Caux, Switzerland

I feel as if I am categorizing myself among the group of young girls who have decided to serve missions for my church--

"Hey, everyone.  Read my blog about my adventures in a foreign land!!".

I believe the whole idea to be very cliche (I mean, who hasn't spent at least some time abroad these days). I will be bold enough to admit that I am in no way original and I can hardly deem myself a well-informed, world traveler.  But, without any further disclaimer, I will write about my experiences here in Europe. And if you are here,  I assume you want to be reading my mundane thoughts so, be my guest and please, read on.

I arrived in Geneva Switzerland at around 7:30am yesterday morning.  The flight over here was long. When I boarded the plane, I passed all the first-class passengers and holy crap was I jealous.  Beds people, they had beds...AND televisions with 32" screens.  Ok, that is probably a slight exaggeration but, needless to say, they were a lot bigger than my Pocket GameBoy screen.  But, hey, I was treated to some overcooked pasta, a dry roll, a bag of pretzels and endless amounts of apple juice.  So, my life is good, really good.

I then proceeded to the train station where I bought my ticket to Caux.  I got on the train, met some friends, and made my way to my destination.  I was lucky enough to sit by a girl from Colorado and to be on the same train as a fellow intern.  I felt very blessed on my journey here.  I didn't get "taken", no one tried to rob me, I made all my connections.  I arrived tired but, in safety (knock on wood).  

I am in awe at the beauty that surrounds me.  The Caux conference center is literally a castle which overlooks Lake Geneva.  Towering mountains and green hills are on either side of me.  It is gorgeous.  Yesterday I ventured to Montreux with around ten of the interns that had already arrived. Montreux is a cute little town at the base of the mountain.  We walked by the lake and familiarized ourselves with our new stomping grounds.  Although I was very tired, disoriented and everything felt blurry, I still had a great time seeing the sights and getting to know the other interns.

I am working with people from America, Kenya, China, Korea, Lebanon, Egypt, Colombia, Ireland, Austria, Romania, Lithuania, Maldova, Ukraine, Tunisia, Australia, and France.  I feel so blessed to be having this opportunity.  We had a discussion earlier today and I was so inspired by these individuals. Everyone's story is unique and I am excited to be spending time with these people who all have dreams of changing the world and making a difference.  I am already wishing I had more time to spend with them.  Four weeks just doesn't seem like enough.  

I am excited for the adventures that lie ahead.  I know I will learn a lot over the course of this internship and that this will help me become the type of person I want to be.  This is exactly where I need to be right now and I know that the growth that will come from this month will be paramount to my future successes.  

Now, time to take a nap.  It's currently 1:17am in Hawaii, 4:17 am in California, 5:17am in Utah, and 1:17pm here in Switzerland.  My body is hating me for all the time zones I have been jumping through lately.  I doesn't know when to stay awake and when to close my eyes.  Last night, I was writing in my journal and I literally started writing nonsense which had to be scribbled out.   My nightly prayer turned into a dream and I woke up kneeling with drool falling out of my mouth.  Too much information?  I told you this was your choice to be reading...

So, before I start talking nonsense or spilling my inner thoughts on this public domain, au revoir.