More Life

Life has been very busy since arriving in Europe: an overbooked schedule is very much apart of the intern culture in Genève. In the past month, I have attended a conference in Amsterdam, participated in the semi-annual UN World Health Assembly, vacationed in Athens for a 3-day weekend, and went on a 20km hike through wine country at a UNESCO World Heritage site in Switzerland.

Amsterdam is a one of a kind city. It somehow balances being in Holland, a joyous wonderland where everyone is happy and ride bikes all the time, with having a worldwide reputation as Sin City. Although I was there purely for academic purposes, there was very much a work hard, play hard atmosphere. During the day, we had sessions learning about global food solutions and agricultural innovations with entrepreneurs from Brazil, Indonesia, Uganda, Croatia, Germany, Zimbabwe, China, and many other places all over the world. In the evenings, we went off together exploring the night life of a city that makes it all to easy to find trouble.

McDonalds in Amsterdam

The vibes of Amsterdam are much more reminiscent of America's pacific northwest (Portland, Seattle) than your average party city. The people are pleasant, the city is laid back, and there are plenty of parks and green spaces. Holland would be a beautiful place to live for anyone.

The World Health Assembly was truly inspirational. I work for the Global Dementia Observatory within the department of Mental, Neurological, and Substance Use Disorders at the World Health Organization. This initiative has been developing rapidly in recent years as a response to increasing rates of dementia due to aging populations and unhealthy lifestyles worldwide. This Assembly unites the Minsters of Health of every country represented in the United Nations, and I was able to attend UN sessions as they opened the floor and eventually passed the Global Action Plan to fight dementia.

Athens brought back memories of every book, lecture, television show, or movie that depicted Athens, Greek culture, or the gods and goddesses that I had ever seen. The food was absolutely amazing: I ate Gyros from 3 different places on my first day there, not to mention the Greek Yogurt, and the salads, and all of the wine. One of the first things I noticed about the people is how outgoing and expressive they are - telling us where and where not to go as well as laughing at our utter lack of knowledge of anything Greek.

The Parthenon

Temple of Zeus

The history of the city really took me aback. The temples and theaters they built have been around for over 2500 years, and if not for wars, looting, and vandalism they might all still be intact today. What I did not think about coming to Greece was the Mediterranean Sea. We visited a beach called Vouliagmeni and had the time of our lives: the water was clear, there was a perfect view of the mountains, and there was a restaurant/bar right in the middle of it all. Some thing that really surprised me is how close it is to Egypt. In fact, the southernmost islands are closer to Egypt than they are to the mainland of Greece. Thinking about that really put some things into perspective in terms of history, cultural exchanges, and shifts of power.

Athens is unique in its ancient history, beautiful islands and beaches to the south, and mountains throughout the city. I imagine Ancient Greece was almost like LA, people came there to become stars: to perform, be in the sun, and be in an international metropolis. However, much like LA, there is also an undertone of malcontent from people who are marginalized by the government and economic situation, and tensions have the potential to boil over at one false move.

This past weekend's hike was truly an epic: 20 kilometers merely explains the distance "as the crow flies", because this was much more including the more mountainous portions and inevitably getting side-tracked or lost at times. There were miles and miles of vineyards that have been around since the middle ages across from the backdrop of Lake Geneva and the Swiss Alps was exactly what I needed. Sundays are typically a day of rest in Switzerland, but we still found a few vignerons ouvertes, and wandered our way into a Thai cultural festival in Ouchy.

Much has happened, but much is still to come. 

The sun has only just risen, and this adventure has only just begun.