Month: December 2009

Well, the Christmas Dinner was quite nice. It was very intimate, just us four Holy Cross girls: Malou, Rachel, Kate, and I. We had dinner at a very typical Alsatian restaurant: La Choucrouterie. Of course, I did not eat chou. There is so much chemistry between us four, I think that is what has made our life here work so well, because without them and WITH the French bureaucracy alone I would have hoped on a plane long ago. Which leads me to the saddest news of the semester: Rachel’s sabbatical. Yes, our Rachel is leaving us to accompany her hubbie Ludvic in the middle of Oregon (or Ohio?, some random state with O). I mean, I understand because it is a wife’s duty and he is incredibly funny and charming, but that means we need to destroy our perfect foursome and open up to someone new. More on that next semester. The other bad news is that I have to hand in the first two pages of my ICIP tomorrow….

A few days after the dinner I experienced what will be one of the most enriching and aristocratic-like moments of my life: the Opera. Not just any opera, but l’Opera du Rhin: an opera built by the Kaiser and so clearly showing where he sat a hundred years ago. The funny thing is I had already seen a dance show there; but this, this was Cosi fan tutte, by none other than Mozart himself. So yes, last Friday I had the privilege of attending my first opera in real life in my 22 years of life. It was breathtaking. I won’t spoil the story, but if anyone ever has the chance to see it, don’t think about it twice. I think it was the best way to end the semester, one that has been filled with HC sponsored cultural activities.

So now the semester ends. I am two days away from taking a plane and it’s all I can think off. That and the cold. Of course, nothing compared to the hill. So I am therefore going to take a break from my jolly for the next 3 weeks, as I am sure you will all take a break from anything that requires WORK and enjoy this break. Because besides the many global crisis, it is still Christmas, and it is a time to celebrate miracles and celebrate what we are privileged to have.

So, joyeux fêtes and see you all in 2010!

In exactly seven days I will be on a plane to lovely, WARM, Hong Kong. Aside the incredible Christmas spirit that makes this cold bearable, it is all about the actual Christmas break now. Things are hectic organizing the next semester, juggling work, internship, students, CIEL, and class is not an enjoyable task, especially when the school gives our the exam dates (not time) a week before vacations. I must once again denounce my shock towards the bureaucratic organization – or lack of – of the French university system. At Holy Cross I know my final exam dates the semester before the courses begin! In fact, I know people take a class or not depending upon when the exam is and thus how early they can go home. Here, it’s a mystery. But it’s all over now, now we know, now we are almost on break.

Similarly, today we had our first final exam, THREE hours, and I’m glad it’s over. I suppose that because classes are so different here, I’m having a hard time feeling like I have to study because I don’t know exactly what to study or where to study from beside my notes. The French expect you to learn EVERYTHING, because professors want the freedom to write down a question from a lecture the day before the exam. They also expect to buy and read all ten books from their bibliography; not going to happen.

On a more joyful note, this weekend was the Scout’s Christmas Show, quite lovely. Before the show I’ll have you know that I mastered my very first hand-made tin box, beautifully decorated and varnished by my lovely hand to be given as a gift to a louvette. Saturday I had to juggle my day between hosting my boyfriend’s French aunt – here in town for the marché de Noel – and rehearsing with my louvettes the song they would sing on Sunday, as well as exchanging gifts and attending the 90 minute mass. Sunday I had to get up at the crack of dawn to greet them as they arrived and then wait until it was our turn. When it finally was our turn, I found myself backstage dressing five girls at a time and somehow finding the French words of encouragement that would keep them sane. It was truly an amazing experience, not only did I speak French in a way in a never had before, but I got to share with many families the joy of watching their child perform.

And so, one exam, one final paper, one Christmas show over; seven days and a thousand more things to do, but in seven days it will all be over, and I get my two weeks off in lovely Hong Kong, where it’s WARM, and where there is not much to do but have fun, and study of course. Tonight we have the Répas de Noel, or Christmas Dinner, at a restaurant with Malou. You shall hear all about it next week!

Christmas has begun at large at Strasbourg, aka Santa Clause’s city. The name is well deserved, just like Hong Kong is the finance capital of the world, every single corner of this city spells Christmas in the most magical way. Its most outspoken expression is the Marché de Noël, an actual market that fills every plaza in the city with wooden Alsatian booths that sell all kinds of unique things, notably hot wine and churros. Dozens of artisans come sell their tiny masterpieces at outrageous prices, from nutcrackers to tree ornaments brighten the entire city from afar. And get this: the trees all come from Norway, so imagine the price. A special plaza is Place Kleber, which hosts the official tree, one so giant that they had to dismember the branches for transportation from Norway.

All in all, the city comes alive, which means that people (like me) who are not fond of the rain and the cold no longer think about it when they go out, because they (we) look forward to the colors and the adorable art pieces sold everywhere. And by overprized I mean that a single wooden doll the size of a finger costs 15 Euros, but that is what happens when things are NOT made in China 😛 Strasbourg actually has a committee that certifies the “quality” of a product and whether it can be sold in the marché or not depending on whether it is “authentic Alsatian” or not. Though I fully support China’s rise, I must admit it is NICE to see something made by someone who is being paid their labor’s worth.

To properly honor the spirit of the Marché de Noël, Malou took us to two German towns this weekend: Gengenbach and Fribourg. The reason is because this is actually a German tradition, so if you were to spend Christmas in any part of France other than Alsace, you’d miss the marché. So we spent last Saturday touring these towns and I think it is my favorite trip to this day. The towns themselves are not out of the ordinary; you have the average nice architecture, the spirit of a different culture, and the historical importance of events like WWII because bombs destroyed most of it. What was amazing was the spirit of Christmas. The music, the smells, the booths; it was just magical. It is a sight worth seeing, and the food is worth eating. So yes, the year is coming to an end, and despite the bad weather, the lack of money, and many other things that threaten the spirit of Christmas, spending it in “la Capitale de Noël” makes it all go away.