This photo was not the best quality, but people were starting to stare...
I meant for this to be uploaded about 10 days ago, but sometimes you leave your laptop in Arkansas at TSA (and shockingly no one steals it and your dad so kindly pays a small fortune to ship it to Europe). I am in a location I have dreamed of since my freshman year of high school--FRANCE.
side note-I am so, so happy to be back writing here. I had to take a nine-month hiatus due to school and other responsibilities. I'll to try to maintain some kind of consistency this summer, and then try to get back on some sort of schedule before school starts again.
I'm in France for a 5-week study abroad experience in Lille, a small city on the northern border. I knew absolutely no one going on this trip, which was a scary thought for this introvert-it was actually the aspect of this summer that I was the most nervous about. I'm taking two French courses, 6 hours each DAY, which is a little different than the three hours each week I'm used to. I've only been to school for two days, and it is probably the most exhausted I've ever been at the end of a school day. I even wore an ascot on the first day and embraced how terribly cliché it was.
A little background on this adventure:
If you know me well, you would know that my high school French teachers instilled a love of all things French in me. My senior year of high school, I was supposed to take a trip to Paris and the southern cities, but that was unfortunately cancelled due to terroristic threats/potential danger. So, ever since then, I have been yearning to visit this country. I always knew I wanted to study abroad, but there aren't many places you can go in the world to study biology and get college credit for it. Well, several appointments with my advisor later, and, I declared a minor in French. I'll be earning credit to go toward that minor this summer! I'm excited to put science on the backburner for a little bit and hopefully my French speaking will greatly improve.
It really blows my mind that I'm actually in France--I woke up every day in the three weeks leading up to leaving, and thought, "Wow, I'm about to get on a plane to Europe. By myself. HA." My emotions have been all over the place as well, from anxiety to excitement to fear and everything in between. I'm excited about the idea of traveling there by myself, as I'm pretty independent already, but am more nervous about being there by myself and not knowing a soul. But, one thing that helped me grow this past year, which I loved, was meeting people outside of my small social bubble. This summer will be a continuation of that (hopefully)!
I had actually pre-written this post before I arrived, so I just wanted to add a quick update. Losing my computer reallllly stressed me out. It is probably the stupidest thing I have ever done and caused more anxiety than I've ever had before. I'm not really sure how it happened, but nonetheless I was more focused on getting on the right flight and dealing with the potential airport strikes in Paris that I just wasn't focused on technology. But, praise God that it is in my possession now! But back to my emotional rollercoaster...I was pretty anxious for the entire first week. (I'm also going to write a more in-depth post about the culture shock, going out of your comfort zone, etc.). My worries were about various things, like taking the metro by myself in Paris, passing my French placement test....I was just very overwhelmed. Fortunately/unfortunately, I only had my journal and my Bible here with me for a week, so I made great use of both. Now that I am in a routine, I feel much more "in my groove", especially because, ya know, school (what I do best ;)).
A few things I'm praying for: 1) Courage-to humbly be corrected on my French pronunciation, to explore new areas on my own, to be a light for Christ here and 2) Endurance-spiritually, emotionally, and educationally. I know this experience is going to be amazing, but will also be more than just the highlight reel on Instagram (although I've been updating my story with the good, bad and ugly...).
So, that's my grand adventure for this summer! This was a small update; I'll be sharing other cities I've visited, as well as different cultural aspects and my personal experience with this country. I'm also writing on a different blog for International Studies Abroad, which is the program that sponsors this trip! I'll be sure to link those as they are posted.
