L'Alsace, le meilleur des deux mondes

Hello friends, I have much to say to you, as this was an eventful weekend full of Alsacien good times... laissez les bon temps rouler as they say, or wait -- that's New Orleans. What do they say here?

Saturday: I woke up early and met up with two other erasmus students, Marina and Kira. We took the bus to Germany (round-trip tickets to Germany, only 2.50 euros, book now!) as we were eager to take advantage of the lower prices just fifteen minutes away. You know the French and their taxes. I ended up buying a memory card for my camera (yes, I have a camera now!) and a coat for these difficult winters. As an aside, Germans are truly the nicest people I've met on this fair continent, on the whole that is (for the French have been very pleasant as well, but you know those nasty stereotypes). Although, for some reason they seemed to think that I understood German, although I only spoke English. I would ask Marina to say something, as she speaks German, and the person helping us would talk to me, as if I had just asked the question. But regardless, I now know two German phrases: Ich heiβe Alison. Ich komme aus den Vereinigten Staaten.

We returned to join a group of erasmus students for a trip to the Kronenbourg factory to enjoy a tour of the facilities, learn how they make beer, and of course round out the experience with la dégustation -- tasting of several different beers. Actually, I did not enjoy the beers I had, but I am rather picky when it comes to it, yes? They gave us pretzels however, and so I was content.

I ended the successful day with a house party at a French student's apartment. This guy, through several connections, knows Lauren from a visit to Georgetown, so we had already met him a couple of weeks before. As such, he invited us to come early to meet some of his friends before the other invitees were scheduled to come. I therefore met a small group of French students, and some Germans with French names. Our entrance to the soirée only proves I am right when it comes to how ridiculous French greetings are -- namely, the two kisses on every cheek. It went something as follows:

'Alison, Jean.' *kiss,kiss* 'Lauren, Jean.' *kiss,kiss* 'Alison, Pascal.' *kiss,kiss* 'Lauren, Pascal.' *kiss,kiss* 'Alison, Oliver.' *kiss,kiss* 'Lauren, Oliver' *kiss,kiss* 'Alison, Julien.' *kiss,kiss* 'Lauren, Julien.' *kiss,kiss* 'Alison, Marie.' *kiss,kiss* 'Lauren, Marie.' *kiss,kiss* (I do believe there was another person, too).

You can see how this already exhausts my attempt at being sociable. Only once I was done kissing everyone was I offered a place to sit, a drink, and you know the general chitchat of those awkward first meetings. In addition, some people grasp your hand when they are kissing your cheeks, which then causes me to FLIP OUT slightly, as this is TOO MUCH physical contact with STRANGERS.

But anyway, the Germans were nice, and taught me more phrases to add onto my slight German, including "Nice to meet you" and "I'm wasted." But, Ich spreche keine Deutsch.

Sunday: I woke up early yet again for the planned Route des Vins, a bus ride through Alsace, a region rich in wine production. Our first stop was the charmingly small town of Obernai, where I promenaded (like in a Jane Austen book), took pictures, bought a pastry and drank a café.

 We then traveled onwards to le château de Haut-Koeningsbourg (left!), a castle on the top of a mountain that was reconstructed by Kaiser Wilhelm II at the turn of the twentieth century. Despite my interest in history, I found our tour rather boring, especially as there were nearly seventy of us trying to listen to one woman, so instead I spent my time examining strange nooks and crannies, and the graffiti that has accumulated in the stairwells. Afterwards, we had a picnic, although it wasn't much of one because there was not really anywhere to sit.

After that came Riquewihr, where we went into une cave to participate in la dégustation. I tuned out our tour guide yet again, so I cannot tell you anything interesting about the production of Alsacien wine, except that a) the region is mostly known for white wines, and b) the region is protected by laws which somehow in someway for some reason helps them flourish in their production (in my defense, I was very tired by this point). The more interesting part was when we tasted the wine, and learned how to examine it my sight, smell, sound (I lie, but I got bored listening yet again, so I started moving my finger around the top of the glass to make it ring) and of course, taste. They were all quite delicious, especially with Kougelhopf, an Alsacien cake, to accompany them.

