Oh, packing is making me nervous too. I know everything has to weigh less than 50 pounds and fit in my suitcase, which seems impossible as I’m making a list of everything I need to bring. I’m a chronic over-packer but that will have to change so I can fit everything I need.
Now, what am I excited for? Just about everything else. I’m very excited to learn who my host family will be. I’m excited to arrive in Aix. I’m excited to speak French, well mostly; I might be a little rusty but I can’t wait to improve. The stories that old cities tell fascinate me and I can’t wait to visit as many ancient and old cities as I can. I’m excited to visit Nice and swim in the Mediterranean again. I look forward to hiking Mont Sainte Victoire and backpacking throughout France and the rest of Europe.
Last year, my family hosted a German exchange student Charlotte for the year and I know how close we all became to her, I hope my host family and I will be like that. I’m excited to go visit Charlotte in Germany over one of our breaks or after we finish. Which reminds me, I’m thrilled that we have two, week long breaks, and my birthday just so happens to be during the first one! I love traveling and there are so many places to visit so these two weeks and the week I have after I finish will be full of visiting many new places and seeing many great sites.
I was in Aix once before, during a two week trip, we stopped in Aix for about 2 hours. It was beautiful and I can’t wait to return. My high school French teacher called it the city of a thousand fountains and I certainly saw quite a few in just the little time I spent there and I hope I can explore more throughout the semester. I was fascinated by the outdoor market where we bought strange little red fruits (cassis berries maybe? a friend told me they are called Johannesberries in Germany) that I had never seen before. They were delicious and I can’t wait to see what else these markets have to offer. I even heard there are clothes markets, which is equally as awesome.
The next 15 days can’t pass fast enough. Except of course, the 4 days that I will spend up at Penn State visiting my friends before I leave. I feel like those days might pass too fast but at the same time, I can’t wait to be meeting everyone in France.