A long overdue post!

These last months have been all about marital bliss and settling into our life as a married couple and it has been wonderful. We have also managed to fit in a whole lot of fun things in between! Here is a recap of some of the highlights from the last months!

My lovely husband surprised me with a night away the weekend after we got back to Switzerland. We stayed at a fancy hotel in the town of Vevey - lakeside town about a 30min drive from Lausanne. We wined and dined and had a wonderful 24hour escape. 

 

A swim in the lake was needed, so we rented a pedalo boat and enjoyed the sunshine and the warm water!

We took advantage of the gorgeous autumn we have had here and hiked to Rocher de Naye from haut de Caux, about a 3 hour hike surrounded by the most beautiful views. Switzerland never disappoints!

 We also took a long-weekend trip to England to watch two rugby world-cup games at villa park. The first was South Africa vs Samoa and considering the large amount of South Africans living in the UK, I was surrounded by green and gold! The second was Australia vs Uruguay, and we enjoyed the atmosphere of both games. We also saw Chris's mom and brother and did some shopping. When we first arrived on the Friday night, we stayed with one of Chris's good friends and his family, and it was a really special time with them. Time spent with other families is precious to us considering we both miss ours every day!

Montreux is a lakeside town close by, and considering that Chris and I have travel passes here, we decided to take advantage of the public transport and took the boat from Lausanne to Montreux. The view from the water is beautiful and some hot chocolate was in order too! It was a chilly day, but so lovely to be out on the water. We had a snack in Montreux before walking around the town and taking the train back to Lausanne.

 One of our favorite activities to do together is to cook on the weekends, so we have tried our hands at some Venezuelan dishes, some roasts, and have perfected our chocolate fondants and chocolate mousse! We have loved having friends over for meals and enjoying rich conversation around the dinner table!

With all the good food, some physical activity has been necessary! I have kept up with bootcamp, and Chris and I have enjoyed a couple of lake-side runs. We participated in the colour run - a 5km lakeside run where the point is to get as colorful as possible! Every km or so you get different colored powder dumped on you - it was a fun experience. Chris and I also participated in the Lausanne 10km - one of the races included in the organization of The Lausanne marathon and half-Marathon. We didn't feel very prepared, but we actually  had a good run and were happy with our time.

Some good friends of ours from church got married, so I helped organise a surprise tea for the lovely bride-to-be, and then friends of ours organized a surprise apero for them - it was fantastic to celebrate the new couple . 

This autumn has been gorgeous - warm, blue skies and colourful trees. Walks in the Sauveblin forest and in the Lavaux are my favorite  ways to enjoy this stunning season. 

And finally, this weekend we took a trip to Bern to explore the city and watch an outdoor show in the evening. A show is projected onto the main parliament building in Bern, and set to music it  was quite spectacular!    Today we runt for a run this morning and had an incredible and very delicious brunch at the Movenpick hotel before enjoying another gorgeous walk along the lake. 

And of course in between I am adjusting to a new job, the commute and learning German and we are both   keeping up with our church commitments. Marriage admin, laundry and grocery shopping keep us occupied the rest of the time  

Job Changes

(I still need to catch up on the very important events that happened over July and August, but for now, here is a job-update post)

Today is the last day of my full-time contract at the University of Lausanne. After 3 years and 8 months, I am closing the door on one season, and opening the door to a new season with fresh challenges. From tomorrow, I start a new job at the University of Bern, and my contract here at the University of Lausanne changes. Here is what the last four months of this year will hold:

• I will be employed at 70% (so 3.5 days a week) at the University of Bern in the Department of Occupational and Organizational Psychology. My job there will involve some teaching, supervising students at the bachelor and master level, and doing research. 
• I will be employed at 30% (so 1.5 days a week) at the University of Lausanne. I will stay affiliated to the team I have worked with up until now and will continue to work on our data-set and do research. I will also be continuing my work as a Copy-Editor for one of the scientific journals in my field. Although my title changes from PhD Student to Responsible of Research  - my actual work stays the same. 
• (For Spring 2016, so February - July, I will be back at the University of Lausanne to teach at the Faculty of Management. Although I will be back, I will not be affiliated with my current team or department)

So this means quite a change in my weekly routine! I will most likely make the journey to Bern (1.5 hours door-to-door each way) 2 times per week (maybe more often in the beginning as I get settled), will come to the Lausanne office 1-2 days a week, and then may work from home too (if I can be focused enough). I am hoping to use the commute wisely to work or read, although I know it will be an adjustment in the beginning.

