Finally, after months of anticipation and impatience, it is nearly time to leave for France. Exactly one year ago I received my acceptance letter to the Angers program, and I have been excited (and anxious) for this day ever since. Not to mention the past month and a half of break where I have had to watch friends go one by one on their own adventures, whether to London, Rome, D.C., Dublin or back to South Bend, while I have been stuck at home working and watching Netflix. Well, the wait is over, and now it's my turn. And I can't help but think what it will be like coming home in four months. Anything could happen while I'm there; it is simply unknown. I could come back loving Europe, wanting to stay there forever; maybe I'll meet a French boy and have to be torn away to return home; or maybe, I'll miss my friends and family back in America so much that I will be dying to come home. There's no way to know how I will feel, but at least I can be nearly positive that my French will be magnifique!
My abroad experience will undoubtedly be unique since I will be living with a host family and attending an international school where all my classes will be taught in French. It will not be a continuation of the college experience with dorm living, binge drinking and dining halls. It will be an entirely different experience, full of independence, adaptation and acceptance. I've never really experienced another culture, so this will be a new challenge for me. I am confident, however, that I will make new friends, learn new things and come back to the states with a broadened perspective. One that is more cultured, less sheltered and more of a francophile, a lover of the French language and culture.
So tonight as I finish stuffing a few forgotten shirts and socks into my carryon, after having a sushi "Last Supper" with my parents, I am feeling mixed emotions, both anxiety and excitement, but nothing even close to regret. As much as I would love to be in South Bend with my friends for another semester, I am so happy to have the experience to live in a foreign country and meet all sorts of new people. I cannot wait to begin my French journey tomorrow and embark on the adventure of a lifetime! Au revoir pour maintenant, et bon voyage!
My abroad experience will undoubtedly be unique since I will be living with a host family and attending an international school where all my classes will be taught in French. It will not be a continuation of the college experience with dorm living, binge drinking and dining halls. It will be an entirely different experience, full of independence, adaptation and acceptance. I've never really experienced another culture, so this will be a new challenge for me. I am confident, however, that I will make new friends, learn new things and come back to the states with a broadened perspective. One that is more cultured, less sheltered and more of a francophile, a lover of the French language and culture.
So tonight as I finish stuffing a few forgotten shirts and socks into my carryon, after having a sushi "Last Supper" with my parents, I am feeling mixed emotions, both anxiety and excitement, but nothing even close to regret. As much as I would love to be in South Bend with my friends for another semester, I am so happy to have the experience to live in a foreign country and meet all sorts of new people. I cannot wait to begin my French journey tomorrow and embark on the adventure of a lifetime! Au revoir pour maintenant, et bon voyage!