Ich spreche nicht Deutsch???

I arrived in Luzern, Switzerland, on Saturday for the first leg of my Toussaint break, and what an amazing place!!! The city is incredibly picturesque, with several covered wooden bridges adorned with flowers, lots of beautiful old buildings, and a beautiful view of the lake (when it's not foggy, that is, so today, being the first fog-free day (at least in the morning), was the first day that I could atually see the lake and the surrounding mountains. I spent my first afternoon here exploring the city- that is, after I found my hostel, which is about a half-hour walk from downtown. I knew what street I was looking for, but my map ended before I could see where exactly I needed to turn, so I was just slightly lost. So I waled into a grocery store and asked the cashier, ¨Sprechen Sie anglisch?¨ (Do you speak English?) She did not, but luckily there was a random guy in line who did speak English and was able to help me. That's when I realized that I ha booked my trip in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. Damn it. Surprisingly, though, I have loved being here so much that it has made me want to give German another shot... and for those of you who listened to me whine about how much I hated German for the 6 weeks I was taking it will know that that's saying a lot. The one frustrating part has been when people try to talk to me in German and I just have no idea what they're saying. The language geek in me hates going into a country where I don't speak the language.

It was really frustrating: I was in a department store and was trying to pay for something. The cashier started speaking to me in German, and I said, ¨Ich spreche nicht Deutsch,¨ the other useful German phrase that I knew coming into this trip. So she started speaking to me in French, which was actually great, because she didn't automatically go to English. However, she went back to German, which left me being like, ¨What the hell? I just told you I didn't speak German!¨ I was talking to someone else in the hostel today, and she said that she had had the same experience.

Other than the long walk from downtown, thehostel hasbeen really nice so far- not anything extravagant, but clean, non-sketchy, and with lots of people around to meet. The interesting thing, though, is that, even though it is called a ¨youth hostel,¨ a guy andI were remarking that there are not a lotof youths here. There are a lot of people traveling with their families (as in young children), which I definitely wasn't expecting. So anyway, my first night here, I was downstairs the common area attempting to take a chunk out of the 700-page bear of a surrealist French book, called ¨Aurélien¨, that I have to read for one of my classes and would like tohave fiished by the end of break. This woman comes over to me and asks me something in German. I explained again that I don't speak German, and said that I did speak French. She asked me if the cute little children playing in the other room were mine. Yeah, no. So we were talking, and the more we talked, the more her freak flag went up. She's probably close to 50, and from the sounds of it, she has spent her entire adult life in academia. She was telling me how much she loves going learning and going back to school to get degree after degree, and I was just laughing inside. But even though I have no desire whatsoever to spend my entire adult life in a classroom, if that makes her happy, that's great... She was asking about the American education system- at this point, she was practicing her English on me- and when I told her that Georgetown costs somewhere around 40,000 euros a year, I seriously thought she was going to have a coronary. It was quite funny actually.

Last night, I met Henry and Bharat, two Aussies who are studying medicine in London for six weeks and who are also on break. They were playing cards at the only free table in the common area, and I asked if I could sit with them, since I wasn't ready to go to bed yet. I had the intention of reading mymonster book but instead stayed up playing cards and talking with them for like two-and-a-half hours. They were really nice guys, and they're actually going to be in Florence when I am, so we exchanged email addresses so maybe we can meet up. I also met two girls, one American and the other Norwegian, who are studying in Besancnon, France this semester (I know that that spelling is wrong, but I can't type on this stupid German keyboard!). Youthhostels are a really cool place to meet people, because they literally come from all over the world.

I think I will have to describe all of my many excursions in another entry, because this keyboard is giving me a headache. I hope all is well with you in whatever corner of the globeyou may be in, and, as always,

Sending you my love,
Kristen

Plus de bureaucratie...

Yes, French bureaucracy is back and rearing its ugly head.  I actually am on the positive end on this experience, so I can explain it without being whiny (as has not necessarily been the case in previous rants on the same topic!).  As many of you know, I joined an AMAZING, American-style gym, because, let's face it, French gyms suck.  Their concept of a gym is a few weight machines.  In fact, I feel a little strange breaking a sweat in France, because, as I'm going at a frenetic pace on the elliptical and sweating half of my body weight, the little French woman on the machine next to me is having a leisurely workout and is not even breaking a sweat.  Whatever.  I like my way better.  

