First Day of Class

I don't even know where to start talking about today and all of its adventures! This morning we had our first day of class at the University; we had to take a tram for about ten minutes and walk a couple of blocks. The University is very plain, but it is fun to see European students and lets just say they love to smoke. Our first class was at 8:00am, blah, and it was just an introduction to France. Honestly, I don't think I will ever be able to pick up on this language! Then we visited the Cafeteria, which I probably won't be visiting very often and saw our computer lab. I am so glad that I brought my laptop because the keyboards are arranged differntly than those in the US. After our brief tour, we started our International Finance Class and European Union Class. During our lunch break I decided to visit a sandwhich shop across the street and taste some French cuisine. I thought this would be an easy task, but quickly realized that the entire menu was in French and I am do not know any of the food terminology and both of the workers did not speak English. Eventually, the purchasing of my sandwhich ended with me pointing at what I wanted to put on my sandwhich. It was delicious! Both of my professors are brilliant and very well-informed of wordly issues and history. Finally when class ended at 3:30pm we were free to explore the city. Today the city truly came to life, apparently on Sundays the town shuts down and takes an important day of rest, so yesterday we felt like we were in a ghost town.

Anna and I decided that we had some importnat errands to run, such as visiting Zara (a clothing store) and the grocery. Unfortunately, Zara did not have anything that fit into our price range, so we decided to buy some ice cream and cruise the streets. When we had finished eating our delicious Alsace ice cream, we entered the grocery store "Simply." Can you say overwhelming?! There was absolutely nothing in English, so we looked for familar brands while we held our noses and passed the delictable meat sections...yuck. We decided we are very thankful for FDA standards. Then we met up with some other people on our study abroad at a quaint cafe on the street. I indulged in a delicious bowl of spaghetti and tasted other's pizza and pasta. I finally enjoyed a full meal!

Strasbourg is the perfect mixture of German and French culture; it's timeless builidings and tranquil atmosphere are enchanting and I will soon by addicted to the laid back European attitude. I look forward to tomorrow and getting to know more people in the city, as well as those on my trip. :)