The end of our first week.

A 57-year-old german man called me a walking dictionary today. I'm not entirely sure how I know so many random french words, but apparently I do. C'est bizarre.

So I've been here for a week and am finally starting to get settled. It's surprisingly cold here, which has been hard to adjust to. Even the residents of Strasbourg have been complaining. As September is not usually this cold, the residents here generally don't turn the heat on until October. I guess they adhere pretty strictly to this since nothing, including our classrooms, is heated.

Anyway, our two week stage has been pretty miserable, but that was to be expected. The classes are really easy for me and thus, incredibly boring. Still, I am making friends with other students, though mostly Americans, and am attempting to enjoy the time when I'm not in class. We eat lunch most days at Resto-U's, which are university restaurants around the city with cheap food. Not the best dining in the world, but great for students on a budget.

For our "socio-cultural" class, we have to do a small research project on Strasbourg's cathedral. This afternoon we ended up "researching" downtown. After a half-hour of interviewing total strangers, something I would be too shy to do in english but somehow managed in french, we all went to a nearby cafe for coffee. I can definitely see myself making a habit of an afternoon latte and croissant in the coming months. I'll probably be a coffee snob once I get back to the States.

On a completely different note, the women here are incredible. They are skinny, gorgeous, and impossibly graceful. The other day it started pouring down rain randomly and I found myself without an umbrella. We were walking downtown and by the time I had purchased what I needed at Monoprix, I was literally dripping. I didn't think it was that strange, but when I boarded the tram, every woman was perfectly dry and elegant. I have since learned that umbrellas here are not taboo, as in Seattle or Portland, but are used with even the slightest drizzle. I am now starting to get into the habit of using mine, as I don't want to risk another hair disaster amongst such chic women.

I have much more to write about, but I'm tired and ready to go to bed. This weekend will hopefully give me some time to catch up and breathe a little.

Bonne nuit.