I knew when I signed up for this gym that they would make me have a doctor's note, because, let's face it, it's France, so why would it possibly be as simple as signing a dotted line and being signed up?  I felt like the gym employees were shaking their heads at me and saying, "Really? Have you learned nothing?".  A couple of other Georgetown girls belong to this gym, but had their parents forge a doctor's note.  Now, I decided not to do this for a couple of reasons: a) I am way too worried about the rules; and b) I know I would be the ONE person who got caught, because I would have guilt written all over my face.  So to make a long story short, I had to find a doctor.  Damn it.  Luckily, Susan, our oh-so-amazing program director (what would I do without her?), gave us a healthcare packet that included a list of English-speaking doctors of all kinds in Strasbourg.  However, before I made an appointment, I had to go and sign up for social security, which is obligatory for everyone.  So I did that and called the doctor, and was able to get an appointment for this afternoon at 1.  I found it strange, after I hung up the phone, that they hadn't asked for my name, but I figured the receptionist would ask me for my name once I got there.  Wrong and wrong. There was no receptionist, and there was also a very confusing waiting room, because everyone in it seemed to be going to the doctor whose office was next door to the office I needed to be in.

So I watched the time tick away... 12:30 (yes, I am annoyingly early, and I also had a 2 o'clock class, so I was hoping to get in early.  Ha!)...12:45...12:55...and finally, at 1:05, the doctor strolled in.  By the time he had gotten back from getting his mail downstairs- seriously?!?- I had realized that there was another woman in front of me, whose appointment had been at 12:30.  So I was getting nervous, but just as I was about to leave, the doctor came out, and it was my turn!!!  So I went in, and it literally took the doctor 10 minutes to listen to my breathing, measure and weigh me, take my blood pressure, and give me a God-damned peak flow test (after which I listened to him tell me how poorly I had done- big freaking surprise).  I was trying to explain my allergies to him, with mixed results, because I only knew the French words for a handfull of things I'm allergic to (so I just left some of the seasonal ones out).  Then I tried to explain to him my regimen of asthma medication, and I had to ask how to say "inhaler" and "steroid" (the latter of which is in my Albuterol inhaler).  He asked me to show him how I took the inhaler, and promptly scolded me for doing it wrong, then demonstrating himself.  It was pretty funny, actually.  Then, he filled out the necessary paperwork that will get me into the gym without any more dirty looks that seem to say, "Really, you don't have your certificat yet?".  So I will giddily run into the gym tomorrow and thrust the certificat in the receptionist's face, and hopefully they will have my gym card ready for me when I leave.

Another interesting medical experience today: I was on my way back from my run and got in the elevator with a random guy, and he said, "Merde, vous êtes grande!  Vous mesurez combien?" (Translation: "Fuck, you're tall!  How tall are you?") Once I got over what he had said ("merde" is just sort of tossed around here, it's not really a big deal), I thought to myself, 'Dammit, I knew this was coming eventually!  WHY didn't I go online and convert my height from inches to meters?'  And sure enough, the doctor also asked me how tall I was.  Obviously, I had no idea, so he kindly measured me.  I need to stop thinking like an American!  I have already taken the first step, though; I no longer think in dollars (mostly because it's just too depressing!  Although, to be fair, the exchange rate is not as God-awful as it was before.)

So I got an email that Susan sent to all of the Georgetown girls yesterday.  Apparently there is a French student who just got back from spending a year interning at a law firm in Richmond who wants to speak English and talk American current events with a native speaker.  Done and done.  I have election fever, more so than the other girls in the program, or so it seems, so I am totally excited to talk about the US.  And I'll get to practice my French too.  The person's name is Etienne, which is confusing, because when I saw the name, it sounded like a girl's name to me.  The thing about French names is that they're often sort of ambiguous; my doctor's name was Dominique, and he turned out to be a man.  I had actually chosen him because I thought he was a female doctor, but it was fine, he was very nice.  But, getting back to my point, Etienne also struck me as a girl's name, but this particular Etienne happens to be a guy.  I have cautiously optimistic hopes for our conversations; I feel like he can't be a total jerk (à la guy in the bar in Nice), because he is reaching out and really hoping to improve his English.  So how can it be?  Well, I'll get back to you next week.  We've been emailing today, and it sounds like we'll be getting together every Monday after class, and he also asked if I wanted to meet for a drink this weekend.  Um, let me think, yes!

