First Saturday Night in Strasbourg

Today was the first day that we did not have class at 9 am, which means that last night was the first night experiencing a true night out in Strasbourg. My friends and I were told that usually people go out at 1 am and come home at 5 am (don't worry mom, we didn't). We thought we'd walk around early and discover the city at night our own way. The girls from Kalamazoo and our new friend Ella, who is doing an abroad program through Syracuse University and is staying in the same house as Jen, met up and walked downtown. In Strasbourg, the entire downtown area is centered around the Strasbourg Cathedral. This has been extremely helpful for when I get lost because I can usually look up, see some part of the cathedral, and orient myself. Here's a picture of all the girls at the first restaurant/bar we stopped at: 

From right to left: Sarah, Victoria, Ella, Liv, Kathleen, Jen

And the sangria that Jen, Kathleen, Sarah, and I had: 

And here's what Livy had, which (in English) was called "The cockroach." I thought she was pretty brave. 

We met up with all the other K and Lewis and Clark College students (who are in the same program as us), and went to the boats on the river which are also night clubs. We all were in a private spot and got to look out onto the river while we talked. I was really glad for the opportunity to learn more about the other people in this program. One more cute picture from last night: 

From right to left: Mia, Liv, me, Jen

Before starting this post, I Skyped with Josie. How crazy is it that I am in France Skyping with my best friend, who is in Costa Rica?! It was great to hear about all the things she is doing, and to hear about the challenges she is facing in her host country. Although each day here is challenging (for me, a big challenge has been the language barrier... but that's for another post), I am able to remember that my friends and classmates are having the same feelings of fear and discomfort. I think that now that my Kalamazoo class is separated, learning and exploring in all different places and as far from one another as we will ever be, I feel even more connected to them. I am proud of all us.