If I Had a Dime for Every Time I Heard "Everything Should Work Fine Abroad". . .

This is ambiguous, but for right now it is concentrated on one thing.  Money.  The traditional roadblock to smooth travels is exchanging currency.  This is completely understandable, considering the volatility of exchange rates and such, but still a hassel. However, this was 100% expected, and really hasn't been an issue.  What has been an issue is something I was assured numerous times would work in France.  My debit card.

I live in the good ol' US of A, where we are on top of things technologically, right? Nope, I guess not.  I bet if I were to ask my bank back home about "smart-cards," they would have no idea what I was talking about.  All we have is our outdated magnetic strip cards. So cash it is at most places, which is completely foreign to me.  It's foreign to me in the US to carry cash, I ALWAYS pay with a card, and that makes it even stranger to not use a card over here.

Tonight I planned on recharging my French cell phone, but guess what?  You can only do it online with a French-issued card.  This wouldn't frustrate me if I wasn't assured by everyone that "A Visa card is as good as cash anywhere!"

Though, after thought, this can be good for me.  I need to learn to budget cash.  In the US, I use a card because it makes me more reluctant to buy something (backwards, I know. . .) whereas if I have cash, I tend to spend it.  Spending 3 months using cash will be a good chance for me to learn how to avoid cash burning a hole in my pocket.  Why let something be an inconvenience when it can be a chance to get used to a new way of doing things.

-Zak

Switzerland

      Well, this weekend consisted of a lot of "firsts" for me, which were both good and bad. This was the first trip I have taken here in Europe on my own (with friends and no tour guide, that is) and it actually turned out to be very successful! We made both trains on time and found our hostel without any trouble. The only difficult part was finding an inexpensive place to eat and inexpensive bars, which is nearly impossible in Switzerland. The average meal was between 20 and 30 francs and the average cocktail was around 10 to 15 francs. Because of such high prices we chose a small sandwich shop that served delicious food and had a very friendly staff who had no problem speaking English to us. In fact, everyone we spoke with was eager to speak English with us and very helpful. It is not like the French are impolite, but the Swiss were just more outwardly friendly.
      As friendly as they were, there were still many cultural differences that we had to pick up on. For instance, I was very surprised to see dozens of people walking down the street at night with bottles of vodka and whiskey like it was no big deal. It became apparent why they did this when we reached the bars and saw such insane prices for drinks. One pleasant surprise was walking around early in the afternoon and being handed a free beer while old people sang and played instruments. It seemed like there were people on every corner playing instruments and singing.
      One thing I didn't really expect was to be put in a room at our hostel with two older men. I knew that it was a possibility but it was a little more uncomfortable than I thought it would be. They were nice and quiet the snoring was almost unbearable. This is something that I am definitely going to have to get used to if I want to continue traveling on a budget. On the plus side, the room was cheap and we got free public transportation passes which let us ride all the trains and the Mercedes Benz public buses for free. This was a great trip and I hope to have many more like it while I am in Europe and for the rest of my life.
-Rachel Cooper

all the small things

I'm finally starting to feel more settled in to my life here in Strasbourg and have more of a feeling for what the next 3 months will be like. I've gotten over the initial shocks of moving and adapting to a new place. However, despite this, I still feel like whatever's to come isn't clear. Of course, there are classes to go to and a few small responsibilities here and there, but I'm more curious about what else I'll be experiencing and what I'll be gaining from my time here.
I started reading The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton this past week. I feel like there were a few things that he said to which I could relate. In one part he talks about minute observations that he makes in the Netherlands, watching people and observing homes from the outside. He speaks of "anchoring our emotions" to small details that we find unlike what we're familiar with and that we become fond of.
Just this past weekend I discovered that I have attachments to places that I've been previously. A few of us from the Chateau went to Basel for the weekend. This is one Swiss city that I had not been to after living and working in CH for 3 months a couple years ago. Immediately when I arrived, I felt a wave of emotions. Even just seeing the station, with paintings of the famous mountains (some of which I saw on a weekly basis), left me with a stupid big smile. I stared at the departure board and found the train routes with which I am so familiar. Even though I'd never been to Basel, it just felt strangely familiar. At one point in the day, we found a tent in the street giving out free Swiss cheese and Swiss beer. There were people in traditional costume singing. Afterwards one of the men started playing an instrument which looked like a dulcimer (I don't have the greatest ability to identify musical instruments). I listened and suddenly felt sick with myself. I knew that he was playing the Swiss national anthem and for some reason this was stirring emotions. How can such a short time in one place leave me with such significant emotional impressions? I can't imagine what will happen if I go somewhere to which I've been before, let alone where I've lived! I can understand having emotions towards my home in the US, but for somewhere abroad or "exotic" (as de Botton would say)?
I'm starting to wonder what I'll be sentimental about here in France. I'm going to try to appreciate the details of living here and the daily routines. De Botton goes on to say in the passage that to "condemn ourselves for minute concerns is the ignore how rich in meaning details may be." I surely look forward to the day that I can return to Strasbourg in the future and discover what I'm "anchored" to here.
-Maria

