Pizza and Bagels

One week. That is the amount of time that I have left in America before moving away for two semesters. It's madness I tell you! (Anybody get that reference?) I have no idea where the time is going but it is definitely flying.. probably on a concorde. (Like my nerdy aviation joke? I know I'm cool.) There is still so much left to do this week and seeing as it's my last week of summer, finding the motivation to do it all has become a real challenge. Just a few things on my to do list for the week:

• Finish my required reading about the differences between French culture and American culture - It was interesting when I started and now it's sort of a drag.
• Finish season three of The Sopranos - I wanted to finish all of the seasons before I left but it's just not going to happen.
• Watch Gone With the Wind - I've had it on Netflix for like two months now and I just need to block out four hours and get it over with.
• Eat my last slice of New York pizza and my last New York bagel - So depressing I don't even want to think about it.
• Say goodbye to friends and family - Not as depressing as the previous bullet point... Just kidding... I think.
• PACK - No thanks bye.
• Watch everything left on my DVR - TV is important to me, ok? Sheesh.
• Run - Ugh.

I am definitely forgetting things and when I remember them I'll probably have some sort of panic attack.  I mean, no I won't because I never stress out about anything... I guess even though I'm not at school right now with everyone else (which is SO bizarre - miss you all so much!) I'm still the same old Kimmy. At least I'm being true to myself during my last week stateside, right?

The Departed

I apologize in advance for this post because it's definitely more of a reflection-type blog, which I said that I would try to avoid.. but I'm not in France yet so I don't really have any fun activities to talk about, so bear with me.

Last night as I was watching The Departed with the fam, I had a thought. In our high school yearbooks there was a section called Likes & Dislikes (I think that's what it was called anyway) and part of that section was to list your favorite quote. My quote was the opening line of The Departed: "I don't want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me." I was thinking about this quote again last night and I realized that my feelings about it have completely changed, especially when I think about my upcoming year. I'm going to France to purposefully be changed by my new environment. I want to be a product of Toulouse. In high school I think this quote made more sense to me because I was so involved in clubs and activities and felt like I was the one shaping the "world" around me. Although I'm still super involved in college, I think I've learned how to adapt and appreciate the situations around me more, rather than constantly wanting to change and shape them. Maybe it's because I'm surrounded by people from different backgrounds who bring different perspectives, rather than the same old high school crowd. I think this change in attitude will be an asset during my upcoming year, where I'll not only meet new people from the US but new people from around the world. It's interesting how a person can change in two years. Although in a year from now I'll probably be saying how it's amazing how much a person can change in less than a year.

Getting My Feet Wet

In exactly two weeks, I will be moving to France for nine months. Crazy! I really can't believe that I leave so soon. I remember thinking back in May that summer was going to be so long since I wasn't leaving until September. Boy was I wrong. This summer flew by and with only two weeks left in the US, I'm starting to freak out. Don't get me wrong, I am incredibly excited for this year and all that it will bring. Right now though, my nerves are overshadowing my excitement. I think it's because I'm marching into the unknown, armed with... nothing. (Anybody get that movie reference?) I'm exaggerating of course. I do have my nine years of learning French to help me. I just haven't spoken French in three months, which is a little nerve-wracking. Plus, I have traveled abroad before (Abbey Road Western Civ shout out!) which makes things easier. So then why am I nervous? As usual my perfectionism is probably getting the best of me. I want this year to be amazing and I'm nervous that my expectations will get the best of me. But I think that's why I want to go abroad for the year. I want to experience a different way of life. One where getting everything done precisely on time, exactly how I want it done isn't what is valued. I need to learn to go with the flow more and enjoy where I am when I'm there, instead of freaking out about the future and what's next on my to-do list. I hope I can find that way of life in France, and I really think that I can. Maybe I'll be able to drink some wine and eat some cheese along the way as well.

For those of you who don't know the practical information about my year in France, here it is: I will be in Toulouse, France from September until May as part of the Dickinson en France program run by, you guessed it, Dickinson. I will be taking classes at the Dickinson Center in Toulouse as well as at the Université Toulouse II - Le Mirail. All of my classes will be taught in French, even my Art History ones. I'll be living with a host family that has three kids around my age and two dogs. Since I'm staying for the year, I'll have an internship in the spring at either an art gallery or museum in Toulouse. There is probably more information that I'm forgetting but if you stick around I'm sure I'll give more info in upcoming posts.

This is my first ever foray into the world of blogging so please bear with me. I don't want this to be one of those abroad blogs where I list everything I do and tell you that it was AMAZING! or AWESOME! but I also don't want this to be a super cerebral blog where I'm constantly reflecting. Hopefully I'll find a happy medium so that both you and I don't get bored.. or confused. I'm not sure how often I'll post once I get to France but I'm hoping for multiple posts per week. I guess we shall wait and see. For now, welcome to my blog, sign up to get email alerts when I post, and if you can't read French or don't know how to work google translate, the title translates to "A redhead in Toulouse" which rhymes (kind of) in French. Happy reading!