By ltchouaffe
Being so far from home for so long you sometimes start to look for things that remind you of the things that you
know so well. Fortunately, from the first few weeks of living in Strasbourg, I quickly noticed that D.C was not far
from me. As we all know, D.C is practically made up of Federal Buildings and the numerous universities that
grace the area. Here, as well in Strasbourg, the city is full of European institutions and the University of
Strasbourg. Strasbourg is nicknamed “the capital of Europe” and like D.C, people from all around Europe come
to work at places like the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and the European Court of Justice. It's
here that some of Europe’s most important laws are put into place and where famous politicians and leaders
alike come and gather to make speeches and plead their case in the courts. Granted, the hustle and bustle of
D.C is no way like Strasbourg, whose French citizens like to “stop and smell the roses” but when a leader or
figure is in town, you can definitely feel it too much like D.C.
But enough with the similarities with D.C. Strasbourg definitely has its own special aspects that make this
community unique. Like in all French cities, the amount of patisseries and boulangeries is insane! For those
that don’t know, a patisserie is a small shop that sells sweets and a boulangerie is a place that sells bread,
along with sweets but mostly bread based items like sandwiches for example. There are also epiceries, but
they are not as common. Within, every street and every corner, one is bound to find one of those. It's a very
unique aspect to France because in the States we get all our sweets and breads usually in one place. One can
get the same things in a supermarket in France too but it is not as fresh.
Probably the biggest aspect of Strasbourg is the Cathedral. In every French city, there is always at least one
cathedral and these cathedrals play a massive role in the history of France, a traditionally Catholic country.
The Architecture of Notre Dame de Strasbourg like many Cathedrals speak to the time, place and history of
said city. The beautiful intricate details attract millions of tourist every year. Every sunday, I have the privilege of
attending mass there and despite the freezing temperatures inside (there is no overall heating because the
Cathedral is about 1000 years old) I enjoy getting to see the beauty and history of it all.
So, there some of the most defining aspects of my home. Definitely different than what I know from in the
States but nonetheless unique in its own way.
I had the privilege of interning at the Council of Europe my first semester here, researching the effects of drug policies on human rights and vice versa with the Pompidou Group (A section of the Council that deals with drug trafficking and drug abuse in Europe and abroad). It was here that I’ve seen such important European political leaders such as the President of Ukraine in October
The Cathedral is absolutely massive and one of the defining buildings of Strasbourg. Finished in 1439, it attracts abouts one million tourist per year!
Ah, this place called La Republique is one of the main areas of Strasbourg. 15 minutes where I live, this place is has the La Prefecture, a government building located in all French cities that deals with anything that requires paperwork, like immigration for example. This area is also where all multiple trams and buses come and depart at and where the library of U of Strasbourg is, so you can find many university students there.