Mixing Business and Pleasure: Week 1 Update

This week has been a wonderful and sleep-deprived blur. Classes, language, tourist pleasures, and all the little pieces of learning to get around in a new city have combined to keep me (and 23 other international "expats") on our toes. We started the week with business (classes at 8 a.m. Monday morning) and ended with pleasure (a wine tasting at the Louis Sipp winery). The Alsatian way of life agrees with me.

Making the Time Change

Jet-lag hit hard and is just now starting to relinquish me from its blurry, inside-out grip. I arrived on Sunday afternoon and classes started early on Monday... very little time to adjust. And it's not just the seven-hour time difference; the days are very long here, which is wonderfully pleasant - but it does make it harder for my body to adjust.

It's daylight by around 6 a.m. here and just getting dark at 10:30 p.m., so sleep doesn't happen for me until around 11:00 or midnight. For a woman who is usually up between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m., this is a bit of a shift.

I luxuriated in sleeping 'til 10 this morning - a very rare occurrence - and I plan to do the same tomorrow. This is the part of my trip that feels like a vacation.

Learning Strasbourg

This city has stolen my heart. It's a little big city - cosmopolitan but slightly sleepy, quiet enough in the evenings but with an active night life. The depth of Old Europe and the breadth of postmodern international experience mingle well here. As the largest city in the Alsace region and the seat of the European Parliament and the Council of Europe, Strasbourg has a decidedly international flavor. You can get around here using English, German, the beautiful old Alsatian dialect, even some Spanish.

It's also determinedly French. There are lovely boulangeries and boucheries (bakers' and butchers' shops) on every corner. Even in the supermarkets the foods are amazingly fresh and clearly sourced. The wine and cheese sections are vast and impressive. C'est magnifique!

I didn't buy a bus or a tram pass. You can walk the whole of the town in less than a day, and I can get anywhere I need to go on foot. If I tire of the treks, I can rent a bike on a streetcorner! I haven't done it yet.... stay tuned...

This is a city of churches and canals. You are never lost as long as you can see the water or a church spire. And you can (almost) always see the water or a church spire.

The pace of life is slow enough that nearly everyone will take a moment to help you find your way or answer a question. The professors and representatives from the school have all been accessible and friendly, knowledgable about the region and willing to help us make connections with local students. The experience has been phenomenal so far... I can't believe a week has passed already!

Look forward to upcoming posts that recap my adventures this week in business and pleasure. For the moment, a few pictures to pique your curiosity ;).