We had a beautiful sunny week in Strasbourg!  It did not rain until Friday, which allowed for multiple days of sun exposure - something my body and spirit were in desperate need of!  It is now back to normal and I am spending my Saturday inside snuggled under a blanket while it rains outside - but I am tired today and glad to spend the afternoon indoors relaxing!

Dave had another busy week - surprise surprise!  His second team project was due on Thursday, so the majority of the week was spent working on that.  On Wednesday night he stayed at ISU to work with his team and did not get home until 4am Thur. morning!  He then woke up a few hours later to go back to school for classes and to finish the project.  He is always asking me what day it is as one day blends into an other for him....Weekdays are only different in that he has to be up to be at ISU in the morning, but every day of the week he is working the majority of the time.  I definitely did not marry a slacker!

While Dave was extremely busy this week, I was only ordinary busy!  I am so thankful that I have been able to find things to do so that my weeks are not empty.  I am the kind of person who needs routine and a schedule, so having most of my weekdays filled with things to do helps keep me sane.

On Monday I spent the morning doing some errands and walking around outside.  In the afternoon I picked up my little girl from school, took her home and helped her with her English homework.  We take a bus and a tram back to her house after school and the tram is always so full I fear she will be squished by all the big people crowding in - but she just smiles and sings to herself!  Everyone uses the tram here, so from a young age you must just get used to being jostled around by all these bodies crowding in around you.  I think she handles it better than I do!

On Tuesday I had a wonderful day just enjoying the weather and wondering around Strasbourg.  In the morning I met with a few ladies from church for coffee and just a really nice visit.  We went to an adorable little cafe called La Tarte'Rit that serves coffees, teas, cappuccinos, croissants, tarts, quiche, etc.  Any of you who may come to visit me in the next year - La Tarte'Rit will be on our to do list!  I am so glad that I was introduced to it and am eager to go again.  I did not take a picture of the inside, which is very cute and cozy, but here is the outside of the cafe:

After meeting for coffee I wondered around a nearby neighbourhood called Robertsau and came across a market!  There are always different kinds of markets going on around the city, but this one was fun because it was not spread out over too much area and had so many different things for sale!  There were clothes, shoes and scarves (and no I did not give into temptation and buy 10 different cheap scarves as I was at first inclined to do), flowers, watches and jewelry, hats, rugs, kitchen supplies, and of course food!  There were vendors set up with fresh produce, vans with cheese, meats, fish and even Vietnamese spring rolls!  I even saw a van with the side panel lifted up and rows upon rows of rotisserie chickens cooking!  It was very cool, lots to see and buy!

Flowers!

Produce!

Meat!

Cheese!

Seafood (see the Octopus?)!

Rugs and clothes!

On Wednesday I spent the day with the two little French girls, doing the usual - going from Art class to lunch to Dance class to home.  It was a beautiful day and when we arrived home I suggested we go to the park for the afternoon until their parents came home....but they did not want to go!  I was not going to force them to enjoy the outdoors with me, but I must say I was a little disappointed!  I had envisioned spending a couple of hours in the sun at the playground rather than in the apartment pretending the hallway was a river and that blankets were boats!  But they had an enjoyable play time and I guess that is what is most important!
That evening I made homemade meatballs in marinara sauce and took a dinner of meatball subs and steamed broccoli to Dave at ISU...when he is really busy he will sometimes forget to eat, so I thought it would be good for him to have something hearty and healthy as he worked on his project.  In the end, while I think he enjoyed the meal, he was not overly interested in food at that point and a sandwich would have sufficed!  Oh well, I really enjoyed my meatballs and broccoli!

