Francophile in the West

I picked up 500 Euros from the bank today in preparation for my departure tomorrow... It looks like Monopoly money!! I guess I pass GO when I make it through French Customs on Wednesday night? :)

Pack, think of and write down things for the To-Do list, pack, stress about something, problem solve, calm down, pack some more, accomplish To-Do list items, pack. ^ That's basically what's been going on the past couple of days! I'm almost there, though. My dad's been helping me pack and we're doing an awesome job! I'll only be taking a decently-sized backpack and a large suitcase. WOO! I am going to be totally set. Anything else I can buy over there and then ship a box back when I leave. I'll thank myself later for packing so light. I've been having super-crazy dreams lately, it's weird. I hardly ever have striking dreams, but recently they've been off-the-charts weird and vivid. I know my subconscious is exhibiting the stress that I'm trying to avoid in daily life, but it's still strange to wake up and think, "So, I fell off the Empire State Building last night...", haha. As soon as I get settled in Paris for that first ni...

Only 6 days left!! I've been having a great time hanging out with my family and my friends and getting some good visiting in before I leave. Yesterday afternoon, my sister and I roped my mom into being our official photographer! My sister and I are ridiculously close and we love getting "Sister's Pictures", so we decided to get a solid photo shoot in before I leave. They turned out wonderfully and we had a fun time. :) I'll be the photographer tonight, taking pictures of my sister Lydia and her husband Eric, then we're going to try to get some family photos. Glad I have my awesome camera that can keep up with all of us shutter-happy Tylers ! Still haven't started packing, although I'm formulating a list of things I need to do and a list of things I need to buy or pack before I take off. I'm thinking I'll take my credit card on an adventure to Fred Meyer this afternoon to obtain all the required bits and pieces- vacuum bags, 4GB memory card f...

I love love love bidding my farewells to people until January and having them be excited for me! It makes me all the more giddy to get over there. It's like I'm moving away, never to return! Kind of a crazy sensation because I will get to start over when I get back, in a way. Fresh off of my French adventure, I'll be ready to have new adventures back in Seattle. As far as taking advantage of things goes, my boyfriend has convinced me to go all-out while I'm there. I'll only get to live in France once (probably), so why not do anything and everything I can?? This will be the experience of a lifetime, I shouldn't let anything hold me back. Sound advice, n'est pas? I've been feeling like I need more adventure in my life, so here's my perfect chance to start. A co-worker suggested traveling to Barcelona for a wild weekend while I'm over there, but I looked into it and it looks like my time (and money!) would be better spent if I went to Toulouse ...

Okay, so I'm two weeks away from the start of my epic adventure to France, and I'm busily trying to meet up with my friends one last time before I disappear for four months! I'm working full-time at the UW, so lunch and dinner are basically my only occasions to catch up with people. Whilst trying to arrange a lunch date with my friend Lauren, she suggested I keep a travel blog, which I thought was a fantastic idea, so here we are! HOORAY, LAUREN!! What a genius. Breakdown: Nantes is the sixth largest city in France, located in the Pays de la Loire region on the Loire River in west-northwestern France. Home of author Jules Verne, Nantes is one of Seattle's twenty-two sister cities. The University of Washington has a direct transfer agreement with l'Université de Nantes, a connection that has provided me with the opportunity to do what I'll be doing. I'll be spending 16 weeks as a student at l'Université de Nantes, living on campus in the middle ...