What does it feel like to be a student again?

When I announced to everyone that I will be going back to grad school I always got the confounded look. They all shook their heads and told me that once you're in the real world, it's hard to become a student again. 


Ugh........really?  


Sure, financially I might be a bit tight but in exchange I don't have 50-60 work weeks, to wake up at 5:45am every day, to take a packed train in Tokyo, to deal  with coworkers and boss bureacracy, to go to mandatory after work drinking and client dinners until midnight, to spend money on clothes and beauty products (it's very necessary to look a certain style at the work place in Tokyo), and most of all to have an intense job that requires to look at 5 screens to settle thousands of trades each day. Compared to that this is HEAVEN. My classes are only from Mon-Thurs with staggering schedules which I could efficiently use towards exercising, studying or reading. I cannot be any more happier. Of course there is the pressure of school work and getting good grades but the stress is miniscule considering that I won't be yelled at by 3 bosses, and put my company at compliance risk if I make a mistake at my job at the bank. 

Compared to my hellish working days, never have I been so motivated to study. During undergrad, I never had a clear idea of what I wanted to do or learn so I spent most of my days partying and watching movies. Now, I have a clearcut view of where I see myself in five years and ten years and I know that each class, each semester will get me closer to that goal. 

I am extremely grateful. Not only do I get to pursue an advanced degree beyond college but in one of the most highly renowned institutions globally in one of the most desired cities to live in the world. Everyday I am surrounded by professors and colleagues that inspire me and motivate me to learn even more. And because of that, I see myself enjoying studying more than I have ever done before. I do not want to take this for granted because now I know and personally seen many many, and many people who do not the same opportunities as I do.

 In Cambodia, I've seen hundreds of children in dire conditions at home and school. Many barely have the money to buy notebooks for school (if they even have the privilege to go to school). I have taught some of the most brightest students in which they have a limited future withe the opportunities they have in Cambodia even if they were extremely lucky to go to a university. The overall level of education of the country is very low that students are unable to apply them to work or to start a business. This often made me very depressed as I love Cambodia but there was little I can do to change the nation's education system or my students' future. 

 In the last 8 years since I graduated from UC Davis, educational institutions have changed dramatically; namely technology. I rarely use notebooks and binders because I use my laptop to organize everything for my classes. Google doc, Facebook groups, Messenger, and Dropbox are the lifelines of communicating and collaborating work with my colleagues. 

I did not have to buy a single text book this semester because all my professors have posted their reading material online; in which I download them and upload them to my iPad. I no longer need a dictionary to carry around to my French class because I use translators on my iPhone app. The evolution has been amazing and makes me realize how inefficient I was when I was in undergrad. Students have much bigger capabilities to learn these days  which is why I am also grateful to be a student again!

Miss my students :(

Geneva at Dusk

What a beautiful sky. I'm falling in love with this city.

Fêtes de vendages (Sept 20, 2014)

I apologize for this being a while ago, but I went to the Fêtes de vendages in a village by Geneva called Russin which is one of the famous local winery areas. It's unique in the sense that it's not a winery opening festival or beaujolais nouveau parties but basically celebrates the harvest of the vineyards. There's food stands, wine tasting, music, and lots of other traditional Swiss activities. This was my first weekend since school has started so it was great to be out enjoying some nice wine and good company (for those who are not familiar, Switzerland produces some quite nice wines. It's just that it's rarely exported outside of the country!) 

Quite an international gathering (including our group!), it's an event enjoyed by locals and expat communities

Sausages..!

It's a really cute traditional Swiss village ^^

Wine tasting time!

The rose was quite good

Night time light up

I think this was mash potato like maize

Sausage, maize, bread, and wine..what more do I need?

Gathering

As you may have well noticed in many of my posts, Switzerland is expensive...like really expensive. The prices in Geneva especially are quite comparable to Tokyo which is surprising considering Geneva is considerably a city in smaller scale. However, taking into the fact that wages in Switzerland are nearly twice as much as other highly developed countries the prices don't see as high. Well, that doesn't look good to us students who earn no money! Stranded in a small city with expensive living standards and what to do? House party is the answer in most cases.

What happens when class gets canceled

We be like..... :D 

Local Genevoise beer

Fun fact: You seen the guy on mug? Yes that's Calvin as in John Calvin from European history class, yours truly. This dude also happens to be the founder of my school. Oh Europe

Another fun fact: my school is older than the ENTIRE history of my home country, dear US (University of Geneva est 1559. Kinda blows your mind huh?)

School Life

I apologize for the massive delay in posts once again! 

School has finally started. My program has 13 people and we have all of our classes. Initially I would've favored a total class around 80-90 but that creates a few factions among the group where as we don't really have the numbers to form such things (at least for now).  I like that we have kind of a strong alliance since we are such a small program. 

  I'm very much amused that we are a diverse group that comes from all walks of life. This is also true in our nationalities and the languages we speak. Of us, we comprise of 11 nationalities (including those that have 2+nationalities) and speak 15 languages total. Talk about globalization? 

More to come on what I am specifically studying and my curriculum but for now, here are some pictures of my dear school. The best part about campus is that it's a 7 min walk from my flat. Nothing beats a short commute. And of course, our main campus building is quite nice as well...except reminds me a bit of the death star building at UC Davis because the classrooms are tricky to find! 

Daily Foods

WI received a request to post my meals I make everyday so here goes a quick glimpse. 

毎日の献立をアップしてとのリクエストがあったのでほんの一部のせますね！

Brunch: German rye bread, red wine stewed tuna, home made yogurt  ドイツ全粒粉パン、ツナのワイン煮込み、手作りヨーグルト

Dinner: Tomato pasta, boiled Brussels sprouts, red wine, yogurt. トマトパスタ、芽キャベツ蒸し、赤ワイン、ヨーグルト

Breakfast: German rye bread with Nutella, figs, grapes, yogurt 　ドイツ全粒粉とチョコクリーム、イチジク、ぶどう、ヨーグルト

Lunch: Brussels sprout and cheese pasta (whole wheat)　芽キャベツとチーズのパスタ

Dinner: Marinated red pepper, Brussels sprout salad, beans, brown rice, wine. 赤ピーマンのマリネ、芽キャベツのサラダ、豆のケチャップ煮込み、玄米、ワイン

Dinner Spinach Tortellini in tomato soup, red wine, bean salad, yogurt 　ほうれん草のトルテリーニ （ヨーロッパ風餃子）のトマト煮混み、赤ワイン、豆サラダヨーグルト　*The tortellini I bought pre-made in the store!

Lunch:  Chinese style joke (with egg and scallions) with lots of chili oil..just the way I like it.  中華風粥

As you can see, I don't eat in large quantities nor do I eat meat but I try to utilise all the food that I buy and most importantly I try to make it balanced and healthy. But then again I have the occational beer and wine. Thanks to my frugal living lifestyle skills I've acquired over the years, my food bills is still quite low. I'll post more details of my bill once they start coming in in the next few months to share ;)  The fruits and produce are fresh and dairy is cheap. Don't worry I'm still surviving!