Greetings, all!  

My name is Chris and I'll be arriving Geneva on August 20 to work as an intern at the WHO's Special Programme on Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR-WHO).  I'm a PhD candidate in Medical Anthropology in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University (New York City).  I'm currently finishing up 12 months of anthropological fieldwork in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where I study the social and cultural dimensions of dengue fever.  "Oooh, research in Rio," you say.   I thought so too.  "Hey man," I said to myself, "a year of ethnographic research surrounded by Rio's sun and beaches...what a cool gig that would be!"  Actually, turns out the work is not so sexy after all: I spend most of my time following informal waste pickers in slums where they participate in civil-state dengue control partnerships.  Still, it's been been incredible.  And now it's time for something altogether different: the rarified civility of life in Geneva!

I'm much more fun than my academic credentials would suggest.  Before graduate school put a death grip of rationality on my psyche in the way that soldier boot camp ruthlessly reforms military recruits, I was a creative type, filled with wonder and wanderlust.  I was classically trained as an actor, singer and [sort of] dancer.  I was an avid cyclist.  I practiced yoga for years.  All that free-spirited stuff took a hiatus during grad school.  But now that I see light at the end of the long doctoral studies tunnel, I am reclaiming that spontaneous, free-wheeling part of me!  And what better place to start than in Geneva - a city whose international character is bound to engage my insatiable desire for experiencing "the other."

Still, first things first: I need a place to live 20 August to 18 October.  Specifically, I'm looking for a two-bedroom apartment, preferably in Petit-Saconnex, or other locations close to the WHO.  My wife and two young daughters (ages two and five) will accompany me in Geneva.  We would like to be near restaurants, services, etc.  But I know that housing options are tight in Geneva, and beggars can't be choosers.  I would be grateful for any recommendations of reputable agencies or private landlords who might offer furnished short-term rentals.  

Finally, if there are any people here on Glocals from Brazil, Portugal or other parts of the Lusophone-world, I'd like to be in touch with you.  Sou Americano, mas gostaria de ter amigos para bate-papo em português! 

Cheers!