We made it! And life is grand. I mean really, how many chances does one ever get to live in a quaint french village, work in an ultra-modern Swiss city, and commute back and forth from Geneva to Berlin? We couldn’t be happier that we made this decision. Here are a few snapshots of life here, to give you a sense of the area.
Our new second home in the village of Prevessin-Moens, France (pop. 7000):
Essentially the entirety of our France apartment (living room, kitchen, and loft bed):
Front of the house (my door is on the left):
This is really my view from the backyard:
And from down the street (WHAT!?!):
And our lovely “permanent barbecue”, as they call it here, and patio area in the back where Chris works when he’s in town and we can sip wine and grill in the evenings:
View of the alps from the bbq area:
And view of the neighborhood from a distance:
Welcome to Geneva/Happy Bastille day fireworks, from the front yard!
First day of work at the WHO! They used to be a part of the larger UN complex but since 2007 have moved to their own space next to UNAIDS:
The commute to and from work every day:
They have incredible public transportation here, so it’s possible to bus, train, boat, walk, or bike everywhere. It’s fairly intuitive to figure out, but the first time I tried to take a bus I was trying to buy a ticket from one of the machines that exists at every bus stop, and it had an entire menu of silver buttons you could push and was described only in french. I just kept pushing buttons and staring at it with absolutely no success until eventually, the bus pulled up, sat for a while waiting for me, and then finally the driver got out and asked in very concerned French if the machine was broken? He spoke no English, but I somehow managed to convey that no, it wasn’t, I just have no idea what I’m doing. So, he asked me where I was trying to go (in French) and then counted all my coins for me (I had yet to glance at what amounts of money they stood for) and then bought my ticket for me. I guess that’s par for the course in a country where it’s punishable by law not to help someone in need. I think we’re going to like this place.
What a great experience you two are having! I had to laugh at the bus ticket adventure. It will get easier, I’m sure! (Sans dout!) I can’t type in French because the computer doesn’t have les accents… Anyway, love the pictures and your fabulous view of the Alps!