Welcome to the new blog

So I've been convinced. A blog is the best way to keep you all up to date on my little Swiss adventure. I hope you enjoy it!

To catch you all up (pardon the bore...), I arrived in Geneva on September 1st and it's been quite a little whirlwind. I love the city. I have found my running route along the lake and the river, and even the UN. When the weather is clear, you can see Mt. Blanc - stunning. I got my first hiking trip in this last weekend - such a treat. Natalie (from the program) invited us (me and Kirstin, my roommate) for a day hike in France. The group we went with spoke primarily French, but we ended up with a 360 view of mountains. You don't have to know a word of French to appreciate amazing scenery like that.

As for the program, I couldn't be happier. It's a great fit for my background in the private sector, the policy work at Georgetown and my interests. So far we have had a class on corporate social responsibility (CSR), international relations and global political economy. My papers/presentations so far have been on: the analysis of the CSR programs for Ford and Exxon; the foreign policy analysis of Iran's threat of nuclear weapons and Egypt's predicted/prescribed response; China's ability to use environmental policies as a power play to protect/build its economy; analysis of capital controls vs. liberalization in Chile and Malaysia; and how Microsoft can address piracy issues in China. So as you can see, it's been a full month of school work!

I am also taking French - a MUCH more enjoyable experience than the one at GU for those who know that story... I still usually have no idea what someone is saying unless they speak r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w-l-y, but I'll get there. I'm also taking salsa dancing lessons - evidently that's what you have to do if you want to go out in Geneva. Everyone salsa dances. The classes are taught by a guy who calls himself Gatto Salsero and they're in French . I definitely know how to say "left" and "right" now and "like that", but I can't say much for my dancing skills...

My roommates and classmates are fantastic and we're all enjoying the experience together. We've had a chance to relax a bit, do a little bit of celebrating in Geneva. My roommates, Kirstin, from NY/Boston, and Rocco, from Italy have been great - both amazing cooks, funny and very interesting. I'm sure you'll hear more about them as the year goes on.

And the really good news is that I'm enjoying a little bit of a break for the next couple of weeks. I don't have classes again until Oct. 23. So my parents are coming to visit and we're going to Zermatt, Florence, Siena, Pisa and then Geneva and Montreaux. My mom has been hard at work on our itinerary and we're all so excited about it. Stay tuned for pictures in the coming weeks... For any of you planning a trip to Europe, let me know. I would love to see you or meet up during your travels.

Look forward to sharing more details on my little Swiss adventure...