I have been finding that with extra time I am enjoying cooking more.  Our kitchen has limited space and resources, and of course the foods available here are different that at home, but I have been trying out different recipes and cooking more than I ever have before in my life!  In the past, Dave has been the one to cook more often than I have (and with better results!).  But now that he is so busy, for the first time in our relationship he is the student and I am not, I have voluntarily taken over the cooking role and have found that I do enjoy it.  And in the last year or so I have been doing more reading on nutrition and health and am becoming more and more aware of the things that I put into my body and how they affect my concentration, mood and overall health.  So being the one who buys the ingredients and puts the meals together has given me more to think about and more motivation to ensure that both Dave and myself are eating as healthy as we can be.  Now, for those that know me well, you know that I have a huge sweet tooth and a propensity for eating large quantities of junk food without a second thought.  This part of me has not changed!  I still have so many weaknesses and so many bad eating habits - however, I am getting better at realizing the consequences of feeding those habits and the benefits of making better choices!  So if any of you have some meal ideas that you think I may want to try out in my little French kitchen (i.e. no stove) please email them to me as I would greatly appreciate it!

On Thursday and Friday I spent the day with the pre-schoolers again.  Wow - nothing tires me out all week like those two days!  On Friday morning the kids participated in a community initiative to clean up their neighbourhood - so we took to the streets wearing sponsored T-shirts, gloves, and carrying garbage bags!  It was interesting to see how each child approached the task at hand.  A few of them really got into it and were slightly competitive about how much garbage they collected and how gross it was - proudly showing me their finds before depositing them in the bag!  Others looked at the time as an opportunity to play outside and had to be reminded that they were not at the park to play on the slides!  And one poor little guy was truly disturbed at having to pick up garbage....he did not want to get his disposable gloves dirty!  So one of the teachers endeavored to find him "clean garbage" to pick up so that he could still participate!  It was really cute.

Thursday evening I went to our Pastor couple's home for small group (a meeting of a few people to do a bible study, pray with each other, etc).  There was a couple there who I met for the first time who had a 16 month old daughter - and she reminded me of Lily so much!  I am afraid at some points my concentration was more focused on the little girl than the discussion - she just captivated me with her mannerisms and smiles that so reminded me of Lily.  She was a truly sweet and lovely little girl and I look forward to seeing her weekly on Thursdays and getting to know everyone else better in the group!

On Friday afternoon after pre-school I headed out to ISU to see the presentation of group projects from that week.  The students were divided up into 8 teams and were tasked with selecting an upcoming space mission, researching it, and designing a conference style poster on it.  On Friday all the teams set up their work at the campus and were judged by a panel of professors and other professionals.  It was a good opportunity for me to see the finished product from Dave's team after hearing about it all week and to see the other posters that were presented from the other groups.  I actually found it really interesting!  In the end 3 posters out of 8 were selected as the best, with one poster earning the top spot (and the team members receiving a prize!).

On Friday evening a big group of ISU students went out to celebrate another student's birthday - Louis.  It was a really good night and I hope that it was a memorable one for Louis!  The students are a really fun group of people and there is never a dull moment when you are out with them!  I had my first cherry beer - just what it sounds like, cherry flavoured beer - and it was so good!  I am not a beer lover at all, but with the cherry flavour the beer flavour just subtle enough to be enjoyable!

Tomorrow Dave and his class leave for Prague by bus early in the morning and I fly out and meet them in the evening.  So we will be in the Czech Republic for the majority of next week...Dave taking in the conference and me taking in the sights of Prague!  Should be lots of fun!  Will definitely post about the trip on the blog and share some pictures!

Love Heather & Dave

Travel Plans, Kids & FOOD!

Another week has begun for us here in Strasbourg - it is a sunny Monday morning and I have lots to do, but first I thought I would update the blog!

I mention that it is a sunny morning because they are not too common in Strasbourg.  It seems that it rains here or is cloudy the majority of the time, so when we get sun I really appreciate it!  The last few days have been perfect autumn days with warm sun and cool crisp air.  I hope that the sunny days continue into this week - I find that a lack of sun really affects my mood!

