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expected encounters: French people, for sure, definitely some of those. Also, fish. This one is going to be tricky. Living in a coastal city, in France, I will surely come face to face with these ugly suckers and it may not be pretty. I've never been able to get over the "flaky meat" aspect of fish. One of these days, though, one of these days. I've also been forewarned that wearing shorts and sneakers around in the summer gets you strange looks, so I imagine I'll be catching a lot of those with my wardrobe the way it is. I'm just hoping the Nantais stand in awe of my madd original style -- rather than in disgust.
concerns: That they won't like me. I'm just worried that between the language barrier and my general awkwardness, my off-kilter charm just won't come through! I'm also terrified of getting lost. We're all familiar with my directionally challenged tendencies, and I can only imagine those will get worse in another language. I'm nervous about strange men, but then again, I'm not the kind of American girl any of them are expecting, so I imagine I'll be okay. Really, it's the difference between me and this charming creature to the right.
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So, I was reading the student handbook my program sent me, and apparently they recommend keeping a blog or a "Cross-Cultural Notebook." So much for originality...I might as well delete this blog and toss my Moleskine right now. Screw the recommendations!
Just kidding. I want to avoid the effects of the W as much as the next guy (diagram forthcoming). In addition to describing -- in graph form! -- the emotional roller coaster of the abroad experience (and it actually looks like a roller coaster!), the handbook sets out a series of steps for a successful "Cross-Cultural Notebook," so I intend to follow Step One immediately.
ONE: Begin Right Away.
Well, great, I'm way on top of this one! It goes on...
"Before you leave, consider what you want to get out of your experience academically, socially, and personally. What do you expect to encounter? What concerns do you have?"
Okay, here we go.
Academically: I want success! Also, I don't want to work very much. We'll see how that goes taking two lit classes at the university and an art history course through the center that expects some background in the subject. I just want to go on field trips all the time. I mean, it's called studying abroad, so of course I want to learn, but if we take a literary perspective on this, the phrases "studying abroad" or "to study abroad" really do have double connotations, right, either implying academic study in a foreign country or the study of that foreign country. So, yes, I plan to study abroad.
Socially: Well, friends would be nice. French ones, American ones. I want to improve my French and I hope to cultivate real friendships with students at the Université de Nantes, but I'm also incredibly codependent and nervous (and yet, surprisingly calm?), and I'm going to need at least one English-speaking friend.
Personally: I hope to remain a person.
CLIFFHANGER! Answers to the last few questions (and W graph) to come!
I took the most awkward passport photos yesterday (with the exception of my real passport photo) for my visa. Since I'm going to have to scan one anyway for IES, perhaps I shall unveil the awkwardness here as well.
(Although I wouldn't want to infringe on on the territory of http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/.)
Which means real blogging starts now! I've got a whole mess of forms due on June 1, which means this week is all about online forms and FedEx. More soon. For now I'll continue to be blue about missing people.
