Classes are officially over! Tomorrow we head to the mountains in Moléson where we will take a 3-hour hike to a vista point and have fondue before returning. Should be pretty awesome, considering we should be able to see the partial lunar eclipse at around 13h!
Yesterday Barry and I hosted the two girls we met in Genève for dinner here in Lausanne; it was a bit rough meeting them at the train station, but after that we all had a great time, sharing experiences, learning about each others' cultures. I made a simple dinner of fried salmon over rice with a nice salad, followed by, of course, Swiss chocolate.
Anxiously awaiting departure, though I wish I could stay longer...
jeudi, 31 juillet 2008
dimanche, 27 juillet 2008
à Milano!
This Saturday and Sunday a few of us went to Milan, Italy. The train ride was about 4 hours, plus a bit of waiting at the Italian border to be checked on the way in.
While there, the biggest thing we saw was the Duomo cathedral, which was absolutely magnificent. We even got to walk up the marble stairs to walk around the roof and see the (marble) adornments up close. The Mass was nice there as well.
There were many other old and historical attractions, including many statues and ornately-constructed buildings, and a fairly large castle.
I am just glad to be back in Switzerland, though; Italy was significantly more nerve-racking than Switzerland. The return was made all the more dramatic by the two facts that: (1) I was awake; and (2) that the train crosses the international border inside of a tunnel inside of a mountain, so we emerged in another country.
Now it's study-time - quiz tomorrow, and still more fun to come!
While there, the biggest thing we saw was the Duomo cathedral, which was absolutely magnificent. We even got to walk up the marble stairs to walk around the roof and see the (marble) adornments up close. The Mass was nice there as well.
There were many other old and historical attractions, including many statues and ornately-constructed buildings, and a fairly large castle.
I am just glad to be back in Switzerland, though; Italy was significantly more nerve-racking than Switzerland. The return was made all the more dramatic by the two facts that: (1) I was awake; and (2) that the train crosses the international border inside of a tunnel inside of a mountain, so we emerged in another country.
Now it's study-time - quiz tomorrow, and still more fun to come!
vendredi, 25 juillet 2008
Paléo
Today we went to the Paléo Festival in Nyon... it was talked up as a great event with tons of people and music all night long for a whole week. They got us tickets to get in, and though there were thousands of people there, it was not all they had cracked it up to be. Nonetheless we enjoyed ourselves very much!
Last night we had a picnic/barbeque by Lake Geneva, a 15-minute walk from the dorms. That was a very nice evening, held in conjunction with the students from the International Business and Intercultural Communication (IBIC) Summer School held by the same university.
I am really getting used to the life here... it would be very nice to live, work, and enjoy the outdoors here in Switzerland!
Last night we had a picnic/barbeque by Lake Geneva, a 15-minute walk from the dorms. That was a very nice evening, held in conjunction with the students from the International Business and Intercultural Communication (IBIC) Summer School held by the same university.
I am really getting used to the life here... it would be very nice to live, work, and enjoy the outdoors here in Switzerland!
mardi, 22 juillet 2008
Un jour plus ordinaire
Yesterday was more normal than the days preceding; regular class, a more quiet evening, and I finally got to write some code for class! It was to practice using RSA to encrypt and decrypt a single random number, and then a string of text. It took a while to get the standard language to work with the RSA test libraries we were given, but in the end it was a fun experience.
Today I had a test in the Search Engine Technology (Information Retrieval and Google) class, which was pretty much what I had expected it to be - mostly theoretical, but still looking to test our complete knowledge of a topic by asking short extensions of the subject matter.
Plans for the weekend are taking shape - likely Italy!
Today I had a test in the Search Engine Technology (Information Retrieval and Google) class, which was pretty much what I had expected it to be - mostly theoretical, but still looking to test our complete knowledge of a topic by asking short extensions of the subject matter.
Plans for the weekend are taking shape - likely Italy!
dimanche, 20 juillet 2008
Chillon, Montreux et Genève
Friday we had classes late and came back to the Lausanne area as soon as we could; the locals showed us a little piece of Swiss night life.
Yesterday we took a boat across Lake Geneva to the Château de Chillon, which is outside of Montreux. That place is very old, on an island created by glacier flow a very long time ago. We then headed to Montreux, which was celebrating the renowned Montreux Jazz Festival, closing night. We had some authentic sandwiches and dishes served on the lake.
Today I went with one of the other students to Mass in Geneva, at the Cathedral de Notre Dame there. After the Mass we were checking out a Protestant Cathedral (de Saint-Pierre) when a couple girls asked us for directions; we hadn't seen the street they were looking for, but after we walked up a bit we saw it, so we went back to get them. It turned out that they were looking for a restaurant that a friend had recommended them; we were looking for a place to eat as well, and they invited us to join them. They are studying and working in Geneva for a short term, and we had a very nice lunch before heading back under ominous clouds...
Now it's back to work!
