I made it!

After an eight hour plane ride from Washington, DC to Frankfurt, Germany followed by a two hour bus ride to Strasbourg, France, I was relieved to finally make it to the Château de Pourtalès, where I will be living this semester. I was completely suprised that the airport did not lose my luggage, because that has happened the last few times I have flown. The Château looks like a castle from a fairy tale. When we arrived, there were two different weddings taking place. I feel so lucky to be able to call this place home for the next four months. My room is incredible— very spacious, with a double bed and a private balcony that overlooks the courtyard and grounds. My roommate Lauren and I are the only ones with a balcony, and I hope to drink a lot of coffee in the mornings there. Yesterday consisted of a walking tour of the Château and the local area, and we went to a supermarket to grab a few groceries. While we were in line, an older gentleman struck up conversation with us. He immediately asked if we were Americans (it must be obvious) and told us that he is planning to visit our country soon. Suddenly he looked down at the food I was about to purchase, picked up the chunk of cheese I had selected, and said “This is shit!” But imagine the word “shit” being pronounced with a French accent, sort of like “sheet”. He said it somewhat jokingly and explained that this was an amazing part of France to get real, fresh cheese and we had not chosen wisely. I laughed and said not to worry, that I would learn quickly. I had picked that specific cheese because it was inexpensive and didn’t look bad, but this morning at breakfast I had delicious cheese so I need to figure out what that was and select it the next time I go shopping.

Being here feels so surreal; I don’t think it has yet set in that I will be living here for four months. Right now it feels more like a vacation. Homesickness has never been an issue for me, so that’s a plus. I am so excited for this opportunity, and want to learn as much of the language as I can while here. I hope to meet French students when I begin classes next week in order to fully experience the local culture. Instead of feeling that I am a tourist in a foreign place, I really want to embrace the French culture and feel at home in Strasbourg. For now, I am taking in as much as possible and trying to find my way around while exploring the area. I hope to update this website often with stories and pictures, so stay tuned!