A Day In The Life: Geneva

Back in October I shared a “commuting day day in the life” with you all and promised that in the future I would give you all a glimpse into a Geneva day. I figured that today was the perfect day to share with you all as I took plenty of pictures.

5:45am – Alarm goes off but after staying up until 11 last night watching The Good Wife was not advantageous for my morning run. That, combined with the knowledge that I can run later helps me choose to reset my alarm.

7:30am – Alarm goes off again and this time it means business as I have to hop in the shower and be out the door by 8:00am.

7:35am – I turn on my over the door heating lamp as I hop in the shower. I spend my time in the shower reviewing yesterday’s French lesson. It’s hard to balance everything and French is quickly something that gets pushed to the side if I’m not lucky. In order to keep improving my French and getting the most out of my weekly lessons I’ve decided to practice in the shower and on the morning commute.

7:35-7:55am – Shower, blow dry hair, choose outfit, make my breakfast and grab an apple and some walnuts for my desk snacks.

8:00am – Embarrassingly carry a bag of recycling down to the recycling center knowing that it has been sitting in our laundry room since December. You can’t recycle things before 8am in Geneva as it is illegal due to the noise. Colleagues know people who have been fined hundreds of francs for breaking this rule so today is the first day where I see the bag and realize it’s after 8am.

8:05-8:30am – This morning’s commute to the office includes a 1/2 mile walk down to the tram stop as I just miss the tram and know that walking to the connection is faster than waiting for the next one. I revel in the fact that it’s 39 degrees while my parents are having 20 degree weather in Savannah, Georgia. Geneva’s weather is quite a conundrum sometimes. No snow and warmer weather than most the US this year.

8:35am – Grab a cappuccino and banana to enjoy with my breakfast from home. I’ve stopped eating bircher in the morning as I I tried eliminating things from my diet to pinpoint the cause of my breakouts. As soon as I stopped eating bircher the breakouts diminished so since we returned from the holidays I’ve been bringing a mix of oats, wheat germ, protein powder, and cinnamon to the office each day. It is easy to eat at my desk as it doesn’t smell and I can just get boiling water from our drink machine! Not to mention, wheat germ is a great source of iron which helps my iron deficiency!

8:40-9am – Catch up on work emails before the day of meetings begins

9-12- 3 different meetings with 3 different groups of people about 3 different topics.

12-1pm: Enjoy lunch with a co-worker who has quickly become a friend and mentor as we work in the same space but in different business units. I learn a great deal during each of our connects though today we spend more time talking about our personal lives than work as her husband is moving to Perth for a year next week!

1:15-2: Catch up on emails and return a few phone calls before my afternoon meetings begin.

2:00-6pm: My afternoon includes 4 different conference calls, two of which I lead. One of them includes people across five different countries which will never cease to amaze me. Luckily the calls are each productive.

6:05-7:00pm: Dash upstairs to our office gym to grab one of the four treadmills. Quickly change into workout clothes before running 4 miles on the treadmill, hopping on the erg for a speedy 1000 meter row at a 3:59 pace followed by 10 minutes of abs and arms on the bosu ball. I’m ever so thankful for the new Spotify channel I discovered, House Workout! It keeps my mind off of the miles and I feel like tonight’s workout flew!

7-7:15pm Change back into work clothes after a quick cleanup compliments of face wipes and the blow dryer. I forgot my towel at home so showering at the gym isn’t an option tonight.

7:20-7:45 Address the last of our New Year’s cards before sorting out my inbox. Each night before logging off I go through my inbox and file any emails so I only have the actionable ones waiting for me the next day.

7:55-9:00 End up walking halfway home with a co-worker while we talk about work and then decide to walk the rest of the way home while talking with my dad on the phone. Walking home in the evening versus taking the tram allows me the perfect amount of time to call people. The only issue is that most people aren’t free at 2pm.

9:15 After 4 mile run and 3 mile walk home dinner can’t come fast enough! I throw together what may be the most random meal ever using everything and anything I have in the pantry and fridge. Dinner ends up being a glass of white wine paired with whole wheat pasta, sauteed spinach, sardines, pasta sauce enhanced with herbs and a tablespoon of bottled pesto. The mix ends up being delicious though I know most people would think I’m crazy for eating it.

9:30-9:45 Write this post while chatting with a few friends on GChat and WhatsApp.

9:55 Hop in the shower before curling up in bed with an episode of Modern Family.