Yesterday we took a boat across Lake Geneva to the Château de Chillon, which is outside of Montreux. That place is very old, on an island created by glacier flow a very long time ago. We then headed to Montreux, which was celebrating the renowned Montreux Jazz Festival, closing night. We had some authentic sandwiches and dishes served on the lake.
Today I went with one of the other students to Mass in Geneva, at the Cathedral de Notre Dame there. After the Mass we were checking out a Protestant Cathedral (de Saint-Pierre) when a couple girls asked us for directions; we hadn't seen the street they were looking for, but after we walked up a bit we saw it, so we went back to get them. It turned out that they were looking for a restaurant that a friend had recommended them; we were looking for a place to eat as well, and they invited us to join them. They are studying and working in Geneva for a short term, and we had a very nice lunch before heading back under ominous clouds...
Now it's back to work!
jeudi, 17 juillet 2008
Meu d'amusement
After a morning of class, we had some Gelato in Yverdon-les-Bains and then took a bus down to the Cisco campus in Rolle. There they had various executives describe the function of the company. A director of Engineering and Innovation spoke on those topics, specifically on innovation and how ideas and inventions must have economic impact, be delivered to consumers to become innovations. An Account Manager spoke about interacting with the customer and selling things that may not yet exist, whilst consulting the engineers and business units who are in charge of emerging technologies to maintain a clear vision of what may become possible soon. A director in Global Supply Chain Management spoke on how Cisco integrates the resources of its own and external manufacturing plants to achieve truly global, non-stop development, production, delivery, and support of its products.
After that, we headed to the EPFL campus, the second-ranked university in Europe in the areas of technology and computers. They were 18 in the world by the same study. There we heard two presentations from professors who are pursuing some very fascinating projects. One was in processing genetic and other data to build the "tree of life" mapping the history of biological evolution of species known to man. He is primarily working in the field of computational biology, but his endeavors take him deep into both fields (computation and biology). The other was in systems that seamlessly and appropriately make use of multiple input modes to allow the user the most productive workflow possible. Some studies they have conducted to help with the applications and software solutions developed in this project showed in what proportions users chose to speak, point with the mouse or stylus, or type on the keyboard. They also showed in what primary computing tasks each of these input methods was favored most of all. Quite fascinating stuff! As good hosts, they then put out a light dinner of dried meats, cheese, and red and white wine.
Other than that, this evening has been a nice one; finally able to catch up on some schoolwork and personal life. And now it's Friday!
After that, we headed to the EPFL campus, the second-ranked university in Europe in the areas of technology and computers. They were 18 in the world by the same study. There we heard two presentations from professors who are pursuing some very fascinating projects. One was in processing genetic and other data to build the "tree of life" mapping the history of biological evolution of species known to man. He is primarily working in the field of computational biology, but his endeavors take him deep into both fields (computation and biology). The other was in systems that seamlessly and appropriately make use of multiple input modes to allow the user the most productive workflow possible. Some studies they have conducted to help with the applications and software solutions developed in this project showed in what proportions users chose to speak, point with the mouse or stylus, or type on the keyboard. They also showed in what primary computing tasks each of these input methods was favored most of all. Quite fascinating stuff! As good hosts, they then put out a light dinner of dried meats, cheese, and red and white wine.
Other than that, this evening has been a nice one; finally able to catch up on some schoolwork and personal life. And now it's Friday!
mercredi, 16 juillet 2008
Donc l'amusement
This trip has been quite fun so far (only 5 days out of 24 so far). Since I haven't written in a few days, let's go back and review.
Monday 14.07.08:
First day of classes; introductions; tour of Yverdon-les-Bains, the town the school is in; shopping; awesome dinner as usual (loco-moco)!
Tuesday 15.07.08:
Second day of classes; more exploration of the Lausanne and grocery shopping. Dinner was a chicken stir-fry with bell peppers and onions over rice.
Wednesday 16.07.08:
Third day of classes; a free afternoon: Museum of Science Fiction, les Menhirs (like stonehenge), and the beach on Lac Neuchâtel; speech by the CFO of eBay Europe; joint dinner with two other summer programs; socializing with the locals.
It has been amazing living here, and now that I'm in the rhythm of things, it is really fun!
Monday 14.07.08:
First day of classes; introductions; tour of Yverdon-les-Bains, the town the school is in; shopping; awesome dinner as usual (loco-moco)!
Tuesday 15.07.08:
Second day of classes; more exploration of the Lausanne and grocery shopping. Dinner was a chicken stir-fry with bell peppers and onions over rice.
Wednesday 16.07.08:
Third day of classes; a free afternoon: Museum of Science Fiction, les Menhirs (like stonehenge), and the beach on Lac Neuchâtel; speech by the CFO of eBay Europe; joint dinner with two other summer programs; socializing with the locals.
