Spring, Sake and Fondue

The spring had chosen to come to Switzerland today with temperatures around 17C. Last time I wrote that the spring was coming it snowed three times the following week, but this time I really believe it is here. The doors and windows in my apartment have been open all day and the fresh outside air has replaced the air that has been trapped inside for too long. It is such a relief to be able to do that after a long winter where everything has been locked up.

My new group just left after we spent a great evening with Swiss fondue, Japanese Sake, a bottle of French red wine and stories from all over the world. It has struck me how different it is entering into this second study group compared to the first one. I cannot help thinking about how much of this difference that is due to the personalities in the group, how much that is due to the fact that we already know each other and how much that is due to what we have been through already. There is no doubt that we are much more cautious and aware this time. First time most of us just plunged in head first without thinking of much else than the task we had been given. That gave rise to many long discussions and - let's be honest - conflicts, that had to be solved. This time we are slowly feeling our way into it one small step at the time. That definitely has its advantages in terms of comfort, but if we are not careful we loose the positive energy of a 'constructive conflict'.

We set out to find a name for our new group. We came up with a large number of different suggestions ranging from 'The Zen Team' to 'Kizomba'. The latter is both the name of Sylvain's dog and the name of a type of Angolan music. We never did decide on a name, though. Perhaps we are still being 'too' nice. Nevertheless, I look very much forward to working with Group 10 over the next three months.


Group 10 around the dinner table. Notice the green bottle of Japanese sake. It is excellent with a Swiss fondue.
Left-to-right: Satoshi Konagai [Japanese], Sylvain Cabalery [French], Fabiana [in front, Brazilian and married to Alex], Olivia Assereto [Italian], Thorsten Boeck [Danish], Simon Brunner [Swiss], Ruslana Zbagerska [Canadian/Ukrainian], Alex Rubio [Brazilian].


The same group of people in their working environment.


Another Lake Geneva sunset picture. This time taken through the window in our study room.