Final Preparations

I bought my ticket last night. It's a scary experience committing to 5 months on a different continent. It's unreal.

Here's some background on me: I can count on one hand the number of times I've been outside the United States; all of which were to Canada. I speak Spanish well enough to live in any Spanish-speaking country, but have never been to Mexico. I've lived in small towns with small town people my entire life. I've never heard of any of my friends dreaming of traveling the world. I feel as if everyone is content to live for the rest of their lives where they grew up; that's not me. I want to learn, see, and explore everything this world has to offer. The American way is not the only way. I want to learn every language I can so I can go anywhere and do anything, see and understand every culture, and hopefully, find a place I can one day call home. To tell the truth, I don't like the States as much as would be expected of a born-and-raised American. I love the Oriental idea of collectivism, the importance of family to Hispanics, and the food- and fashion-driven culture of the French. The States are none for all and all for themselves, a slew of fast food and retirement homes. We look out for numero uno. That's not who I am. I guess I'll find out if my dreams are real or simply fantasy in the next half year.

So, my college quoted me a $1,200 round-trip ticket, which is double what I actually paid, so that leaves me with $600 extra in my pocket. Ka-ching! That's a free trip to, basically, anywhere in Europe and back. Good things are happening already.

About my French life:
I'll be living in a homestay with a French family who will become my French family. I'm just over a mile from the university where I'll be studying, so it's not a far walk to class everyday. My girlfriend, Abby, will be around .9 miles from me, in the direction of the university, so we can walk to class together. Besides that, I don't know anything yet.

I consider this trip the beginning of the rest of my life.