Ready, Set, Rest!

Happy Spring! Well, at least it is here in California. Though we are still in drought, there has been a recent dumping of rain to join our mostly warm weather leading to lovely green fields and lush trees and flowers. I"m so loving this sunny weather, but I don't plan to be around for the consequences of an early spring with hardly any winter.....a summer with a lot of fires.

In my last posting I let you all know officially know about the completion of my two programs and degrees. I"m so thankful to be done and to have time with my family before transitioning into...(que the dramatic music).....professional life!

In my time since Christmas I've been able to 'do' much. Unpack my loaded car, clean my room- which has been the dumping zone during my transitions for the last 10 years (yes 10 years- I was opening mail from years ago), cleaning/ reinstalling the operating system of my mal-functioning computer, meeting with friends in the area, dealing with insurance, credit cards, dentist and doctor visits, time to study French, and on and on it goes. Basically all the stuff that sits around needing to be done, but you use the excuse 'when I have time, I'll do it'. Well, I'm here to tell you, it is not that much fun to do when you do have time, but I'm trying to be thankful for the restbit anyway.

Above all, I recognize that this is a time unlike any other I"m likely to have, possibly ever. A time when I feel content in where the Lord has me to simply 'rest'. I am in a continual process of discovering what that actually even means. It is not as simple as coming home at the end of a long day or week to 'rest' for the evening or weekend. It is something much deeper and demanding.

Resting, in our society is not generally viewed as a big character building exercise. It is something that people are usually hoping for, and looking forward to, but then once people have their 'rest' or vacation or whatever they are wishing for, they often come back to ‘everyday’ life needing a rest from their rest. Does this sound familiar? Most of us are not good at sitting still, except perhaps when we reach retirement, and even then you hear about how people struggle enjoying this ‘rest time’.

The ability to engage with another human-being without a schedule and constant glances at our watches and/or interruptions from our phones is rare indeed. Can you think of the last time you did that?

The other day, as I was literally putting the suitcase lock on my bag to put in the car and drive to the airport with my dad to fly to Texas, we had a neighbor stop by the house. He had come only because he wanted to share some movies that he had burned on DVDs for me, on a subject he thought that I would be interested in based on a previous discussion. He held me at the front door for 15-20mins telling me all the details - names and places of the 2 DVDs he'd just given me, with seemingly no awareness that I was standing with wet hair and a luggage lock in my hand and half put on shoes on my feet. As I stood there listening (but not really hearing) my first thought was how rude this seemed to me and that he had no idea of his poor timing. My next thought was, perhaps I need to be more like that ....to have my focus on engaging with the person and sharing life together without being driven - no, without being controlled by the clock!!!

I'm the first to admit that our Western world is driven by schedules and planning, and to be honest I enjoy it to a degree and find it very beneficial in many ways. But I also know that I want to be a person living on Christ's timeline to serve other people, and that OFTEN will not be MY timeline.

This 3+ month long 'rest' that I am enjoying has had its challenges, the greatest of which have been building relationships and adapting to others' timing, both my family, friends, and Christ's timing. If I want to live my own life apart from others, I can control every second of my life, but if I want to live a life of relationship, character growth, heart change, service, and joy in all circumstances, then I must adapt my life pace to that of those around me and most importantly to that of Christ who sees all and knows all and will not waste my time the time He has allowed me.

To everything there is  a season, and this may not be your season to rest, but still it is worth taking time to recognize what season you are in and enjoy that for all it is worth. We don't know what will come tomorrow, but we know what is here today - enjoy it. There must be rain to bring spring and there must be a hot summer to dry the leaves for a cool fall.

Love well, lean on others, have fun, choose to be joyful.

Be blessed whatever your season might be,

Jessica

P.S. I still struggle to sit and read a book for hours- even one I've been wanting to read for years. To those who can do this in peace and tranquility, you are blessed - never lose that skill and practice it often.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

Common English Bible

There’s a season for everything and a time for every matter under the heavens:2     

a time for giving birth and a time for dying,

a time for planting and a time for uprooting what was planted,3     

a time for killing and a time for healing,

a time for tearing down and a time for building up,4     a time for crying and a time for laughing,

a time for mourning and a time for dancing,5     

a time for throwing stones and a time for gathering stones,

a time for embracing and a time for avoiding embraces,6     

a time for searching and a time for losing,

a time for keeping and a time for throwing away,7     

a time for tearing and a time for repairing,

a time for keeping silent and a time for speaking,8     

a time for loving and a time for hating,

a time for war and a time for peace.

What do workers gain from all their hard work? 10 I have observed the task that God has given human beings. 11 God has made everything fitting in its time, but has also placed eternity in their hearts, without enabling them to discover what God has done from beginning to end.

