Bonjour! This week was a very relaxing, but eventful, week. School was school as normal throughout the week, but Tuesday we got the chance to go to a hockey game. They take hockey very seriously in this region of France since it is known for winter sports, so that was an incredible experience. We got to cheer on the Grenoble Wolves, the game was very close the entire time and it ended on a last second thriller. I shared some videos in the videos section! Unfortunately, Grenoble did end up losing which was sad, but the atmosphere was still very fun. Friday we had a lot of end-of-the-year meetings with our resident director. It was a little bittersweet to look back on all we had done this year and to realize that it was all coming to an end. We learned valuable lessons about how to use our study abroad experience when we get back to the US, specifically with applying to “real” jobs. Did you know that only 10% of US college students study abroad? That surprised me too! It feels empowering to be in such a small minority, and I’m forever thankful that I had this opportunity.
Saturday we took advantage of the mountains (probably for the last time :() and went snow shoeing. It was a different experience for me because I normally do not like anything to do with the snow and the cold, but it was so worth it. We essentially were hiking in the mountains with special shoes, and we got to see a lot of beautiful views. Luckily, it wasn’t too difficult (I didn’t fall!) although it was slippery and at times scary. I also forgot sunglasses and sunscreen, so that resulted in some sunburns! I’m proud of myself for pushing my boundaries and doing something outside of my comfort zone though, I think that has been a real theme throughout this whole trip, and I’m thankful for that. I’ve been pushed beyond my limits and did things I never thought I could which has made me such a better person overall. After we got back from the mountains we walked around Grenoble’s beautiful Christmas markets to finish up Christmas shopping. They weren’t as big as Germany’s, but it was still fun to get in the Christmas spirit.
Sunday we visited the Museum of Natural History. A goal for myself at the beginning of this trip was to visit all 11 museums in Grenoble, but another important lesson I’ve learned throughout this experience is that not all of your ambitions will be realized because you only have so much time, and that’s okay! So, we picked some of the top museums we wanted to go to, and this was one of them. I really enjoyed the museum, it had a lot about animals in the Alps and rocks/crystals. Our guide told us on Saturday that the people of Grenoble back in the 20s were not happy with the bears in the Alps, so the gouvernement actually went and killed every single bear in the alps. This way they wouldn’t pose a “problem” to the humans. At the natural history museum I was able to see the skull of the last bear killed in the alps in 1937 (it’s in my pictures!) it was very surreal. My host mom always says there’s too many humans on this earth, and I have to agree with her. It’s sad we have to kill animals in order to make life more pleasant for human beings, it really takes away a huge part of nature and the wilderness. Anyways, now I can say that I’ve been to 5/11 museums (almost half!) in Grenoble and I’ve learned a lot about this beloved city that I’ve lived in for 4 months now.
I’m starting to study for finals tonight as finals here are two weeks long. Next weekend I will not be doing anything interesting, just studying, so my last blog post ever is going to be Thursday 12/19 before I leave for the US on Saturday. I’ll sum up my experience and share last pictures/videos. It has been such a great semester, and thank you to all of you who have followed along on my journey. I really appreciate it, and I hope you enjoyed the stories, pictures, and videos. You’re all amazing! Thank you!
Rachel