I have to be honest...I’ve been having a very tough time abroad so far. It’s been 2 months, and I still very much do not feel accustomed to living here. I don’t like cities, I don’t like public transportation, it’s sad seeing homeless people everywhere, I don’t like that the libraries are open at weird times and not on Sundays or Mondays, and I don’t like how expensive things are. Oh, and I still get lost a lot. I put a lot of pressure on myself to navigate correctly, and my pride is wounded when I get lost and I’m late for dinner or class or something. I love my classes, my professors, my classmates and friends, and my host mom, but I guess I’m just very much a homebody and definitely NOT a city girl. At Susquehanna University, which feels like home even though it’s 2 hours from where I live with my family, I can walk pretty much everywhere. The library, Starbucks, to a friend’s dorm, to Jack’s place, to dinner, to the post office, to the Saturday market, even to the bank. In Strasbourg it takes at least a half hour to get anywhere by public transportation, which includes wait time. I tend to shut myself away in my room to do homework and write letters. That’s not a good idea though. There’s the temptation of comfort, as I like to call it. Comfort is a great thing, but too much of it gets you stuck. I snuggled under the covers of my bed watching Netflix a little too much, because it was comfortable when I felt down. I still had homework to do though, and it’s necessary to push yourself to get stuff done. Find a new environment to work in. Resist the temptations! I can’t stay in my room—it just won’t work. Even though it takes a while to get there, either by bike or by bus, I found some places to study other than my room. There are 3 different libraries I can pick from, and there’s Starbucks. Plus I found a cat café! There’s no WiFi there, but there are cats! I need to be optimistic—an obvious fact, but I forget about it all the time. So here’s a list of things I can be optimistic about even though I’m not exactly having the time of my life here:
So, yes, I rented a bike! It was included in the price of my program, so to make a long story short, I didn’t have to pay anything for it. I get to use it for 3 months, which is until the end of my program. People bike ALL the time here. Strasbourg is the #1 bike city in France, after all! There are bike lanes in the roads or on the sidewalks. But, the traffic rules are a little bit different here, and bikers are supposed to follow them. They don’t, but they’re supposed to. Basically, you just have to be super observant and really pay attention. And when in doubt, just bike on the sidewalks! The only problem there is when there are a lot of people. My bike has a little bell I can use when people are in the way 😊 Some people wear helmets, some don’t. Postmen all use bikes. Delivery people (like for food) all use bikes. There are bikes with toddler seats, bikes with baby carriages, bikes for toddlers, and bikes with baskets. Actually, most bikes have baskets (mine does!). The baskets are big or small, wicker or plastic (sometimes a crate), on the front of the bike or the back, or sometimes even the side. Bikes are rented or owned, used for exercise, fun, or transportation. Bikes come in all shapes and sizes! The most important thing is the bike lock. I see bike pieces all the time partially attached to a post. Sometimes wheels are taken off or there is something stolen from a bike. If your bike isn’t locked to a pole properly, or if it’s not well made, literally any piece of it will be taken. It makes me nervous sometimes riding my bike because I don’t know my way around perfectly. Like I said, I still get lost. I get nervous about all the pedestrians and the cars that will drive past you with literally 3 inches to spare. But I do love my bike. It was definitely a good choice to rent it! I can’t wait to ride it through the parks when the trees and flowers are in full bloom and the weather is perfect. Until next time, Elda Word of the day! Méli-mélo—mish mash
4 Comments
Ricki
3/17/2019 21:13:03
Bonjour!!
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Lynn
3/17/2019 23:56:55
When I'm traveling, I spend a lot of time getting lost. Not planned, but just inevitably becomes part of the day. Usually, I love it, since getting lost takes me places I might not have visited otherwise. I discover new sides of a place. At some point, you get found again, and that's cool, too :)
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Sylvia
3/18/2019 22:22:06
I love how you're open to seeing even things like discouragement from a different angle. That says more to me about you than the discouragement itself. Keep it up :)
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Lynn
3/22/2019 16:24:43
I agree w Sylvia! She said it much better than could :) I'm glad you're talking about the difficult parts and how you deal with them. Sometimes (often) study abroad is hard. I'm proud that you decided to undertake this semester and are finding ways to make the experience your own.
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AuthorHello! I'm Elda, a French/Anthropology major and Applied Language Studies minor studying in Strasbourg for a semester. Archives
May 2019
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