Return to CERN

So today was my first day back at CERN this year, but before I talk about my day, I think I'll fill you all in on the rest of my weekend.

I left you all Saturday preparing for a birthday party for one of my flatmates. It wasn't too bad. She had about seven or so people over at our place for drinks, and the conversation switched between French and English. All the people she invited were also international students, so their French was easier to understand than native speakers, but still, I have a fair way to go, particularly since I haven't really been practising it at all.

We had dinner in a little cafe in the old town of Geneva, which was quite nice, though the food that I ordered wasn't so great. I wasn't dinner after all the nibbles we had in the hosue, so I only ordered some chicken skewers, which were unfortunately very dry. I had forgotten how expensive eating out is in Geneva, and how lucky you have to be to get a good meal. After dinner, I headed back, and they went out to La Sip, which sounded like a lot of fun since they didn't get back until five in the morning.

I spent most of Sunday on the phone home to my family and my boyfriend, using my flatmates internet, which was very good of her. I really needed that contact to feel like myself again. Then I went to a house warming dinner at one of my collegues' flat in Gex. He made us all a wonderful dinner in his lovely new flat with a great view of the lake and the mountains, and best of all, the Bastille Day fireworks, both on the other side of the lake which looked like little flowers from where we were and also in his town, which were amazing. Here is a photo of part of the view from his balcony:



Gorgeous isn't it? He really is lucky to have such a nice new appartment with a view.

Well, that brings me to today, my first day back at CERN. It hasn't changed from what I remember, the annoying bus ride in, the ugly buildings, the bad food, the sense that everybody there is smarter than you... It's kind of nice to be living with people who are in completely different fields, as explaining what I do to them reminds me about why I wanted to work on it in the first place, because I find it hard to be excited about the work I'm currently doing. Not that I did any of that today, I spent today making the slides for the presentation I'm doing tomorrow.