What is all this "Nantes"-sense (punny, haha)?

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 of the city and constantly interacting with other foreign exchange students and French people of all shapes and sizes. I'm also planning on spending some long weekends in Nice, Marseilles, and Paris, as well as hopefully sneaking over to Italy for ten days at the conclusion of the semester. More on those schemes as they develop.

Before all this can happen, however, I need to get ready to leave! I have my passport, student visa, and plane ticket (the most important parts), now I just have to pack everything I need for the next four months into one huge suitcase, a carry-on bag, and a computer case. Yikes. Thank God for vacuum-pack travel bags. I'm heading back to Vancouver for a week to pack, catch up with friends there, and get in some family time before I take off, and then I'm on the plane and out of the country on September 1st! Get ready for some stressin'.

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