[Thank you Gateway Bible]

GRADUATION ANNOUNCEMENT

This is my official graduation announcement:

Jessica Mullins has officially completed her 

Master of International Development 

Major: NGO and Civil Society 

& 

Master of Business Administration

Focus: International Organizations

So in spite of all the costs incurred at two different institutions of higher learning on two different continents, I did not get any real graduation celebration. Boo, hoo. Thus, I have decided to make my own.

This my friends, is how economical I am in sending out graduation announcements. Personalize the sample they send me and then take a picture of it !!!


Reflections of a Graduated Graduate Student...

As you grow, you think you know

You look ahead with enough anticipation to jump out of bed. 

There are always nah sayers, and lazy players, 

But growing up I started to push away the fluff and learned to be tough. 

School could be fun and easy, but that never seemed to be for me. 

I worked hard and played hard. 

But praying hard was always the key. 

Passing through undergrad, international work, and then grad school was in the cards. 

My passions became more focused and I began to see what I could be. 

Pittsburgh, Geneva....Switzerland that is

New homes, new friends, new churches, new studies...

Changing locations and degrees, intentionality and logistics were my biz. 

The winters were cold, but skiing was grand, and down jackets became my best buddies. 

I studied hard, and listened well, loving all the new info, true it tis. 

My final semester came at last, my classmates had finished their single degree in the past. 

They had their spring of big gowns and square hats, I went on to finish mid-year in just my low flats.

One degree, two degree, three, I thought someone said they'd become free. 

I'm so glad to have finished my MID & my IOMBA, you don't know what those are you say? 

No problem, as long as the HR managers answer my groans, I'll be able to pay my loans.

Here's to education, both in and out of the classroom, may we one day be free from all the bad legislation, to learn and to grow daily and never stop using our imagination. 

And thus concludes my formal announcement to you special people. Feel free to respond with all manner of gifts and checks and exciting encouraging notes. You will be honored with a non-electronic 'thank-you'. Just kidding about the gifts!---(kinda)

From my free wings to yours!

Jessica

Starting 2014 off Right...

Happy New Year!

There - I said it...Now let's get this year going.

Personally, 2014 holds great promise as I transition from academics into my professional life. It has been a long time in coming, but I"m rather excited. As I look forward, it is easy to forget all that has gone on in 2013. As so many of you, I'd like to take the time to look back on all the Lord has blessed me with in the past year.

I was able to have my parents, grandparents, and brother and sister-n-law come and visit me in Switzerland. I got to spend time traveling with them and on my own. I was able to visit several new countries and return to previously visited ones. I was blessed with two internships while in Geneva and an amazing church community that contributed to my French skills and to my missing Geneva now that I"m gone. I moved back to Pennsylvania in September and then back to California via an 8 day solo drive across the country 2 days after I took my last final exam. I'm so thankful to now be in a rest period as I move toward a full time position with a relief or development organization, now that I have finally completed all my work for my Masters of Business Administration and my Masters of International Development.

But this year has  not been all fun and games. Getting through the work was more than a struggle at times, and my internships both had their times of trial. I can easily say that returning to Pennsylvania a week late for classes with no place to live, no car, an unset course schedule, and the expectation I would move my things from storage exactly 4 days after I landed, was one of the most stressful weeks of my life. (Yes, even more than finals weeks, moving abroad, etc.)

Anyway, enough of my year in review. To be honest, ringing in the New Year has never been a major event in my life. No big traditions and few parties. While I'm thankful for the turning of another year and the anticipation of all God will do with it, I find I'm much more thankful that I have a million more opportunities to make changes during any minute throughout the year. I find it entertaining, and slightly sad at times the way many people depend on the New Year to set new goals, higher standards (or lower) for themselves, change a behavior, build a relationship, etc.....what if we were doing that all year long?

I'm not trying to put down New Year's resolutions, I just find that I can never get into them because I find it is not about 'changing myself in the new year' it is about working on my attitude and heart issues long before and after the clock strikes midnight on December 31st.

I pray that this year will not be filled with unreasonable expectations, guilt, and doing things because we feel we are supposed to do them, rather, that our lives and hearts will be filled with grace at our own and others' mistakes, encouragement to challenge ourselves to do new things and grow from old way, fresh perspectives on the lives of people who are different than ourselves, and a passion for the path the Lord lays at our feet.

I do wish each of you a day and a week and a year filled with the Lord's blessings and wisdom and an ever growing heart with which to recognize and accept those blessings.