Lastly was the city of Colmar, Alsace's second largest city. We promenaded some more, and bought ice cream, and then paninis, and sat my a small canal and ate. We looked at la Petite Venise, the "waterfront", and I made friends with a small gray cat, and then it was time to return to Strasbourg.

But truly, Alsace is a beautiful region. Throughout the entire route I could see Les Voges, the mountains in the distance; and it was a perfect day, and we past towns and fields and just about everything was so picturesque I felt like I was looking at a postcard.

Yet now I must turn my thoughts towards studies, as this week sees the commencement of classes. Donc, à pluss! votre amie,
Alison

My life is boring because i am

Comrades,

Alright, so I really don't do anything exciting so I will recount the really boring stuff I have been doing to tide you over until I can at leasts describe England and distract you from my own flat-character attributes. Yes, I did just use a 10th grade English term to describe myself.

I have in the past few days...
Gotten my hair cut- Just a little off the sides and some layers. It looks pretty much the same. I'm not really and adventurous hair person, no matter how often I want to dye my hair red to combat the perception I hold that I am really old and a failure. Once I cut it above my shoulders. And once I let myself get talked into highlights by my mom's friend. I was really sad afterwards because it was so light colored after they did it. I hated it. I thought I looked like one of those tan idiots with streaky blond hair who cant form complex sentences and look lost all the time.

I also got my nails done. Which I rarely do for the reason that I'm not really the kind of girl that can keep a manicure nice for an extended period of time. I like pick things up, and like, move. Case in point, I chipped my index finger within two hours of leaving the salon. The nails are a dark red color, if you care. I feel that I would like quite sophisticated if I wasn't so boring and awkward and prone to laugh strangers' idiosyncrasies that I only I seem to see.

I went to and Indians game tonight, which we won. I'm happy about that as we are only two games away from being in the playoffs for the first time in 7 years. But, at the same time, I am little disappointed that I'm going to be out of the country and in a different time zone making it really difficult to enjoy this season. Ah, c'est la vie.

I have been trying to get all my stuff together for school also. I don't feel like winging it would be good to do this time, as I am apt to pack like that on occasion. I packed all my clothes, two suitcases full, and I'm trying to get my bedding and other nicknacks together so my room doesn't look like an unadorned cement tomb. I kind of forgot to do that when I came to gtown two years ago, so i'm attempting self improvement here. You will all be happy to know, if i haven't told you before, that i got a visa and now have permission to be in the UK until next august. yay.

I'm also considering getting a job in england, because, a the money would be nice, as i'm pretty much going to be broke for the rest of my life because of this sojourn and b. it would be a good cultural experience and i'm an anthropology major and that is sort of what we do, you know. However, there is my sometimes taciturn disposition to take into account, also my lack of patience with idiots so I may need to find something a little more conducive to my particular talents. Maybe there will be an antisocial highly intelligent child i can babysit and take to the theater. Wow, I am really awkward.

What else. I went to work the other day and finally finished all the filing I have been working on. FYI Lawyers are the cause of deforestation. I have filed, I would say, at least 1000 pieces of paper since I've been there. Quick reflection of employment- If you are going to work with someone day in and day out, you really need to get along with them, or at least not hate them and think they are stupid. Timidity is not an asset. Also, office gossip and strife go hand in hand. Oh, and free bagels in the conference room can save you from wanting to slit your wrists with your 100 stack sheet of files.

Hum. In other news...my step-brother came into town to pick up my step-mom's car so he can drive it to Portland where he is currently living in what, according to his description, is the scariest house in the entire city. I mean, really, I would need to tell you over the phone or in person, but, it is really a little creepy. However, the rent is cheap and if you are unemployed, that is good.

