Study Abroad at EM Strasbourg Business School : Au Revoir et Boujour (Goodbye and Hello)

The end of the semester has past and it was filled with too many goodbyes to a lot of great people from around the globe. Thanks to technology, I know it will be easy enough to stay in touch with them and check in every now and then, but it still hurts knowing I will not be seeing them daily as I have been for the past four months. We had many opportunities to hang out in the final weeks (after finals of course) and that made it easier. We all gathered together several times before the holidays and were able to spend our last days together having fun and talking about past good times. I will never forget the people I have met so far during this experience. They have all helped me grow as a person and for that I am thankful.

On a much happier note, my mom, dad, and brother traveled from Cincinnati, Ohio to visit me over the holidays! It was great getting to show them around my home away from home. In their short time in Europe we visited Stuttgart, Germany, London, England, Paris, France and of course, Strasbourg. We had ten days of traveling and sightseeing and I loved every moment with them. With many of my friends from school leaving either for the semester or just the holiday season, a visit from my family was the perfect Christmas gift.

We began by enjoying Strasbourg, where we walked through the 'Christkindelsmärik' (Christmas markets) and attended the Christmas Eve midnight mass at Cathedrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg. We visited Stuttgart, where we visited the Mercedes Benz museum and enjoyed the Christmas spirit of the German city. Then we were off to London. It was exciting to visit London for a second time, and I think I was able to navigate the city better my second time around, making it a more enjoyable experience for everyone. We went to many of the major sights such as: the London Eye, Kings Cross Station, the Tower of London, the London Bridge, the Tower Bridge, Big Ben, Abbey Road and Buckingham Palace. We also went on a Jack the Ripper tour, which showed some of the murder sights and went more in depth on a darker side of London history. From London we headed to the final destination of our holiday, Paris. While there, we visited places like: the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, and enjoyed even more Christmas markets all along the Champs-Elysées. Finally, went to the Père Lachaise Cemetery and saw the graves of people like Jim Morrison, Chopin, and Oscar Wilde. I am so thankful they came out to visit me and I was able to show them a little of what I have been doing here in Europe.

The start of spring semester is approaching fast. It won’t be long until I am back in classes, writing papers, doing group work, and preparing presentations.

I hope your holiday season was as eventful and joyful as mine; I extend best wishes for a healthy and prosperous new year to all!

Your French Falcon,

Carly