Abby
Feb. 3, 2007

Well, we are finally here and that is a miracle! Our plane in Chicago was delayed an hour because the doors were frozen and the plane had no water. So we boarded and then sat for an hour (before an eight-hour flight, which was fun...), and then finally took off at 3:08 a.m. France time (I had already switched my watch to get used to the time difference). Then we endured a four-hour train ride from Paris to the town of Saverne, where we are staying for two weeks. The town is so cute and the people are incredibly hospitable!

We are each with different host families who go out of their way to make us comfortable. I noticed tonight that when my host mom speaks to her friends she refers to me as “the American” and to our group as “the Americans” It is interesting to pick that out of a sentence when all the other words don't make sense. :)

Every day we wake up and eat breakfast with our host families; however, most families have parents who leave for work very early, and who return very late. After eating breakfast, we walk to school (in the rain and the snow) and have class for three hours. Our class is in a castle that has a lot of history behind it. I am not sure when it was built, but it was taken over by Napoleon in the early 1800s and was also a central location of forts during World War 1. Today, it is an elementary school, a theater, a youth hostel, and a convention center – and it is absolutely beautiful.

The food here is wonderful, although my host family has told me that before I leave, I must try some frog legs. I can't wait.  The food has a heavy German influence and is very specialized in this region of Alsace. There are many bakeries, pastry shops, and chocolate shops in Saverne, and we truly hope to try each of them before leaving, for they are too good to pass up. Also, everyone here buys fresh bread every day, and we eat bread with every meal..