I'm attempting to review Arabic now, so I shall bid you all adieu. All my best, Eleanor

Straβburg

 Friends,

Here I present to you, briefly, some images of Strasbourg taken not by myself (for as you know I lack a camera), but rather another student promenading with me at the time. This is the view of the towers in the area known as Petite France (called such by the Germans because it housed criminals and prostitutes, and was thus characterized by sexual diseases such as syphilis, which originated in France, and you know the French are very dirty). Lovely story, isn't it? But I do enjoy the quaint trivia that arise from old cities; they practically reek of history.

In other news, I've discovered that Germany is but a bike ride or bus fare away, and home to cheaper clothes, toiletries and groceries. Just a short trip to the Rhine, and a lovely bridge to cross brings me to another land. My first trip to Germany (on Saturday), though, was marked by ordering Italian ice cream in French from a Turkish woman who spoke to us in Portuguese. And it seems that every time I get lost in Strasbourg (which of course rarely happens), I almost end up in Germany -- indicated by signs informing me that Kehl, Allemagne is not far, turn left here.

But here, have some more pictures of Straβburg (as the Germans l'épellent):

  

A pluss,
Alison

La Vie Strasbourgeoise

Mes Amies,

Ça va? I hope that life is treating you kindly. Well, let me recount a few things, not necessarily in any particular order:

1. Yesterday I rented a bicycle, the preferred mode of transportation for the Strasbourgeois. A very kind Colombian student who was sage with the experience of having done it herself helped me. I now feel like a true Strasbourgeoise as I pedal down the cycloroutes (I do not know if that is the correct word) with the wind in my hair (not at all glamorous, though), or at least sort-of, as my bike has the name of the rental store written across it which thus cheapens my pretense of acting like a native.

2. As I was heading toward a table at a café terrace today to order coffee while I waited for Lauren, a woman beckoned me towards her. When I stood before her, she asked very quietly (so I had to ask her to repeat it again), "Vous savez bien parler la russe?"

"La russe? Ah, non, désolée."

Then she simply nodded, and our exchange was over. I am most perplexed, however, as I am quite positive that I do not look Russian.

3. Later today, Lauren and I stumbled upon an outside market, and darted off of the tram at the last minute to peruse its stalls. (As an aside, the tram here is quite nice; it allows me to see how everything is connected together in the city, and is clean, though rather expensive. However, when walking or riding my bike, I am always paranoid that it will hit me when I see it coming, even from ten meters away (metric system, folks!). The drivers know how to stop, correct? I shall not attempt to test this, however.) I found shirts and sweaters for 5 euros, although I purchased nothing. However, having spent months in China bargaining led me to have a sudden desire to bargain for even things I did not want. For instance, when Lauren was looking at a sweater, she asked the man how much it was. "20 euros," he said.

I responded, "... (this implies hesitation) 15 euros? Ça va?"

"Non."

"Mais, c'est trop cher!"

"18 euros, c'est tout."

I was elated at my success, even though a) 15 euros was too high for me to start off with, as the sweater did not merit it, and b) Lauren did not even buy it ("Non, merci. Au revoir."). I shall need keep a look out for more marchés.

4. The cat in this house hates me. She either flinches or attacks when I move.

5. A homeless man has quacked at me, on two different occasions.

But enough, for now I am dining with my host family before heading out to a bar with the erasmus students (Oh, how awkward it shall be).

I listened to Shelly's appointed songs, or at least The Servant's as I already knew Emmanuel's song. I think it is quite lovely, though I've never heard of the band, and shall soon send out a couple songs of my own as well. I have also watched the first few episodes of Coffee Prince, which is silly and Korean enough for me to of course desire to watch the rest. But ! instead I shall take my time, and not follow previous experiences of shutting myself in a room for two days to finish whichever Asian drama entranced me as soon as possible. Nay, nay, comrades. Not this time.

A bientôt,
Alison

P.S.: I was bored the other night and applied labels to most of the blog posts regarding places. It's a sad life I lead.

continued adventures...

I am back in Cleveland now and can finish my recounting of the trips events from the relative comport of the TV room.

