Howdy from Strasbourg!
Well here we are in month four already, and I can’t believe that this semester is coming to a close! It’s the second week of April, the sun is out, flowers are blooming, it’s finally warm, and I’ll be heading back home in a month.
Time really has flown here, but the past month has been wonderful! For one thing, I was able to travel to Rome and Naples in Italy which was so much fun! It’s breathtaking there. Also, a lot of my classes have officially ended which has led to a little bit less stress and additional free time to spend exploring this precious town. There are so many hidden gems here to discover, and it’s finally warm enough to walk around the city for hours on end without feeling like you need to defrost every half hour. I’ve come to realize that Strasbourg has become home to me and that I’ll miss it a lot, BUT for now there’s still a whole month to take everything in!
So back to classes. I’m still trying to process everything that I’ve learned, the different teaching styles, the smaller classes, etc. and how these things have affected me personally and scholastically. I’ve come to realize that there is really something to be said for having those smaller, more interactive classes and the chance to get to know your professor and?nearly every person in your classes. It’s great and I’ll miss that while going back to A&M. Everyone is just so open here and eager to get to know other international students. As far as finals go, I only have one left a couple of weeks from now! Crazy, right? I had two a couple of weeks ago and one this past week. I also got to go on a field trip for my Grape and Wine Knowledge class this past Tuesday and it was so fun!
As the semester comes to a close, I’ve been thinking about the things that I love so much about this experience that I will miss when I get back home. For one thing, THE FOOD. It’s so good here. Like WOW the pastries especially. Then I was thinking about how much I’m just going to miss this city, walking through the narrow cobblestone streets in the center of town, listening to the river flow by, having tiny pink flower petals float down all around me as I walk along said river, listening to everybody around me, young and old, speak in french (one of the prettiest languages there is) all of the time. It’s the cutest when the littles ones speak it. Even their whining is adorable. Most of all, though, I’ll miss the people. It’s been such a gift to get to know such wonderful people while I’ve been here, and I’ll miss them all terribly.
However, I’ve also been thinking about things that I’m looking forward to when I get back home…. Like seeing my friends there! I cannot wait to see them, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned during this semester, it’s to live in the here and now and let the future be. You will have time to see the people you love when you get back. It’s okay to look forward to seeing them again and being home, but for now, enjoy where you’re at. Grow where you’ve been planted by really investing in this time and these relationships and you’ll be amazed at the fruit that results from this experience. Make it hard to leave. Be intentional and go all in. It’s worth it, I promise. Let’s see another thing is that warm Texas weather. I cannot wait to hit that hot pavement and sweat like there’s no tomorrow. Bring on that humidity, Houston. Oh and bread AND butter. Together. They’re not really a big fan of that combo at restaurants here for some reason. Reese’s. They don’t have those here either. Basically half of this list revolves around food. All in all, it will be nice to get back and hear about everybody’s semester and just catch up on life while I stuff my face with deliciousness that is Texas food.
Ok, I’ll try to get one more post in before I get back and recap everything, so until then, au revoir!
Sam