Week 1 Day 3 Geneva, Switzerland

Hello. I finally arrived in Switzerland after many hours on the plane and in airports. We stopped over at Heathrow, London, where I found the craziest thing: a hairpod! A hairpod has the same sleekness as the other various variations of pods you would normally expect but it is actually a very compact (and very cool) hair salon! I would post pictures, but due to various technological difficulties, the photos will have to wait. Just to give you an idea of how rare technology or computers are in Geneva, only 49 percent of households actually have computers!

These few days have essentially been jam-packed with introductions and various other orientation matters, including delegating responsibilities, such as confirming airplane tickets, to each member of the group. One thing that I have noticed so far is the incredible diversity in the group of 32 students that I am travelling with. A wide range of universities are represented and everyone has a very unique background. For example, one of the girls has travelled to many places in the world already on her own or with college friends, such as to Bolivia and Costa Rica. Another friend was born in Tanzania and another was born in Liberia! One thing that has struck me about the group is that despite our differences, we really all share a common goal to learn more about other cultures and public health. This has been particularly apparent from the various discussions that we have had everyday on the various issues that we have come across.

These two days, we have heard lectures on the role of NGOs, the state and the civil society in public health, as well as learned more about the World Trade Organization and its function. In addition, at the UN, we learned about intellectual property and the process of patenting, as well the work of the WHO in TB globally. All in all, these lectures have been incredibly rich and while I have not quite managed to digest all the information that has been presented to me, I hope that over the course of this semester, I will grow to have a better idea of how each little part that I am learning about will fit together in the global picture of public health. Each lecture has been followed by a discussion amongst the group about what we learned as well as any additional questions that we have. The format is quite informal and I have been very impressed with the amazing quality of discussion that we have been having and the very creative points and experiences that people have been contributing to the discussion. It has been really wonderful learning about everyone's experiences and seeing how different academic backgrounds, such as economics or health policy or even science backgrounds, can enrich a conversation.

Tomorrow we will visit the WHO. I am so so excited and hope that tomorrow's lectures will be just as exciting as the ones that I have heard so far.