Beyond Surface Level
On the street corner by my apartment, there is a conglomerate of eye-catching posters advertising activities going on each week. I make a point to translate each new poster that pops up, and this has led to many unique discoveries! Learning the rhythms of another culture is a rewarding part of living in another country, and it is what I think separates the experience from short-term trips.
There seems to always be a festival event to go to. To my delight, shortly after I arrived, a fellow intern discovered the upcoming Federal Yodeling Festival in the German part of Switzerland. Three others and I joined, and we experienced Swiss culture at its most potent and pure. We participated in a cherry-pit-spitting competition; ate raclette; and watched a parade of yodelers, alphorn players, and giant-cowbell ringers in traditional dress. We were all surprised to find that yodeling is melodious and lovely, contrary to its popular depictions. I later went to a celebration at the Theatre de l'Orangerie, a historic greenhouse that was designed to be an orangery in wintertime and a theater in the summer. This unique space hosts many equally unique events. At the event I attended, the outdoor garden space was interspersed with artwork—black and white photographs of dwellings of all kinds in states of disarray, intended to showcase an unappreciated form of human expression; a utopian miniature landscape made with common materials that visitors wander through alongside the trail of miniature figures on a quest; and reflection pools with floating candles and the French script, "Man is a chapel", all cast red by stained glass. Finally, when my friends were visiting, we came across an Agricultural Festival. It took us a while to discover what the event was because we were hit with the irony of being surrounded by cheeseburgers, farm vehicles, and beer shortly after they arrived from the United States. However, these were just elements of the festival's showcasing of the freshest food from each canton! 
Geneva's vast museum scene draws locals back in through rotating temporary exhibits. The Museum of the Reformation is located at the top of a hill, which dramatically displays its neighboring St. Pierre Cathedral. Geneva was an important location for the Reformation because many original Reformers, including John Calvin, fled religious persecution and found refuge in Geneva. The museum explains the history of the reformation as well as its repercussions, connecting it to historic movements of dissidence around the world. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum is my favorite. Its layout is unique, using intricate woodwork of famed architects to craft the exhibits. It is separated into three sections, representative of three main areas of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) Societies' work—connecting people, upholding human dignity, and preventing disaster. The IFRC's work paved the way for the Geneva Convention, the foundation of international humanitarian law created in the aftermath of World War II. Interestingly, these two museums currently have parallel temporary exhibits. The Museum of the Reformation currently displays drawings of children who are living through war in the Middle East, drawing a connection to the religious warfare brought by the Reformation. The IRC Museum has an exhibit done by an artist who lived through war in Kosovo. As a child, he was encouraged to draw to process his trauma. In it, he found a creative process that contributed to his skill and success today. These drawings are blown up and hung from the ceiling throughout a large, plain room which visitors walk through. Both of these exhibits are intended to call attention to possibly the most tragic and unintended human rights violations resulting from war—the effects on children. Geneva's recognition for being the epicenter of international law has not disappointed, as I am continually emboldened by these threads of international law woven throughout the city. I find it meaningful to live where you cannot go too long before being reminded that many people in our world are in desperate need of aid.
I have also been encountering Geneva's enthralling international law emphasis through a running club! On Saturday mornings, a group of English-speaking runners meet at the lake for a picturesque five-mile run through the botanical gardens, a residential village, and the international district. Each week I have had the pleasure of running with someone new and learning about their fascinating life experiences. I have received career advice from an international NGO founder with an American law degree, enjoyed coffee with a Russian woman doing humanitarian aid work for the UN, and commiserated with a Chinese woman's expat struggles as we perused a farmer's market post-run.
Together, these activities form my experience of becoming ingrained in Swiss culture. Separately, they have contributed to a grander and richer perspective of the world through what I have learned from each.