My name is Georgina Aguirre López and I am currently a junior at Penn State majoring in Communication, arts & sciences with a double minor in French and Spanish. Currently, I am scrambling to get everything ready for my exciting study abroad experience in Montpellier, France for the spring semester.
I live in a very small town outside of Gettysburg, PA that has a population of a little over a thousand people. I live in a rural area with an abundance of agriculture, especially the apple industry. There are orchards and mountains all around me, which I suppose helped in deciding where to study abroad. Montpellier is a culturally rich city in the Southern part of France, just a few miles from the Mediterranean Sea. I chose this area because it is geographically different than what I am used to. Imagine going from a rural, mountainous area to an urban, populated city.
One of my main goals in studying abroad will definitely be bettering my French language skills. I have taken French since I was about 14, and I have continued in college. At Penn State I am almost finished with the requirements for my minor, but that did not stop me from pursuing an international experience in a French-speaking country.
It is 2:35PM on December 30th, 2015, and I am currently rushing to get all of my stuff done before leaving. I am scheduled to depart Sunday January 3rd at 6:25PM, arriving in Paris at 10AM the next morning. From Paris I have to take a train to Montpellier, which will be about 3 and a half hours. Once I arrive to Montpellier I will have to go to a youth hostel where I will meet up with other people studying abroad. I am going through so many emotions as these last few days go by. I am absolutely excited that I will be able to be apart of this trip and such a wonderful experience. At the same time, this moment is quite bittersweet since I will be leaving friends and family behind for such a long period of time. I am sure to meet a lot of new people and gain many new experiences abroad.
Days until I leave: 4
Location: Biglerville, PA 17307
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