I'd be thrilled to hear highlights from your year and or set up a skype / coffee to catch up more now that I have a little time off. :)

Until Next time,
Jessica

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

Surprise! It's a blog-post on Thanksgiving!

Sharing good times at gracious friends' flat. 

 Or, more accurately, a post about being thankful......

I don't know about you, but I have a lot of thankful friends. Many people have been doing daily postings on facebook as to what they are thankful for; and some of them are very inspirational.

I am thankful that I have found a 'Connect' group through my church, from whom I can learn a lot. The group is completely in French. Thus, it is incredibly challenging to spend 2-4hrs. with this group every Thursday night. And yet, it is, without question, my favorite part of almost every week. It is challenging in every sense of the word. Not only to get myself there on time, at 19:00hr. because they are, indeed, Swiss and start on time, but to have the mental endurance to focus on every word that is being said and practice my comprehension. It also takes incredible self-control my strong desire to hide in a corner, sit with only those I know can speak English, or not speak at all. While my attempts at communication in French are limited and child-like at best, this group is incredibly gracious and kind, I never sense hostility or frustration from them at my inability to communicate clearly. I am so thankful to be able to know such individuals, even if I miss-out on much of their personalities due to the current language barrier.

Classes...yes, what a blessing to be able to learn. Though, at times, I would prefer other blessings, I am, indeed, thankful that I can read, and type, and write, and speak. Such simple things which are true gifts to have, not rights.

Recent chocolate chip 'cookies' I
made for my 'CONNECT' group.

Food, food, so much food. While the world has twisted it into a struggle area for so many women (and men!), and I myself often find that it has become a kind of 'god', I am surely blessed to not have to worry if I will eat each day. It is only a matter of what, when, how, and how much.

Group of us went to see a local ice hockey game,
Geneva vs. Zurch. Geneva won of course.

Physical ability. While in India I tore a part of my quadricepe muscle and was confined to bed rest for a week and unable to walk properly for several weeks. While I thought that I was grateful before that event for my physical ability, I have, forever, an increased appreciation for my working legs. Every time I walk or run (too far) or my feet hurt, I think of that time when I had no choice but to lay in bed...God, thank you that I can walk, that I can run, there are so many people who cannot.

Enjoying some Indian naan with friends!

You. Thank you for reading this. It is likely, because you, at least know me and are interested to some degree, in what is happening to me here in Switzerland (or you are just board, which is fine too). Every day I am reminded of the blessing of true friends. While I LOVE traveling, meeting new people, and learning about new cultures...I am realizing, more and more, that life is all about who you share it with. It can be anyone, actually. While we are all the same on some levels, we are all, of course, very unique...and it takes time and effort to get to know people. It actually takes a lot of effort. I find that I long for those deep relationships which we all seek, but it is when I move away, and start life again in a new place, that I realize the depth and significant of the relationships that I left behind. To all those in places I have lived in the past, I am profoundly grateful for each of you. I do think (and pray over) you often and wonder how your life is going. We are each on our own journey, but God has blessed me with extraordinary travel companions at points my life. I'm privileged to have spent time with you in the past, I hope to hear more about your present, and I anticipate seeing you again, if not on this earth, than there-after. And if, perchance you are reading this and you are not sure if you will see me on this earth again, than you better email me right now so we can be sure to meet in the eternity to follow. [If that sounds creepy to you, then you better email me anyway, so I can clarify!!! Haha]

Ok, well, due my full week ahead and desire to post my 'Thanksgiving Post' in a timely fashion[i.e. before Christmas!], I will end there. I would love to hear things that you all are thankful for as well; just post below! Also, a quick note, I will be in CA for 2 weeks, over Christmas and New Years, and would be thrilled to catch up with as many of you as possible. If you will be in CA at that time, and would like to see my face, let me know! I'd love to see yours.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM GENEVA!!!

With Thanksgiving and Hugs,
Jessica

Q-Tips and Peanut Butter....

Our final IR class, held at the World Economic Forum

Peanut Butter and Q-Tips.....What? Those two things don't fit together in your mind? Well, they do for me. Both items are taken for granted when in the US, but they cannot be found any where else in the world! Yes, it is sad. I also wanted my tile to reflect the eclectic nature of this blog posting.

Hanging out in the World Economic Forum after class

So...let me start with a short update of the last few weeks. Just to give you a flavor of life, as I currently know it---which is ever changing. To start with, there is no pattern to anything, at this point. Over the course of the year I will be completing 24 modules. They are all of a different duration, with no pattern to their scheduling. For the most part, this is because the instructors are practitioners themselves of what they are teaching. This makes for awesome, applicable courses, but quick demanding workloads and eradic classes based around their work schedules. Thus far, we have completed one module, have one paper to complete a 2nd, one group project to complete a 3rd, and are in the mists of two others with a new one beginning this week. The program, as I have mentioned, is very unique and not very old. The alumni are very active and many are still working around town, coming in to give presentations, etc. and all remain enthusiastic about the program.