Dave had another busy week at school - he and his group finished their project and handed it in one day only to get another assignment the next day!  The school likes to keep them on their toes!  He has also begun his International Law & Space Policy classes, which he does not enjoy, but it is fun for me as we sit and talk about what he learned and I am able to help him with the points that are not very clear.  While I do not want to be back in school right now by any means, I do sometimes miss it!  I think I will do a Masters one day, perhaps in International Law, but for now I need this down time to rest my brain and recharge for whatever comes next!

Dave and his class go to Prague this Sunday for the International Astronautical Congress - they will be attending the conference and participating in cultural activities.  This will be a nice "break" for the students, and is a great opportunity to participate in the Congress and see some of Prague's highlights.  The trip was arranged by ISU - so the class leaves together by bus on Sunday morning and returns by bus Thursday night.

I have always wanted to go to Prague, as everyone I talk to who has toured Europe has great things to say about visiting the city.  So when I found out that Dave and his class were going I asked for the week off from looking after the girls to be able to go too.  However, we found out that I could not travel on the same bus as the ISU students due to insurance purposes and I could not stay in the same hotel because it was fully booked for the conference.  So if I wanted to go I would have to find my own way there and hopefully find a hostel nearby the hotel where Dave was staying.
As I had asked for the week off work I decided I would go to Prague, even if I could not go with Dave and the ISU group.  I found a cheap flight leaving from Strasbourg airport on Sunday night and returning Thur. evening.  I looked into taking the train and believe it or not the train was more expensive that flying - so I am paying less to get there on a 1.5 hour flight instead of an overnight 10 hour train trip!  Also, one of the students in Dave's class is from Prague, so he will be staying with family while the class is there, so I was able to take his spot at the hotel and will now be sharing a room with Dave!  I just have to pay for my portion of it!  So I am very happy and excited to be going - I will be sightseeing during the day and will see Dave in the evenings when he is free.  Hopefully I can join in on some of the cultural activities that the class goes on, but if not I will be happy to just be there and I know I will not have trouble filling my time with taking in the beautiful sights of Prague!  And I know Dave will have a wonderful time at the conference and it will be a great time with the class to get to know each other even better and make great memories!

In addition to the purchasing the Prague flights and hotel room, I have spent even more money this week!  On Tuesday I registered for my October French class - it is a beginners intensive course for the month that will hopefully help me to get the basics down for the overwhelming task of learning French!  I am very excited to soon be formally learning the language - I have picked up a bit since arriving in France, but I am a structured type of learner - I thrive more in the classroom setting rather than by independent learning.  So once October is finished I am hoping I will have more tools to practice my French with and then will continue with classes in the new year.
In November my mom and I are traveling together - so I purchased our plane tickets from Frankfurt-Hahn to Venice!  We will begin our trip in Italy and then continue traveling by train most likely thru Switzerland and France.  In addition to Venice we are hoping to visit the Cinque Terra, Nice, Chambery, perhaps Geneva and Interlacken and of course, Paris!  I am very excited for her to arrive.  Even if we were staying in Strasbourg for the entire three weeks she is coming for, I would be thrilled.  I miss her very much and will just be so happy to spend time together.  And the fact that we get to travel together and see so many beautiful places is just a bonus!  We will be gone a total of two weeks straight - one of those weeks the girls I look after have the week off of school so they do not need me that week as I believe they are staying with their grandparents, and the second week I asked for time off.  We will return for me to look after the girls in the third week of November until Wednesday and then leave again for a few days to visit Paris before my mom goes home.  So Dave will be on his own for a couple of weeks while I am gone - I feel a bit guilty leaving him as he is very busy and in my own my mind I do not think he can survive without me anymore!  But I remind myself that he did just fine without me before I came along and he is a better cook than I am - so being a "bachelor" for a couple of weeks will not kill him!  He will probably have some fun going out with the ISU students for dinner, movies, etc - so I should not feel too badly for him!

