Upon arriving in Strasbourg, I was able to settle into my homey apartment and meet my roommates, who are also here on exchange from France and Ukraine. I quickly became friends with them, and we spent countless hours exploring the city together. There are so many beautiful buildings around! I have been to countless cafes and bakeries and tried one of each of the delicacies that can?t be found back home in Texas. I definitely have a huge sweet tooth and can?t stay away from the coffee here. Although the orientation program was great, and I have been able to meet so many friends from across the world, I have encountered a bit of culture shock while here. I had to get used to all of the walking and freezing cold weather, as well as being away from my friends and family back home. I also found myself having a lot of extra free time since the classes here are only once a week. I have learned to use that time to do all of the things that I always want to do but never have time to. I have been reading a lot, I joined one of the school?s fitness classes with a friend from Norway, I frequently explore in all of the shops downtown, and I am taking a French class in order to improve my French while I am here. I have also been able to plan some of the trips I am planning on going on. So far, I went with 8 other students to Zurich, Switzerland for the weekend where we ate fondue and chocolate, went to museums, and climbed to the top of the St. Peter Cathedral and overlooked the city. Last weekend, we travelled south to the French cities, Mulhouse and Colmar. There, we witnessed a protest and explored more museums. We also just walked through the colorful towns, admiring the architecture. I plan to go to Ireland for St. Patrick?s Day with some of my friends from Texas that are flying up, and I want to visit my family that lives in Geneva, Switzerland later in the semester. I am really enjoying my classes and seeing the cultural differences between all of the students and how they relate to business and their majors. Overall, I am having an amazing time and can?t wait to see what other adventures I will encounter and stories that Strasbourg will leave me with!
