Home sweet home, at least for now

I'm all settled back in DC after a long visit in Texas. I thoroughly enjoyed my time -- no matter where I live, Texas will always be home. Here are some pictures from the Texas family time.



But for now, DC is home and feels like the right place to be. My mom came to DC with me and Ell (yep, the cat is back) and got me all settled into my new apartment (huge thanks to her). I'm back in the same area and have a nice view going into Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan and a running trail right out the front door.

But I'm going a bit stir crazy already, so I'm thinking I'm going to have to get some hobbies before I lose it and start dressing my cat up in ballerina costumes. I start classes in 2 weeks, but I only have about 4 hours of class time a week, the rest is independent study. I've thought about training for another marathon to fill some time, possibly Austin in February. Any takers? ;)

But I certainly have things to keep me busy -- i.e. finding a job and finishing my thesis. My thesis topic is set -- I'll be looking at vocational training programs in India, specifically their effects on women. This is all dependent on getting some data from India, but fingers crossed it will come through this week. Otherwise, I will be looking at the same topic, just in Nicaragua. Very interesting area and one that I have become a bit obsessed about and you will certainly be hearing more about it on this blog...

I also have a project that I've been working on this summer in a similar area that is getting more and more interesting, perhaps with a possibility to work on it further post graduation. More to come on that as it develops as well...And this week I will find out if I got a part time research position looking at public-private partnerships -- which is right up my alley. So all in all, good stuff is going on in the Plowperson universe.

Grace's take on jobs

I've been in Port O for a week now, and my sister brought her girls down over the weekend. I've had quite the time being a "PANK." We've been to the beach almost every day to hunt for hermit crabs and drive the "mule" (basically a super power golf cart) around Old Boggy to look for "dinosaur" bones and teach Miss Grace how to drive. We've had fashion shows and learned that sequin capes will be VERY in this fall according to GG designs. And after sharing some cheese and playing in the pool, Miss Addie is warming up to me, her "Tete" (pronounced tay-tay, not tee-tee).

So as many of you know, Grace is quite the character. Tonight, she shared with me what she wants to be when she grows up. The first option is a singer which was surprising after hearing her sing. We had a little "America's Got Talent" competition and according to the panel of judges (her mommy, grandma and me) she might make it to Vegas if she REALLY practices, which is fun because it makes the game last longer. So her plan B, is to be a vet, and she thinks she'll be good at it because she has a dog AND a cat. Plus, she likes parrots and jaguars. The only things that she does not like are elephants and hippos and that's because of the teeth. Which makes perfect sense, right?

I'm just hoping that I get as much clarity in my job search so that when I get asked that tough question I have such a precise answer. So I asked Grace what I should do when I grow up. She asked me what I liked (good question). I kept it simple and replied: people, business and governments. She said I should work in the courts like her mommy. It was a good answer, but I explained the whole law school issue. So she recommended that I become a vet since I like animals too, and I could even talk to people at the zoo. Clearly, becoming a vet is a common backup plan to aspiring singers and lawyers...or crazy aunts asking for career advise.

Not really liking either option, I reminded her about Hillary Clinton -- Grace was a huge fan and thought I was studying to be vice president for Hillary. But I had to break the news that Hillary lost, and asked, "So what should I do now?" She said, "Well, hopefully Hillary will get another job and be able to hire you then. If not? Then you need to talk to Ma-Ma (my mom)." I thought it was pretty solid career advice from a 6 year old. Mom does always seem to have the best advise.

Back in the States

As my grandmother told me, I'm officially back in "God's country." I had to laugh. I wasn't really sure if she meant Texas or the States. But being a 5th generation Texan, I'm pretty sure she meant TX. It's good to be back and enjoying a bit of R&R.

So obviously, this blog can no longer be about my life in Genevieve Schwitzerland, so I'm accepting ideas for new blog titles and topics. Thoughts? I am happy to entertain you all with randomness, DC happenings, thesis topics and job search stories for the next 6 months. After that who knows what's in store.

While you noodle on that, I thought I would give you all a bit of a recap of the past year in pics. Thanks to Mr. T's dad for figuring out how to do this.

I am done

Yes, at 4:21 pm I turned in my final paper. I am done with the MBA. I expect it will hit me in about 2 days when they hand me that blank envelope and shake my hand. Much to my mom's disappointment, I will not have a diploma in hand because we technically have one last report due this fall. Minor detail.

And a random bit of funny: My mom is eager to have me back States side because they will begin testing the super collider in CERN in August. She's a believer that it might cause a black hole. That may be, but if it is the case does it matter if I'm in TX or Genevieve? I think not. I'm just hoping that the black hole doesn't happen this fall because I would really like to finish my thesis and officially be done, done, done.

Poor Germany

The Euro 2008 wrapped up and I'm sad to say Germany lost. Condolences to my German friends. This photo was clearly taken with them before the game. I hear there were tears after...

Geneva was host to some of the games so the streets of Geneva have been filled with men, women and children wearing flags as capes and honking horns for the last 2 weeks. I can tell you that the Portuguese are the loudest honkers ;) Or maybe it's just that we have a huge Portuguese community in Geneva (~10% I'm told).

Anyway, the "fanzone" is where all the games were shown on the jumbo screen, so that's where I was for the grand finale. Last night was packed with surprisingly lots of Spanish fans, not as many German fans. And as you all know, I'm not the biggest sports fan, so really all that I can say beyond this is that there was beer, German and Spanish cheering and lots of people watching some men chase a silver ball (a special ball evidently for the final game). Personally, I really enjoyed the bizarro waltz inspired, symbolic opening ceremony and the Super Bowl inspired half time show with Enrique Iglesias tyring to make a come back (thankfully with no Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunctions).

In other news, we had a little international picnic before the game. Lots of great food made by the crew. I'm hoping to get the recipes for some yummy Indian and Thai curries and Korean pancakes. Next on the list of Swiss fun: The Chocolate Train. Yes, I'm sure it will be as good as it sounds because just when you thought it couldn't get better, you find out that Gruyere is involved too.

What's next?

The Italian roommate headed out yesterday so we had our first sad goodbye. But what an exciting time for everyone. He is headed to Laos and everyone else will be spread all over the world working for different UN organizations, NGOs, private-public partnerships and some private firms. There are several headed to Nairobi, some to Rome, some in Geneva, Sydney and India, and others who are still figuring it all out.

So I'm sure you are all wondering what I have figured out and where I will land next...First, the next 6 months: I still have my thesis and a couple of classes to take at Georgetown, so while I'm done with the MBA, I have the fall to finish the MPP. I'm spending July in Texas to see family and friends. And I'll be working on my thesis as well as a feasibility study for a social enterprise that I'm very excited about. I'll officially be done in December and have plans to stay in DC. Which brings me to what I think I want to do...Broadly speaking, I'm looking at public affairs, CSR and strategic consulting jobs. And I'll just leave it at that for now for the purposes of the blog-ola, and promise to fill you all in more over a nice cold one in the hot TX sun or swampy DC!

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...