On Wednesday I looked after the little girls, only they started their art and dance classes so I picked them up from art, took them for lunch and then took them to dance classes.  They were so cute in their little dance outfits of pink and purple!  While they were in their dance class I waited for them outside and read - no parents, etc. are allowed in the dance class - but when I took them home they surprised me by changing back into their dance clothes and giving me a little "recital"!  It was adorable!  At the dance hall I felt very overwhelmed trying to get the girls into their classes and find out where they should change and be for class - while surrounded by very capable looking French mothers speaking rapid fire French to the teachers and their kids....all I could do was follow their example and follow where they were taking their girls!  I felt very much out of my element and inexperienced and not French!
Wednesdays are going to be busy days picking the girls up and trying to get them fed before dance - and it is hard with my arm being somewhat out of commission to make sure the little one is holding my hand and walking with me on the street and to get their lunch at the busy cafeteria - but it is a fun day to be out and about with them!  And then after dance we go back to their house and I look after them for about 3 hours and help the oldest with her English homework and then we play - we have played Littlest Pet Shop, Barbies, Lego, etc!  They both have quite the imagination so it is always interesting to see what they come up with!

I was also at pre-school on Thur and Friday helping out.  I find my days there exhausting and challenging....I definitely give props to all you teachers and day care workers out there!  The work you do is so important but so hard - at least from my perspective and I am just getting a glimpse of it!  Give me a courtroom and a grumpy judge any day!  The kids that I spend the day with are so young, so they are still learning to listen, to share, etc and it does not help that on top of that a few of them do have some social and anger issues - which added to the mix makes for a very chaotic classroom of 3-5 year olds!  I have to be honest and say I struggle with my time there - I never have seen myself as a "kid person" - I have never been one of those girls who got crazy over babies and children - until the last few years when my niece was born and I fell in love with her.  But for some reason God has surrounded me with kids in France - 4/5 of my weekdays are spent with kids 8 and under - and while I am not sure why this happened, I know He wants to teach me and use me in the environment He has placed me in....

The majority of evenings I make dinner for Dave when he comes home from school - so we are slowly coming in line with French culture and eating later and later.  When we first got to Strasbourg we would eat dinner around 5-6.  Now two days a week I work until 6:30 and Dave does not come home until 7-8 so by necessity we just have to eat later!  I make pasta, curry, stir fries, chicken or pork chops with veggies and buy a baguette, or we have tacos or skillets with eggs and potatoes, tomatoes and peppers, etc.  I am trying to expand my cooking but that is a typical dinner for us here.  However, we do usually eat out about once a week for dinner.  This week a group of students met up after handing in their first project and we all went out to eat to celebrate.  One of the students who is from Strasbourg took us to a very cute and cozy Alsatian restaurant that he and his family go to.  He told us it was great Alsatian food, without all the tourists at the restaurant for good prices - and he was right!  It was called the ladybug, or "Coccinelle" in French and was a warm, dimly lit, cozy little restaurant tucked away off one of the small cobble stoned streets.  The French students helped us English speakers translate the menu and everyone was very happy with their meal!  Dave had tender beef and potatoes - I of course had to try and the beef was melt in your mouth tender!  I had a gorgeous and tasty green salad and a slice of meat pie - again, so good!  And of course there was wonderful wine and company!  It was a truly memorable evening for me, Dave and I both had a great time!  I regret that I did not think to take any pictures of the evening, as I was too busy enjoying myself eating and talking!

On Saturday I told Dave to sleep in to catch up on some much needed rest and I woke up early-ish(!) to go get groceries for breakfast.  I wanted to make Dave a typical breakfast that we would have at home - so I went to a grocery store here called Simply that has a "world food" section - and bought Classic Foods of American Pancake Mix and Syrup!  When Dave and I started dating we would often make pancakes together on Sunday morning after church and he showed me how tasty pancakes could be with cinnamon, banana and chocolate in them!  So those are the type of pancakes I made (I could not find chocolate chips so a cut up cadbury chocolate bar sufficed! and they were sooo tasty!  A little piece of home here in Strasbourg!

