I am beginning my 10 month in Geneva. While I have saved you all from the details, not every day has been rosy. The time change is difficult on relationships with friends and family who are in the United States. I miss having an incredible support group of friends both in the health and wellness world and in our personal life. I’ve tried to find some of this through the wonderful group of women in London who are part of Team Naturally Run but only being their once to twice a month has made establishing those relationships difficult. There are moments when I close my eyes and wish nothing more than to be back in the chaotic, easy life we knew in New York City. No, I don’t mean that living in NYC is easy but our life there had just hit this wonderful rhythm. Our groups of friends were merging into one cohesive group, we knew how to find everything in the grocery store, I’d fallen in love with a few group fitness instructors, I was surrounded my friends who pushed me beyond my comfort zone during workouts, my commute was a science, we loved every inch of our neighborhood, I had a wonderful relationship with my co-workers, and the tall buildings and crowded streets which had once overwhelmed and threatened me now felt like home.

When I open my eyes from this dream of living back in NYC,  I remember just how blessed we are. For nine amazing months we’ve discovered London and Geneva together while also traveling across Europe. Our relationship as a couple has strengthened as we’ve figured out what works for us as we deal with the distance four days per week. I have become dependent upon people and opened up in a way that was never necessary back home. While the word dependent can sometimes have a negative connotation, it has been a good thing for me. I tend to be too independent in both work and personal life, wanting to do everything my own way. I’ve come to respect the feedback, opinions, cultures and support that I’ve found in Geneva through my work environment and the group of friends who have become my rocks.

While I can’t transport my family, running buddy or dearest friend to Geneva, I am learning slowly but surely how to invest just a bit more time in making Geneva feel more like a home than a temporary location. Today, instead of running along the familiar banks of Lake Geneva, I spent my morning and evening filling one of the gaps in my life – finding positive energy through group fitness.

For 3 hours today I found support, inspiration and strength in two unique places – the swimming pool and the yoga studio.

I was nervous before both activities but for very different reasons. I have never swum competitively in my life and this morning’s swim team experience brought together a number of fears: being in a swimsuit in public, seeing co-workers in swimsuits, having a coach scream at me, having a coach prescribe impossible workouts, and gasping for breath in the pool.  My nerves around the yoga class came more from the studio and experience than the class itself. This studio is the only yoga studio I could find on Google which features classes in both French and English along with hours which suit my work schedule. I knew that after this class I would know whether the studio was a fit for me. What I didn’t expect was to fall in love with the teacher, studio, teaching method and space during a 2 hour class which had me attempting crow pose and dripping at just ten minutes into class.

I walked home tonight, through the quiet Geneva streets, feeling just a little bit more at home.