Apparently, Sprinting In Red Boots Is The Only Way To Make An Entrance

I began writing this post as I sat on U.S. Airways flight 786 from Charlotte, N.C. to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.  I began my journey today well-prepared, and it has-so far-saved me from a lot of grief!  First of all, even if I am late getting to Angers today, I am still early.  I scheduled my flight five days in advance from the day I'm supposed  to be there, according to the CIDEF brochure.  I did this primarily in case there were problems with my ability to actually get to Angers.  Secondly, I did this because I know myself well enough to know that I will get hopelessly, utterly, without-a-doubt, LOST as much as possible in Angers (just remember "Je me suis perdu" if you have the same problem).

 (This dude's got nothin' on me, people.)

Yep, I am, sans doubte, directionally challenged in a crippling way.  But, as I said, I tried to be well-prepared, so hopefully the extra time I've given myself will do me some good so that I can find my way around before class starts.  Speaking of class, I have to take my placement exams on October 5th, which will place me in the level that I am currently functioning in French, which will be the basis for this semester's schedule.  Let me stress this again--I have to take an exam BEFORE I can even take classes in France.  COMMENT???  Just the fact that this blog page shows up en Français has me worried enough, let alone the fact that I have to take a test before I'm actually allowed to take more tests.  Did I italicize enough words to make this perfectly clear?  Mon Dieu!
But back to my episode of getting from here:

 (Wal-Mart=Amish Bookstore)

To Here:

(Le Centre Ville, Angers, France)

Here is a layout of all that happened, and why I am living proof that on the rare occasion that I don't procrastinate, it seemingly worked in my favor.
(By the way, if you haven't realized by now, I'm a big fan of making lists.
1. A Really.
1a. Big.
1b. Fan.)

1.Up until the night before I left on Sunday, September 25th (I chose this day because I saved a bunch of money flying on airline "off" days), I probably packed my bag at least ten times.

 (With four months worth of school supplies, toiletries, and clothes to pack, the airlines should really be more lenient on their 50-lb. limit.)

2.On the morning I left, I was happy to have my family with me, including my mom, my dad, and my little brother, who is now taller than me and so it makes me feel weird when I refer to him as my "baby brother".  I went through security at Akron-Canton Airport in Ohio, where my oversize bottle of facial moisturizer became a ritual sacrifice in the name of France, and crossed to the other side at 8:30 a.m., awaiting my flight that was supposed to board around 10:00.  I bid farewell to my folks, who spoke to me via cellphone through a plate glass window that rests on top of the security station, and waited anxiously for my flight to begin boarding.  At this point, I had plenty of time to rest, and still had three hours to kill between my arrival in Charlotte and my connecting flight to Paris.

3.Mechanical problems and two delays later, I had to bolt from the airplane in Charlotte, and run through two terminals to get to my connection in Paris, where they had just called my Zone number on my plane ticket.  I was a streak of blue, purple, and red, representing my bookbag, carry-on suitcase, and red boots respectively.
3a. I would like to pause here for a moment to reflect on my sacred red boots.  These are not just any boots.  These are 9 1/2 B-size Red Deertan Heritage Western R-Toe Ariats (Style # 15761 to be even more exact) and when it comes to my style, just give me these boots, a pair of obnoxiously loud and/or cute earrings, and point me in the direction of the fun!

(Such a tiny, tiny picture for such an awesome boot!)

4. Alors...I was assured that my luggage would make my connection, which it did since my flight to Paris was delayed for an additional hour due to inclement weather.  And then, on y va!!!  I arrived unscathed in Paris at 7:20 am France time, 1:20 a.m. EST.  But the ride was still not over.  Following a three-hour wait (and two very awkward conversations with information desk clerks), I boarded le TGV-the train that travels not only to France, but to much of Europe-and rode another two and a half hours to Angers.

4a. Finally, at almost 2:00 p.m. (or 14:00 for all of you used to French/Military time), I spotted a short, white-haired woman, who was holding up a sign with my name on it.  That woman is Marie-Anne, my host "mother" (although it feels weird thinking of her as a "parent" simply because I haven't lived with one for ten years now), who helped me shove my bags into her tiny car and zipped through Angers to my home for the next four months.

