Expectations

For my senior quote in high school, I quoted the first line of Charles Dickens’s novel David Copperfield: “Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.” I still think that I chose a great quote, because it encapsulates two things I hold dear: writing and self-discovery. I consider myself beyond lucky that I get to explore both of these things this summer in Arles.

I’ve talked to quite a few people who have been happy to prepare me for this trip in any way that they can, with advice ranging from “read the newspapers” to “get ready for everything to be super expensive.” However, I get the creeping suspicion that no amount of anecdotes can prepare me for what’s about to happen. To be perfectly honest, I’m trying to go in with as few expectations as possible beyond the little cultural ticks I need to know (for example, I’ve been told to always greet a cashier with a bonjour and part with a bonne journée, else you’ve essentially given them permission to give you lackluster service); I use that trick on books, and I tend to enjoy those books more than the ones I start reading with such-and-such expectations. It’s impossible to go to a foreign country without some kind of expectation, I know, but I’m hoping to be wowed from the moment I fly into Paris to the day I leave for the States.

In either case, heading in with expectations or not, I am beyond excited to be participating in his experience. Studying abroad has been a dream of mine for a long time, and the French language and culture have fascinated me since I started taking languages courses when I was fourteen years old.

This trip will also be a trip of many firsts for me: my first time out of the country, my first flight, and my first time going somewhere where I know literally no one beforehand among others that I’m sure I’m forgetting. My only regret is that I won’t be able to visit la maison de Victor Hugo on Barricade Day, because, you know…

Image from Associated Press

Well, here I am, with just under two weeks before I leave for Paris. I’ll spend a couple of days there, be a tourist, and then catch a train down to Arles for the next six weeks. So, until my next post, Vive la France et allons-y!

Not to mention, going to France will be a nice alternative to studying for the LSAT that I’ll be taking just a few short days before my flight. Here’s to it.