Here We Go....

Hi friends and family!

So, if you didn't already know or couldn't tell, I'll be spending the next five months of my life in Lyon, France. No, it's not Paris, as there is more to France than the Eiffel Tower, but it is about 5 hours (by car; 2 by train) from Paris. Map for reference:

Lyon is the second largest city in France, and is the food capital of the country! I'll be enjoying great food, learning the language, and living a fabulous French life. I'm living with a host family and taking classes (in French!) at l'Université Lumière Lyon 2. I'll probably be taking classes in Women's/Gender Studies, French, political science, and a fine art credit. I'm not positive yet what they'll be, because the system works differently than in the U.S. So, more to come on that in the future.

Aaaaanyways, I don't have too much more to write for now, other than the crazy mix of emotions I'm feeling right now. I'm leaving the U.S. on Friday, the 4th, which is like... tomorrow. I go through hourly/minutely phases of a few strong emotions: being super stoked to leave and wanting to be in France already; apprehension about the French language (I've studied French for 6 years, but not this past semester so I'm out of practice. I should be able to pick it up okay, but I'm still really nervous because I don't want to sound like a bumbling idiot and fear that I am going to forget every single vocab word that I ever learned in a French class... sorry French teachers!); freaking out about all of the stuff that I think I still need to do to get ready; telling myself it will be fine and everything will work out; and, again, the excited anxiety to get on a plane and be there right away. So, that's a minute inside my head for the past week or so.

My hope for this page is that I keep up with it somewhat regularly. I'm not going to promise any sort of incremental posting, because I don't know if I will actually keep up with it, but I will try! I'll shoot for a weekly post, but again, no promises... If you are reading this right now, I will miss you dearly during my time abroad! (Oh yeah, that's another one of the emotions.) I hope that this bloggy thingamajig offers you some insight into my adventures, and bonne chance with the next few months wherever you may be! Au revoir !