5. My room that I will be renting is très petite, but in a good way.  It even has its own sink and shower!  The only adjustment I'm really going to have to make is timing my use of hot water just right, since the water heater only works at certain hours of the day.  But who can feel disappointed with a view like this:

(With windows like this, I am reminded of the scene entitled "Faubourg Saint-Denis", directed by one of my faves, Tom Tykwer, in the movie "Paris, Je T'Aime")

6. My host family offers lunch and dinner, at an additional cost, to be served to me along with their company.  I am very excited to experience this, since it will give me a good look into the world of cuisine for the average French family.  I have already had duck with potatoes (le canard avec les pommes de terre), salmon pâté (pâté du saumon) with fresh green salad and tomatoes from Marie-Anne's own backyard, fresh bread (le pain), Camembert and Goat cheeses (les fromages) for dessert, and, of course, wine (le vin).  Marie-Anne explained to me (in French) that French families try to teach their kids that sitting down at a table and eating together while enjoying the experience of food and its presentation is très important for one's health (santé).

7. Speaking of health, my own santé is currently a bit compromised.  I've caught a cold from my travels, as well as suffering from a nice case of jet-lag, or as the French call it, décolage horaire, which roughly translates into "differences in time".  But not to despair!  Even though I'm trying to drink away my cold with jus d'orange (cold medicine here is around 5 euros for a little box), I have been walking everywhere, finding my way to my Université, supermarkets right down the street from my host family's home, and, almost magnetically, I have zeroed in on my favorite store, Claire's!

 ("We meet again, ma chèrie!! Hunnnh hunnnhhh hunnnhhh!!!")

8. As a conclusion to my discoveries, I will leave you with a photo of something that I can finally cross off my own list of to-do's: eat a REAL French pastry!

 (I even made my own espresso!  Even though espresso is traditionally served in a bowl for breakfast, I made it in one here because I'm still learning how to make it, and put way too much water in it the last time, which made a huge mess with those little mugs!)

Until I overcome ma rhume, mes amis, a bientôt!

All The Crap I've Had To Do To Prepare (A Working List)

Well Bonjour There!  Here it is, only a month (almost to the day) that I'll be flying to France, and as I look back on all of the things I have had to do to prepare for this trip (sans the actual "learning French" part), I am reminded of what a whirlwind it has been through my supposed summer "vacation".  Here is a working list of what I have done, inception to present, to prepare for France.

However, the mention of the word "Inception" makes me temporarily space out and think of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who starred in the movie:

actorguru.com

(To at least attempt to keep this blog post en français, I juxtaposed JGL with his co-star, Marion Cotillard, who is, of course, French.)

D'accord!  Getting back to the matter at hand, I have burrowed into my notes and planner for this past year, and here is my (working) list of all the crap I've had to do to get ready to go to France...

1.  2008 to 2011--"Wow.  Since I'm officially back in school, this may be the last chance I get to study abroad...I really need to think about where I want to go!"

At this time, I would have loved to learn French (actual French, not how to make quiche and French bread and watch The Lion King in French like all I remember from high school), but so many people said that I should learn Spanish or Chinese instead.  They don't offer Chinese at UNC-Asheville yet, so let me take Spanish during the summer and see if I like it.  I've already gotten credit for the class, since I took one Spanish class during my cross-cultural trip to Peru back in 2002 (during my technical school training for Archaeology), but I talked to Elena Adell, one of the Spanish professors, to see if I can just sit in on a class.  She agreed, I took it, but was still drawn to both the French language and the French culture, ripe with fashion, cinema, and food that drew me in.
After speaking with my college advisor, I decided to pursue The French Way.  This included three hard-core semesters of French classes, two each semester, until dear Madame Malicote pulled me aside and advised me that I was getting burned out, and asked if I had thought about taking a semester off.  This brings us up to Spring of 2011, when I didn't take ANY French classes, but kept reading French magazines at Barnes and Noble and watching Jean-Pierre Jeunet movies.  At this point, Madame Malicote said, I had hit the "plateau" with learning another language--I was right on the edge of it, but unless I jumped in feet first into the Study Abroad Pond, I would never really be able to become fluent. 

