UN Bazaar

If there is one thing UN workers look forward to, it's the bazaar that's held in the end of November. It's a huge ordeal with long lines outside of Pregny Gate, loads of food and music coming into the quarters, and heaps of guards nervously watching us over...

It's a big event for sure, think of it as a global Xmas market. 70+ countries put out food stands, mini shops, and performances to start off the holiday season. Veteran UN workers know which stands they need to head to, and it's always a chaotic scene. I wasn't able to see everything and frankly everything was quite expensive but I was able to enjoy a few things midst the crowds.

Turkish sweets..yum!

Also Turkish coffee

My favorite...dolmas!

Argentinian empanadas

Procession

If I think about it, I haven't come across many festivals since my arrival in France. Luckily I came across one days before I'm leaving Montpellier. Saint Roch is kind of like the guardian saint of the city and there was a procession to commermorate it. There's always something going on in the city but never have I seen so many locals participating.

Caves Ouvertes ワイナリーお開き日

One of the secrets of Switzerland is that it produces a lot of wine, and it's good (although R doesn't approve of this....let's leave the battle up to the picky Frenchies). Every May all the wineries open up and offer free wine. It's a great event for wine lovers and all! Plus they sell wine bottles, Swiss food, and entertainment. It was the midst of finals studying season but that doesn't stop us from going out and having fun. If you happen to come to Switzerland around that time, I highly advise you check the events schedule as different cities and communes all have different dates for Caves Ouvertes. It's a great way to enjoy Swiss wine and culture at the same time. Plus, the vineyards are beautiful

Also Swiss wine is a great souvenir - only 1% of its wine production is exported and the rest is all consume by the Swiss. Yes we are big drinkers for sure. But also don't forget that white wine is used for making fondue so naturally we need all the wine we can!

言うとびっくりされるけどスイスは知らずと知れたワインの名産地（とはいえＲ曰く、お隣のワイン大国おフランスによるとスイスのワインはワインでないそうですが　汗）でもその１％しか輸出されないそうで、あとは全部国内で消費されてしまうのだとか。忘れがちですけどスイス料理代表のチーズフォンデュは白ワインとチーズがベースなのでみんな大量にワイン使うんですよ～　そして国外に住んでいるワインコレクターにしてみれば幻のワインなようで？とにかく珍しがられるスイスワインだけどすっきりしていながらもコクがあっておいしい☆

毎年5月になると風習でその村のワイナリーが一斉にワインを提供するCaves Ouvertes（ワインセラー開き）が行われます。5フランの入場料を払うとワイングラスがもらえてそのグラスでそれぞれのワイナリーで試飲ができます。もちろん飲み放題！想像は付くでしょうがスイス中の飲兵衛が集合！ジュネーブ郊外でもこのイベントが開かれクラスメートたちと行くことに。特別急行の電車まで出向し、村あげての大イベント　笑。

The drunk train aka the special trains that take you to the wineries in Geneva

Unsurprisingly most of them are expats who want to get free wine and get drunk　ジュネーブ郊外だけどあって参加者はほとんど物珍しさの学生や国際機関職員たち。こんなにたくさんの英語聞くの久しぶり　汗

Traditional Swiss music　スイスの伝統音楽でお出迎え！

Round 1

Raclette, yum!　もちろんワインのお供の食べ物やおつまみも売ってます。これらは有料。

You have to buy a glass yourself (5 CHF) and you can go around to all the wineries with it for the free wine. Very eco-friendly!　ワイングラスはこんな感じ。長年スイスにいる人達は毎年これをコレクター物としてとってあるんだとか？それにしてもワイングラスで飲めるとはプラスチックでの飲むより味も全然違うし、なんといってもエコ！

ブドウ畑が広がるスイスの田舎の風景はこんな感じ

Round 2　さて、第2ラウンドです

Round 3　第3ラウンド。小腹が空いたのでクレープがおつまみ

Pleasantly tipsy　ほろ酔いでいい気分♪

Village School Party

My colleague Carena, who also teaches at a village school, had her farewell party and some of us LHA staff were invited. I've known the kids at the school from the field trip so it was a wonderful way to see them one last time as well. 

I'm really proud of my colleague and how she has progressed with the school. This is not just an English school for the village; it's practically the only school. It's questionable how many of the 40-50 children in the village even go to public school. In a setting in which an education institution is lacking, it's very difficult to implement a learning environment. Children are not used to sitting down quietly to learn so discipline is a huge problem. Also as the school only had one makeshift classroom in the middle of a residential house, there were chickens and dogs running around during class which is quite unthinkable in a normal school setting. Nevertheless the children have learned how to read the alphabet and talk in simple conversational English in which I was very impressed. I can see that the children's' pronunciation has improved over the weeks as well. And mind you, Carena is German. It's fascinating to see the progress of learning and I really do hope that these kids will continue to be exposed to an educational environment. 

Giant Puppet Show

Except for the electric light show at Disneyland, I’ve never been at a night parade. At least until I came to Siem Reap, that is. The Giant Puppet Show held annually and for the eighth time this year is a great festival for both expats and locals.

It’s best to get more information about the event from their Facebook page:  
"Giant puppets are created by children and include unique educational, cultural or ecological themes such as road safety, endangered species, hygiene, local cultural appreciation and environmental awareness.
Under the guidance of student artists from Phare Ponleu Seplak in Battambang and the project’s Artistic Director, over 500 children participate in fun and creative workshops, which are designed to charge and encourage the imaginations of the children. During the course of the workshops the children’s enthusiasm grows until it bursts onto the streets of Siem Reap on the evening of the annual parade.
Established in 2007 with just over 200 children participating in the inaugural parade, the project had more than doubled in size. In 2013 nearly 600 children from numerous local schools, orphanages, 'street kid' centers took part alongside children from a nearby shelter for child landmine survivors." 

It’s a grand project. 

They have been assembling it for weeks, mostly at my work so from time to time, I would see their progress. But I didn’t realize how much of a grandiose piece of artwork it was until I saw it complete and out in the streets.

Viewing party at New Leaf Book Cafe

 

Of course, the highlight of the night was the puppets but it was also nice to see the locals come out, especially the children looking at them in complete amazement. There aren’t that many parades or carnivals for children (with the exception of Road 60 night market) so this is a big deal. And it definitely was for the adults too! 

Nothing like a beer with a great view :)

Boy in a Spiderman costume(?) PJs(?). Adorable

Happy adults

Clown on a float entertaining the kids

No carnival can't be complete without popcorn and cotton candy