September 26, 2002 - Page 2

We experienced our last taste of temperate weather in Paris, and this went a long way in leaving most of us pleasantly surprised with the good impression we took away from the City of Lights. Students weary of struggling to communicate in French were relieved to discover one of the stranger byproducts of immigration, assimilation, and globalization: more people spoke English in Paris than in New York City. Everyone enjoyed the Tour Eiffel, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, and other Parisian icons, and we found that even as cultured students of the liberal arts, we viewed more famous pieces of art in one hour at the Louvre or Musee D’Orsay than during the rest of our lives.

Now that we have begun our series of long travel weekends, the time in Strasbourg is primarily devoted to rest, reading, and laundry. It is amazing the amount of time one has to study or visit with roommates when the “necessities” of cable television, video gaming systems, and 24-hour Internet access are removed from the equation.

Classes have been very engaging thus far, whether listening to government professor Jean-Marc Keiffer try to explain the irrationalities of European agricultural subsidies, Robert Bapooh of Cameroon recanting his discussions of peace and democracy with Libya’s Mohmar Khadafi, of Dr. Bradshaw connecting African vegetation to Freemasonry to the conundrum of slave reparations in one seamless lecture. Whether in class, on top of the Eiffel Tower, or strolling through Strasbourg, we Centre students have always found a way to remain busy and happy, if not always dry.