The Winter Break is over, and its time to get back into the swing of things. The time went fast, but nonetheless it was quite an eventful break. It was somewhat bizarre to be away from home during the holidays, and really just wasn’t the same. It’s funny to think how much people, place, and tradition define a person’s sense of time.

The first few days of break I spent in Gstaad, Switzerland. Gstaad is located in the Bern region of the Swiss Alps about an hour East of Geneva. The area was predominantly German-Swiss, so most people spoke German. We snowboarded for three days, from sun-up to sun-down. Three days may not sound like too much, but we definitely felt the exhaustion. The slopes had only been open for about a week, so the riding was somewhat limited. Many runs were still closed, and their really just wasn’t that much snow. But the snowboarding was still great and the Alps were gorgeous. It was a good place to start the vacation after a stressful week of finals.

After Switzerland I traveled to London where I spent Christmas. I have to say it was kind of nice to hear English again. Because we were there during Christmas most of London was closed. But nevertheless we saw practically everything. Even though we were away from home we were still able to have our own little family Christmas at our hotel. We set up a small tree only about eighteen inches tall and posted stockings on the walls. On Christmas Eve we attended midnight mass at Christopher Wren’s St. Paul’s Cathedral, and when we woke up the following morning, we exchanged presents. For lunch we had a traditional Christmas meal with ham, vegetables and mashed potatoes and Christmas pudding. The following morning we left bright and early before the commotion of Boxing Day.

We flew from London to Amsterdam and spent two days exploring the city. Amsterdam is quite an interesting place as it is built up on dams and canals. Although it is dirty in some areas, it is a very beautiful city. We visited the Van Gogh museum as well as the Rembrandt and Anne Frank House, and saw numerous other monument and attractions during our short visit.

I then returned to Paris in time to meet some friends from home. We spent 7 days walking the streets of Paris and participated in some of the more touristy activities I haven’t been able to do during my studies. We spent New Years at the Eiffel Tower and I was able to share some of the places that have become home to me. The time went fast, and it was sad to see them leave, but we had an unforgettable week.

Now, I am sitting in a laundry mat, washing my very dirty laundry preparing to get back into the routine that was lost over the last few weeks. I think I am ready to go back to school.