Phew, successfully completed 11 days in my new home, Geneva.
Yes, I literally moved continents for a new phase in life and figuratively moved mountains to get here. Since the day my feet touched the Geneva ground, I have felt nothing but peace and awe. For someone obsessed with public transport and yearns for an efficient one (Hey, Chennai is brilliant in terms of connectivity, but the seamlessness doesn’t exist. CUMTA is a joke for now at least, but that’s a story for another day.), Geneva is a dream come true. With one ticket, I can switch between buses and trams (and even boats, if I remember correctly.)
Much of my first week went in scheduling appointments for statutory obligations like obtaining a residence permit, enrolling myself as a student in the eyes of the government of Switzerland and the likes. Considerable time was also invested in figuring out the cheapest grocery store that I can afford to spend in without burning my student-budget ass. I also had considerable culture shock initially since road users (all of them irrespective of their modes of transport) obeyed stoplights and pedestrians had the right of way – a concept non-existent in India. New location, a totally different culture, people normally smiling at you and passing on a ‘Good morning’ or a ‘Good day’ as they go by, new people, the sudden lack of sounds and chatters around me etc is surely overwhelming. It is proving to be a tad tough to find my feet here and become a ‘resident’ of Geneva, but I am enjoying the challenge, so to speak.
However, if there was one thing I could call constant, it would be my evenings on the roof. Our terrace provides a direct view of the Lake of Geneva and on good days, one can even spot Mont Blanc. Most of my evenings go in heading up, plugging in my earphones and grooving to some good music, enjoying the view. And the very-approving comments from cousins and family back home that seem to unanimously say that I look more at peace and happier here than they have ever seen me. Well, that’s true. I am more at peace and happier than I ever remember being and I hope to improve on the existing stat.
Here's a bonus picture of Geneva that I love.
Until next time,
M