At the University of Bern I will assist the Head of the Department with some of the research he has in mind, provide support to a new project that is starting and to the new PhD student who will work in this project, do some teaching, and establish my own research projects. Students who need to do a thesis (either at the bachelor or master level) can elect to work on projects with me, and it is through this channel that I develop my own work.

I have met some of the team at the University of Bern, and they seem like a nice group of people, so I am sure I will enjoy getting to know them and build new relationships. The projects and research taking place there are in line with my own interests and expertise, so I am garetful to be continuing research in a field that I know.

Of course, there will be challenges - adjusting to a new environment, the commute, and new people will be tiring. I will also need to learn some new statistical software, new techniques, and work with new data sets. Not to mention of course that Bern is in the Swiss-German speaking part of Switzerland, so I think it may be time to invest in learning a new language (as long as it means I don't lose my french!).

I came to Switzerland to do a PhD at the University of Lausanne so it feels a bit strange to be leaving this behind. I have loved my time here and it has been a source of great personal and professional satisfaction. But the academic world is always evolving, and it was time for me to move on, and in this sense I am grateful to have found a new position that looks like it will be another great match for me. I am really glad too, that I have a couple of months left to transition before saying goodbyes to my friends and colleagues here at Lausanne.

I will sign off with two quotes that capture well how I feel at this moment:

"Transitions themselves are not the issue, but how well you respond to their challenges!"  Jim George

"Times of transition are strenuous, but I love them! They are an opportunity to purge, to rethink priorities, and be intentional about new habits. We can make our new normal any way we want" Kristin Armstrong 

EVJF - Swiss Bachelorette!

Enterrement de vie de jeune fille

So in Switzerland, Bachelorette parties exist, but they have a weird name which when translated literally means something like "the burial of the young girl's single life". Despite the morbid name, my EVJF was a very happy occasion!

Two of my very special friends in Switzerland, Nikki and Juliana, organized a wonderful day of celebrations a couple of weeks ago. Although Nikki & Juliana were the coordinators, I know that each of the guests (and those who couldn't be there) contributed ideas and went to a lot of effort to make the day so special - and I am so grateful to each one of them for such a perfect day!

My dear friend Tiina came from London to join us, so our celebrations already started on the Friday night! On the Saturday morning Tiina and I enjoyed the morning catching up, before waiting for our pick-up around lunch time. We were driven to the "secret location" to meet all the other girls who were waiting for us up in the mountains at Col de Jaman, a very beautiful mountain pass. When we arrived, all the other girls were waiting for me and had set up a delicious pic-nic, complete with wonderful decorations and personalized water bottles!

After a delicious meal the events of the afternoon started and I had some challenges to complete. First I was decorated with some hair accessories and some "make-up" (read: red hearts and other words drawn on my face) and some things written on my legs. First we had a tug of war - which was apparently practice for when I need to steal the blankets from Chris in the middle of night! This was followed by a "hike" in my high-heels (I learnt during the day that if Chris could get rid of things in my wardrobe he would choose some of my flat shoes - he likes me in heels!) which then turned into more of a real walk once we abandoned our heels. We were blessed with lovely weather and the most beautiful scenery (Switzerland is such a gorgeous place, wow) and our walk led us to a icy cold mountain stream which I dipped my toes into! While walking, one of my friends, Hilde, made me the most beautiful flower crown.

After our walk we headed a little bit down the mountain and stopped at a rock face for the next challenge - some rock climbing! Some members of our friendship group are experienced climbers, and so they provided all the gear and the advice. I am a little scared of heights, but actually quite enjoyed the climb! Nikki had made delicious cupcakes that we enjoyed while watching each other climb, before driving back to Lausanne.