Another thing about the elections: my absentee ballot hasn't come yet :(  I'm starting to get a little nervous, because my friends from other states got theirs awhile ago (Kate, who's from Connecticut) sent hers back in about 2 weeks ago, and Molly and Jinah (from New Jersey and California, respectively) got theirs this week.  When I registered for my absentee ballot at the Longmeadow Town Hall, they said that they wouldn't have absentee ballots until 3 weeks before the election, but that seems to me like it's cutting it a little close.  My ballot had better come, because there will be hell to pay if I cannot cast my Obama vote.  

So, for good news, I finally booked my tickets for my Toussaint break (well, most of them; the Swiss train site was on the fritz when I tried to book tickets for a day trip to Brienz and my ticket back to Basel from Lucerne).  So I am leaving a week from Saturday, and will be spending 5 days in Lucerne and its environs.  Then, I'll head back to Basel, where I'll hop on an 8-hour train to Florence to visit Kate!  I'll be there from Thursday to Sunday and will get a very early train back to Strasbourg on Monday morning (luckily, I don't have class until noon), and I can't wait to see what adventures I'll have over my much-needed break!  I will, of course, be posting on the blog and putting up pictures as soon as I get back (but, per usual, pictures will most likely be up on Facebook the morning I get back!).  My break will be made a lot more relaxing if I can get the 10-page paper and two smaller, 5-7 pagers done before I leave, because I am not bringing my computer, which is in the last stages of its terminal illness, on the trip.  Also, if the Red Sox, who are looking far less than stellar at this point, can come back from a 1-3 hole, I would greatly appreciate it!!! GO SOX!!!

Sending you my love,

Kristen

Les meilleurs amis du monde! Et la meilleure famille du monde!

By the time I got back from Nice last weekend, I was REALLY not feeling well, and have continued to feel badly all week.  Now, this may sound crazy, and I don't know if it's medically possible, but I seriously think I have a lower body temperature than the average person (which would certainly explain why I'm always cold!).  So, even though I'm convinced I have a fever, my host mom's thermometer says my temperature is 96 degrees.  I don't understand.  I'm sitting in bed, which I have been all afternoon, and I'm sweating.  I haven't done anything strenuous today (other than run for the tram), and I don't think the heat is on in my apartment yet, so I really think I have a fever.  I'm not too pleased, because I was really hoping to log in some gym time this week (because I'm so excited about my new, American-style gym), but obviously, I don't want to over-exert myself, or I'll just end up sicker- and really, it's quite possible that I might pass out after 5 minutes on the elliptical!  So I've done a lot of lying in bed this week, which I hate!  I think some of my dad's type A personality might have rubbed off on me (I know he would be happy to hear that!), but I really can't do anything at this point, because even a 10-minute walk to class makes me feel as though I'm caught in a fiery inferno.  I guess I should count my blessings, because I really don't get sick that often, but when I do get sick, it's always an adventure.  And it doesn't help that I don't know which medications to buy, because, big surprise, they're all French brands.  I guess I need to brush up on my French medical vocabulary!  So to remedy the fever that I'm pretty sure I have, I have been opening my window, and right now, the air is really light and crisp, and it feels like fall.  God, I love crisp fall air!

One good thing that has happened this week, though, is that I've gotten a chance to get some reading done.  Now, French classes are hardly reading-heavy; your professors will give you a ridiculously long "bibliographie" of 20 or 30 books/encyclopedias/journals, but chances are that you don't have to buy any of them (unless specified, and in that case, you usually only have to buy one or two books).  I luckily don't have to buy any books for my three history classes, but I do have to buy (and read) some for my literature classes- understandably, because what would a literature class be without books?!?  So anyway, I've been surging ahead in the French children's version of Tom Sawyer for my childhood literature class, which is actually a very amusing read once you're reading it for the second time and in a new language.  Once I do that, all I have to do is write a paper, and that is my only assignment for that class for the first half of the semester.  Once I finish that, I have to start reading Aragon's Aurélien, a 600+ page hum-dinger.  This should be interesting.  Check back with me in a couple of weeks to make sure my book hasn't beaten me over the head...