When Worlds Collide

What will I fill you in about this week?

Will it be registering for courses? Nah, that was uneventful.

How about talking about my week with only one day of class? Nope, that would just be me telling you how I've gotten lost in the city via bicycle...

What about my overnight trip to Basel, Switzerland where I've learned to love the Swiss? No, I'll let one of the other 6 students recount those events.

I know, how about the time where I went to a CouchSurfing meet-up and ran into Willi one of the Study Abroad coordinators here at the Chateau.

So to start off I'll explain that before I came to France this Fall I had always thrown around the idea of going off and traveling the world, being a nomad if you will. Living on very little, but seeing everything. A few things I've been inspired by are bloggers that I subscribe to (notable mentions: Nomadic Matt ; Twenty-Something Travel ; Follow Me Everywhere), these people have given up the idea of your "typical" lifestyle and done everything they can to work and live and travel abroad. They'll be somewhere for 6 months and then move on to the next location. It's a bold step, one step that I hope I'll be able to do.

Anyways, these blogs have led me to other travel resources and more specifically a website called CouchSurfing. This online community is comprised of people across the world opening their couches for any passerby in their city. I think it's one of the greatest ideas, being able to bring the traveler directly into the community, rather than being lose in the tourism. I have never had the chance to do this, but I've been a part of CS for 2 years now and I decided that once I am in Europe, I'm going to jump right in. And that started with the weekly Wednesday Strasbourg Group meet-up at La Lanterne.

Of course, I didn't arrive solo, had it not have been in a country where I don't know the language very well, then sure! But that was not the case, so I dragged along Alexandre and Rachel where we were annoyingly punctual...(I don't know how these things go! Don't worry, it will not happen again.) We met them and caved, got them to speak english to us, had tart flambee, happy hour beers...and maybe a few shots. And by 22:00 we were happy people, chatting with people from Strasbourg, people passing thru and even people who had just moved here like us. Rachel and I look up from the table and see David, the guy who is starting the bar at the Chateau and Willi! After our few beers, we took a double take, but it was them for sure.

I soon was informed that Willi comes to these meetings every week, and then she also told me "Yeah, I knew you were coming here. I was just going to let you figure it out on your own..." Thanks for that! It's fun to mingle with the natives and run into your coordinators. It makes this whole world that much smaller!

A Day in my Life!

If I tell you how awesome the Cathedral in Place Kebler is, it will be understatement, and if  you do not make a point to visit it, then you will have missed a "wonder of this world".  Since coming to Strasbourg, I was told briefly about the Cathedral, I thought to myself, huh, it might just be like other Cathedrals I have seen in other parts of the world.  Now this Cathedral in Place Kebler is not just a wonder of the world, but a real marvel of the entire world.  It stands up to some mighty height, was told is 300 years old.  Now, the design is unique in that it has several designs both inside and outside. The wall are thick made of pure rocks. When we entered the Cathedral, I was in total disbelief that this building was actually built by human beings, what were the architects thinking?  From the entrance to the roof, from the stained glass to the floor, it was breathtaking.  As soon as we entered inside, and I started looking up and down to take in all the wonder in front of my eyes, I could not put my head down, it felt like I was in another world, there are sculptures of all sorts adorning the walls, some mighty columns, a special clock that at the strike of every hour, a gong hits the bell and the church bells ring, then the "little people" above the clock change positions, I cannot simply explain in words how this happens, but it is a must see place.  It felt so holy to be inside as hundreds of people mingled in silence with cameras turned to non-flash.

