“Oh, but Paris isn't for changing planes, it's for changing your outlook! For throwing open the windows and letting in... letting in la vie en rose.” -Sabrina, 1954

     I leave for Paris in 3 days and I couldn't feel less prepared. My packing has consisted of me coming across things around the house that I think I need, but probably don't- i.e. Scotch tape, three different bikinis, a baseball cap, an Italian dictionary, leftover candy canes from Christmas- and dumping them in a spot in the basement I've designated for all the things that I want to fit into my two suitcases. I haven't even begun thinking about the clothes that I want to bring because all of them will fit, right? Right. Be honest, how can a person pack light for four months, which includes winter, spring, and part of summer? I'm going to ignore the list they gave me on what to pack when it comes to clothes. In front of basically every item on the list was a 1. One pair of jeans, eh? Nope, that's not happening. I don't think I'll be bringing fewer pairs of jeans than I am bottles of hand sanitizer.

     I just booked a shared shuttle from Charles de Gaulle to the foyer where I'm living, on the rue Pernety in the 14th arrondissement. It's completely maddening just trying to figure out the logistics of getting my little self all the way to my new bed in Paris. My flight arrives at 8 AM (Paris time) on Monday and as far as I know, I will have 15 minutes to get through customs, find my luggage, call the shuttle driver and tell him or her I'm alive and find where ever the hell the shuttle is among the nine terminals at this particular airport. Once I get to my foyer, I have to get through the (locked?) gate, which I have no key or passcode for at this point, ask the front desk for an envelope which will supposedly have written directions and a metro pass in it on how to then get myself to the Central College Abroad office later that day. If I can do all this on my own, I SWEAR I will get myself on The Amazing Race. Or in a Dan Brown novel.

     I'm about halfway through my goodbyes with friends and family, which has so far made me as emotional as I was when I saw The Muppets (unexpected crying in both cases). I need to keep reminding myself that I have been planning this for five years and that this is the opportunity of a lifetime. I need to have the courage to believe "I can do this!" So, let's do this! 

À Paris!

Rachel