I guess I shouldn't have said that only one good thing happened this week, because several things have.  This week has been especially Skype-heavy, and I wouldn't have it any other way.  Now that I have my webcam, it doesn't feel like I'm half a world away from my family and friends.  Tim has his alumni interview for Georgetown today, with the same woman I had my interview with, and I'm so excited for him!!!  I want him to be a Hoya so badly, so we can share one more year at the same school.  Maybe he would let me drag him out of bed early a couple off Saturday mornings for basketball games, and he could come over for dinner when the thought of eating yet another Leo's meal becomes unfathomable.  I have no qualms posting this here, because I am 99.9% sure that he has never laid eyes on this blog!  Obviously, I know that he could be happy just about anywhere, but I REALLY want him to come to Georgetown!!!  I'm crossing my fingers for him big time, and hope so much that he gets in early.  Of course, I love hearing what's going on with my parents, and, as much as they assure me that nothing is going on in Longmeadow (which I don't doubt), it's still so nice to hear their voices.  Also, this week, I've gotten a chance to talk to Lauren, Molly, Alexandra, and Josh, and then I'm talking with Allie tonight and Kristin and Kate tomorrow.  The first few times I talked to my friends, it was really hard not being able to see them, but, once again, thank God for technology!!!  To be able to talk face-to-face is such a blessing, and I feel so lucky to have such an amazing Internet connection.  And obviously nothing would compare to being able to see all of those people in person, but if I had to choose between Skyping and no communication at all, I would, of course, choose Skyping.  

Also, one of my friends (who shall remain nameless- but I think it's a pretty easy guess for those of you who know them!) sent me a HUGE care package today full of Halloween candy and decorations, American magazines, and chick flicks, and I started crying.  I felt so loved, and, although I knew it before, I really realized how lucky I am to have such amazing friends.  And while I still have a lot of adventures in store for me this year, I cannot wait to be back at Georgetown senior year, in our apartment, celebrating birthdays and holidays, having movie nights, Tombs take-out nights, going to basketball games, and enjoying our last few months before striking out into the real world.  Thank you so much to all of you who have been sending emails, Facebook messages and have been Skyping with me- you all mean so much to me, and I don't know what I would do without you!

I am currently planning a trip for our Toussaint vacation, which starts in two weeks.  I think that at this point, my plan is to trek across Switzerland and then swing down to Florence to visit Kate (although this plan may be too lofty for my checkbook!), because I have 11 or 12 days off, so I would really love to take advantage of it- especially since, after having been to Switzerland once, I WANT MORE!!!  I hope all is well with all of you, and I will see you (or talk to you) soon!

Sending you my love,

Kristen

Nice et Côte d'Azur

En route to Monaco!!! So beautiful

Georgetown girls with Susan, our program director

On the beach!!! My mom will be so jealous when she sees it!

This weekend, all 8 Georgetown girls, plus our program director, Susan, and her daughter, Kelly, traveled to the storied Côte d'Azur, land of perpetual sun and summer.   And I don't think we were disappointed in either respect; I don't remember it being cloudy once, and with the temperature hovering in the upper-60s/low-70s, I forgot I was in France.  Since being in Strasbourg, I have come to associate France with a lot of cold and no sun, so it was quite a shocker being in a place just the opposite.  Too bad it's such a pain to get to!