Now...where was I? Oh, yes. Dinner. Alex, Mer, Elle and Shelly meet Lindsay, Kevin and his new girlfriend Niki and walk over to the Elephant and Castle, a Canadian chain of faux british pubs, from some metro stop or other. Jeff, Cory and Jen join us. I debate what to eat and settle on Bangers and Mash, which Jen also has. I engage Niki in conversation after I speak to Jen for around 15 minutes and feel I am being rude. Lindsay mostly talks to Kevin; Mer, Alex and Shelly converse and cory speaks to them sometimes. Jeff looks sullen and is mad that I broke our pact to unawkward the dinner by engaging in conversation. I later move to that end of the table and have desert with him and shelly. It is a brownie sundae, it is fairly good.

I then suggest that we walk back to campus- everyone except Jen humors me and we proceed minus Jen who takes the bus back to Gtown with the intention of going clubbing in Adams Morgan on our walk through the slightly humid, though quite pretty dc evening. The streets are practically empty downtown. We take Niki past the White House, which she has never seen, and I of course feel a rush of patriotism. Shut up, I did. After many more minutes we cross into Georgetown. We then go to the crepe place, but we are still all to full to eat anything else. I buy a bottle of water which I will later lose in mer's room.

We then return to school. Alex, Mer, Shelly, Cory and I then watch High School Musical 2. This was not my idea. I find it momentarily diverting. Then Cory makes us sing karaoke. I, however, do not participate. A. I cannot sing. B. I have not seen the first HSM from which the karaoke is taken. There is much laughter during this time, we make fun of Alex who has a very strange laugh and many other things. Shelly and I walk back to her apartment around 1 and go to sleep around 3 for some reason or other.

Day 3/Sunday
Today I wake up at 11:20 to go meet my floormates to go to Adams Morgan Day. I hurry only to arrive and find that they themselves are not ready. I drink water while they finish their preparations. We deport on the 12:22 G2 which we take to Dupont. Before we take the red line, we sample the fresh produce being sold in the farmers market outside the metro stop. There are several fruit growers selling their peaches, and apples. There are also people selling crab cakes, and the sample is rather good, so I decide that when we return, I will buy one for dinner. Then take the metro to adams morgan.

The Adams Morgan stop is buried deep within the earth and ascending the escalators from the bottom is like leaving the deepest reaches of hades. There is only darkness as you climb out of the pit, until, finally, you see that hopeful light and move towards it, leaving the bowels of WMATA as you climb a seemingly endless staircase and appear next to a starbucks and two restaurnats that offer all day happy hour. After a brief sojourn acroos a bridge you arrive at the main drag of am. It is blocked off by a police car and serveral metal barriers and the street is backed with people at this end listening to a regee band play. They crowd seemes enraptured by the music and we all wait for half a song before moving into the throng of people, food, and comercialied products that line the street. There isn't anything really to buy here that I would like. I briefly contemplate buying my sister a headband, but I'm broke anyway, so I refrain. We wander for more than an hour, looking at
the wears being pedeled by an assortment of people, from a woman who sells lamp shades to the free yo-yos to a tee-shirt stand, some bad artwork and various food stalls that I am sure are not up to code. We walk back to Dupont which now after having walked for several blocks for this street fair is only a few blocks away. We take the G2 back to Gtown and I bid adieu and take my leave.

I then return to Shelly's. She and I spend the afternoon wandering around gtown, going and getting a crepe this time, picking her camera up from the Daily Grille, buying an apple at Dena and Deluca and walking along the canal along with some anthropologie window shopping. After this, shelly goes to a meeting for Harmony and I play piano until I go to church. We have all agreed to meet at 915 to get dinner at la madeline, but I don't get out of church until 9;23 so I dash off and meet lindsay, mer and alex who are already there. Shelly doesn't get our of her meeting until even later so we order her a country pizza and enjoy the free bread and sit and have some conversation as the sweep up floors and wash down the tables around us as it is closing time there. We return to school determined to meet for breakfast on monday. Shelly stays up late doing homework and I stay up part of the time reading until I decide I need to sleep.

