So last weekend:
Rockin' Beats Fail and 12-5 in Lausanne
Rockin' Beats Fail
So, since the first night we went out in Nyon, we saw posters for a weekend long bar crawl with different concerts at each one. The entire group had been planning on attending since we saw it, thinking it'd be fun. Now the concert was described to have some rocking beats, but clearly this was a fail on their part. So Friday night comes, and we are all so excited. We planned for some pregaming at the castle (as per usual) and then set out to the first bar, le paranthese (the parentheses). The bar was located in a tunnel-type thing which was cool, but there was a 10 CHF cover, not so cool. So we figured, its the cheapest cover besides the two free ones...so why not. So we go, pay or 10 CHF and get into the bar. It is long and narrow with a bar when you enter and then an open space and a stage. Now, I was expecting to hear some techno and/or swiss music (i even would of been okay with some yodeling), however it was no such thing. It was quite the emo band..singing in french..and this music is good for relaxing and/or trying to fall asleep and/or listening to whenever but not at a bar or a music festival advertised to have rockin' beats. So after this fail, we decieded to try another one and wait until the next band came to parenthese incase they are better and we wouldnt hvae to repay 10 CHF.
So, we went to fisherman's one of our usual places. Free of charge, we get in and it is a little better, with a more hopping musical selection, but it was pretty packed. we stayed for a while, but then went back to le parenthese to be failed yet again. The music had still not improved. Thus, we went to our favorite cactus jacks to end the night. Here we sat around and chatted until our trains home.
Although it was not what we were expecting, it was a good way to all hang out together and experience a fail as a group!
12-5 in Lausanne
Since the first day we arrived in Geneva Earl has been telling us about the 12-5 culture of Switzerland. Well, it finally became time to try it out for ourselves. So a group of 5 (including myself) headed out to meet one of the guy's i was with host brother, who lives in Lausanne. We took a late night train out into Lausanne (about a 20 minute trip) and pregamed on the train..it was pretty classy. Now the events after the train ride are still to be fully put together but here is the general idea:
- arrive at the train station and try to figure out where "Le Great Escape" is. So after teaching Chip how to say "Ou est Le great escape" we watched him ask about 7 people before finally getting to a young couple. They agreed to take us to the bar. Little did we know about the hike we were about to take. We walked uphill for a good 25 min...never hitting flat land. We make it to the end of the hill and the couple tells us to go up a set of stairs next to the giant cathedral and it will be at the top of that hill. Great. so we trek up and finally arrive to bar...panting.
-we stay at great escape. By this point i had little in me to think i was going to stay in Lausanne until the first train out at 4:20 AM. However, things quickly turned for the best. With some bonding and awkward starfishes the night trudged on and we made it through bar one. for what took palce at the bar, well, that is still being discussed
-we leave the bar and are ready to go to a club. Stephan, the host brother decides to take us to Buzz. For the first 30 min we tried to find our way through the smallish club, looking for 1) a bathroom and 2) a spot on the dance floor. After arriving to the dance floor, we mark our spot and finally start to dance. The music was luckily a fun variety of American Top 40 hits, which made it fun for us americans to sing along, actually know the words, and have fun dancing. Towards the end the music switched to some older american hits including: Sweet Dreams, Dancing Queen (best of the night), and These boots are made for walking. Luckily, for each song, we were able to incorporate some fist pumping...i mean, i am from New Jersey. So after dancing on the stage, singing my heart out, and countless fist pumps, i look at my phone and realize it is 4:00am. I was a) thrilled to have made it so far b) was ready to go home and c) so tired i wasn't even tired anymore. So we decided to leave Buzz and head back to the station, this time, conveniently all down hill. Luckily i decided on boots rather than heels, but for Shira..the same thing could not be said. After a long, slow walk home...we made it in time for teh 4:48 train. The train ride home was interesting as well...still be discussed but we did learn that putting ur feet up on a chair gives you a 25 CHF penalty. Luckily, we got away with it this time.
So at 6AM i was finally in bed and sleeping. Needless to say, I woke up at 2 the next day and did nothing. I think it was a well deserved rest though.
A week of classes
This week was pretty legitimate. Nothing too exciting happened until Thursday. (side note: Tuesday, 4 of us celebrated mardi gras at Cactus Jacks. It was filled with many bets being taken by the boys and me and Jenn just laughing at them. However it did allow for me to watch some olympics) Until then i was just attempting to finish our 8 page assignment due for thursday- an observation journal on the red cross museum and old town geneva. I felt like i was in middle school writing it, full of "i" and "we" phrases, and there was no actual topic to the assignment...but that is Earl for you. So whatever, it is over.