To get to Nice, we took a couchette, an overnight sleeping train, because the trip would have been about 14 hours (which is not exactly a ride you would want to remain awake for the majority of!).  So we rendez-vous'd at the gare and caught our train.  There are six beds in each couchette, and I was in the one with 5 other Georgetown girls, while Susan and Kelly were in another, and two other Georgetown girls in a third.  That meant that they had to share their compartment with strangers, which would have royally freaked me out (not surprising, for those of you who know me well!).  Those two girls decided that they were going to take sleeping pills, and when we got on our bus in Nice the next day, they realized that all of their cash had been taken.  Now, I understand that European railways are notorious for having robbers onboard just looking to prey on people who make any silly mistakes, but the fact that they discussed that they were going to take sleeping pills was probably not the smartest decision ever.  The freaky thing, though, was that they were on the top bunks and their bags were right next to their heads, so the men must have had to climb up, lean directly over them, and rifle through their bags.  Luckily for the girls, neither their credit cards nor their passports (which they also chose to carry with them for some reason) were stolen.  They were still really upset about it though (understandably), and realized they could have done a few things differently.

We started off our trip on Saturday with a visit to a modern art museum.  I think that, for Georgetown to pay for a trip like this, there has to be something educational and/or cultural included, so we gladly obliged.  However, as many of you know, I HATE modern art- absolutely hate it!  I know it sounds snobby, but I could have done most of the things in that museum when I was five, so I don't see how splattering a bit of paint on a canvas can be considered high-class art.  After a VERY quick tour (thank God), and a stop for lunch, we went back to Nice, checked in to our hotel (amazing location!), and went down to the beach.  Yes, you read that right, the beach!!!  It was a little chilly because of the wind on Saturday, but that didn't stop us from getting a good few hours of sun time in.  I was kicking myself, because I had almost packed my swimsuit, but thought it wouldn't be warm enough to sunbathe.  So I fashioned a beach outfit out of a tank top (converted to a tube top) and a dress (converted to a skirt).  The water in the south of France is absolutely magnificent, with two tones of blue as far as the eye can see and rolling hills dotted with houses as a backdrop.  It is probably one of the most picturesque places I have ever been to!

After walking around and exploring some of the city, the whole Georgetown group went out for dinner together, and then, after a power hour (more like 45 minutes) the eight of us Hoyas went out to Wayne's, which can best be described as an expatriot bar.  What can we say, we're drawn to American/British places!  It was really fun- the music was a lot of American music, and we were dancing on bars, which was really fun.  The guys were sort of sketchy, which made it a little bit of a strange experience, but I still had a lot of fun with my friends.  

Yesterday morning,  we got back on the bus and drove along the coast to Monaco, which I visited during my People to People trip.  As expected, nothing had changed since the last time I had been there, and it's a good thing Jill and I were walking around together, since both of us had already been there, so didn't feel the need to spend inordinate amounts of time at the tourist sites.  It's sort of sad, though, because Monaco itself is so beautiful, but SOOOOOOO touristy.  It would be a ghost town without tourists.  

On our way back, we stopped at Fragonard, a parfumerie where I had also been during my People to People trip, where we got a tour that lasted all of ten minutes and then got a chance to shop.  I bought some soap for my host mom, and then some others for friends.  Our last stop was in Eze, a terraced town essentially built into the side of a cliff.  Again, it was really beautiful (the streets were really narrow, there were gorgeous stone buildings, and there was a flea market, which obviously caught my attention!), but again, like Monaco, it was WAY too touristy.  Once we got back to Nice, we went to the top of an observation deck, where you have a gorgeous panoramic view of the city on one side and the ocean on the other, and then were driven back to the train station.  

The couchettes weren't so pleasant the first time, but on Saturday night, I had felt like I was coming down with a cold, and by the time we got on the couchette, I was not feeling well at all.  I went to bed at about 9:45 or 10, knowing that we would get back to Strasbourg at about 8, but woke up at 4am, unable to swallow or breathe, and coughing up a storm.  One puff from my inhaler did the trick, but I have been concerned, in the past few weeks, because I wasn't home long enough to get a flu shot this year, so it could be an interesting flu season for me, especially with my asthma.  After over an hour spent reading the economist, I was finally able to fall back asleep, only to wake up feeling like death.  I don't even want to know what I looked like to the other people riding the tram this morning, but I got home and took a shower to give myself some semblance of being put together, even though I didn't feel it.  Hopefully, this cold won't last for too long, because I need to be fully awake in order to understand what's going on in my classes.  Unfortunately, I have been feeling exhausted for weeks, but other than taking naps (which I have actually been able to do since being here- I could never nap at home or at Georgetown unless I was sick), there was nothing I could really do.  So I knew I would probably get sick, but there was nothing I could do to stop it.  Nevertheless, I have decided I'm not traveling this coming weekend, because it just takes too much out of me.  

