Right now I am sitting in my room in the middle of piles and piles of clothes, under which my cat Lucky may be hiding, having a something like a wardrobe crisis. Oh là là. A wardrobe crisis is not something I’m unfamiliar with, but the scope of this crisis is much wider than “What am I going to wear today?” – I’m dealing with a semester in the south of France. Squeezing my entire tangible life into a 50-pound suitcase is a challenge, and “packing light” is something I’ve always struggled with. Is twelve pairs of shoes excessive?
My name is Holly McKissick, and I am from Greenville, South Carolina. I am a Clemson Tiger who is preparing to make paw prints in Provence while having an inner battle to determine whether I should leave my orange behind (I hear the French are mostly into neutral colors). I’m also a Francophile who loves to travel, so I’m anticipating that moving to Aix-en-Provence for three and a half months is about to blow my mind.
With all the excitement and stress of packing, I decided to take a break and take a crack at my first ever blog entry. Because I couldn’t possibly fit everything I’m packing on this entry (and to avoid disassembling my silos of clothes), I’ll be brief: here’s my top 10.
1. Passport/visa. Enough said.
2. Laptop. Because I’m taking college courses, of course. And to continue with the blogging!
3. Camera. To capture the rolling hills and coast of southern France (and other travels), and of course the new faces of friends I hope to make along the way!
4. My French-English pocket dictionary, so nothing gets lost in translation.
5. Boots. Probably my go-to for those fall and winter days to keep my feet warm and attempt to look put together.
6. Sweaters. I hear layering is important, so I am bringing plenty of these.
7. Scarves. Ditto on the layering, and how European and chic?!
8. Sandals. In hopes of a solid month of late summer climate.
9. My moleskine journal, a gift from my brother.
10. A gift for my host family. Don’t want to spoil the surprise on the internet…
Looking back at what I’ve just written, it seems like I’m using packing as a distraction from the reality that in one week from today, I will be leaving my comfortable and routine life, as well as all the people I know and love, to jump into a brand new one.
This summer, I could not have had it easier. I lived at home with my loving parents, had a sweet internship with a company called Foreign Translations, Inc., and worked at a stylish clothing store called Traveling Chic Boutique. I still had plenty of time to spend with friends and loved ones, enjoy family vacations, even take a trip or two back to Clemson. It appears that maybe I’ve gotten too comfortable, and it’s time to get back outside of my comfort zone and shake things up!
For one thing, I know no one on this program, so I’ll be starting from ground zero when it comes to making friends. In hopes of developing some meaningful friendships and making the experience awesome, I need to acquire some travel/study/shopping/croissant-tasting buddies ASAP. Hopefully there are others in the same boat! Secondly, my French is rusty. It’s been a while since I’ve practiced speaking en français, so I’m anticipating some rough few first conversations upon arrival. Désolée! Lastly, and most difficultly, I’ll be leaving my wonderful family and friends for quite a while. I’m extremely blessed to be surrounded by incredible people that I love and care about – if only I could fit them all in my suitcase!
To say I’m not nervous would be false. However, I know that across the Atlantic there are so many opportunities: to learn, experience, meet new people, and bring home a more worldly perspective. Au revoir South Carolina, et bonjour la France!
A plus tard,
Holly
My name is Holly McKissick, and I am from Greenville, South Carolina. I am a Clemson Tiger who is preparing to make paw prints in Provence while having an inner battle to determine whether I should leave my orange behind (I hear the French are mostly into neutral colors). I’m also a Francophile who loves to travel, so I’m anticipating that moving to Aix-en-Provence for three and a half months is about to blow my mind.
With all the excitement and stress of packing, I decided to take a break and take a crack at my first ever blog entry. Because I couldn’t possibly fit everything I’m packing on this entry (and to avoid disassembling my silos of clothes), I’ll be brief: here’s my top 10.
1. Passport/visa. Enough said.
2. Laptop. Because I’m taking college courses, of course. And to continue with the blogging!
3. Camera. To capture the rolling hills and coast of southern France (and other travels), and of course the new faces of friends I hope to make along the way!
4. My French-English pocket dictionary, so nothing gets lost in translation.
5. Boots. Probably my go-to for those fall and winter days to keep my feet warm and attempt to look put together.
6. Sweaters. I hear layering is important, so I am bringing plenty of these.
7. Scarves. Ditto on the layering, and how European and chic?!
8. Sandals. In hopes of a solid month of late summer climate.
9. My moleskine journal, a gift from my brother.
10. A gift for my host family. Don’t want to spoil the surprise on the internet…
Looking back at what I’ve just written, it seems like I’m using packing as a distraction from the reality that in one week from today, I will be leaving my comfortable and routine life, as well as all the people I know and love, to jump into a brand new one.
This summer, I could not have had it easier. I lived at home with my loving parents, had a sweet internship with a company called Foreign Translations, Inc., and worked at a stylish clothing store called Traveling Chic Boutique. I still had plenty of time to spend with friends and loved ones, enjoy family vacations, even take a trip or two back to Clemson. It appears that maybe I’ve gotten too comfortable, and it’s time to get back outside of my comfort zone and shake things up!
For one thing, I know no one on this program, so I’ll be starting from ground zero when it comes to making friends. In hopes of developing some meaningful friendships and making the experience awesome, I need to acquire some travel/study/shopping/croissant-tasting buddies ASAP. Hopefully there are others in the same boat! Secondly, my French is rusty. It’s been a while since I’ve practiced speaking en français, so I’m anticipating some rough few first conversations upon arrival. Désolée! Lastly, and most difficultly, I’ll be leaving my wonderful family and friends for quite a while. I’m extremely blessed to be surrounded by incredible people that I love and care about – if only I could fit them all in my suitcase!
To say I’m not nervous would be false. However, I know that across the Atlantic there are so many opportunities: to learn, experience, meet new people, and bring home a more worldly perspective. Au revoir South Carolina, et bonjour la France!
A plus tard,
Holly