Day 4/Monday
8 am- my alarm goes off. I hit snooze
8:10am I hit snooze again
8:20 I awaken. Shelly is still asleep. I take a shower
8:40 I attempt to wake up shelly again. She defies me. I go pack my things.
8:54 I try to wake her up again. No luck
9:06 Shelly wakes up, we leave and walk to Leo's.

I am a little too excited about this Leo's meal. We eat with mer and alex. I have eggs and bacon. It is as good as I remember it! Mer and Alex leave and go to class. I embrace Mer.

Lindsay comes and eats. We three then wander around the school, go to wisey's and buy honest-tea and then I bid lindsay adieu. Shelly and I frolick back to her apartment and then power walk because super shuttle gives me a call and says they are on their way. ie i got an automated message. I through my remaining possessions into my bag and then take my leave of shelly and I am very sad. I sullenly sit as super shuttle takes me through dc to bwi.

I arrive at 12:30 for a 2:45 flight. I am upset that I left so early. I am even more upset when my plane is delayed until 3:45 and I don't not arrive home until 5:15. I eat dinner at a restaurant with my father and sister. I come home, and write this.

I then win the lotter and have a wonderful year in Europe, flying all over to visit my friends who are scattered by the winds to all corners of our spherical planet. *

*This is not true, but, as I had already written the things that happened, I thought I would try to write a nice future and see if that would make it happen.

Regards, Eleanor

Wonderful Activities

Dear comrades,

I miss you very much. Sob, sob. Therefore, I've brainstormed some wonderful activities we can share. Please respond and get crackin' on number 1.

1. Watch Asian dramas together. Elle and I nominate Coffee Shop Prince, a drama featuring the actress who played Chaegyung/Princess on Goong. She's masquerading as a boy (it's very convincing, too!) and of course there's a love story.

2. Send each other songs weekly, maybe two or three. Like a book club, but replace book with music. hahahaha. Discuss and share and yay. French rap is welcome; expect Chinese pop as well.

3. Figure out Scale of Awkwardness - the varying degrees of awkwardness.

More suggestions are welcome. Postcard-sending is mandatory :)

In other news, my IPOL professor is still endearing and wonderful (he has dark curly hair, is in his late twenties, is tall and lanky, has nice hands (no ring), is genuinely nice, has a goofy laugh, makes not particularly funny jokes but I laugh anyway, and is un peu awkward of course). The available funds on my debit card is still $1.41 (since Chevy Chase hasn't cleared my check yet, curses). I have not done laundry for maybe three weeks (no quarters and no money, sob). We had Harmony audition callbacks tonight and will have them tomorrow night as well. It rained today (a welcome change from the blazing, cancer-causing sun, but apparently I'm also umbrella-less). I miss you both lots.

P.S. Look at the pretty icon! And it's appropriate too since a certain Clevelandian just left me. Sob.

Paperwork, the french way.

I trust that everything goes well for your preparations to England, Eleanor; and Shelly, I have sent you an ungodly long email. But now, I feel like no post about my travails in France can further take place without first a mention of that loveliest of aspects of French culture -- bureaucracy.

Only now do I discover, having never been told by anyone in charge of telling me things, that I must pay almost 200 euros for French social security, I must open a bank account in order to deposit French checks, I must have two student I.D. cards at two different universities (for I am registered with one, but take classes at another), I should purchase train cards, tram cards, walking cards (oh, no not the last, je me trompe) -- all cards of course with one of the pictures taken by a disgruntled CVS employee who (bless the confused girl) could not actually get a picture of just me and the white backdrop, leaving me with only a grimace by the fourth take, a silent snarl of aggression that hereafter defines me forever because of one fragmentary second of my life as determined by the shutter speed of a camera and the finger of a pharmaceutical worker. If that is not Sartre enough for you, I don't know what is.

