How do you prepare for a semester abroad?

That's my million dollar question of the summer. It seems like it's been forever since I knew I would be studying abroad (precisely when I decided to be a French major), but this summer I've been a little unsure how to get ready for probably the most exciting four months of my life (thus far, of course!). But I think I've figured it out. I think I'm more ready because of some of the things I did this weekend:

-Pack. See previous post, but it's pretty much done, which is really nice!
-Experiment with food. I made a "frittata" egg omelette with arugula, baby tomatoes, and parm (best cheese ever). Also made a yogurt-crushed cookie-strawberry parfait, inspired by the greatness that is the Food Network.
-Read about France. It's crunch time, baby! Gotta get all the knowledge I can before I go.
-Speak French! I've done some Facebooking in French to practice writing it, and I'm trying to get back into the routine of having a thought or two 'en français' so I'm there mentally ;)
-Make playlists! I've got a long plane ride ahead of me... : )

Goodnight!

Packing!

And so it begins, let's see how much I can fit in my luggage!

So far my packing list consists of the following:

1) Clothes, clothes, clothes. Lots and lots.
2) Toiletries–to make sure I come back looking the same as I leave!
3) Books–I've become an avid reader this summer and am looking forward to The Girl Who Played With Fire. If you haven't started the Steig Larsson series, I highly recommend it!
4) Pictures–they're the easiest and warmest wall dec's you can get!
5) Music–for the plane/train trips and for runs
6) Liza's Care Package–seriously, this thing is so adorable. She's got a dozen or so miniature things to make me smile while abroad.
7) Fun!

That's all for now, we'll see how much I can bring!