2. Spring 2011--More than just kicking an idea around

By this point, I had already researched some of my options to Study Abroad.  Of course I wanted to see Paris, but I was dissuaded from studying there--too many people know English so well, that as soon as I try to speak in broken French, they would simply encourage me to speak English, making it easier on both my ears as well as theirs.  But I didn't want that.  I desperately wanted to become fluent in French, and so I decided on a sister program, through UNC-Asheville, with L'Université Catholique de l'Ouest in Angers (pronounced "Ahn-jay"), France.  Here comes the paperwork!

3. Spring 2011-Summer 2011--The List Goes On and On
As of right now, the steps I have taken have been as follows:
During Spring 2011, along with taking a full-time load of credit hours:
-Meet with Study Abroad office and express my interest in studying in Angers
-Gather paperwork for Study Abroad application, roughly 20 pages, including a personal statement, cost of attendance declaration to help Financial Aid adjust my expenditures as necessary for my Cost of Attendance Record, three recommendation letters, and a campus-based scholarship application.
-Meet with all three professors for my study abroad recommendation letters, ask them to write recommendation letters for me, give extra paperwork to Madame Malicote to fill out for class transfer requirements between the two schools, and begin to draft both my personal statement as well as my UNCA scholarship application.
-Various meetings between my three advisors (French, International Studies, and minor in Psychology) to clarify any questions regarding their parts of the paperwork, stress out about making sure I fill out all paperwork, and ask for help from the campus Writing Lab regarding my essay and application.
-During another meeting with the Study Abroad office, discover a government-based scholarship, the Gilman International Scholars Program, through one of the workers.  The deadline is in a week.  Back to the Writing Lab. 
-Visited the Writing Lab to polish my Study Abroad personal statement and campus-based scholarship application, turn in all paperwork, receive soothing reassurances from requested professors regarding having their recommendation letters about me turned in, and double-check with Study Abroad workers as well as my French and International Studies advisor.  Anxiously wait for response on my Study Abroad application for the program, as well as the campus-based scholarship.
-Visit the Writing Lab again, polished my Gilman Scholars Application, triple-checked all paperwork, and emailed/snail mailed paperwork in.  Anxiously wait for response on my Gilman application as well.
-Find out I got into the Study Abroad program and won both scholarships.  Gratitude holds no bounds to how I feel about getting such an opportunity!  However, I kept in mind that I was still paying for the entire experience myself, and spoke with Financial Aid, Study Abroad, and my advisors to no end (and still to no end) from the beginning to now.  They have all been very patient with me, and I greatly appreciate their enduring guidance and advice.
-Immediately following these events, I have had to renew my passport (and getting a new photo), sign up for Campus France through the French Consulate (with help from Cara in the Study Abroad office), attend a webinar regarding my Gilman Scholarship, and pay for my application to the Angers University.  So far, that adds up to around 500 bucks.
-Signing up for a whole semester's worth of classes for the Summer, pleading with Financial Aid for assistance even though I was the one who didn't tell them I wanted to go to summer classes, speaking with my dear friend, mentor, and financial idol Thomas Witherspoon about my budget and trip cost worries, who encouraged me to cancel my summer classes and work as much as possible at the restaurant during the summer in order to save up money.  Sheepishly tell my wonderful Financial Aid advisor about my change in summer plans, withdrew from classes, and begin to study for the GRE before buckling down on work.
-Took GRE before it changed in August, and made a massive shift from two days a week, a schedule I have been used to for about a year now, to six/seven days a week.  Now I start smelling like steak ALL THE TIME!  I'm starting to feel like Lady Gaga in her meat dress:

from gawker.com

"Beef, it's what's for dinner!"