Again, I want to say thank you for all the kind messages and emails and letters that have been sent to Dave and I - it definitely helps with the homesickness to feel connected to everyone!

Love Heather & Dave

What? Why Me? Why Now?!

so many of you will know from facebook that i broke my arm this week - so please excuse the lack of capitalization and proper grammar in this post - typing with one hand is very time consuming so i am taking as many short cuts as i can!

this was a very busy week for dave, and we both expect things to only get busier in the weeks and months to come.  everyday dave is out the door by 815 to catch the tram to take him to school for 9.  he has classes all morning and most afternoons and after class stays at school for another extra few hours to get some work done.  so most evenings i do not see him until after 7 or so.  on tues. evening he decided to stay at the school for the entire evening as he was feeling behind.  unfortunately tues there was a strike and the trams were on a limited schedule.  well when he went to the tram stop at midnight to come home he found out his tram had stopped running altogether!  so he ended up walking home - which took over an hour! when he got home and i woke up i asked him why he did not take a taxi - he said he didn't see any and did not have a number to call for one.  my poor dave.
the students also got their first group project this week and were tasked with researching emerging space countries in groups.  dave's group was assigned kazakhstan and this weekend again dave has been very busy working on his project.  the assignment is due wed and on thur they present.  so hopefully next weekend dave can have a few hours to enjoy some time off from school work - but we shall see!
i am so proud of him, he is working very hard and has committed himself to stay on top of all his work.  if he slacked off i would see him more, but we find an hour here and there to spend time together.

this week was a very frustrating and interesting week for me.... 

i fell off my bike mon morning and went to the hospital with dave around 1.  we live by the civic hospital, which is the biggest in strasbourg, so we obviously decided to go there.  well we went to three different locations in this hospital seeking treatment for my arm and each place told us to go to the next.  finally at the third place we were told that they do not treat arms there - just hands and wrists!  we were so shocked - i started crying i was so frustrated! it would be like a winnipegger going to the health sciences centre and being told they do not treat arms!  so we were then told to go to a hospital in Illkirsch, which is the area where isu is located.  we took the tram there and waited about an hour to see a doctor (now this is a vast improvement from hsc in winnipeg as the wait would have been MUCH longer!).  the doctor asked me where it hurt and i said my elbow - she then said they do not treat elbows there, they only treat up to the forearm!!!!  thankfully she took pity on me, as i started to cry again, and called a colleague to see how to proceed.  they did an x-ray and found that the bone was fractured and proceeded to put me in a plaster cast.  they said i would only be in this cast a week, so i go back tomorrow to see a specialist and most likely will be put in a fiberglass cast - but i am not exactly sure, i will find out tomorrow!  a lovely girl from the church is coming with me tomorrow to translate as dave cannot come with me because he cannot miss anymore class.  so with her help i will find out what the treatment plan is for my arm!

All through my school years i wanted to break my arm to get out of gym class - particularly if there was a big fitness test or we were in a unit i hated, i.e. volleyball, baseball, ringette, etc.  yet i never succumbed to such an injury and was not so desperate as to seek it out by throwing myself down a flight of stairs!  but here i was, happily riding my new bike, loving being active in this beautiful european city and i fall off my new bike and break my arm!  i was not impressed.

