L'exploration

Now, after two (very) full nights of sleep, I'm finally starting to feel like my old self again.  My first night here, I could barely keep my eyes open, so collapsed into bed at about 9:30.  My plan was to wake up at 10 (chronic early riser that I am, even though 10 is hardly early for me!), but the second my alarm went off, I knew that wasn't going to happen, so I went back to bed, and didn't wake up again until 11:30.  I think that's the only time in my life that I've gotten 14 hours of sleep, but boy, did I need it!!!  I got up, had breakfast, and walked over to the Parc des Orangeries to meet up with the other visiting Sciences Po students, a group that included 3 of the other Georgetown girls and three others (one from Germany and two from Cyprus).  We walked around for a little bit, went to a café and got drinks ranging from tea (for me) to milkshakes and coffee.  I had told the other Georgetown girls about my really great Internet connection, so we walked to one of their houses so she could get her computer, and then came back to my apartment.  They were thrilled to be able to check their email and Facebook, since they either don't get connections at all at their houses or don't get very good ones.

Since it was only about 5:30 when we finished checking our email, we watched a movie (Gosford Park), and then, when it was finally a suitable French dinner hour (8pm) we headed over to a pizza place we had seen on the way back to my apartment, because all of our stomachs had been growling throughout the movie.  But while we were anticipating a quick meal (and it would have been, because we finished eating within a half-hour), it took our waiter at least that much longer to bring us our check, despite one of the girls asking him for it a couple of times on her way to and from the bathroom.  Once we finally got our check, I said goodbye to the other girls and walked the 3 or so blocks back to my building.  

I then got a chance to talk to both of my parents on Skype, which was really great, since I hadn't gotten to talk to my dad yet (I had talked to my mom on Friday).  My dad and Tim had gone to the Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Friday night (the class of 2008 included Dick Vitale and Georgetown's own Patrick Ewing Sr.!).  They got to meet both Patrick and JTIII, among other people (failing to mention, to my dismay, that I am one of Georgetown basketball's most devoted plans).  When JTIII saw Tim, he said, "You a player?," and when Tim answered that he was, but that he played for a small prep school in Connecticut, JTIII asked, "Are you going to send me tape?."  Apparently, Tim responded with an, "Um, uh, uh...," which I can hardly blame him for, and, in fact, I can picture that sheepish look perfectly.  I'm glad he got to go, and I'm sure he thought he had died and gone to heaven with all of the elite players and coaches roaming the Hall of Fame.

I'm sitting alone in the apartment now as I write this, because my host mom left last night to go and bring her son, David, some of his stuff (he's at university in Bordeaux), and she won't be back until Thursday.  At first, I was thinking, 'How can she leave me alone within my first 36 hours in Strasbourg?,' but she apologized profusely for the timing, and arranged for her friend Angela, a Columbian student a few years older than me who she's become like a surrogate mother to, to come stay with me starting tonight, so I won't be ALL by myself.  I'll be busy for most of the day today, because all of the Georgetown girls are meeting at our program coordinator, Susan's, house for what I assume will be a pre-orientation of sorts.  Hopefully we'll be able to get a lot of our questions answered!  

The scale of the maps of Strasbourg has proven to be misleading, because, despite the fact that it looks rather large, it is actually a very walkable city.  I've really enjoyed walking around and exploring, and hope to be able to start running soon (once the bumper crop of blisters I got yesterday have healed!).  I miss you all!

Sending you my love,

Kristen