-Alongside this, I am anxiously checking my Campus France email relentlessly for two weeks to receive confirmation that I have been added into the system, I begin the paperwork for the Visa.  This includes filling out two applications (one extra), two Visa stamp sheets (one extra), getting another photo for the Visa (no glasses and no smile--it was horrible!), and DRIVING BY MYSELF to the French Consulate Office in Atlanta (see freak out about this in last post).  Another 200-300 bucks later, and the Visa folks keep a hold of my passport until further notice that my application for my Visa has been approved.
-Did I mention the plane ticket to get to France?  Oh yeah, another $1300, and without a clue as to when I need to actually be in Angers.  During this time I met with a recent alum who went to Angers, who told me to go ahead and buy the plane ticket first, and worry about the details later.  So, I researched online for about a month, bought the ticket, and also booked a hotel room for four extra days before the date I was given to start school.  This way, I can either a) cancel the reservation once I get in touch with my host family abroad, or b) stay in the hotel for a few extra days to get my bearings in Angers.  As some of you may have guessed, I am pretty directionally challenged (hence the totalling of my poor Honda Civic last year), and want to be as prepared as possible before getting lost on my way to school.
-Speaking of no money, I also applied for two credit cards, one with Capital One (no international fees), and a debit/credit card with my credit union, who charges a flat rate for ATM withdraws, domestic or abroad, in order to cut down on sneaky fee charges while I'm in France.
-Shuffling dates around as far as quitting the restaurant (who told me I could be hired back once I return from France since I've been there for three years, which I was also nervous about), meeting prospective new roommates and ultimately gaining one, scheduling time with the beau-friend, and deciding on when to go home in Ohio before flying out from Akron/Canton Airport on September 25th.  Also deciding on when would be a good time for beau-friend to meet my parents, and having him schedule his flight up north accordingly.
-Writing, anxiously waiting for, and receiving a response from my host family regarding when to pick me up from the train station when I arrive, as well as details about renting my room (which has its own shower and WIFI access!  Woo hoo!)

WHEW!

And it's not over yet--I still need to cancel my hotel, let STEP (Student Travel Exchange Program), the French Consulate, and the Gilman folks know about my change in plans, buy my train tickets, and get all of my finances straightened out to pay for all of my bills from the U.S. (rent, car insurance, etc.) while I'm gone.  I also need to forward my mail to my parents' house while I'm gone, and *gulp* give Pops the car for a WHOLE SEMESTER!  He's a mechanic by trade, but when I envision him with my little Vera (my 2010 white Nissan Versa), all I can imagine is this:

As a side note, I have been watching French-ish movies, studying my old French grammar books, and reading about France in the meantime.  Lonely Planet's guide to France has been especially helpful, as well as Rick Steve's podcasts about France and another podcast entitled "One Thing In A French Day". 

Oh, and I've also managed to fit in a vacation with the Beau-friend, with whom I have been for a year and a half now.  We recently went on a week-long vacation to Oregon, staying at a beach that he first visited 17 years ago when he was a teenager, and where he has always wanted to return.  This was a true vacation for me, as he did all of the planning and booking of hotel rooms and flights.  I am a very lucky girlfriend!  For a mental break for both you and me, here are a couple of highlight pictures:

So Oregon-ers are Zombies?  I never knew!

But I wanna pet the sea lions!

Me and the Beau-Friend, hanging out by the lighthouse at Heceta Head.

Also, as a side note, I have been watching French-ish movies, studying my old French grammar books, and reading about France in the meantime.  Lonely Planet's guide to France has been especially helpful, as well as Rick Steve's podcasts about France and another podcast entitled "One Thing In French A Day".  The last episode I listened to from Laetitia, who publishes the latter broadcast, talked about "La machine à crêpes", and made me miss having banana-and-Nutella crêpes while I was in Greece last year.  I'm looking forward to seeing what are popular crêpes in France!  To bestow the miracle of crêpes onto you, here is a YouTube video of how the street vendors in Paris make them:

IHOP's crêpes are NOT equivalent to this!

