November in a Nutshell

I have really been a slacker about updating my blog this month but here is just the highlights reel of all the great things that have gone on this month!

Wine tasting near Nyon on Lake Geneva. We got to walk through some beautiful scenery on a not too cold fall day! There was also a little train that you could take from place to place-my favorite part!

Looking through the vines down toward the lake and mountains

Le petit train!

Our group

I love trains!

This month our iCafé was Thanksgiving themed. As the American, I had lots of work to do! We also got pies and other food made for us by people in the local church which was really great!

Together with Brandon, another American, we were dressed up as pilgrims to tell the Thanksgiving story.

All the desserts that people made for us!

We whipped some cream!

on the tables we had people write what they were thankful for

Hello, students! 

Raclette is a traditional Swiss meal and I got to try it for the first time this month.

The special raclette set. On top you can fry meats and on the bottom in the little pans you melt your cheese.

Then you put the melted cheese on whatever you want-but usually potatoes!

Bon appétit!

The Christmas markets have begun in Lausanne!

Keeping warm

And sometimes, just for fun we take advantage of just being in Lausanne.

chilling in Ouchy

That's right, we can spell!

Water you turned into wine

Psalm 34:8 "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him."

"Everyone who drinks water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up into eternal life." ~Jesus, John 4:13-14


Just a taste, that's all the wine they splash into your glass. They want to entice you to buy. Because a taste is never meant to be all that you have. You are supposed to taste, find that it's good, and then lay down the money for an entire bottle. That's what wine tasting is about for the vineyards. For us poor students, it's about getting free wine (well, we had to pay a small fee) and perhaps visiting the countryside of Switzerland. 

Jesus talked a lot about wine. From his first miracle of turning water into wine to his great example of "I am the vine," he used an example that his audience could relate to. However, he knew that wine doesn't completely satisfy thirst the way water does. That is why he uses water to demonstrate the life-giving good news. 
So many people "taste" Christianity. For some, it perhaps makes them thirstier, but for others they are immediately turned off. They say that they prefer the red to the rosé but the white is ok for you. But, fortunately, Jesus is not like wine, he is like water. Water is necessary for survival and it's something which everyone has a taste for. Jesus is for everyone. That's why he came to die so that we might live.

October Activities

October is almost over and it has been a very full month! I just wanted to highlight some of the cool activities that have gone over the past couple of weeks.

First off, it's Fall! (Or Autumn) and the leaves have finally changed! 

My apartment building

Looking at some trees on campus.

Our October iCafé was an Australian themed night. We had a lot of fun eating some Australian goodies, trying out our Aussie accents and completing an Aussie trivia quiz in teams. 

All ready and decorated!

Are you brave enough to try Vegemite?

chatting at the tables

Translating Aussie expressions into English

Trying to speak Australian

Then there have been some more gatherings including movie nights and corporate dinners.

Watching a movie in my apartment.

Czech potato soup, so good!

We've also ventured further abroad including a Saturday outing to the mountains an hour away from Lausanne for a mini-hike in the Alps. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, weather-wise, and the views were stunning.

driving on a Swiss mountain road

The view!

Where we parked the car

Going up!

Gorgeous mountains

Lovely ladies

Smiling against a stunning backdrop

Switzerland smells nice

An old farmhouse

Going on the cabin deck even if we're not allowed.

Then, there was a visit to Geneva. Highlights included the Jet d'eau (which is basically a giant fountain), the Reformation Wall (Geneva is an important city in the history of the church) the cathedral, and the United Nations building. 

The Jet d'eau

Our group with the Jet in the background

The Reformation Wall (one of them is Calvin)

inside St Peter's Cathedral

Stained glass window

Geneva is also an important city for watch-making.

The United Nations building

This giant chair is in front of the UN building

Finally, I also did a project to decorate my apartment and remind me of all my friends and family!

Hallway of faces