Weekends with my Host Family

I have been doing a lot of traveling since I got to France, especially in the past month or so.  I love traveling and exploring Europe, but I also love being in Strasbourg.  My classes are interesting for the most part and I've made some great friends.  When I am in Strasbourg, it's fun to go out with my friends, but to be honest, one of my favorite things about being in France is spending the weekends with my host family.  

Both of my host parents work and my host brother and sister are in school, so with work and school, the most time we spend together during the week is at dinner.  On the weekends, though, we have great lunches together and then drink coffee in the afternoon and they take me out with them.  On Sundays, I go to mass with my host family.

One Saturday, my host mom, Nathalie, took me with her two parents to Soufflenheim, a small village in Alsace.  Another weekend, I went with my host mom and dad, Benoit, and my little host brother (Axel, he is 5) to castle ruins in Germany.

This is Axel, my host brother.  He is so spunky.  We were in the car on the way to Germany and he was wearing his dad's work helmet.

Today, we went to Koenigsberg, a castle that was ruined during the thirty-years war when Alsace was French but restored in the early 1900s by Wilhelm II when Alsace belonged to Germany.  It was so cool and the views from castle were wonderful!  

It's wonderful that my host family takes me out to show me Alsace and France, but I like spending time with them even at home.  A few weeks ago, Astrid came over for lunch and after lunch, she tried to get her dad to dance with her to practice the Valse dance for her wedding in September.  It was so funny to see her try to convince him to dance with her and then when he agreed, she got so frustrated and angry at him.  Another weekend, Astrid, Amycie, and I spent the afternoon making decorations for her wedding.  Yet another weekend, Astrid, our friend Claire, and I sewed little bags for ourselves out of scrap fabric.  Nathalie helped us with the difficult stitches on the sewing machine.  After my first surgery, Amycie spent her Friday night watching a movie with me since I didn't feel well.

Meals with my host family are always wonderful.  Not only because my host mom is a magnificent cook, but because we always talk and they can always make me laugh.  I am very lucky to have such a great family!