Eat, Eat, Eat

I met my Lyon family last night, and we ate dinner together and celebrated the mother's birthday. I have never eaten that much food in a meal before. We started with a lettuce salad and a tomato and feta salad. Then, we ate spagghetti boulognaise. She put one scoopful (a nice sized scoop), and I said, merci. She was like, "Not more?" Ummm, no, and thank goodness I didn't take more because I had to eat that plus a piece of bread and then came the dessert. First, we ate a chocolate cake and then a strawberry shortcake. Two cakes? I could not finish my second piece because she specifically gave me a huge piece of the chocolate cake. After the cake, there was yogurt which I was not going near. Everyone thinks that Americans overindulge and eat too much, but seriously, I've haven't eaten that much in a long time. Oh, and breakfast was interesting, too. Croissants and brownies? We'll see what dinner is like tonight. Also, I really hope I'll have time to do laundry tonight. Clean jeans would be really nice right now.

Now I have something to tell my grandchildren

I seriously saw Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton today. On the streets of Paris. They are the scariest looking people alive. More will come later when the internet isn't so expensive.

My suitcase is far from being packed

This whole thing still feels unreal to me, so I haven't really felt anxious except for the period right after I got accepted into the program, and I thought I would be living in a barn with pigs. I couldn't figure out where I got this idea, but for some reason, I recalled a person on tv or in a movie going to France and being forced to live in a barn. I know that France is not like that and certainly not Lyon, but this idea kept popping into my head. I finally realized that this idea came from a Simpsons' episode. I'm pretty sure that it is not the best idea to plan trips around what has happened to Simpsons' characters.

I'll be leaving to go to France in less than 48 hours, and everyone else is more worried and stressed out than me. I have gotten random doses of nerves when I thought I've lost my camera charger or thought that I forgot to confirm my flight, but for the most part, I've been calm. The people who think I need to pack three days in advance and get a larger suitcase need to relax. I think that everything will work out okay.

Studying Abroad

I had always planned on studying abroad, like how I plan to wash my dishes or do a load of laundry. I just kept putting it off. That was until my academic advisor said that I could graduate a year early. Suddenly, a whole chunk of time was gone.

I tried to look into some study programs that took place in the summer, but nothing grabbed my attention. My advisor gave me some suggestions like Senegal. I honestly can't even place Senegal on a map, so this option was out of the picture. Then, I remembered the Lyon Program. I thought about doing the Lyon Program a year ago, but I was sort of scared of how intense the program would be. I've been taking French since high school, but I'm still not the most confident French speaker. Anyways, I thought that this was my last shot to study abroad, so I applied to the program. Now, I am leaving for Paris in 12 days.

What are my goals for the program?

• Improve my French accent (seriously, it is terrible)
• Soak up the French culture
• Buy some pretty French clothes
• Have a ton of fun
• Figure out what I'm going to do with the rest of my life

So those are my goals for the Lyon Program. The last goal is a little lofty, but I better figure out that one quickly. After I get back from Lyon, I am homeless and without a job. What better place than France to figure out what you want to do with your life?