Here I am, There I am....

Here I am, There I am....I'm simply loosing track of myself these days...which may also be reflected in this posting....

Hiking in Liechtenstein.
NOTE: the pictures within are unconnected to what I actually am writing about. Just wanted to share some good memories. 

Well, I failed to do an ending post for Geneva; I failed to do a re-entry blog for Pittsburgh; and I feel like I'm failing to be in touch with the world around me. You know that feeling of trying to slow yourself down in life, but not being able to? Well, I thought that taking fewer credits this semester would allow me a slower pace through my last semester of grad school (and possibly school forever!) It has been lovely to only technically have 4 courses, as opposed to my usual 5-7 courses. However, it has not proved an easy semester by any measurement.

A friend and I hiking Aletsch Glacier - on my Birthday!

Upon returning to Pittsburgh at the start of September, I arrived a week late for classes, with no car, no housing, (almost) no books, an unset class schedule and serious jet lag from going Geneva- CA, CA- Pittsburgh over the course of 4 days. While I knew all of that was coming well ahead of time, and did my best to avoid a lot of it (such as housing search, pre-register, book buying etc.) it somehow did not not seem to help.

Though I can list complaints, I can list endless blessings. The weeks have passed, I've gotten housing in a great location, my car driven out from CA by my awesome mom, started a new bible study last week, etc. and I'm now half way through the semester. While I could write all day about surprising things that have happened this semester, everything from my phone being stolen and getting it back, to being offered to join a training with an IO next week for a possible job, I'd rather comment on the future.

Classmates at my Birthday/ going away party in Geneva

I am constantly amazed at the different ways that the Lord leads people. Not bad, good, better, or worse, just plain different. It's a good thing He gives us all different passions and abilities, because there are a whole ton of things I can't imagine spending my life doing which others love to do and I'm thrilled to not have to do. I'm also reminded of this when time and time again people respond to things I have done or plan to do in my life with 'what a great opportunity', 'best to travel while you're young', 'good thing you are doing that now', etc. These comments continue to surprise me whenever I hear them, because they are simply incomprehensible to me.

The idea that 'traveling while I'm young' is what my life up until this point demonstrates to some people saddens me. Or their idea that the service work I have done is so surprising and is interpreted as a 'once in a life time experience' from which I'll draw fond memories for the rest of my 'normal existence'. My sadness and a bit of frustration comes from 2 sources;

A.) I wish for my life to be a reflection of Christ's leading and demonstrate themes He is developing for my life, such as serving in overseas locations and a heart to help others. (Mind you, I don't claim I'm doing this, just that these are ways in which I feel the Lord is leading.) I don't want people to see each piece of my life, but rather to see it all as evidence of Christ at work in this world.

It was an AWESOME Birthday hiking along the glacier.

B.) It also saddens me because I often get the sense from people that things that I have done are just not for them. I get the impression that they wish they 'got to do cool things' like travel, etc. My hope in this area is that others do not box themselves in. We are each capable of soo very much as the Lord leads us, and I think we often limit our view of where God can take us so we don't even start on that path. Service activities and living overseas is not possible, interesting, or desirable to everyone, but I think our amazement at how another lives his or her life should not be because we have limited ourselves to less than God intended, but rather because of His ability to empower each of us in different directions with different passions and skills.

So to those who are amazed or even jealous of something someone else has done or even their 'way of life,' I ask, 'Why not you?' Why don't you see what amazing things the Lord has laid ready and waiting for you to ask Him about?

Church friends at Birthday / going away party.

As for me...I'm amazed at accountants, electricians and people who have lived for 10+ years in the same city.

All that being said, I'm looking at 7 more weeks in my final semester to complete 2 masters capstone papers, and all my normal course work while job searching and talking 10 days out of the middle to return to Switzerland. On Friday the 1st, I'll head back to Switzerland for a week long training with an international humanitarian aid organization. I'll go through the week as a mutual check on if this is really what I want to be doing and if the organization thinks I can do it. After that, it's wherever the Lord leads, French speaking African nations are likely possibilities. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. :)

Thus, I end with the 'future' after dragging you all through some of my thoughts in the last few weeks at the reactions of people toward 'my future'. Now, being so very close to what I've envisioned doing for so long, I'm forcing myself to step back to be sure I'm not just 'doing this because it is the next thing to do. No,  I want to do the next thing because it is exactly what the Lord has prepared in advance for me to do.

Final hangout with church friends. 