Thursday night all the host families got together for some raclette (melted cheese and potatoes). Sitting with my host family and another family in the group, Davide, on of the other directors of the trip sat across from me. He asked me how my french was...i said ok..it was improving greatly. Bad idea...i then commenced on a 2 hour long conversation in French with him..about: DC, The Red Cross, Obama, NYC, Bolt Bus, US Politics, Italian Politics, Geneva, and Harm Reduction. After two hours..i was mentally exhausted and had nothing else in me.
Friday was really interesting and will bring me into the next and last section of this post. However, before i talk about my epic friday night...friday morning I visited Quai 9, a harm reduction site that allows drug users to inject at the facilities to reduce the transmission of HIV and Hepatitis. I've only heard of needle exchange programs in the US, but this was NOTHING like it. We walked in and were met by one of the directors of Quai 9. We sat in the waiting room for the drug users (the facility was still closed when we were there, so it was only the 5 american students who went, 3 advisors, and the director) and get information on quai 9 and what it does. Then, we got taken on a tour of the facilities where we saw the snorting section of the room, the inhalation room, and the shoot-up stations. It was really scary to think I was standing a room where people shoot up heroine and cocaine, but it was amazing too to see this (from a public health standpoint). As controversial as harm reduction is needle-injections is a big problem and providing a place with free CLEAN needles and less-harmful environment is better than what is usually done. Anyways, it was really cool and interesting and im looking forward to doing more research in this field in April for my independent study project
now back to the fun stuff...
Bern Carnival...definitely a night for the record books
So though traditionally Carnival was last weekend, Bern celebrated its carnival this past thursday to saturday. So after classes on friday, a group of 8 of us catched a train to Bern, the swiss capital. The two hour, 40 CHF round trip train ride was DEF. worth it. We got off the train and the station was just buzzing with people. Next thing i know i heard some drums. Next thing, a person in an elaborate costume. Then some more. Then some more music. Then some more costumes. Before i knew it, I was watching a band perform even before making it to the hostel.
After checking into our hostel (located in PRIME location, basically a block away from the main street of carnival) we headed to find some face paint and cheap beer for pregaming. Finding both, we had some great asian cuisine..and yes i tried the pad thai, and yes it was amazing. Then it was time to get ready: face painting and drinking and listening to some good american music via iPhone was perfect. At 10:45ish we were ready to hit the streets!
Stop 1: Heineken truck with 5 CHF sangria. We got a commerative cup for 2CHF too and for refills we only had to pay the 5CHF.
Stop 2: Turn the corner to hit the main street. PACKS of people dressed up were there, following the marching band and listening them all. We stopped to listen to one and quickly made some new friends. Roberto and his pirate friend where our first friends.
I left said pirate friend and Roberto to find a bathroom and didn't find them ever again. But, they were a riot. Supposedly Roberto was there with his 6th grade kisser, with whom he "kissed on the lips." Oh roberto.Stop 3. Back from the bathroom- we met everyone else at the same place by one of the stages with a marching band. Here we found our favorite band of the night. Dressed in bright turquoise and lime green carnival costumes they played some magical american tunes for us to sing along to. Here we met creeper of the night. He tried to give steve some laced gum..as well as some other things....we quickly walked away from him and went back to the heineken cart for more sangria.
Stop 4: After getting it we were waiting for some of our friends and up come Marcus and friends. Marcus came up to me, bised me (only twice though) and asked me if i knew what Abercrombie was. I said yes and his friend said he is a model. I was very confused...and starting talking to his friend. He asked me where I was from blah blah blah the usual, next thing i know he is drinking out of my sangria cup...but i let this happen..i think. But we decieded to part them after we found all our friends. They tried to convice us to go a night club called liquid- but with the party on the streets..we kindly said no. But from Marcus' friend i did get bised..this time 4. Apparently they don't bise 3 times in the Swiss German section of Switzerland.
- Note: i don't know if ive explained the bise but it is 3 cheek to cheek kisses, left right left as a greeting or parting.
Stop 4: The other side of the street to listen to more music. By this time it was 2 AM and after seeing countless of waldos, swine flu costumes, and avatars (one of them had no teeth! ah!) we decieded it was time to get some kabob and go to sleep.
Carnival is the greatest thing to ever happen to a country. America...get on it. Mardi Gras/Halloween is not enough. Also Bern>Geneva.
The next morning we walked around Bern and saw the parade with MORE costumes and all the bands. It was so fun to watch them and get confetti and candy thrown at us. The bands varied from Music i couldnt recognize, American music (including single ladies), and even some yodeling. Then we went to the capital building and the bear pits! (to see all my pictures- go onto facebook)
anyways. These past two weekends have been a blast but it has come time to travel.
Prochains Arrets: Paris for some GW loving (though I do get some here in Geneva) and then Brussels for some more reuniting!
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