Allons-Y!

One of the coolest things I’ve been able to experience during my summer leading up to my departure is telling people about my plans for the fall semester and then witnessing their reactions when I tell them that I am studying abroad.

After quite a few of these interactions, a couple of things stood out to me.

The first thing that I noticed is that people really want me to send them postcards, which I think is awesome and I am more than glad to do. I find it pretty cool that people still get excited over the idea of receiving a handwritten postcard in the mail even though we live in the digital age of social media and online everything.

Another thing I noticed is that people always ask me if I feel "ready", which is a totally normal question to ask someone who is about to go spend a semester overseas.

However, as my departure grows closer and closer, that question becomes a lot more daunting to answer.

Usually I kind of laugh and respond with an “almost” or a “sort of,” when on the inside I’m frantically going through my mental checklist of all of the things I have to complete before I leave.

But I honestly don’t know if I am ready.

I’m ready in the sense that I (finally) have my visa.

I’m ready in the sense that I have submitted all the necessary forms (pretty much) on time.

And I'm also ready in the sense that I bought cute little travel sized versions of all the products I use.

Though all of those things are important to tasks to complete before a departure, does all that actually mean I am ready to spend 3 and a half months abroad in a foreign country?

I can tell you that I have yet to completely pack all of my belongings into bags that weigh 50 pounds or less, so I am definitely not ready in that sense.

I also don’t feel one hundred percent ready to use my French speaking skills outside of the classroom.

And even though my flight leaves in approximately three days, the reality that I will be spending a semester abroad in France is still a bit unreal and has yet to fully sink in.

But, with all of that being said, I couldn’t be more excited for this experience of a lifetime.

Even though I am nervous to leave behind the familiarity of home, and I know it’s going to be hard to be away from my friends and family for such a long period of time, I can’t wait to start making this dream of studying abroad a reality.

Because I’m ready to travel to a part of the world that I haven’t seen before.

I’m ready to explore new places and meet new people.

I’m ready to immerse myself in a language and a culture that I have only been able to experience within the confines of a classroom.

And I’m ready for an adventure.

So, allons-y!