Holiday White Elephant-what?!? Purple-Monkey-Dishwasher??

Sufferin' Succotash! I can't believe it's true! It's already been 7 months in Geneva, and it feels as though I just got here last month! Yet at the same time, 7 months into the future seems like such a long ways away.

Anyway, as we're all about to ring in the new year, there's nothing like a party with the WCC crew to kick off the festivities and celebrations!



Great turn out from all that showed up! Even though we were missing the likes of some party regulars (ie. Sarah, Gitte, Kent, Susie, Faautu, etc).

*(and I do apologize for the lack of amazing and racy pictures, as I hadn't charged up my camera batteries since I got back from Rome. Yes, that's right, cat poop in my stocking this year)

The White Elephant Gift Exchange, surely did not disappoint, as Jose's "backup" (namely his brother and sister) were also in attendance to twice steal back the wicked grab-bag of goodies that was so highly sought for.

Alas, this post is not without sadness. Although it was a fun-filled celebration of the holidays, it was also Malin's farewell sendoff as her time in Geneva has come to close and she will be heading back to her native Sweden.



I would just like to take this opportunity to say to Malin, that it has truly been a great honor and pleasure in getting to know you. Your time here in Geneva has been nothing short of utter delight for me. And best of all, the thing that I will most treasure are the memories that you have left for me. Of the 3 karaoke outings, we've been the only ones to have shown up to all of them, and each time we brought the house down with a mixture of ABBA and Backstreet Boys. If there was ever any regret about your leaving, it's that I never got a chance to sing, "Shape of my Heart" in your presence. =) I wish you all the best and continued success and happiness in your life!

And to everyone else...

...Merry Christmas!
...Happy Holidays!
...Happy Hanukkah!
...Happy Kawanza!
...Holy Shit!

I hope you have a great holiday break and I'll see you all in the new year!

Montreux X-Mas Festival

I think for once in my life, it's actually quite a refreshing feeling to not be bombarded with advertisements, sales, and promotions about the latest gifts that you can get for your loved ones.

For the first time in my life, I will not be enticed by the 2 most over-rated words of this time of the season, "Midnight Madness".

That's right, Christmas in Europe is a complete flipside to the holiday coin that North Americans are so accustomed to living.

Really, the only indication of Christmas consumerism are the Christmas festivals and markets that spring up across smaller towns and cities around the countryside. Which brings us to Montreux. As the majority of our interns hail from the consumerist side of the world, we couldn't resist but experience the one of the holiday traditions that the Swiss are accustomed to.

So let's begin, shall we...

(actually hold up for a second, already I've already written half of this post already, so I know what's coming up, and I gotta say, nothing really happened, we just walked around and saw things, as you'll notice, because it's completely incoherent...and now that I think of it, it was actually quite boring, so no hard feelings if you stop reading...anyway...back to the pictures)

Ned. That was the name of the sign that we saw right as we stepped out of the station. No idea what it means. Perhaps it's referring to the man beside? If you know why, email me!



After a bit of walking, we opted to stop into a cafe for a quick warmup of nourishment. To our surprise and delight, we were treated to a plethora of exotic hot chocolates, coffees, and teas. As tempting as the more exotic hot chocolates (ie. White Chocolate Stawberry-Lychee, White Chocolate Coconut, etc.) I opted to for the traditional, Dark Hot Chocolate.



And you're right, just based on the picture alone, you can easily tell that this isn't your run of the mill, "just-add-water-hot-chocolate-powder-mix". This was serious dark chocolate, that's been melted down and mixed with milk/cream. Only one word was most appropriate for this experience: "Decadent". Absolutely decadent. The only way hot chocolate should ever be made and experienced.

Anyway, after that little pitstop, we were back on our way to seeing the rest of the market festival...



Definitely, one of the highlights of the festival was the Polish Creche Museum (Les Creches Polonaises). Each of the "castles" in the showcase was painstakingly built with only the simplest of materials such as paper, cardboard, sparkles, sequins, etc. Truly an incredible display of skill, patience, and craftsmanship.



And at the same time, I just couldn't resist. For those of you fans of the SNL sketch, where Will Ferrell is Robert Goulet and has a staring contest with a deer, this picture is for you.



And since I lost, because the deer always wins, I promptly entered myself into the traditional mating ritual showdown between myself and another male deer.



Big thanks to Vanessa for indulging one of my eccentricities.

Then it was on to the other star attraction of Montreux...

...the Freddie Mercury Monument!




All you Queen fans out there, get green with envy.

After that...all I can say is, food food food...



Then some more pictures of people...and things...jeez...can you tell how bored I was? I can't even get enthusiastic about writing this damned blog post.



Anyway, if there was a bright spot of the day, I can easily say, without exaggeration that it was the view. Amazing lakeside view, with the sunlight breaking through the fog and clouds around the mountains. Just another breathtaking view from yet another beautiful Swiss town.



And that's it.

You didn't believe me when I warned you that this was going to be a really boring post?

Yeesh...