This week is the last week of the fall semester so I am writing to you in the midst of end of semester projects, presentations, papers, tests, and, of course, final exams. Next week is finals week, then winter break, and then.... FRANCE! I cannot believe how fast this semester went by, but I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! It’s been a while since my last post, and I feel like so much has happened since then so I decided to take a study break to update you on what's been going on!
For starters, I have a place to live! Exciting, right? I am actually very luckily that everything went so smoothly. It is my understanding that finding accommodation was not so easy for some of the other exchange students. I will be living in an apartment at ATALE which is right by the ESC (Toulouse Business School) campus. ATALE is one of the student housing facilities where many businesses students choose to live. The apartment is 50 square meters. And yes, I have no idea how big that is. Why can’t the U.S. use the metric system like everyone else? I will be sharing this lovely apartment with two other exchange students, and I can’t wait to meet both of them in person!
I also received my acceptance letter from the ESC. As you can well imagine, it was in French. Duh. But the cool thing was, I could understand it without trying to translate it into English in my head! I know that probably sounds weird if you either (1) are already fluent in two or more languages and are just too linguistically talented to understand or (2) have never studied a foreign language. Having taken French since the 6th grade, I would say I know my fair share of the language. I have basic reading, speaking, and writing skills, but most of that was in a textbook and I often found myself spending a lot of time translating French to English or vice versa instead of actually thinking in French. So you can well imagine why I was rather excited that I was able to quickly read and understand (without translating) my acceptance letter. Plus, I got an awesome info packet about cool stuff to do around Toulouse and the Mid-Pyrenees region so that probably added to the excitement.
Still left on my study abroad to-do list are book my flight and obtain my visa. The first one will be relatively easy. The visa will be a little more difficult. Unlike some of my friends that will be studying abroad in Spain, I have to actually make an appearance at the French Embassy in Houston, TX. Planning this trip has been a little difficult because I will be working almost full time this winter break so I can’t just go to Texas whenever, and I am currently stressing about group projects, presentations, exams, and finals here in Fayetteville. I’m hoping I can meet with the Embassy next Friday after I finish my last final on Thursday morning. Hopefully by next weekend, I will have made it to Houston and the processing of my visa will be underway!
The end of the semester is so bittersweet. Everyone is excited about going home, but I am really going to miss it here. It’s hard to believe I won’t see most of my friends again until next August! I’m moving out a lot of my stuff this Friday much to the dismay of my lovely roommate. I’ll definitely miss living with her, BUT if all goes as planned, I will be meeting her in Brussels next summer where she will be on her own study abroad adventure! Luckily, I live in the twenty-first century with modern marvels like Skype, Facebook, and Gmail. Please, please, please keep in touch!
