Day 2 - Training

The year 2000 was my life's turning point.  In January of my sophomore year, I headed to France.  On my own, without a friend, without family...in a far-off land to live with a French family in the mountains of southeast France.  This was my challenge.  Could I do it?  Force myself beyond my comfort zone?  Well, I just had to find out. 

I petitioned to the Dean of the French Dept at Allegheny to send me a year earlier than the usual recommendation.  Approved.  So I booked the flight from Pittsburgh to Boston, Boston to Paris, Paris to Lyon where I met up with the rest of the American students, most of whom knew each other from Boston University, and the program counselor, Marie Yves.  Then traveled by train from Lyon to Grenoble to be dumped off with our new families. 

I thought I spoke French, until I arrived in the motherland.  Oh my God....forget about it.  Straight A's in 4 years of high-school French, President of the French Club, plus 2 semesters in college.  My tongue was tied.  So embarrassing and at that point, flat out exhausted from all that traveling.  And, my French family spoke approximately 10 words of English. 

Too late!  I was there for the next 5 months living with my new family in their beautiful little french home.  Cried myself to sleep a handful of nights listening to my favorite CDs on my walkman, you know, the soundtrack to Notting Hill, Dave Matthews Band, Boyz II Men, 'N Sync, Prince, 98 Degrees, Al Green, and whichever other CDs my bro burned for me to take on my journey. 

I got over it.  The sulking stopped and all the American students started building friendships....we spent every morning together studying the language, the culture, the art, the food and the history of France.  I made lots of friends - one the best of all.  Together, Leslie and I traveled throughout Europe, pushed our limits, partied, met French boyfriends, soaked up the culture and loved every minute of our freedom in France.  At 20 years old, the world was getting much smaller and more attainable.  And my dreams were getting larger and larger.  The possibilities seemed endless...