The first week of classes

I’ve finished my first week of classes now, and I must say I’m feeling pretty optimistic about this semester. Even though it seems like it will be difficult just as it was last semester… I really like  my classes so far and I’m excited for some of the things I will be studying. I’m taking a French literature class, which includes a lecture about Maupassant and then a TD (where you do presentations, etc) about the city and “urbanité” and we will read francophone authors. I’m also taking a comparative literature course with a lecture about “la nouvelle” (the short story) and a TD about the notion of “home” in theatre – specifically at the end of the 19th century, and we are reading A Doll’s House by Ibsen, The Cherry Orchard by Checkhov, and something by Strindberg. It seems really interesting from the first class yesterday. I am also taking a class on poetry and how it relates to music and art, and I’ll be reading Verlaine, Rilke, Bonnefoy, and Cocteau. I’m also taking American civilisation and literature and then a French phonetics course. I have to say, I’m pretty excited.

 I’ve managed to arrange my schedule so that I have no classes on Fridays, so I’m trying to plan some little trips at the moment. Hopefully I will be able to make it to Berlin in March when my friends from Purdue are there, and I’m also hoping to travel somewhere in the south of France as well… probably Nice, because I loved Nice the first time I went there. Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions for me, I’d love to hear them.

Bon weekend!

Pictures from break

The cathedral in Rouen.

Here I am in Stamford, in Lincolnshire.

New Year’s Eve at the pub in Hollie’s village.

What I did for my vacation…

Hello all,

I’m back in Strasbourg, ready to take my final three exams and then have another free week before starting the new semester. Anyway, I had a really nice holiday break, which I spent in Rouen and in England. I arrived in Rouen on Christmas Eve and toured the city while everything was being prepared for that evening. My favorite thing in Rouen is the cathedral – it is absolutely amazing. I’ve grown very fond of the cathedral in Strasbourg, but the one in Rouen is really quite breathtaking. The Christmas Eve meal was incredible as well – we had the aperitif around 9:30 and finished dessert somewhere near 3:00 in the morning. It was a very traditional French meal, as I am told and it is normal to have these long, late meals for Christmas, New Year, birthdays, weddings.. basically any special occasion. It was really interesting for me, but I really had to fight to stay awake until the end (especially since I had gotten up very early to catch the train in Strasbourg). We woke up around 11 Christmas day, got ready, and went back to do the same thing. The meal started at about 2:00 in the afternoon this time, we had about a 2-hour pause for presents and games, and then we returned  to the table until almost midnight. As I said, it was an interesting experience for me. The next day I walked around Rouen a bit more before returning to Strasbourg to organize, do laundry, and re-pack my bags.

The next day I was driven out into the middle of nowhere in Germany to the Baden airport and found myself riding in a car on the wrong side of the road a few hours later. (no matter what you say, Hollie, it will always be the wrong side of the road for me) I had a really lovely week in England, celebrating New Year’s Eve at the pub, going to the seaside, visiting some towns near Hollie’s house, and generally relaxing. I also kidnapped Hollie’s literary theory book for the week and consequently learned a lot… just not about the things I had exams over right after break. I had fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, a mince pie, and also drank a Guinness – so I feel much more experienced when it comes to English cuisine. I also got to know Hollie’s dog Daisy, who is really adorable.

So after much travelling, my holiday break has come to an end. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the  fact that I am only 20 years old… I think I’ve just done a lot of growing up since September, because I really feel much older than I did a few months ago. It’s really strange the sorts of things I think about while riding the public transport of Strasbourg…