Before heading out for dinner at Maison Thai, a great Thai restaurant right on the water front, we stopped at my place to change and get ready for the night. We had time to have a drink outside on the terrace before the rain set in. Dinner was delicious, and the evening complete with lots of laughter and meaningful exchanges. Nikki had asked Chris some questions, which I had to answer like he answered, so I learnt some news things. And the girls had each prepared some words of advice and encouragement for me.

I felt so loved and encouraged by my dear friends. I have so much gratitude to the Lord for blessing me with such a rich group of friends here. Each one is so special to me, uniquely talented and courageous and such a source of inspiration to me. It was a very special day, a celebration of my "single life" and a beautiful send-off into married life!

Dr Johnston!

On May 26, 2015 - I became Dr Johnston!

My mom and dad made the trip from South Africa to be with me at this special time, and I was so grateful to have them with me! I fully recognize that I would not have made it without them - they invested so much into my education and personal growth, and were such a source of encouragement to me throughout these last few months. I was in Norway the week before for a conference, so I arrived back to my home in Lausanne after my mom and dad already arrived - it was so great to come home to them! With my darling fiancé, we spent the Sunday and Monday having some rest, enjoying some good food and doing some preparations for my defense on the Tuesday.

My defense started at 10:00, and proceeded as follows - I did a 20minute presentation in French, after which each of my jury members made questions and asked me comments. I felt quite comfortable and felt like I responded to the questions adequately. I was very touched and encouraged by the complimentary comments made by my jury members and thesis directors  - they were very kind. It was very gratifying to know my hard work had paid off! The jury members then left the room and "deliberated". They returned to the room and gave me my title! The defense was followed by an apéro that we hosted - my family and Chris were a big help with the preparations, and during my defense some of my colleagues kindly did the set up. It was a very joyous occasion! My parents kindly bought a few South African touches for the apéro - biltong, wire and bead animals, South African flags, Protea flowers made out of beads and wire, and protea flower serviettes. It was so wonderful to celebrate with my friends, colleagues and family.

That evening we had dinner with my immediate team at work, thesis directors and jury members at a great restaurant in Lausanne - it was such a happy celebration. And later in the week I had another dinner to celebrate with a wider group of colleagues. It was a very happy week of celebrations!

I moved to Switzerland 3.5 years ago to do a PhD, not really knowing what I was getting myself into, nor having any real idea of what an excellent experience it would be. I could have never known the amazing people I would met, the friends I would make, or the professional network I would build - but God knew, and He put me in the right place.  It was a long road, and at times challenging and frustrating, but mostly I loved it. I feel so blessed to have found my "thing" professionally  - something that I enjoy and matches my skills and competencies well. I don't know where it will lead, but I know that pursuing an academic career is the right thing for now.

Completing a PhD represented much more than just the academic achievement for me - it represented the successful adjustment to a new country and setting up a whole new life and home here in Switzerland, including learning a language and adjusting to a new culture.  I am proud of myself and grateful to have achieved this milestone!

Nics and Rob in Switzerland!

(I wrote this post after Nicola and Rob came to visit in March / April, and then forgot to post it!)

Nics & Rob came to visit and I am so glad they did! I am always grateful when family or friends spend their hard earned money and vacation days to come and visit me. Nicola came with me when I moved to Switzerland, so it was really special to have her here again, and this time with Rob! I loved having the chance to spend time with Chris with my family – precious moments considering we live so many miles apart!

I had to work while they were here, but thankfully we could still spend the evenings and the weekend together. We took them for fondue to the oldest restaurant in Lausanne (one of my favourites) and had them over for raclette dinner at Chris’s apartment. It was really fun for Chris and I to host a meal together in what will be our home together. On the Saturday we headed out to explore the land of chocolate and cheese with a visit to Gruyeres and the medieval castle, followed by an afternoon at the chocolate factory… yummy! We went to church together on Sunday and I am grateful I had the chance to share this special part of my life with them.

Nics and Rob are both fantastic, mature, godly, capable young people who have invested in their marriage and their professional lives. I so appreciated the time to talk  and get marriage advice! I am glad that Chris and I will get to see them again when they pass through Geneva on their way home. I am so grateful that my family are my special friends too.