!!!

I'm all packed...mostly. I just need to take a shower and then I'll be able to finish packing everything. My trip to France doesn't begin until tomorrow, but my journey begins today. The rest of my family is going to Minnesota for my cousin's wedding, so they're dropping me off at my friend's house today. Fortunately, this friend and I are flying out to France together. I leave at 5:30 PM on Sunday. The next time you hear from me, I'll be in France!

-Erica

My Life In A Suitcase

Well, I've almost finished packing...I think. How am I supposed to really judge that? I mean, I think I have enough clothing, no, I know I have enough clothing to survive while I'm there, but is it correct for the climate? Is it the right sort of clothing? I know it isn't...France is so much fancier, and I spend most of my life in heavy metal t-shirts...not exactly classy, guys.

And then, what else do I bring?! I've got shampoo and all that, but do I need like...school supplies? I'm finding it very easy to forget that my destination is a developed country with convenience stores and millions of people that manage to live and go to school without having to shop in the United States.

Another thing that puzzles me is this whole idea of a money belt...yes, I understand that I'll be carrying around my passport and having that stolen would be very, very bad, but the things I've read have suggested that I carry my money in there too. Do regular French people do that? Probably not. What makes me different? I mean, I know I'll have an accent and whatnot, but I'd like to think that I'm less conspicuously American than most of the other Americans that visit France. Do they tell French tourists to do this when visiting the United States? So many questions.

Speaking of questions, I've been considering calling my host family again to find out if they have kids and stuff, because I'd like to bring them a gift, but I have no idea what to bring. I wish I had been thinking when I was at school this summer, and just picked something up from the bookstore. Alas, I did not do that. Now I'm pondering venturing into Amish country to search for something "American," although when I think of "American" I don't think of Amish people...oh well.

I have three nights left in my own bed...woah.

Getting There

Okay! So I bought my plane tickets a few weeks ago, and I got my visa on Monday. Awesome. Now all I need to do is contact my host family, figure out how to buy train tickets in advance, and pack.

Of course, I have no idea what to pack.

Also, above is the giant shiny bean I saw when I was in Chicago, getting my visa. Hooray!