Anyway, all this new information comes to me as I am still smarting from the horrid affair that was my French visa process, especially when I talk with other Erasmus students from the EU who have dealt with not one ounce of paperwork until now! I'm quite sure that my visa costs, in total, were more than $400. First, because I needed my passport for China, I could not send it in the mail and receive it in time -- one must allow 2-4 weeks I was told, and that's if they do not lose your passport like they did another Georgetown student's. So the cost of a plane ticket a week and a half before my departure was added to my bill.

And then, there was the whole ordeal of Campus France, where I had to pay $60 in April to open an account, then wait for another month before they gave me a "green light" to make a ten-minute appointment with the consulate. I then had to wait for my papers from Georgetown and the university here in Strasbourg (both were pleasantly prompt, actually) to prove that I am a student. And then I had to prepare an entire folder of never-ending documents to prove, like Pinocchio, I'm a real girl. Okay, bad simile. Je m'excuse.

Once I arrived at the consulate in fair DC, they denied ever receiving my Campus France payment (which is ridiculous as they sent me an approved message that everything was complete), so I have yet to know whether the blame lies with the French in DC or the OIP at Georgetown. They would not even let me into the building, either, but instead I stayed in a lobby while a French gentleman scurried back and forth three times trying to sort out the mess that was my exchange with them, all while I panicked silently (maintaining an aloof and poised air) that all was in vain. In either case, I had to pay yet another $60 before I could pay the $70 for my visa (of course I did my transactions -- visa and money exchanges -- right when the euro was brutally ransacking the dollar; I learned a gros mot from a Frenchman yesterday that would be appropriate for the situation, but I shall not say it, no, for it is far too crass). And then... well, then my visa was ready in five minutes, and very pretty too. (I would also like to mention that I spoke with a Canadian who did not have these fees at all!)

But, despite all of the countless forms I've been filling out that ask for the same information (only placed in two different boxes of the same paper), I guess I need just take it in stride. So next time I have a drink, I'll drink to the Grand Bureaucracy that is France, and the EU, for -- you know -- Strasbourg is a prominent city for the EU. May it continue and gratify the ever-hungrier governments of the world!

Alison

A voyage to the land of the Hoyas...day 1

Shelly says that I must write in paragraphs. I think that I already do this. I will attempt to put some space between my thoughts, but, frankly, Proust didn't so I really don't feel the need either.
Here is a brief summary of my trip to georgetown.

Friday: Arrive 12:42 BWI airport. Attempt to catch bus to take to Green line. This fails because bus is 15 minutes late and I think that I have already missed it, and i therefore leave bus stop and am at supershuttle station when bus actually passes. Am very angry because of this. Take super shuttle and have the smelliest drivers in the word. Behind me sit two southern tourists, I believe the husband is involved politically as he has a meeting with a congressman on tuesday, and president bush may speak at some other meeting he is going to. He is excited about this because the last person that came to speak at this meeting was Regan. I listen to Chopin and read during the trip, trying not to pass out from some rather foul smells.

Arrive at shelly's appartment. Shelly is in class. I am welcomed by Jen who sells me her phone and oyster card at a discount and recounts adventures and advice from the UK. I am very thankful and happy because of this. However, my feet hurt because I have been wearing wedge highhealed shoes. I am stupid. I then wear red flats. This was a giant mistake. Firstly, because they are my sisters and not broken in. Secondly, because they are a size too small. Shelly comes back from class and we frolick for some time. We then meet Lindsay and Meredith and Alex and eat bbq in the southwest quad. I walked there without shoes becuase my feet were by this time dying a slow and painful death. We may or may not have cut the line for food because I was in english class with the griller. I am not quite sure.

