Hello Again!
I told you I would keep writing. It's definitely a project, but I am sure it will be worth the effort once I am back in the states. This week has been a mixture of a little stress and travel..haha. We didn't have class on Tuesdaz, and were expected to use the time to work on our take-home final exam for the class. So, of course, thinking I had all day to work, I read in the morning and then went to a friend's house to plan our Italy trip for the next weekend. I went for a run around Gland (the town where I live) because the heat had gone away for the first day in a while (thank goodness). I sat down at 5pm to start my final, and 20 minutes later Gaby, my host mom, came in and asked if I would be ready for dinner around 6:15. My stomach was already rumbling, so I said that would be perfect. At around 6:20, she called me into the kitchen. I came out in my gym shorts and a sweatshirt ready for a quick meal so I could get back to studying, but she had packed a picnic basket and was ready to go out. "Are we going somewhere?" I asked. "Yes," she said, "like I told you last week!" I could not remember having a conversation about a picnic, but then again, I often only understand half of what she is saying in French anyway. She grabbed her keys and headed for the car. I felt badly because, although it was a lovely idea, I had so much to do that night. I followed her outside, and we got in the car. I quickly realized that whatever she had planned was definitely going to take longer than I had allotted for dinner. We drove up through the mountains for thirty-five minutes before we arrived at the camp site. Many other cars were parked there, and it became clear that we were going to a party. I looked down at my outfit and immediately felt embarassed. I looked like I had just exercised--which I had--but I definitely did not look ready for a party. It turned out to be a BBQ for Gaby's aerobics class, so my attire wasn't competely inappropriate. The party was mostly older women who drank themselves silly for the first two hours before fumbling to get a fire started for the BBQ (this part made me a little nervous). I felt a little like a fourteen-year-old at a college party--I was pretty scared to try and converse in French, but once they were all liquored up, they were a little more forgiving of my grammatical mistakes.

Two hours later, long after dark, and after the group had had sufficient time to sing en masse a number of French drinking songs (which I had no idea even existed), we headed home. Of course, it had been totally hilarious and enjoyable, but I arrived home to my unfinished final at 10:30! Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep that night.

The next morning, I brought my final to the train station to turn it into our academic advisor before we departed for Lugano. Lugano is in the Italian region of Switzerland, and the program goes every summer to learn about the partnerships between Swiss and Italian NGOs. We all took the train together from Nyon, a cute little town between Geneva and Gland. We rode through beautiful vinyards and valleys between enormous peaks on our way South. We arrived in Lugano 5 hours later, and all walked to our hotel. Lugano is very much like Italy with cobblestone streets and pizzarias and gelaterias everywhere. Everything is in Italian, which means I just smile and point a lot.

We had class during the day on Thursday where we learned about FOSIT--a Swiss organization that mediates between NGOs working in the Ticino (the Italian Swiss region), and then the girls and I had pizza and pasta for dinner. Later, we all played cards on a huge bed in one of the boy's rooms and watched a horrible crime show in English--the ony one on that we could understand. It was about a church youth group who collectively killed the most "corrupted" and sexually-active girl in the group while super emo 90s rock played in the background. SICK.

Today we have class for six hours, and we have an appetizer and drinks reception tonight at a local restaurant. The girls and I are heading out to the Cinqua Terra this weekend when class finishes because we are so close. I could not be more excited!! We're going to lie on the beach, hike between the little towns, and eat lots of fresh seafood. My life is so hard.

Missing you all, and I think of you often. I feel so blessed to have been able to have these experiences, and I remember everyday how you all encouraged me to come. Sometimes I just stop and realize that there are so many people in the world who will never get to see and experience these things. It makes my heart ache for them, but still, I am loving every minute.

"Wherever hence you go, go with all your heart."

Peace and love,
Rach