I hope everything is going well with all of you!  Keep the updates coming!

Sending you my love,

Kristen

Les elections

Now, I have never considered myself to be politically inclined before, but with the current state of our country, I think it would be a terrible decision not to take an interest in what is going on in the presidential elections.  Heck, I've even started reading The Economist regularly and checking the Washington Post op-ed columns daily to make sure that I, as a first-time voter, can make the most informed decision I can when I turn in my absentee ballot.  I was initially very excited about this election, being that I was coming into it as a relatively objective, independent voter, but the way the election has turned out has soured me to the ways of politicians.  

This morning, I started watching the vice presidential debate that took place last night.  Early on in the election, I realized I was leaning more in the direction of Senator Obama, both because of his captivating rhetoric and promise of change and because of my unwillingness to have another president whose policies are in any way similar to those of our current president.  As my political opinions have evolved throughout this election process, my reasons for supporting Obama have become a little less generic, but, simply put, I truly believe he "gets it," understands how politics work (or how they should work in a perfect world), and realizes the importance of restoring America's image in the international community by changing our actions, not just making empty promises.  

After watching the debate (well, okay, I admit that I couldn't last longer than 25 minutes or so), I was livid at what I had seen.  I do believe that Senator McCain, deep down, has some sort of moral compass and is fundamentally a good guy, but I could NEVER bring myself to vote for a ticket that included Sarah Palin in any capacity.  Granted, she did not make any severe blunders last night, but on the other hand, the bar was set ridiculously low for her, given the fact that her foreign policy experience has been described as, "Well, I can see Russia from my house," and her "energy expertise" is laughable.  But from the second the debate started, I was annoyed.  I was absolutely delighted by the "Can I call you Joe?" comment- or, should I say, delighted that the mics were on to capture it.  What a phony.  And all of her "You betchas" and "Well darns" are a completely transparent effort to relate to the general population.  I know that politicians are not generally known for their honesty, but Ms. Palin has certainly turned lying, or misleading, into an art form.

I was slightly unnerved that neither candidate seemed to respond very directly to Ms. Ifill's questions.  But Miss Palin's stragegy did not even seem to include answering a question or presenting some element of her party's platform.  Rather, it set out to paint she and Senator McCain as a "team of mavericks," and she seemed more interested in defending her image than in actually debating Mr. Biden.  I was reading an op-ed piece just a little while ago by Eugene Robinson, a writer for the Post, and the comments board was especially interesting.  One man said that "I'm not an accomplished journalist with a national TV show.  I'm not Gwen Ifill.   I couldn't be there to ask Biden and Palin my questions.  But Gwen Ifill was there representing me.  If Palin can't be bothered to answer Gwen Ifill's questions, why should I think she would answer mine or even care about me, one of the American people she supposedly wants to speak directly to?" This man's comment is dead-on, and just goes to show how little substance Ms. Palin has.  Another reader pointed out that, if she wants to run for some sort of higher office, she should try running for Senate first, build a base of experience, and then she can actually claim to have enough experience to warrant deflecting these questions.  But she's a nobody, and despite the fact that she thinks she's too good to answer the questions, it just further reinforces for me that she is not ready for a leadership role in our floundering nation.

Plus, I like Mr. Biden, I really do.  Despite his rather notable gift for gab, I thought he held his own last night and even answered a few questions!  What a concept!  I like that he and Senator Obama have certainly been at odds over certain issues in the past, so I would like to believe that he would not just be a yes man and tell Senator Obama what he wants to hear.  Ms. Palin doesn't even have enough experience or legitimacy to be able to disagree with Senator McCain.  Let's see: a one-term governor of Alaska (which, let's face it, not a lot going on there), versus a two-term representative and four-term Senator in McCain.  I just would not trust her opinion.  And I really do think less of Senator McCain for the obvious lack of thought he put into his choice of running mate.  

