Why not start at the beginning...
7:26 PM...I feel as though my first post should be an explanation/mission statement, so here we go...
Many people may believe that studying abroad is, for the most part, a joke. The young minds of America decide that they are too good to spend a full four years in Ohio, Iowa, Indiana or some other rural state of the like that they have chosen to spend their collegiate years in, and flee the bland lifestyle that their university offers to take any random classes in order to satisfy their parents nagging demands as well as fill any collegiate requirements they can, all the while being able to drink underage according to American standards and visit various cliché European hotspots. Yes, I may be biased and a little judgmental for that statement and reasoning that follows, but I believe for me, this experience will be so much more. Without a doubt, this will be my most challenging semester of my college career, if not my life as a whole (well…most challenging in my life thus far, I suppose). Although I am quite certain that I will do my fair share of café lounging, wine drinking, baguette eating, and mingling with the locals, it really will be much more difficult for me than for the majority of my peers who are also spending this term abroad. I will not be speaking english (or at least, I will be trying my hardest not to) in an attempt to master a foreign language, I will not be living in a fully-furnished apartment with other 20-something Americans, I will not be on a program with people I have ever met before, and most importantly, I will not be spending this term in an English-speaking country that I deem as "America 2.0".
What I will be doing over the next semester is living with a French family and studying in a language school in Grenoble, France. To me, language is one of the greatest concepts in the world. It is so unique and specific to our species. No other species has an elaborate system of communication completely derived of arbitrary symbols and noises that has evolved from our higher thinking ancestors. In no other species can you find different dialects that are incomprehensible to members of that very same species. It is complicated, it is enlightening, it is frustrating, but it is human and I absolutely love it. There are infinite things to learn in any new language, and I cannot wait.
After that somewhat lengthy introduction, I feel that I can now move on. My purpose for this blog is to be able to share with friends and family what I am doing without dealing with different time zones, skyping, or tedious e-mailing. Further, I would also like to use this blog for my own reference. The next couple of months are going to fly by and the memories will surely get mixed into a jumble of countries, faces, and classes. Being the typical nostalgic girl that I am, I would like to be able to look back and reminisce on my thoughts, feelings, and doings after this term is over. That being said, I’m not sure that it will be the most interesting, well written, or even comprehensible blog to follow, but if you do, I am sure at the very least you will gain a word or two of French.
So….
As it stands I am leaving 8 days from now. I am terrified, I am excited, I am eager, I am anxious; overall feeling too many emotions that (per usual) I have neither the time nor mental capacity to deal with. I have lots of things to do and buy before the 10th in order to prepare for my trip. However, I already have my visa and my plane ticket, so there is no turning back now. From here on out it will be pas de souci!
As a side note from this business, this page reminds me of my Xanga freshman year of highschool, and I am not quite sure how I feel about that.
jusqu'à la prochaine fois,
ming.
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