When I first arrived in Geneva, I didn’t speak any French. My mom helped me move in and stayed for the first week, so we enjoyed some more “touristy” activities to try to learn more about Geneva and Switzerland, in general. My Fulbright started on September 1st, but my classes didn’t start until September 16th, so I had lots of time to get situated.
The most noticeable thing about Geneva at first was how old everything is. The city was built in two sections: the Old Town is at the top of a hill, with old walls surrounding it. This fortified version of the city was built up when the Romans crossed the Alps around the year 121 BCE! The Old Town is full of cobbled streets and stone buildings hundreds of years old. The New Town is more recognizable as a modern day city, with lots of banks, businesses, and concrete buildings. But even in the New Town, there aren't any skyscrapers, and many buildings are very old. Geneva is the home to important organizations like the United Nations, the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, the World Health Organization and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Switzerland is a neutral country, so the Swiss army is usually only deployed as security for meetings between international leaders and to uphold diplomatic relations.
