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!
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