.net earlier on. The article about the anomalous C-5 project made me sigh. Then I listened to the episodic noise of cars passing the avenue nearby. "Circus pa rin sa atin (We are still in circus)", was what came out of my mouth. Many people are still greedy. Whenever I see the very efficient transportation system, the electronic police monitoring the roads, and the disciplined motorists here, I can't help but feel the pangs of cruel treatment, especially of people in power, back home. My collection of ifs is slowly piling up. "Kung ganito lang sana sa Pilipinas (If only the Philippines is like this)...". "Siguro kung sa Pilipinas 'to nangyari, malamang (If this happened in the Philippines, maybe)..." . I can only pray and pray hard for my country.

On a totally different subject, I remember asking a friend here if she has ever seen Swiss miss or St. Ives apricot scrub in grocery stores and pharmacies here. I thought these are supposedly Swiss made and for the longest time, I've never caught sight of these in stores. She said neither did she. I told her, maybe these are US made. Today I learned that indeed, they are. They're just Swiss-inspired. Swiss miss (ConAgra Foods) for the Swiss chocolates and St. Ives for the Swiss formula. European shops do not usually patronize stateside products.

So given that, should I change my Swiss miss blog entries to Swiss-inspired? I think I better not. I'm too lazy to edit

Swiss miss: Immunity

I'm now immune to:

1. Geneva's airport. I mentioned a couple of times before that I live near the airport. I never wanted to stay in our apartment balcony because I see planes flying off every five minutes from there. But because I go here everyday to take the next bus to work, and this being the only place where shops are open on Sundays, I really have no choice but BE in the airport. I just can not avoid this place. There were moments when I cry silent as I stand waiting for the bus to come. But now, not anymore. I even sent my friend off twice up to the pre-departure area when she left Geneva. No more tears.


2. QWERTZ, the Swiss-German kezboard. It has the Y and Z interchanged, plus umlauts (i.e., ü, ä), and some punctuations put in other places different from the English keyboard. Surprisingly, it is quite easy to navigate, as it is closer to the latter. In fact, I didn't bother requesting our Library's IT person to change my keyboard at work. Although I'm not so sure if I will have a hard time reverting back to QWERTY when I come home. That remains to be seen


3. Dead weekends. I dread weekends here. For some reason, everything stands still, especially on Sundays. For this, I thank my routines. They keep me busy during these days.


4. Peaceful bus rides. Everyday is the same: buses are punctual and drivers are respectful to passengers and pedestrians. I sometimes find it boring. No pounding stereos (in an afterthought, nami-miss ko na!) The next best thing to loudspeakers is the computerized voice announcing "prochain arret (next stop)...", prompting passengers get ready to hop off the bus if it is their stop.
   
   I have been secretly wishing to see a commotion to happen in the bus, just to distract the blissful monotony going around. And then one day, I got my wish. On my way to work one morning, the bus driver hit the brakes hard. He slid open his window and yelled at a private car. I didn't understand what he was saying, but judging from his gestures (parang charades, hahaha!), it seemed that the car swerved by the bus lane, something that private cars are prohibited from doing (buses strictly follow their dedicated lanes, keeping them prompt to arrive on all stops on schedule). As this excited me more than scared it me, I quickly turned around (I was seated up front) to check on my co-passengers' mixed reactions. "Uy, bago 'to!" I said to myself. Some were upset, probably because they can't afford a minute more of delay. But most were puzzled as if to say, "This can't happen. This is a peaceful bus."


5. Bag-your-own grocery. Unlike in the Philippines where there is a person being paid to sort out and bag your groceries while you pay, in Europe, it is no else' job but yours. The cashier is just the cashier. I usually panic when the cashier punches all my goods and when s/he's done, I haven't even teased my plastic bag open yet (at least here in Geneva, plastic bags are provided for free, but you will have to pay extra if you wish to get the reusable bags). I feel like I'm always in a race! But by virtue of constant practice and logical thinking (dairies go together, toiletries and dry goods on separate bags...), I have now mastered the skill. Hehehe.


6. My cooking. Wahaha! I don't really cook. But because I can't always afford to dine out (again for the record, everything here is expensive), I am compelled to cook and eat whatever it looks and tastes like. I just psyche myself that everything I cook is gourmet, so I would always end up with a clean plate. In effect, I eat a lot. I'm scared to go hungry. Hehehe.

Swiss miss: Ultimate survivor

L-R: Scott, Mario, Kani and me

Last Monday and Tuesday, I had the chance to visit the WTO and the UN libraries, along with my co-interns here at the ILO library. I missed the WHO library visit, when in fact, WHO is the ILO's nearest neighbor (just across the street!). I had reference/reading room duty that morning that's why I wasn't able to join them.

Side story: All UN members (diplomats, employees, interns, etc.) carry their offices' badges, which is also an ID. The coolest thing about owning a badge (in my case, the ILO's) is that one can enter all UN offices in Geneva without going through the hassles of inspection. Just flash the badge before the security people, you get a nod and then you can go right in. Some of my colleagues even have lunch in other UN buildings' cafeterias.

Going back, the library visits were arranged by one of my co-intern's (Kani's) supervisor, as Kani's internship ends this week. I never had the chance to bond with my co-interns here, until this Monday, probably because my program/training is different from theirs. I'm the only intern who's done with school and has been practicing librarianship for ages, while they are working on an internship project which is probably thesis-/school-related. My office space is isolated from them, and I am treated as one of the regular staff. When I enter my "bat cave", I will never know what goes on outside.

I was too excited to finally get to spend time with my co-interns, only to find out that they are all leaving this month and I will be the only one left behind! Scott (USA) is leaving in 3 weeks, Mario (Spain) leaves tomorrow, Kani (Thailand) leaves this week, and Etienne (Switzerland, not in the photo) in two weeks time. I, on the other hand, still have October.

It's a shame that I didn't have the chance to get to know them, nor have lunch or coffee with them, after one month of being here *sighs*. Maybe a new set of interns will come next month. By then, I will only have weeks, but I will make sure that I build new friendships.

Swiss miss: Translation gone bad

This is the sign posted on all female restrooms at the ILO:

A classic example of a language translated literally into another. I remember what my supervisor (UP Lib) once told me when she consulted a linguist to translate an English document to Filipino. The linguist told her that when one does translation, the document should bear the same thought and meaning when it is translated back to its original language. Obviously, the example above does not qualify.

Some people tried to correct the errors in other restrooms, though. But as evidenced by this one, perhaps the "Your cleaning team" hasn't seen it yet. Or more likely, they've had too many signs posted up already and it will be a lot of work (and this is the ILO, -- where decent work is the advocacy) to just take them all down.

I can only guess.