My prayer is that each step and choice is lead by the Lord, that each of us do not walk down a path because it looks simple, easy, well worn, or with recognizable foliage around it. Let's choose to follow the singular way that the Lord leads us, and then when sharing with others we won't be surprised that theirs is so different or has unusual scenery when compared to our own. We will know that it is because we are walking on our path and no one else is seeing God like us, no one else is equipped to walk where you are walking, to touch the people you are touching or to reflect Christ's light, as you are doing.

As I struggle through my last semester, wanting to be in so many other places, with so many other people, doing basically anything else, I'm struck by the beauty of each day in which I consciously choose to recognize the blessings right in front of me instead of longing for the future. I'm learning and I'm growing and there are people near enough to influence for Christ. That's enough. Done.

May your days be sweet because you choose to follow Him.
Blessings,
Jessica

Amazin' views while hiking in Liechtenstein!!! 

Closing of one chapter, on to the next...

So what are you doing this summer? Come visit me in my final few weeks in Geneva.....Oh, that makes me sad to write that. It is only beginning to sink in the last 48 hours that I only have a matter of weeks left here. 

I thought I would try to do a short (for me at least) and sweet posting to give you an outline of recent weeks and then do another more full finisher before my departure. 

So, what has been happening.....

Rebecca and Jocylen, My dear
 friends supporting me at graduation.

1. I have graduated!!!! I am (almost) the owner of an International Organizations MBA ---- the only thing remaining is to complete my final 'thesis', which is a practicum paper written based on the internship I did during the year with the branch of the UN. 

2. I finished my UN internship and you can see my name on the 1st of 2 published documents from my work. Here is the link, go to the acknowledgement page and look really hard in the 3rd paragraph. I can't believe I did 9 months of work and am only in the 3rd paragraph. :) See, 4th page, 3rd paragraph: http://unctad.org/en/PublicationChapters/wir2013front_en.pdf 

Rockamador, Fantasy like. 

3. I have hit the half way point of my internship at the ILO !!! (International Labor Organization) I just finished up my 6th week and have about 7 weeks left. I have been spending most of the time on one project which is developing an open-source data base of what each government is doing to combat human trafficking and forced labor.

4. I got to travel with my parents and grand-parents in Europe. It was awesome (and not only because they blessed me by paying for my travels)

5. I got to travel with Jamie and Lexie (brother and sister n law). We did a weekend in Chamonix and then a few days in Barcelona the next weekend. 

the Organ in the church. Awesome.

Both times with family was extremely special and memorable and were highlights of my year. I enjoyed being challenged in my French with mom and grandma's eating allergies and Lexie's sick visits to the clinics! Yikes, can't mess up in these situations. Also, learned so much about my family getting to spend the time with them. Hahah, very entertaining. 

All three of us in the Sagrada Familia Church...or as I like to call it, the Sangria church

I loved the light coming in!!!

Lex and I at Gaudi's park

My first bites after about a week. 

6. I also brought some friends back with me from Barcelona....for the first time in my life I got bed bugs. Beeeeee ware!!!!

Same bites almost 2 weeks old, clearly they don't heal fast. 

7. And due to my blog being deleted before posting earlier this week, I have one new point to add. I have done a new summer hair cut this week....I was ready for it, and as funny as it sounds, I felt the Lord leading me to 'give-up' my hair (I cut 9 inches to donate to an organization which uses it to make wigs for cancer patients.)

Ok, I"m quite sure that is plenty for now. Please let me know if you will be in Europe before the end of the summer, Pittsburgh during the fall 2013, or CA around December 2013. Would love to catch up. 

May you be free to let God work in your life. 

Blessings, 

Jessica

The Little Things in Life....

Dear Friends....it has been too long....I would like to begin doing more often, shorter posts for you to enjoy. This past 5 months of silence is a bit long even for me and I"m so very eager to connect with each of you.

I've been struggling with how to do this posting as there are so many things I'd like to share with you, So here is what I have come up with; a couple of small sections below in 'bullet point form' for quick easy transfer of information. :) How does that sound? (Actually, I don't really care how it sounds, cause that is what I"m doing. So lets get started...:))

What has happened between January and May in my life? Well, let me brief you...

1. A LOT of school work and classes. Starting in mid-March we had classes almost every Saturday in addition to the classes during the week, and any week day that I was not in class I was doing my internship with UNCTAD. This means I had weeks on-end where Sunday afternoon was the only time open...to prepare for the week. Yes, I am tired.

