Bonjour Nice!

WOOHOO! I’m headed to the French Riviera! 

My name is Lee Foden and I am going to be a junior in college. I have been studying at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Although I love Boulder, I could not turn down the opportunity to study abroad — especially in France! I have had my mind set on going to Nice for years now, and when I found out my home university did not have a program to Nice, I was very disappointed. I did some research and found a program, French Studies & Business on the Riviera! This sounded like the perfect way to work towards my French minor!

I have visited the Pyrenees, Toulouse, Paris, and the French Alps, specifically Les Deux Alpes.I really loved the mountain regions of France but I figured if I was leaving the Rocky Mountains of Colorado for a semester, this was my chance to be on the water. Nice seemed like such an opportune location because of its beauty but also because of how close it is to other coastal towns! While I am abroad, I plan on traveling as much as possible, especially to other Mediterranean cities and ports. I am particularly looking forward to the class trip to Corsica!

(Les Deux Alpes, Summer, 2009)

I was born and raised on the rocky coastline of Maine with two older brothers. I grew up playing lacrosse and field hockey, while focusing on skiing (which eventually led me to Les Deux Alpes and then to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado). I love sports and I have been thoroughly enjoying the Olympics. I am hoping to see a couple of rugby matches while I am abroad!

Obtaining a visa was definitely an interesting process. Was I the only one who was expecting more or less to be interviewed to receive a visa? Instead it went something like this: wait in line, wait in another line, wait in another line, hand in your paperwork, pay a fee, and leave. A few days later I received my passport and visa in the mail. It was pretty anticlimactic after all of the time and effort that went into the paperwork, acquiring an appointment, and making the trip to Boston to the French consulate. That’s that, I guess!

Since I leave in 3 days, I probably should have started packing by this point, but unfortunately I haven’t made it that far. Also, I fly Boston to Munich to Nice and I’m going to need a lot of luck to make it through the Munich airport without getting extremely disoriented and/or lost. After that I’ll be on the home stretch to the cheese-eating and wine-drinking paradise called France!

Honestly, I don’t know if I’m ready to pack up and jump on a plane and head to France, but I have committed and I am so excited, so ready or not, here I come!