Yes, I am cheap enough to buy a salad in CH from McD's,
And yes they did include a  disposable dressing
bottle that I havesaved and  been reusing.  :)

Each year of the program, the class has its own dynamic. While all the groups have been relatively small, ours is particularly so. As a core cohort, we are 16 individuals, but there are a number of other individuals who are completing the program in 2 or 3 years and are a part of some of our courses. This makes for plenty of time to get to know my classmates while having a bit of spice with new additions to each class. Though by the end of 24 classes together I'm sure I will know the other 15 people pretty well! Just to give you an idea of who is in the class, there are a couple of other Americans, an Aussie, a Kiwi, a girl from China, S. Korea, Costa Rica, Greece, a Russian, and several people of mixed backgrounds, German, Lebanese, Korean, etc. It's been wonderful getting to know people and the very diverse set of backgrounds that we all have. Of the 16, there are just two who speak only one language.

Outside of class there is of course plenty going on as well. Being an international and lively city there are events, festivals, and groups to meet up with at every turn. I've fallen into a few things, but as of yet have no confirmed pattern to my days. There's volleyball, football (soccer), bible study groups, 'UN Drinks' (i.e. weekly networking), French classes, 1 on 1 French practice, etc. I"m so grateful that opportunities have been presenting themselves, and I've loved walking all around the city to do things.

Being in such a small class with such great opportunities abounding has been a bit overwhelming and a lot to take in. I'm finding that I'm re-evaluating how I interact with people and what constitutes 'an opportunity' worth pursuing. Often my conversations with people are limited in time and scope and I'm on the side of wanting something that they have to offer. It makes for potentially stress-inducing situations all the time! In light of that, it is also very exciting to have so many things laid out nicely in front of me and have the understanding that this is what the next 9 months is going to look like, so I don't have to take everything that is handed to me. With such forthcoming possibilities, I have the chance to test out different means to my end career goals. This is to say that I am able to try out different ways of building/maintaining communication with people. It is an interesting process to evaluate one's behavior and the results, and be able to adjust in such short periods of time. I'm not sure if this is making any sense to anyone......My point? I am learning a lot about myself and growing my communication skills. :)

I have spilled more things in Switzerland than the rest of my life combined!
Yogurt, trashcans, dishes, etc. 

Delicious Thai place for Friday night dinner

A final anecdote. I have been trying to build up my long-distance running ability. I've only come to appreciate the running in the last 6 months or so and thus have been trying to go running more regularly. I find it is a wonderful time to mentally rest and talk with the Lord, or have intense discussions with Him. Either way, I've always had mental blocks about how far I am able to run. Living on the lake gives me the option of running along the lake in either direction, so I've been mixin' it up and trying to run as far as I can before the lake path ends and roads hinder the path. The last few times I've gone running, I've felt that the time proved that I was running much further than my little pedometer had been telling me. For those of you who don't know, my little click on pedometer is one of my favorite travel items. When walking around a new place all day I always love to see how far I've walked, and I've never had a reason to consider it inaccurate. Well, on Friday after running for 1hr 15min my pedometer said 3.5miles. I can walk 3miles backwards  in less time, so I knew it was wrong. I decided I need to check with Google just to know the distance for sure....well, apparently when I thought I was pushing myself to run 3 miles (which is far for Jessica) I had actually been running 8.5miles!! I was/am kind of in shock. With that said (along with other stories I could tell), it has been fun to see God working in my life since I've been here. He is challenging me in the limits that I have placed on both myself and Him. What if I break out of the box? I thought I had before, but it is so exciting to see God continue to educate me on His power and might.....I anticipate more and look forward to sharing with you all too.

Some fun Swiss things I forgot....
-When paying at a cash register it is rude to hand your money to the person, you need to put it down so they can grab it.
-Public transport is so easy and clean.
-Co-ed bathrooms are no big deal
-A $20-$30 meal is cheap
-There are too many cheese and chocolate choices. RUN!

I wanted to end the blog on a sweet note: "The way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better." 
[Colossians 1:10]



Blessings, until next time. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this posting!
Jessica

Some classmates and I enjoying a Friday evening next to the Lake after class. 

 In case you are interested to see where some of my instructors work:
http://www.weforum.org/
http://www.usaid.gov/
http://www.ilo.org/global/lang--en/index.htm

Just another view of the Lake from the south side.