Why mustard?

I'm glad you asked!

Well, in part, because it is three o'clock in the morning and after several successive hours of packing, the image of a little jar of mustard running all over Europe seems like a great idea.

The other reason (the more logical one at that, if you could agree that this is at all logical,) is that I am fourteen hours and nineteen minutes from taking a giant tube filled with air (some refer to this as an "airplane")  overseas to Dijon, France-- like the mustard! Get it...?

Oh god.. I hope that's right.. hold on a sec, I want to check my flight confirmation about that time..

PHEW. We're good. (Actually, in truth I memorized my departure time from the moment I bought my ticket a couple of months ago. But have you ever gotten that type of panic that strikes like a bolt of lightning, totally out of the blue, the type that likes to set in during the most outrageous periods of time? Like, when you are one-hundred per cent certain that you locked the car door, but then, without any reason or rationality, it suddenly seems that if you don't go double-check that the little button is pressed down all the way, it is pretty much inevitable that your car will be stolen? Yeah. Just had one of those moments. Except about the flight time.)

I guess that's all a part of study abroad: learning to panic like an adult. WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD.
Just kidding, that's not the point!
Sort of.

In part (in large, large part,) it is about responsibility. Responsibility in your actions as a representative of your school; responsibility in handling important issues in a timely manner; responsibility towards your host family; responsibility to take advantage of your time and keep an open mind; responsibility to yourself.

Of course, you could say I'm stating this rather blindly-- I am-- but the trip certainly has begun, long before this friggin hot August night.

Deciding to go abroad is no easy task. At least, it wasn't for me. For people like my friend Lily (who I am lucky enough to be traveling with tomorrow and sharing the same city with for the next ten months!) and my Freshman-year-roommate Colleen (studying north of us in Strasbourg, France,) study abroad was no question: they were going. I swear that in the first conversation I had with Lily I learned three things about her: her name, the fact that she was a French major, and that she wanted to study abroad. Little did I know two years ago that I would be boarding the plane alongside her!

Either way, my decision to go abroad happened over a period of time. Originally, the summer going into my Sophomore year (after I decided to declare an English major, French minor, and Environmental Studies concentration,) I had a plan: study abroad for one semester in Australia at the School for Field Studies (SFS). GREAT compromise: I could study abroad on a continent I'd probably never go to otherwise, really immerse myself in environmental studies, and go to the rainforest-- a dream of mine since childhood.

Life laughs at the plans we try to make.

To make a rather long story relatively short, Australia couldn't work out if I wanted to keep my English major in tact. However, my French professor (who slowly convinced me to check out the only one-semester French program my school has to offer, starting with (in French) "What if you could study in Australia and France?") soon made me aware that English majors studying abroad in France often go to Dijon instead of Strasbourg (the university that just opened a one-semester program for us. Of course, you have to go in the fall, just in case you decide that maybe, just maybe, you want to tack on one more semester..) because they have a strong English program.

Well! Needless to say, I have to thank my Professor Schilt (merci beaucoup professeur!) for sparking my interest in the program. Dijon, like the majority of study abroad programs at my school (College of the Holy Cross,) covers the length of an entire academic year. So, I will be spending my entire Junior year abroad. As of right now, I won't even be home for Christmas (my parents are planning to come over and meet me!)

Of course, I had a lot of reservations about studying abroad. Not to be whiny (because I am living in France for ten months,) but you do give up a lot when you decide to study abroad. A year away from school, your friends, your family, environments you know and love, organizations/clubs/teams you fell in love with... for lack of a better term, it's very bittersweet. More on the wonderful people who are supporting me throughout this entire process in my next post, so look forward to that. Not to brag, but I have been blessed to be surrounded by extremely incredible people.

I'm keeping this blog for plenty of reasons, the main ones being that my family and friends want to be kept updated while I am gone, and that I absolutely love to write (so if you follow this, prepare for some pretty long posts. I will post pictures soon, though!)

That being said (and it is 3:32 am now... I should probably go to bed soon, all things considered, there are still chores to be done in the morning,) I'll quickly fill you in on who I am/what I'm doing/going to do:
My name is Alexandra. I am a Junior at College of the Holy Cross (the happiest place on earth. Disney comes second in that title. Or maybe they're tied. Finals week, Disney wins, I'll give them that) but this year I will be studying at a French university in the city of Dijon, France. Tomorrow I head off for Tours, France, where I will be taking a month-long language and cultural immersion program that gets students settled before they start their studies. I pretty much love life and everything it has to offer to no end, but there are a few things above all else that win me over: writing, music, dancing, and cooking, in no particular order. I have two great parents who have been extremely supportive in my decision to go abroad, and a fourteen-year-old-puppy that is, of course, a part of the family (she, however, is not very happy that I'm leaving. You should see the looks she has been giving me lately.)

I will be posting more when I'm slightly more conscious (for any students wishing to study abroad that read this blog, you may want to hear about the visa process, so I'll give you the scoop on that fun business) and pictures will be posted!

It's funny. Plane ride in less than 24 hours and it still feels like it's not happening. It's pretty surreal.

My best friend Kyrsten has a great way to express my travels: "You're crossing the pond!" I mean, it's a very large pond. But I like that idea.

So, in the future I'll sign off in reference to the pond, but for now... goodnight!! or good morning...