so i am ashamed to say that the early part of the week consisted of me feeling sorry for myself and being angry at having to wear a cast and be limited in the day to day things that i do.  i am surprised at how much anger i felt over this injury and how it affected my life.
midway thru the week god really pressed upon me how much i have to be thankful for and that my whole attitude was focused on the one unfortunate thing that had happened when in relation to that one thing i had a million other things that were so positive.  even in regard to my arm, i have come to be thankful as i could have just as easily hit my head instead of my arm (as i was not wearing a helmet) and never recovered.
yes, it is frustrating that i cannot cut food when cooking, wash my own hair with ease, pluck my eyebrows with my right hand any longer, but wow, it is so not the end of the world... in fact there have been some very funny moments (i.e. trying to carry my umbrella in the crook of my cast pressed against my body and having it stick out so far that i could not walk thru the bus door despite three efforts!)and it has been an eye opener for me.  i am always surprised at how quickly i take for granted things in my life and how quickly i get angry when things like my health are compromised. i definitely have a why me? attitude - like i deserve special treatment or to have some fairy tale existence that is not real life. 
when these thoughts creep in and take over i am always reminded of my best role model, my mom, and her response when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  she said why not me?  i have a loving family that takes care of me, a great group of friends who support and pray for me and the resources to not have to work to survive - so why not me instead of someone else who would not have such support & resources?  what an amazing response, eh?
with this teeny tiny injury and its associated bumps along the way i hope that god is shaping me and teaching me to be more like my mom and to learn to always be thankful for what he has given me.  in this situation i have medical insurance that covers all the costs, i have a wonderful husband who washes my hair for me and cooks when i need to rest my arm, new friends who have offered any help they might give and so many of you at home who have sent me well wishes and just reminded me of how many great people i have in my life!

so besides my internal struggles i have had a pretty interesting and busy week out and about.  on wed i looked after the two little girls for the day - we spent 10.5 hours together and we all survived!  we coloured, played house, played littlest pet shop, went to a french animation movie in 3D, ate breakfast and lunch and just generally got to know each other a bit.  there were some challenging aspects to the day but overall it was good.  in the weeks to come i will be looking after the oldest every mon after school and both of them on wed.  there is no school on wed for younger kids in france, hence why they need a babysitter!  however, in the future on wed the girls have art and dance classes so i will pick them up at 12 from there first class and go for lunch with them until their second class at 1:30 and then from 2:30-6:30 babysit them at home until their parents return from work.  this past wed was different because their classes had not yet started so they needed to be looked after the whole day from 8-6:30.  so on wed. in the future i can still sleep in!

on thur i started volunteering at a bilingual school, helping in the preschool.  i met some adorable little boys and girls and had a fun, but exhausting day with them!  all but two of the preschool kids come from french families and thus are only starting to learn english - so communication was a little difficult.  however there was one very chatty englisg speaking boy from bangledesh so i stayed close to him and enjoyed him so much!  the day was spent singing, learning english, doing crafts, playing games, going to the park and eating lunch.  unfortunately my cast prevented me from helping the kids with a lot things, i.e. putting on shoes and paint smocks, but they were all fascinated by my cast and thus i think liked having me there!  at lunch it was kind of funny that i needed the lunch lady to help me spread my camembert cheese on my baguette - so i felt just like the preschoolers i was sitting beside!
so at this school they do their lessons in french mon and tues and in english on thur and fri so over the year i will be volunteering there on thur and fri when i am not in french lessons or travelling. 

this week on friday i decided to stay home from preschool and rest my arm as it sore, so i spent the day in the apt reading and resting.  in the evening however, i joined dave at isu as they were hosting a tarte flambee night.  it was nice to see everybody at the school again and visit with them!  we all sat outside and had freshly cooked tart flambee over open fires.  at one point the international space station flew overhead and we were able to see its light in the night sky - as you can imagine this was a very exciting moment for all the space nerds students!

on sat i took the bus over to germany and did some shopping there while dave did his school work.  in germany they have some cool stores and some different things to look at. it was odd to hear german instead of french and i realized i did not know any German other than danke!  i did manage to order myself an ice cream cone though and by "order" i mean i pointed at the type of cone and the type of ice cream i wanted!  but it was delicious and cheap - 90 cents!

