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!
