catch up

Hello...remember me? It feels like its been ages...

For the past four days I've been in in Geneva, Switzerland at the invitation of McKenzie. And before that I was trapped (not literally but on my own accord) in the library essay-writing like I've never essay-written before. Something was produced, but it wasn't good. Not good at all. I dont want to know my grade for that particular essay. I really don't. In a state of desperation I wrote an email to my prof and told her not to expect a good essay. And so I walked and moped around soas with my head hanging low wishing i could snatch that essay back somehow and re-write it all again and then I bumped into my prof. She laughed and jokingly said she recieved my email and that she was sure that my essay wasn't that bad. I told her it was and that she shouldnt expect anything but the writings of a retard. Ok i didn't say that exactly but i realised that she was slightly worried by my insistence that it was utter shit. I didnt use the word shit either. So she tried to comfort me and told me that i still had another essay and the exam that could bring the marks up. She's right but i always expect so much frm myself that if its not perfect then it just wont do!

I cried, i actually cried when she excused herself. Not hysterical crying just those tears of desperation. And McKenzie bumped into me on the steps and told me to stop being stupid. Then she said she was taking me to Switzerland.

I stared at her "why?"

"Because you need to forget about your essay, it is done and dusted!" she said in her swiss accent. (you may wonder why she speaks with a swiss accent with a name like mckenzie - mystery solved, her father is american, but she has been brought up in Switzerland with her maternal grandparents).

I say "ok" in my cali accent and thought of snow covered mountains and chocolate *droooooool*.



And so we set off. And that dreaded essay was forgotten.



Most of days we spent in Geneva, meeting her friends and dining out. McKenzie's apartment is in an area where many North African families live and on the day we arrived we were invited by a lovelyy Moroccan lady to have dinner at her palce, while I tried to practise my non-existent French (where bizarrly hebrew words kept popping up!!!) and then resorted to Arabic. On the second day we went to Thônex where her grandparents live in a beautiful villa set on a large grassy lawn. It was all made of glass and there was a toasty wood burner in every room. The decor was minimalist with Ikea-like furnishings in pinks and bright oranges , striking and contrasting against wooden figureens brought back from her grandmothers expeditions to South America - her grandmother is a university anthropology professor. And the views - wow they were something. Damn me, I had forgotten my camera at McKenzie's place.
On the third day we spent the whole day out starting with coffee at this traditional cafe in the old downtown called a coffee at La Clémence. Checked out St Pierre's Cathedral and walked down Promenade de la Treille where the longest wooden bench in the world is situated. And of course we went to see the United Nations Building where McKenzie's grandfather works.
I'd never visited Switzerland before and I'd like to check out Zurich and the other cities and of course ski down the mountains sometime but alas time did not permit it. It was fabulous though, although i never got used to it being so quiet.
I have no time at all. I got back yesterday and today I've been washing my clothes and preparing for tomorrow. My mother complained on the phone to me today telling me that I'm going to go and spend Christmas in Malawi, and that i've been cooped up at university and then dissapear to Geneva for four days and that she hasn't seen me. To make amends I told her I'll come and spend the night at home tonight, but in all reality its because I'm basically broke and could do with a free ride to the airport to catch my plane to Lilongwe tomorrow. That and some tender motherly love to keep me going for a few more weeks before i return to London again and dive back into student life.