in the evening i made another awesome green thai curry, with dave's help for all the chopping!  i tweaked my usual recipe and was very happy with the result!  later i felt self-indulgent so i went downstairs to il girasole and purchased authentic homemade italian tiramisu.  wow - it was amazing!  eating that and drinking a nice glass of wine made me sigh and be glad to be in France with an italian deli/bakery downstairs!

today we went to church and enjoyed visiting and meeting new people.  this week women's bible study and home groups start so i am excited to be involved in those.  this afternoon and evening dave and i are going to try to spend some time together and maybe enjoy some of the warm weather strasbourg has been favoured with!

thank you everyone for the emails, facebook posts, etc! i just appreciate all of them so much!  a special thank you to my sister kristen who emailed me everyday this week to check in on me and see how i was doing even though she had a very hectic and busy week herself!

It has been 4 weeks since we left Winnipeg!  Wow....I can't belive it has been a month already.  I miss home and I miss all my friends and family, but I have realized more than ever that this year is going to fly by and before I know it I will be moving back to Canada.

We had a very interesting and busy week!  On Tuesday we were at ISU for the joint Graduation service and Opening ceremonies for the new class.  It was neat to combine the two services - to see the accomplishments of the graduating class and introduce the fresh faces of the class of 2011!  I left the service feeling very excited for Dave and excited to see what happens this year at ISU!  Here is a picture of Dave introducing himself at the opening ceremonies (quality is not too great):

The next day, Wednesday, Dave started classes at ISU. They split the students up into two groups:  those with a technical background (i.e. engineering) and those with a non-technical background (i.e. business, politics).  The technical background group spent the day learning about Economics and Law - so Dave got a taste of what I have been studying for the last 6 years!  We spent the evening talking about law and how lawyers approach problems - which is very different from the way engineers approach problems!  When the time comes for Dave to take Space Law at ISU I will try and sit in on the classes and learn about it, as I have never taken any law courses that touch on space issues.

On Thursday and Friday Dave and the ISU students did team building exercises.  Two psychologists came in and organized team building exercises to help the students learn to communicate with each other and work together.  From what I have heard from Dave and the other students it was a very interesting time and will be useful for the year ahead as the students spend so much time together in class, socially and working on group projects!

When Dave was at school on Thursday I decided to bike to IKEA!  I had only ever taken the tram there, but I decided I wanted to see if I could find my way on the bike.  It was about a 20 minute ride there and back - on bike paths, roads and pedestrian areas - but I made it!  Surprisingly I felt safest while biking on the roads with traffic rather than in the city on the paths and pedestrian areas.  There are so many people in the city as you bike that you have to weave in and out of crowds and oncoming pedestrians/cyclists, whereas on the roads you do not have to do the same maneuvering - you just ride along the curb!
Regardless, it was a great day to bike and I was happy that I found my way. So far my bike has been a wonderful purchase and I am loving the freedom it gives me more and more everyday.  Check out the reflection of my bike in the picture below (IKEA parking lot):

On Thursday afternoon the ISU class went for a tour of Strasbourg in a canal boat and I was able to go with them!  It was a great tour as there are so many canals around the city centre with really great views.  There was an audio commentary if you wished to listen that provided some interesting facts about Strasbourg.  Here are some pictures from the afternoon:

After the boat ride there was a "treasure hunt" around the Cathedral - the students were split into groups and each group had to find landmarks and answer questions about them.  The group that answered the most questions right in the least amount of time won.  Our group came in a respectable 3rd place (out of 6) and was awarded cookies!
After the treasure hunt we headed over to City Hall where the city hosted a reception for the students.  It was very posh and was very nice for the students to be welcomed so officially by the city of Strasbourg.  It appears that I am running with quite the important crowd!

