In less than a week I leave for France. For five days my mom and I will be in Nice, on the Riviera, before taking the TGV (high speed train) north to Paris. In the capital we’ll be staying at l’Hotel du Pantheon, right across the street from the Pantheon, for a week before my program starts.

          As I attempt to stuff all my clothes and things into a small suitcase, I’m realizing that there’s not much left to do before leaving. Packing has actually been pretty easy, although this is probably because I’m forgetting some essential items.

          Studying abroad is a long process. It takes months to set up programs, book flights, obtain visas and passports, and so on. But a great part of the preparation is mental. Over the summer I’ve been reading French books, watching movies, and listening to daily podcasts from Radio France to hone my language skills (and so I don’t fail the placement tests once I get there). I follow blogs like God, I Love Paris, Invisible Paris, and Posted in Paris to learn about life in Paris and discover local customs before I accidentally violate them.

          Keeping up with the news is also useful when visiting another country. In a controversial move over the last week, President Sarkozy decided to deport hundreds of Roma (often called gypsies) from their transient camps in southern France. While they are illegal immigrants frequently living in poor conditions, the Roma come to France because they simply cannot earn enough to support their families in impoverished Romania. At least the government gave the Roma about $385 each, with an extra $100 or so for each child. The French seem to have some prejudices towards the Roma and Muslim groups (the government recently banned the wearing of the burqa). This surprises me; France’s reputation for liberalism seems like it would contradict these almost xenophobic actions. In any case, it will be interesting to enter the atmosphere of Paris and Provence, where I’ll hopefully gain some insight on these issues.

          While I’m in Paris, I’ll be living in the 14th arrondissement, which is located in the south of the city. My apartment is on a wide boulevard, near a post office and a restaurant called Chez Pierre (check it out on Google Maps Street View). The IES Abroad Center, where my classes will be, is also in the 14th. It’s close to the Latin Quarter, an area frequented by students.

          IES has asked me to write for their blog as well, but those entries will be in the form of poetry (I’m actually getting paid to write poetry. Pretty cool.) I’ll post the link in my next entries here.
 
A bient�t!

Location: Bethlehem, PA