10 days left...Wow

It's hard to believe, but I only have 10 short days left in Geneva. I've been working away, but also enjoying the last moments here and reflecting a bit on the last year. I'm going to make it a point to write more in the coming days on all of that to fill in some of the gaps from the year that I just didn't get around to blogging about...Technically, I'm a bit sleep deprived and swamped right now with exams, projects and papers and should not be blogging about, but oh well. You all deserve some good content after a year of few updates! And let's be honest, I like to procrastinate.

So the latest: I spent last weekend in the South of France with a friend from school who is from Aix-en Provence. It was a fantastic last trip! I enjoyed Aix, known for all of its gorgeous fountains and art (home to Cezanne, in fact). I also made it to Lourmarin, a party in the beautiful country side and enjoyed some time on the coast sailing between Cassis and Marseille. All in all, not too shabby.
And while I have certainly developed a love/hate relationship with good ol' Genevieve, she has charm as well. We were treated to a cruise on the lake last week, and I captured a great pic of Geneva with a little Euro 2008 flare. Evidently, that ball cost the city a fortune and hassle, but it's great for a photo :) And yes, the Euro is all about Geneva. As I'm not the biggest sports fan, I have yet to make it to the fan zone to watch a game but plan to for the finale on Sunday, so stay tuned...

Net Impact

I've been busy helping to plan the first Net Impact Europe Conference that the program is hosting with INSEAD and Nottingham Business School June 12-14th. It's going to be a great event for those interested in creating positive social, environmental and economic impact through business.

We'll have keynotes from Mel Young, President of Homeless World Cup and Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and President of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative, as well as a keynote panel featuring CSR leaders from Toyota and KPMG. Their are over 20 panels on CSR and sustainable development with featured speakers like Simon Zadek, Chief Executive of AccountAbility, and Tamsin Smith, President of (PRODUCT) Red.

So come visit Geneva June 12-14th - you can check out the conference AND the Euro 2008 Cup. Woohoo.

Pangea Perspectives

Saturday we celebrated Pangea Day along with thousands of others around the world. It was 4 hours of film broadcasted via satellite, internet and mobile phones - with the intention of seeing the world from another person's viewpoint. It all came together thanks to a filmmaker with a little wish and a little grant from TED. Watch some excerpts if you get a chance. It's like when "We are the World" came out but way better. I joke (mainly because of the dramatic drum circle at the end), but in all seriousness there are some very moving and inspirational perspectives as well as some lighthearted laughs. In particular, for the DC crowd riding the metro everyday, check out this little number. I hope it takes off and becomes an annual event. Enjoy the perspective.

A strange little land

Back in the fall, elections were held in Switzerland and news was made with an ad campaign involving a little black sheep. Look closely below and you will see the little guy is getting kicked out of the land of cheese and chocolates. It doesn't take a translation to get the gist, but it says "to create security."



In recent weeks, a new version has appeared - perhaps a little more subtle, but still quite offensive. It's as if those hands are reaching into a candy jar of Swiss ID cards and are about to be slapped by the candy monitor. I have spotted at least 5 of these billboards in the area -- just blocks from the UN and what is suppose to be the heart of peace, neutrality and tolerance...Interesting.

All the places I have been

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Here's a fun little app. I still think real maps are much more fun - my grandaddy had a map of all his travels when I was growing up. Guess it's in my blood! And I suppose this is further proof to all of you who tease me about all of my travels - yes, I am STILL actually in grad school. But of course open to suggestions for my final days in Europe :)

Greece

The trip to Greece was amazing - huge thanks to mom for a beautifully done trip to celebrate (yet again) her 60th and their 40th wedding anniversary and my pre-graduation. I'm kind of enjoying this deal and hoping we can celebrate again this summer when I graduate with my MBA - and then again in December when I graduate with my MPP. That's how it works, right Mom?

We started in Athens and did the obligatory Acropolis, Parthenon and all that jazz. (See the nice pic of dad and I at the Acropolis). Then we headed to Meteora where there are beautiful monasteries built on the mountain tops - one of the highlights from the trip. Legend has it that the stains on the rock formations are the tears shed by all the monks for mankind - regardless, it is just stunning. If you are lucky enough to time it right (as we did) you can miss the tour buses and experience the peace and quiet on top of the mountains looking out to the valley.

Then we went to Delfi, considered the naval of the earth and home to the Oracle. Unfortunately, mom has all of the pics from that part of the trip including documentation that Greece does in deed have 4 BILLION olive trees.

Then we headed to Olympia where my dad and I raced on the Olympic stadium field - perhaps the highlight of the trip for me as I got inspired for the marathon! We met "George" and another "George's" sister - both of which have carried the Olympic torch. I was kind of doubting their story only because everyone seemed to be named George, but the stories seem to check out. It's just that everyone is named George. Anyway, I bet George and George are glad to not be carrying the torch this year. Oh, and Mom played "Where is Waldo" while exploring the ruins. Can you spy her???

We ended the road trip in Nafplion, the old capital city close to Mycenae. And then had the grand finale in Santorini where we stayed in Oia, hiked and enjoyed great sunset views of the volcano and the white buildings built into the mountain sides. Enjoy the pics! The last one is my favorite, and no it has not been photo shopped ;)

Paris!

It's official - I'm a three time marathon finisher - Austin, Chicago and now Paris. It was a beautiful race that went through the heart of Paris starting on the Champs-Elysées and winding through beautiful gardens with views of the Eiffel Tower.

While I did not make my time goal, I did finish faster than before and was on target to make my goal or close to it until the last bit. But most importantly – I enjoyed it even despite a couple of little hiccups, including hail and almost fainting! I finished in 4 hours 49 minutes.

I hit the "wall" at the 30K, a bit earlier than I expected. But the Geneva crew was there to cheer me on! I pulled through with lots of orange slices and the notes from Mom and Dad filled with laughs from Greece and inspiration. Thankfully, I was in good spirits when the hail hit shortly after! I ran the last 8 miles smiling and even encouraging a first time NY marathon runner with Team in Training. Actually, I think she beat me in the end – good for her!

Here is a pic from the start with Rocco, Gio and Ivy. Congratulations!