Now that you're as hungry as me for Nutella-crêpe-goodness, until next time, mes amis, Souhaite-moi bonne chance!  (I wanted to keep "Wish me luck!" in the polite form!)

Bienvenue! -aka-The Official Freakout-Before-Leaving-Freakout

Bonjour!

Je m'appelle Staci, et je suis un livre.  Translation:  My name is Staci.  I am a book.  That's about all that I feel I can remember right now.  I am creating this blog to chronicle my life building up to, including, and following a trip to Angers, France, where I will be studying French for four months.  Why, may you ask?  Because I love the French language, the French culture, and the French way of living, and I want to use it in a dream career where I speak French and do French-y type things.

"Hunhh-hunnh-hunnh!!!"

 Mais, non!  I am going to really learn about French culture and language, not the stereotypical sailor-shirt-wearing culture where the Eiffel Tower is centered everywhere.

There has got to be more to France than one unused radio tower!

 So, here I go, on my first trip to France!  I am embarking on a lot of "firsts" surrounding this trip: my first blog, my first attempt at perfecting the awesomeness of the French language, and although not my first study abroad trip, my first study abroad trip where I've had to do all of the preparation/planning on my own.  One would think that I would be okay with this, seeing as how, as a non-traditional student of 28 years of age, I would be stereotypically "more mature", and therefore more mentally able to prepare this kind of venture on my own.  Alas!  'Tis not so!  Actually, I feel more like this:

Yup, that's right.  My first-grade self.  Complete with Muppet Babies necklace (my favorite one at the time), and missing my two front teeth.  I can still remember the spit that would fly if I would ask for anything as simple as a "pen-thil" to write with.  And why, do you ask, I feel like my six-year-old self?  BECAUSEI'MGOINGTOFRANCEALLBYMYSELFANDI'MSOSOSOSOSCARED!!!!  Me, alone, navigating the streets of first Paris, then Angers, France, to go to L'Université Catholique De L'Ouest for a whole semester.

I stress on the alone part because I have never done anything alone.  Not really.  I was privileged enough to go to Peru on a study abroad trip my first time around in college (where I earned an Associate's Degree in Archaeology), but that was with 18 other people.  I have lived in Asheville (North Carolina) for almost eight years, but it has always been with friends, family or roommates.  My first part of this alone experience came with going to the French Consulate in Atlanta two weeks ago:

Why, yes, I DID in fact take a picture as a keepsake of me surviving the drive all the way down to Atlanta and back by myself, thank you very much. 

Okay, so there are things that I do alone all the time.  Like grocery shopping.  And driving around town.  And singing at the top of my lungs whilst driving around town.  I am sure that my friends and family are happy that I don't subject them to my incessant, off-key shrillage whenever anything from Tori Amos to MIA comes on the radio if they happen to be with me in Vera, my 2010 White Nissan Versa.

Nod to Firefly fans out there--"I call it Vera".

 And to help fund my trip, one of my scholarships that I won was through the Gilman International Scholarship Program, which is helping fund a sizable chunk of my trip (thank you, Gilman Scholars Program!)...but for me, that all shies in comparison to actually going somewhere!  I mean, I was scared to death just about driving to Atlanta, how am I going to be able to cope with such a change of lifestyle?  I won't be working (which I have done since I was old enough to work at age fifteen-and-a-half), I won't be driving, and I will be living with a host family.  All of these concepts I have not known in YEARS, and now I have to do all of them, and in FRANCE???  Don't get me wrong, I'm super-excited about speaking French and living there for four months, but that doesn't mean that I don't feel like a little kid lost all alone in the department store, with no front teeth and slurring her words, while wearing wayyy too many colors to ever pass off as someone un-Américaine (reference 6-year-old picture above for current fashion style).  Zut, alors!

How much will I expect to stand out in France?  Let's just say that my own "Fantastic Voyage" will probably compare to how Coolio would look like, getting his swagger on 1995-style with his funky hair, in his song of the same name.  Except, you know, without the drugs and stuff.

Here's to France, yo.