I thought a post on the elections might be a nice break from my usual rants about traveling and France, and, while I know that some of you who are reading this disagree with me, that's the beauty of America.  I only hope that you will consider voting for Senator Obama on November 4th- I can't wait to get my absentee ballot so I can do the same!  I will be in Nice this weekend, so expect another post soon about my travels to the Côte d'Azur!  And, I just have to say: GO RED SOX!!! Game 2 tonight!

Sending you my love,

Kristen 

Le weekend à Copenhague (et en Suisse!)

I apologize for taking so long to post about the wonderfully magical weekend in Copenhagen, but, with the second week of classes hogging my time during the day and draining me of all energy, I haven't had enough free time or the will to write.  I am still finding myself constantly exhausted, and I suspect it's from taking 2 to 2 1/2-hour classes in French at a time (it takes a lot of energy to sit for that long and listen to someone speak to you in French, sometimes about incredibly boring topics!).  The way they deal with classes is just totally different here; instead of meeting a couple of times a week for an hour each meeting, they meet once a week for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.  It is really tiring, especially if you have a couple of classes in a row.  Luckily for me, though, I have the schedule that most college students would kill for; aside from one day, when I start at 9, I don't start until either 10, 12, or 1, and am usually finished by 6 at the latest (one day I finish at 7).  I'm not sure that I like taking classes that late, but I am embracing my newfound ability to sleep in a little bit!

So after a tiring first week of classes, Jinah and I took a train on Thursday night from Strasbourg to Basel, Switzerland (home of Roger Federer, not that I'm proud that I know that).  We instantly fell in love with Switzerland, because, first of all, the nice man at passport control gave us stamps for our passports (even though I'm pretty sure the office was closed for the night by the time we got in).  And then, a mere block outside of the train station, we found STARBUCKS!!!  Now, as most of you know, I'm not a coffee drinker, but I DO love their skim hot chocolate.  And being that there are no Starbucks to be found in Strasbourg (I'm pretty sure Paris is the only place in France where they have them), we were thrilled.  We actually stopped twice, once before our train/flight on Friday morning, and then during one of our layovers on Sunday.  On Thursday night, we stayed in a hostel in Basel, right by the train station.  Now that was my first hostel experience, and I guess I had an image in my mind of hostels as sketchy and dirty, but this one was the complete opposite.  It was a YMCA hostel, and it was clean.  And the people were incredibly nice!  Actually, we got to know the other women who were staying in our room.  There were three of them: one from Ireland, one from France, and one from Belgium, and since we all got in at around the same time and none of us had had dinner, we ordered pizza together and chatted.  

On Friday morning, we were up bright and early.  After a quick stop at Starbucks, we were on the train headed for Zurich.  That train is actually included in the flight, for whatever reason.  We were pleasantly surprised by how efficient and quick check-in was at the airport (yet another reason to love the Swiss!).  Once we got to Copenhagen, we met up with Jinah's friend Lauren (who was technically the person we were going to visit; she is from the Bay Area as well, but is spending this year in Denmark, playing badminton for a club over there).  She was actually the one that procured free lodging for us for the weekend, too.  Over the summer, she and her family were at Yosemite and met a Danish family.  When Lauren mentioned that she would be spending some time in Denmark, they said, "Oh, well you have to come stay with us!," and luckily, they were willing to take in two other people too!  Susanne, Karl, and their adorable 7 year-old son Philip were incredibly sweet, and prepared these enormous breakfasts for us to enjoy together on Saturday and Sunday morning.

On Saturday, we had a ridiculously packed day: I had heard about a weekend flea market and decided I wanted to check it out (because you never know what kinds of treasures you'll find at a flea market!), so we did, and ended up finding a bunch of really cool vintage postcards!  Then, we walked to Assistens Kirkegaard, the cemetery where many a famous Dane is buried (including Niels Bohr, Hans Christian Andersen, and Søren Kirkegaard).  We were unable to find the latter's grave (the signs were really cryptic, and were literally pointing in opposite directions), and both Bohr's and Andersen's graves were a bit of a letdown, mostly because some idiots had decided to put graffiti all over them (and rather lewd graffiti, might I add; they seem to be especially fond of graffiti in Copenhagen).  After grabbing some lunch, we embarked on a long trek to Amalienborg, the royal palace, via Stroget (the largest pedestrian walkway in the world, if I'm not mistaken) and Nyhavn, the area along one of the canals with brightly-colored houses (see above picture).  The palace was really beautiful, and, even though they didn't speak, I could tell the guards had a lot more personality than the ones at Buckingham Palace.  For instance, one smartass decided he was going to walk along with one of the guards, only on his hands.  It was actually pretty funny, and I looked at the other guard and saw a definite smile!  