Shelly, Mer and Alex then go to an offcampus student housing meeting and learn about proper tras disposal. I do not attend. Instead, I got to visit Christine, Natasha, Becca, Danielle, and Breeana- my floormates from freshman year. LXR now does not allow you to stroll through so I end up chatting with the card for 10 minutes until they get my message and come sign me in. He is from the Congo, where it is very humid and it rains every day, also is brother lives here and he has taken english classes at the university. I visit with them until around 9, then we all reconven and go to see Hairspray at DuPont. We sing rounds of 'row row row your boat' at the bus stop. Lindsay is embarassed. We stop at CVS before we go to the theater and I buy water and Mike and Ikes. I find them refreshing. We watch the movie. I have mixed feelings about it. Everyone else thinks it is awesome. We then return to georgetown and go to sleep promising to reconvene the next day at 12:30.

Day 2
I awaked at 11:40. We are going to be late because I take a shower and shelly and I are slow. Mer is also late, but not as late are we are. Lindsay is nowhere to be seen. We then go to the daily grill to eat breakfast/brunch. I order the bagel thing i like as does shelly, mer gets eggs benedict, alex gets a blt. We discuss our yearly plans. Lindsay comes towards the end of breakfast. She orders salmon eggs benedict. We finish eating and shelly leaves her camera there. Do you not find this suprising (-Shelly)? We then go museuming. We go to the Hirschorn that has a lot of modern art. Water costs $3. I feel i have been gouged. The most amusing part of the museum was the 30 minute video that was a series of, i'm not quite sure how to describe it, like dominos with objects, a ball knocks into a tablewich tips over and moves something else. There was fire and acid in this movie also. After several hours there, where we comment on which sculpters we liked we headed off to lindsay's brithday dinner...

More on that later. I need to sleep now as I'm tired and need to meet Mer and Alex for breakfast with Shelly at 9 at Leo's. Hope you are well, Eleanor.

Chere Amie

Ali,
I am glad you are alive and being sustained so heartily on a large assortment of food, all of which I dearly want. So, the city has a decidedly french air, interesting. Tell me about your wanderings. I want to hear about the twisted streets, rainsoaked bridges and your probably awkward encounters. How is your french family? Did they enjoy your gifts? If not, did you try to find a flowershop run by sketchy french people? Are there any sketchy french people, or do they only come in the chic and aloof superior variety there? I should inform you that I have applied for a visa. I hope I shall get it soon. Tomorrow I go to DC. I hope to do tourist things. Hey do you have an international student id card, should I get one. Also, with your laptop did you just need to get a standard converter. Incase you haven't figured out, I'm starting to become nervous about my preparations for this voyage. I hope you are enjoying yourself and taking some time to do amusant things. As to your rendez-vous(s) (obviously this is the plural), what do you think of my coming to strausbourg first and then a meeting in paris? Write back soon. Bisous, Eleanor
Post Script- I miss you.

La Cigogne and le couscous

Bonjour amies, &tc. I am safely installed in ma maison alsacienne with my mère française and her daughter. I am now surrounded by rivers (literally, for I seem always to stumble across a bridge) of French culture and cuisine, along with a curious blend of Alsacien living. I have ingested by now tartes flambées, quiche Lorraine, couscous, and, bien sûr, an ever-growing amount of crusty bread. I imbibe coffee now with a passion, due both in part to my fervor and also in part to the chill and rain which fills the air at this time of year.

Alas! my dear friends, for I left my fair, faithful digital camera in the States, where it languishes from lack of use, unable to provide a picture of my temporary home to make up for my inadequate words. Strasbourg has a particular German look at times, but an undeniable French air to everything, even to the numerous Greek cafés that I have passed. I shall soon, one hopes, be receiving said camera in the post shortly, where I shall attempt to do justice to the remarkable sight of the city.

I have met already with Lauren, Eleanor's dear roommate as you will recall. She has already two appointments with Frenchmen, the first being with a fellow called Laurent (or whom I call 'Lauren with a t'), so you must know that she is doing quite well here; whereas, for me, perhaps as a tribute to my French skills or as a tribute to my being unremarkable, I have simply faded into the bustle and hum of this petite ville. But for now, c'est tout--I only wanted to make known my safe arrival here. Amitiés,

Alison