(no subject)
So I'm going to France in a couple of days. And by "a couple of days" I mean I'm leaving the day after tomorrow, Sunday.
Oh shit.
I am so so excited. I'm going to a completely new world, a place that I've never experienced. For so long my world has been so narrow, so small, so limited. My whole life has been contained in this one state for 16, oops... 17, years, and now, I finaly have the opportunity to expand my world for 3 weeks. 3 incredible weeks in a foreign country.
I plan on sitting at little cafes on the Champs-Elysees eating croissants, cheese, and pastries. I want to climb the steps of the Eiffel Tower. I can't wait to buy trendy new clothes and cute jewelry in quaint boutiques. Going to the Normandy Beaches. Seeing incredible art in the Louvre. Seeing the incredible architecture of Notre Dame. I can't wait to see the french kids, Faustine, Edouard, Baptiste, and Aline especially, again. I can't wait to meet Faustine's 2 brothers. To go to french parties. To go to the french hang outs, see french movies. I can't wait.
But in all honesty, I AM a bit apprehensive. Being away from everything that I've ever known for 3 whole weeks, is, well... scary. I want to be independent. I want to travel. But doing it without my family and, well, without him is going to be so hard. My parents don't want me to call, and, well, I don't really want to call them. Of course I want to share my experiences with my family and friends, but I don't want to feel the need to call home every night relaying the day's events. But I don't want to go for 3 weeks without communicating with my parents, either. I'm also a bit nervous about all of the theft in Paris. Mr. Rankin and others have really scared me with stories of little 4 year old gypsies trying to steal my shit. The French culture is much different than that of the American one. I mean, they don't smile on the streets. If you smile at a guy, he'll think you're interested. If you smile at a girl, she'll think you're mentally defficient. Just everything is so different. Not to mention I'm scared shitless about meeting Faustine's parents and brothers. All of this on top of, well, not really being fluent in the language. Yeah, I can get by, but there will be huge language barriers that I will have to face/overcome. And that is both exciting and scary.
I still have so much to do before I can go. Including packing, and well, shopping. I can't believe that I'm leaving so soon. I remember when I was thinking, "Only 1 more month!" Then it was "This time next week we'll be in France..." and now it's, "I'm leaving in less than 48 hours." It's just all sureal right now.
This will be the last update before my flight. I'll try to update in France, but don't count on much.
Yesterday was my birthday, and we went to Kabuto's for dinner. It was pretty incredible.
Je t'aime.
<3 E-Claire