The lighting inside the Cathedral is deemed with many candles are lite on tables, where one can stop and proclaim in silence their love to each other or simply say a silent devotion.  The deemed lighting gave it that feeling of a holy place.  The Alter is unique like no other I have ever seen.  This Cathedral I must say must have taken years to build, it has corners and corners, entrance after entrance, small original chairs, not the traditional church pews, just simply little chairs that have darkened over time, but still carries the originality in them sit in place, maybe just like they did three hundred years ago..

Finally, I asked one of the attendants, if I could fetch "holy water" he told me he would call somebody to help me with that request, when the person came, he asked me to follow him, we sent to this old, I guess a stone urn, I believe must be as old as the Cathedral, he opened the top, I was almost expecting the "hand of Jesus" to take my bottle and fill it with the holy water. As he filled my bottle, I was wondering where I had seen an urn  of that shape,  then it occurred to my mind that such urns are the type you only read about in the bible.

As we finalized our trip with my classmate inside the Cathedral, I saw the place for repentance, and a stool where you could kneel and pray, I knelt on that stool and said a prayer to St. Joseph or it might as well be St. John, bottom line, I felt really good about the whole visit and this will be a day to remember in my life. - Caroline

Go Ahead and Smile

This weekend, I and 6 others of the group spent a day and a night in Basel, Switzerland. Other than the extreme overpricing of everything, it was a very pleasant mini trip. The sights around the city were gorgeous, we encountered a great deal of random musical performances, and we even got free beer from what appeared to be a Swiss cultural society while wandering the streets. Another great aspect was the friendliness of the people.

This, strangely enough, caught me off guard. Being caught off guard by the Swiss friendliness made me realize that I’ve already quickly adjusted to one aspect of my life in France. I had already accepted the fact that French culture has a different way of dealing with individuals than American culture.  I was surprised to find that I was already changing to accommodate myself to the French way of life. For instance, at one point a stranger on the tram gave me a small smile and I stared at him, wondering why in the world anyone would smile at someone for no reason. I then remembered that even though Basel was just one cheap train ticket away, culture changes from area to area quite quickly.

Even though I want to embrace the French way of life, I’m not sure I’m exactly pleased with how quickly I’ve adapted to this particular cultural aspect of it. I also can’t forget that what’s frowned upon in one area of Europe may be totally socially acceptable in another. Since I plan on doing a lot of traveling this semester, this is an essential thing to remember. I don’t want to totally change myself just to fit into another culture, just as it’s equally important not to be resistant to new cultural aspects I might encounter. I’m glad going to Basel was able to teach me this. 

All of France is Alsace

As an American, I am supposed to champion the view our compatriots hold of the French: rude, aloof, cold. However, given my immersion in French society and the good fortunes I've had to meet and mingle with the natives, I can attest that the stereotype that many Americans hold of the French is anything but the truth. Indeed, even the most basic of observations would serve to disprove the malformed opinions deeply entrenched in the American psyche.

The French are a very purposeful people in many respects. They don't haphazardly toss around pleasantries or pry their noses into the affairs of others. They tend to dwell in little bubbles wherein resides their intimates - family and friends. Just as they would shun interference from a stranger, they usually refuse to involve themselves in situations of which they are not apart. But when it comes to their closest family and friends, the French can be just as passionate, devoted and loving as the warmest American sitcom family.

In this respect, all of France is Alsace. Bombarded by the siren songs of Germany and France, this island of independence labors to maintain its unique identity. Furthermore, Alsace has sought to maintain its traditions and continue its way of life without being impressed upon by outsiders. Of course, once you enter Alsace and acclimate yourself to their tendencies, you are treated as one of their own and appreciated.

This rugged sense of independence can be seen throughout France's and Alsace's pasts. Each as evolved to respect the privacy and situation of their neighbors while endeavoring to protect their own interests.