The Screamer painting in Oslo

The 'IceBar' in Stockholm

2. Easter Break I got to go to Scandinavia!!!! [Stockholm, Oslo, Bergen, Copenhagen- for more pictures see facebook] While it was great to be traveling again and I was blessed with clear blue skies for the full 10 days, I also had my phone stolen-- literally from right under my nose. Anyone wishing to see the actual moment of theft I have a print out from the cameras of my phone being stolen. I was also able to attend an international Easter Service in Oslo = cool!

3. I FINALLY was offered the internship at the ILO (International Labour Organization) for which I have been networking since September!! This is a long story, but the short version is that I have sent LOTS of emails to LOTS of people and took every new person's card from the ILO that I met to pester them as well. I'd had even found my way into the ILO volleyball team, as well as the weekly ILO intern presentations -prior to being offered the internship. :) When I"m motivated, I can be rather intense. The Lord is working on this with me. Hehehe....;)
The position is in the Program to Combat Child Labour and I have already been told that they are about to start a program in India for which the donor has already stated that they would like to work with IJM!!!! [For those who don't make the connection, IJM is the organization that I worked with in India for a year.]

--Did I mention that this position marks the start of my PAID work doing what I want to do with my life (human rights, anti-trafficking, development work)?!!?

There's always time to have tea with friends.

4. Built my character. This is the long and the short of it. I've had some not so fun emotional times here in Geneva, but also been so very blessed by many people. As always, I could not make it through the hard times without my best friend and Savior  I don't know who or what people cling to who don't know Him. I would have been a goner (so many times) without His hands to guide me.

5. Continued to juggle local activities: volleyball, indoor soccer, Bible study, studying French, Zumba classes,  networking events, and testing the waters of a new 'hobby' which a friend recommended; the Toast-Masters club. As well as dealing with the future. I have a final semester back in Pittsburgh, so planning classes, return flights, applying for scholarships, etc. adds another layer of activities here.

So What have I really been learning here? Let me tell you......

1. I have had some amazing classes such as micro-finance, designing development projects, and social entrepreneurship. While I have not loved all courses equally, I am glad for all that I am learning and feel that I will have to review everything again over the summer to remember what I have 'learned'!

The 'Water Jet' on Lake Geneva

2. French! Yes, I am progressing. While far from capable, it is useful and I am at the point where people switch to English with me because their English is no longer better than my French. Hahah, I love competition. (Of course this is only true some of the time.)

3. Not a new lesson, but a renewed learning of how small things really do matter. A phone call from a friend, an email from my family, a note I write to a classmate, makes SUCH  a difference.

For example my 'little brother' :) recently he and Morgan (his wife) bought an RV an now they are traversing the U.S. [Sorry brother if I"m spoiling your own story time.] From where I sit [several continents and an ocean away] this came out of now where,

JOYS of the road......[and end of the blog posting]
1. My parents arrive in a week! I'm so excited to see them and travel with them. My grandparents are currently crossing the Atlantic and they will arrive in Barcelona and we will all meet up for some travel time. It comes at a break in my courses and conveniently I have been able to finish my current internship the day before they arrive and have all my assignments done for the time being. So it will truly be a break and really my 'summer'. Because after that trip I will have several more courses to complete, be starting at the ILO full time until returning to Pittsburgh missing the 1st week of classes there.

2. Jamie and Lexie (brother and sister-n-law) come at the end of June into July! Yeahhhh, and so they will be around for my 'graduation'. I'm going to at least travel with them to Barcelona a city I have tried many times to visit, but as of yet have failed. It will be amazing.

3. Though my younger brother and wife (Josh and Morgan) will not be able to visit me, they have begun their own epic adventures on the U.S. continent. A few weeks ago they bought an RV and are now traversing the country. I only found out about it as they were driving their RV back to CA from purchasing it several states away and I am a bit jealous I must say for their freedom!! :) I' hope they don't mind me sharing, but I"m so very proud of them and if you want to follow their blog is: http://sunradingamerica.blogspot.ch/

[both are far superior writers than me, so it is always an enjoyable read]

4. Lastly, as of December 2013 I will no longer be a student. I will finish my 2 masters and for better or worst take steps to enter the 'real world of work'. Of course my idea of that is still to be sent to India, or central Africa, or the Middle East, but that is of course in God's hands. :)

View over Bergen, Norway at night. 

WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM EACH OF YOU!!!!

-What are the summer plans you have?
- How is this school / work year been so far?
-What have you crossed off your bucket list this year?
-How have you grown in your character in the last months?

Love and blessings as always. Until next we chat.
Jessica