It has been amazing living here, and now that I'm in the rhythm of things, it is really fun!
dimanche, 13 juillet 2008
La Messe en Renens
Attended Mass tonight in Renens, in French. It was not at all what it should have been; everyone arrived within 2 minutes of the Mass time (20:00), seemed not to know what was going on, and were generally non-participative as a result. The priest celebrant was not wearing clerics or habit of any kind, and did not appear to be incredibly fervent or try to set an example for the laity. Many people lit candles by Our Lady of Fatima. I will have to find a better parish for next week.
Dîner
We have been having a grand time cooking for ourselves; last night was fun; tonight was even better! During our explorations today we found a meat shop, and an Asian food store, in addition to one of a chain of more complete grocery and convenience stores. So we set out to make... spring rolls! We have plenty of ingredients left so we will have something similar another night this week.
À Renens et Yverdon-les-bains
Today we set out to investigate the nearby town of Renens, at one end of the Mètro line to Lausanne-Flon, where we came in. After browsing the district immediately surrounding the train station in Renens, we set out for the campus, in Yverdon-les-bains. That was a 30-minute train ride, and a 10-minute walk to the outside of the building.
It is a very modern building, but it is surrounded by a fairly run-down area of town, although the district on the other side of the tracks seems to have historical significance and greater culture. Being Sunday, hardly anyone was there and we ended up coming right back, doing our shopping for a marvelous dinner (and a few more) and heading back to the dorms.
It is a very modern building, but it is surrounded by a fairly run-down area of town, although the district on the other side of the tracks seems to have historical significance and greater culture. Being Sunday, hardly anyone was there and we ended up coming right back, doing our shopping for a marvelous dinner (and a few more) and heading back to the dorms.
Prèmier nuit
Travel was certainly exciting. We arrived at LAX at about 5:30 am Friday morning; took the 5-hour 8:15 flight to Philadelphia, the 7-and-a-half-hour 6:20 flight to Zurich. There were three of us traveling together at that point. We then went through Customs there, met up with two more students, validated our travel passes, and caught the two-and-a-half-hour 9:13 train to Lausanne. Up to this point everything was on time and no more difficult than we had anticipated.
From the train station in Lausanne, we were supposed to meet one of the coordinators who would then drive us to the dorms to make things easier since 5 of us were coming together. We didn't find him, however, and decided to go on our own. That was a bit of a challenge, however, since the maps we had were a bit ambiguous and we had to hike up a 20-30% grade cobblestone downtown street all the way to the Mètro station. One thing that amazes me is that public transportation here is so efficient. Not only in their mode of locomotion (mostly electric), but also in the schedule and placement of the routes - the entire country is managed by a single public transportation group.
In downtown Lausanne, things look pretty much like any downtown area you might be familiar with, except there are some different street signs and the other signs are not in English. Lucky for me, my Spanish background and the bit of French that I studied for this trip have paid off and we haven't been confused or misinterpreted anything.
Yesterday afternoon after we dropped off our bags at the dorms, we were starving, not having eaten since the flight in. We headed across the street, where we had seen signs of a café. It was closed at the moment, as usual ... we made a $100 shopping trip (split 5 ways) for that day's lunch and dinner, plus some groceries that would last longer and some household items not already furnished. We ate quickly and retired for the afternoon, rising around 9pm, at which point we had dinner - tortellini with sauce from scratch; salad on the side.
Today I plan to attend Mass at 11:45 in the next town, which happens to be in Spanish, and then explore that area, hopefully finding some less expensive groceries and other services we may need while we are here.
All in all things are working out, and as we quickly learn the ropes, I think everything will be fine! More to come...
Au revoir!
From the train station in Lausanne, we were supposed to meet one of the coordinators who would then drive us to the dorms to make things easier since 5 of us were coming together. We didn't find him, however, and decided to go on our own. That was a bit of a challenge, however, since the maps we had were a bit ambiguous and we had to hike up a 20-30% grade cobblestone downtown street all the way to the Mètro station. One thing that amazes me is that public transportation here is so efficient. Not only in their mode of locomotion (mostly electric), but also in the schedule and placement of the routes - the entire country is managed by a single public transportation group.
In downtown Lausanne, things look pretty much like any downtown area you might be familiar with, except there are some different street signs and the other signs are not in English. Lucky for me, my Spanish background and the bit of French that I studied for this trip have paid off and we haven't been confused or misinterpreted anything.
Yesterday afternoon after we dropped off our bags at the dorms, we were starving, not having eaten since the flight in. We headed across the street, where we had seen signs of a café. It was closed at the moment, as usual ... we made a $100 shopping trip (split 5 ways) for that day's lunch and dinner, plus some groceries that would last longer and some household items not already furnished. We ate quickly and retired for the afternoon, rising around 9pm, at which point we had dinner - tortellini with sauce from scratch; salad on the side.
Today I plan to attend Mass at 11:45 in the next town, which happens to be in Spanish, and then explore that area, hopefully finding some less expensive groceries and other services we may need while we are here.
All in all things are working out, and as we quickly learn the ropes, I think everything will be fine! More to come...
Au revoir!
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