October 14-19

I was quite busy this week. I'll start with Monday. I visited friend who is from ISU as well. We watched a movie and I borrowed a book from her. It's really nice to have something to read on the Metro and the bus, and I couldn't find any fiction at the libraries.
Tuesday evening I started a bible study. It's called "Groupe des Disciples." The premise is to study the new testament and the themes that Jesus was trying to teach his disciples. It was really pleasant. There were about 6 or 7 of us and we met at the leader's apartment to eat dinner together. Over tea and clementines, we discussed the Gospel. We are going to meet every Tuesday like this, and then some weekend, we are going to have a retreat in the mountains.
Wednesday I discovered that I really like coffee, well French style coffee anyway. I met a classmate from my French class at a cafe to practice French. She is from Oklahoma, and has lived in Europe for about 7 years now. I'm the only other Midweterner that she has met. Anyway, I wasn't terribly fond of American coffee and the Europeans I've met have a very low opinion of it. French coffee is quite strong, almost like espresso, and is served in a very small cup. It is often served with milk or sugar. I like it either way, black or with sugar and milk.
Wednesday night, I was going to go to another bible study. I found the street, but I couldn't figure out what building it was. The signage here for streets and buildings is rather subtle, and I have yet to figure out the logic in the numbering scheme. After about 20 minutes I gave up and headed home. I was disappointed, but mostly because I couldn't find where I was going. I don't know if I'm going to participate in this study, since I'm already doing one on Tuesday nights.
Thursday afternoon I met with a professor about working in a Turbomachine lab. He showed me around and talked to me about the projects that are going on right now. It was very interesting. I have to do an internship for my French major, and I'd like to do it in a lab here, so I'm exploring my options.
I also had my first test Thursday afternoon. It was for Thermodynamics. I thought I understood the material pretty well, but there were a couple places on the test where I got stuck with the Math. It was kind of frustrating. The exam isn't graded though, the only effect is has is that if I do an amazing job, it will count as a bonus. I'm not counting on that though. This is my only class that has an exam before the final exam. For the most part, the only grade is the final, which is kind of a daunting prospect.
Thursday evening I met with my usual Thursday group. We had a traditional Swiss dinner of Rosti and some meat with a gravy sauce. Rosti is like hashbrowns, but it's not cooked as crispy. For dessert we had a nut tart. The Swiss style of using silverware is intriguing to me, and I haven't quite gotten used to it yet. It is customary to hold a knife in one hand and a fork in the other for the entire duration of the meal. I've never seen a spoon set out on a table. The knife is used to push the food onto the fork. I've tried to use my silverware this way, but I can't get used to it. I rarely use my knife, except to cut things, then I set it back down on my plate like I have done my entire life. If I saw someone using their silverware the other way, and I didn't know if was customary, it would seem a little rude to me. It's interesting. After dinner we had a Swiss trivia contest. I won! It's a good thing I read wikipedia so much. I won 400 grams of Swiss chocolate. I was excited.
Friday was a lazy day. I slept in and then went to campus to meet with another professor to talk about lab projects. I have quite a few options, I just need to make a decision. After talking to him for about an hour, I went to the library to check out some movies. This weekend I got Jurassic Park, The Truman Show, and The Village. I'm watching movies that I've already seen first, after I finish those, and my French is better, I'll start watching movies I haven't seen.