On Friday I spent the day with an American staff member from ISU, Deb.  It was very nice to spend the whole day speaking in English with someone!  We had a lovely day walking around Orangerie Park and the Rivetoile Shopping Centre.  We discovered a bowling alley and bar with pool tables in the Park which I am sure we will visit regularly in the next few months!  Dave and I went bowling quite regularly at home, so I am excited to continue here in Strasbourg.  And the bar with the pool tables would be a great place to meet with a group of people for a fun night.  Deb and I also had lunch at the Park restaurant - it was a beautiful sunny day so we sat on the patio by the lake and enjoyed our tart de l'ognion, salad, bread and wine!
At the shopping centre she took me to the cinema and showed me what to look for when trying to buy tickets for an English language movie!  Right now Inception and Salt and a few other familiar movies are playing - so I am excited that I can go see movies here in France in English!

On Friday night Dave came home at 8 pm!  The students had a very full day of team building - but they had planned to meet up at 9 to go for dinner (yes, people eat dinner very late here by North American standards).  So Dave relaxed for a half hour and then we were off to eat!  We went to a traditional Alsatian restaurant that two of the students from Strasbourg recommended and both Dave and I tried Tarte Flambee for the first time - it is one of the more popular dishes here.  It consists of a thin crust, with a cream sauce with onion and bacon on top! I really enjoyed it, however it was a bit to creamy for Dave!  Nonetheless, it was great to try some of the traditional food from this region!

On Saturday we were invited to go to Germany for a hike in the Black Forest!  We were invited by the Pastoring couple of the church we have been attending, Trinity International - as they had been invited by a couple who attend the church and live in Germany.  So we had a lovely day hiking with about 8 other people from the church that had all been invited.  The Black Forest has always been somewhere I have heard about so I was very excited to see it - and it did not disappoint!  We hiked up the side of some waterfalls along lush green trees and vegetation.  It was gorgeous and the air was rich with the scent of pine trees!  Both Dave and I loved it - and the hike provided some good exercise to work up our appetites for the wonderful dinner we had that night!

So after our hike we went to the house of the couple who live in Germany as they were hosting us all for dinner.  And what a dinner it was!  Lei, the wife, made traditional Chinese dumplings!  The women of the group of course helped out as it is a time consuming and labour intensive process, but she was a fantastic cook and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process of helping make the filling, stuffing it into the dough, and then of course eating the finished product!  Hot dumplings stuffed with pork, carrots, onion and then boiled and served with a wonderful, spicy sauce!  And with the meal: wine, a fantastic salad and dessert!  And to top it all off, their house looked over the Rhine Valley and standing on their balcony you had the most fantastic view.  Here is a picture from their balcony in the morning, but also imagine the view as the sun sets and the lights come out in the valley below.

So we had a wonderful day hiking, spending time with new people and eating!  We are so appreciative to have been welcomed so kindly by the people of Trinity and to have been included in this day!  Thank you!

Now it is Sunday and Dave and I are taking a bit of a breather.  He is of course tired from the week and is resting as I type this.  And I am enjoying some quiet hours to catch up on some emails and update the blog!  In Strasbourg on Sundays most things shut down - the malls, stores and most of the restaurants are closed, thus forcing us busy North Americans to take the day as a rest day.  I must say I appreciate this slower pace of life and it seems to be that Sunday is a real family day here in Strasbourg.  For Dave and I, it is a good day to spend time alone together.  Tonight we are going to go for a walk and go for a quiet dinner at one of the smaller restaurants that are open.  It is also a good opportunity for me to do some thinking and reflecting.
Today in church I was really challenged about how I spend my time and how what I do with my time really impacts who I am.  I want to be a person who seeks God`s presence, reads his Word, communicates with him and sees his work and love around me - and thus be a person whose exposure to God`s presence shapes who I am and how I treat other people.  So as I head into next week (I begin looking after the girls this week and will most likely start volunteering at an English/French preschool) I want to ensure that I make time for slowing down and reflecting as my routine develops!  I know it sounds kind of funny to "make time to slow down" but that is what our lives need more and more isn't it?  And it makes me think that God had a good reason for making the seventh day of the week a rest day!