Famille Le Roux

Just got an e-mail (with picture) from my host family!

Turns out they have four children. The oldest two, Marie-Laetitia and Jean-Guillaume, live in Paris and only come home occasionally. The third child, Claire-Anaïs, studies English in La Roche sur Yon and comes home on weekends. The youngest, Adélaïde, lives at home. They also have two dogs (only one dog from the picture is theirs, their other dog is a poodle), a cat, and a horse that they compete in show jumping competitions. Seems like it's going to be a fun semester being a Le Roux!

Home Sweet Home

Today I got the email with the information about my host family in France. I'll be living with the Le Roux family-- a couple and their 16 year old daughter. I guess they have a 20 year old daughter too, but from what I can tell, she doesn't live with them all the time. Maybe she's away at college. I mapped out where the house is compared to the IES Center, University of Nantes, and a few of the other students from my school who will be in Nantes next semester. Looks like I'll be only a block away from one of my friends and a 15 min drive or so from IES. I'm pretty close to the river too, so I think that'll be nice. I'm investigating if there's anything close by I can walk to like a museum or market or something--I hope I'm in a good part of the city. A couple days ago we got the email with the names of all the American students studying with IES in Nantes next semester. It's cool to see how there are people from all over the States (four of us from WI)! Getting all this information is making me so excited, but it's a bit nerve racking to realize I'll be so far away from home in just a little over two weeks.

Reality Check

Just bought my plane ticket to France! Now I'm almost certain that I'll actually be studying abroad next semester haha. It's becoming more and more of a reality now that the details are being taken care of, but it still seems like a dream to me. Before I got home from school for Christmas break, my visa came in the mail--much quicker than I anticipated! All the study abroad veterans were right when they told me I was worrying too much about it. I have a few more items to get before going, but I'm almost ready!

 Looking forward to going back to la France! But for now I'm enjoying spending time with my family, relaxing, and not having to study. 

Preparations

I'm almost done with all the pre-departure administrative paperwork for studying abroad. I didn't realize how many forms, fees, and appointments there would be, but I keep hearing about new things I have to do before I can go to France. This past Wednesday before making it home for Thanksgiving break, I had my appointment at the French Consulate in downtown Chicago. I was really nervous about this because I would have to find my way there with limited time and hope that I had all my required paperwork in order. My train ended up being almost an hour late, so I took a cab to the consulate instead of walking as I had planned. The driver dropped me off right in front of the building I was looking for, which was awesome. Once inside and at the front desk, I got a name tag with a bar code, which I had to scan in order to gain entry to the elevator section of the building. I took the elevator to the 37th floor and waited with a bunch of other visa applicants to have my name called for my appointment. The lady working at the consulate was standing behind a bulletproof window and had to speak into a microphone, but she was still really difficult to hear. As I had feared, when she looked at the prepaid envelope I had provided for them to return my visa and application materials, she was really confused and asked that I go the the post office and purchase a different one. So, I had to leave the consulate, walk to the post office, buy an Express Mail envelope, and head back to the 37th floor. Luckily I didn't have to wait in line again and she just took my envelope and said my application was complete. Now I just have to wait to receive my visa in the mail. Fingers crosses everything goes well and I'll be able to study abroad. Well, I also still have to buy my plane ticket. That might be important too.

I have the craziest mixed emotions thinking about next semester. I am so excited--this is really a dream come true. I can't wait to be immersed in the French language and culture of Nantes. This is the experience of a lifetime and something I've been wanting to do since I started taking French 7 years ago. On the other hand, I am dreading having to leave the US. Everything I know and love is here. Just the thought of leaving my best friend brings me to tears. I have to continually remind myself that this is going to be a great thing, that the best parts of my life at home will still be here when I return. I sure hope that's true.