We then passed by Marble Church (where we saw a newly-married couple emerge from) en route to the Little Mermaid statue, which was so pretty!  And of course, we all did the requisite photo ops, making our way out to the rocks surrounding the statue (or, in Lauren's case, attempting to imitate her pose).  After that, we headed back home, having spent almost all day walking (my feet were practically begging to be cut off by the end of the day), passing quickly by Rosenborg Castle on the way.  

The next morning, we opted for a nice, leisurely breakfast, since we had a 2 o'clock flight that didn't allow us any time to do more sightseeing in the morning.  Once we arrived back in Zurich, we had about an hour-and-a-half to wait until our train back to Basel (and then another hour in Basel waiting for our train to Colmar, and another 45 minutes waiting for the one back to Strasbourg).  It was an exhausting travel day, and we didn't get home until after midnight.  But I'm so glad I went (even though I've decided that that will be my one big trip for the semester), because who knows when I'll get another chance to visit Copenhagen.  I'm not going to lie, it was so nice to have a break from speaking French almost all the time, because everyone in Denmark speaks English!  It's a good thing too, because Danish is really impossible to pronounce, so I feel like it would be incredibly difficult to learn.  For instance, in Danish, Copenhagen is written København, but pronounced koo-ben-hauen.  Very strange.  We found that they randomly add a lot of vowel sounds, but luckily for us, we didn't have to worry about butchering anything.  

Since I've been back in Strasbourg, I've started to feel a bit of homesickness coming on.  I think part of it has to do with the fact that I'm so exhausted, because I know from past experience that when I get excessively tired, I get homesick or upset.  But, even if that weren't the case, I really do miss everyone at home; people are celebrating birthdays, and while I love that they include me in Facebook event invitations to their birthday parties, it makes me really upset that I can't be there (and this has happened several times, so don't think I'm singling people out!).  And every day, when I look at the Washington Post online, there is news of the DOW sinking lower and lower by the day, and I feel guilty for being abroad and spending all of this money (true, it is the same price as Georgetown tuition, so we would be paying for it anyway, but there are a lot of extra expenses- necessary expenses, but extra ones nonetheless) when the future is so uncertain for so many people.  I'm sad I'm not in D.C. for all of the election festivities, because if I were back on campus right now, I would have joined the student group that is working so hard right now to get Obama elected.  It's hard to sit back and not be an active participant in what is going on in my country right now (even though I have registered for my absentee ballot, which is the important part!).  And, obviously, I'm freaking out a little bit, because basketball is starting in a few weeks, and I will not be there for the adrenaline rush of sprinting for our seats (I had gotten pretty good by the end of last season!) and of cheering for my beloved team.  Lastly, my brother is in the process of applying to college, and I want to be there, looking over his college essays and feeding him words of encouragement.  Like I said in one of my earliest entries, it's a hard realization that life goes on without you, both at home and at school.

And all of my Georgetown professors always told us that French people (or really, students at any university where they have exchange students, for that matter) are reluctant to make friends with visiting students, because they know that they're going to be gone at the end of the semester.  It makes sense, and I'm sure I would feel the same way.  But on the other hand, it feels like all I'm meeting are English-speaking students, and, while my French is definitely improving, having a lot of English-speaking friends makes it tempting to speak English outside of classes.  We'll see.  It's still early on in the year.  

I really don't think I can write any more... there will probably be another entry after our trip to Nice this coming weekend (all of the Georgetown girls, and our program director, Susan, are going).  In the meantime, the ALDS starts tonight, so GO SOX!!!!!

Sending you my love,

Kristen