As the title suggests, I leave for my Qu�bec study abroad program in just a few days. It’s been a hectic last few days and I’m sure the next couple will bring more of the same, but I am definitely looking forward to my upcoming time in francophone Canada. Since I last wrote I’ve learned a lot more about not only the program but about Qu�bec City and the kinds of things I can expect to experience there. I’m really excited to see how everything I’ve read and heard compares to the real thing; I’m sure I won’t be let down.

More than anything else, I’m really excited to just be immersed in a part of the French-speaking world. I’m sure it will be tough at first, especially in my classes with Canadians who are used to producing beautiful sounding French all the time, but I know that if I can make it through one week, I can make it through 5 and a half weeks. The last few french courses I’ve taken at Penn State have been conducted entirely in French so the classroom setting won’t be too much different in that respect. I’ll just have to make sure I’m coming up with halfway intelligent things to say so I don’t make a fool out of myself.

I recently received all my information about my homestay. My host lives about 10 minutes from the Universit� Laval campus and seems like she will be very accommodating. I don’t know if she has any family or if it’s just her in the house but I will find out soon enough, and I hope they are all as nice as she seems from her e-mails.

I also just found out that there will be a bal costum�, or a costume dance, which should be interesting to say the least. I’ve figured out a pretty basic costume and am hoping that it’s the sort of school event that people actually go to, because I really think it sounds like it could be fun. If not, at least I have halloween taken care of for this year!

Next time I write I will be in beautiful Qu�bec, hopefully learning a lot about how life is there and how it compares to the other few parts of the world I’ve seen!

Location: Phoenix, Maryland