Alsace

      Hey you guys, so today's post is going to be mostly pictures. All the pictures posted (excluding the very last two) are of either Strasbourg or Colmar, France. I just got back from Alsace this past weekend. I went for the Christmas market seeing as how they have the most famous market in Europe--I was not disappointed. It was so quintessentially European that I felt as if I was in a fairytale. 
     The trip: well, getting there was crazy because it was a very long bus ride and we left at 3 a.m. We arrive in Strasbourg around 9 a.m. and had the entire day to explore the town for ourselves. And go exploring we did. I saw so many amazing creations, ate delicious food--including traditional German sauerkraut (choucroutte in French) and several types of bretzels (that's how it was always written--but they were pretzels), and saw  gorgeous buildings--including the Strasbourg cathedral!). That night, I stayed in a castle which had been renovated into a hostel. How cool is that! The next day was Colmar, France. How to explain Colmar . . . hmm. That's a hard one. It's basically a mini-replica of Strasbourg. So, after a busy Saturday and Sunday, I returned to my home in Chambery around 23:00h. 
     That brings us to today. Let's see, well, nothing very exciting happened. I have a final in my course of civilization tomorrow so I really should be studying for that but this blog and The Hobbit soundtrack are rather distracting.  

    Oh, here are some other random tid-bits:
*I ate liver for the first time. It looked like poop. It tasted what I imagine feces would taste like. All in all: gross.
*France doesn't believe in peanut butter: it's like they don't comprehend the creamy--or crunchy if that's your thing--goodness that is also known as peanut butter.
*square pillows: they are stupid. Every
single pillow I have yet used in Europe--which include France, Spain, Germany, and Switzerland-- has been square. I don't like this.

     Also, I've been asked several times, both in France and also back in the States, why/how I landed on a humanities major and what I want to do with it. Well, I never knew how to put this into words but after being asked dozens of times, I think I might have an answer. Ready?

     I am a humanities major because I want to help people. If you know me, you know my ultimate career goal. I wouldn't be able to reach that goal if I had taken a science route. In essence, I am a humanities major because we have enough science-minded people who are daily striving to make scientific breakthroughs, etc. But I don't think we have enough people striving to help other people. Sure, with our scientific community, our world has phenomonal medicine, nuclear power, cell phones that can be turned on by another computer, etc. But we don't have enough people desiring to help the helpless--because what good is a cell phone going to do a starving child or a sexually trafficked mother? As fantastic as our cell phones and modern luxuries are (and trust me, I enjoy them), I dislike the thought of others suffering while I have the ability to help them.  So that's why I am not a science major--not to mention the fact that science is practically Greek to me. With this being said, I don't think science majors are wrong for having their major, society needs them. But I am saying that society also needs a realignment of values.

      Anyway, enough of that! I didn't mean to go on that sidebar but I'm thrilled that I can finally semi-articulate myself on that subject. Moving on, you see that photo on your right? That's the Cathedral de Strasbourg. Absolutely breathtaking. It towered so high that the top of it was obscured in the mist. Umm, another interesting fact . . . oh, people kept thinking that I was German. Instead of speaking French to me, I guess that when people saw the semi-blonde hair and blue eyes they automatically assumed that I was German. Unfortunately for them, I always responded with a quizzical look and they quickly switched to either French or English.
    

      What else? Oh, you see that picture of a road and mountains in the background at sunset? Yeah, that's the view from my campus. I know, it's beautiful. That's why I don't want to leave. That and also the very last photo on this post. You see the photo of me with a group of people all sitting around a table? Yes? Well, let me tell you, this group of kids is one of the strangest I've met but the best. We range from 20 to 26 years old and our sense of humor includes laughing at bathroom jokes, imagining bizarre scenarioes for how one can die, Mean Girl jokes, and puns. As I'm coming to the end of my stay in France, I can say I've seen some stunning places, learned about other cultures more than I thought I would, but most importantly I've made some pretty cool friends and it's thanks to them that my stay has been as great as it has. Alright, now I really do need to study for my exam tomorrow so bonne nuit a tous et toutes!