17 days! Only 17!

I leave in 17 days and I still can't believe it's actually happening. I suppose I should be worrying about whether or not my visa and passport will return in time, but they know when I'm leaving, so there's not much I can do really. I know that must sound strange coming from me of all people, but the French work on their own time and nothing I say or do will affect that.

I started packing tonight, mostly with shoes and cool weather clothes. So far I have 10 pairs of shoes packed in underneath some clothes. I have black boots, brown boots, off-white flats, two pairs of black flats, my awesome red flats, red heels, black heels, silvery-gray flats, and silver sandals. I had most of these with me when I was there before and wore them all routinely. I know that sounds a bit excessive, but it's not really. I can't/don't really dress the same way in France that I do in the States. I have a tendency simply to wear flip-flops, jeans, and a t-shirt, but that doesn't really go over quite so well there. I suppose I could, but why would I do such a thing when I know how to blend into the culture? My outfits will vary a lot more, so I need shoes to go with that variation. Last time, I packed a lot of things I didn't end up needing or using, and this time around I know what I'll need.

For example, this time I know not to bring more than two suitcases. I'll have my two largest ones and my carry-ons will be my backpack and a purse. Most toiletries I can buy there obviously, but I'll take a few days' supply with me anyway. I also don't want to spend a lot of money up front when I get there if I can bring things with me that I'm positive I'll use, even if they're electrical and I have to use an adapter. I don't want to spend money on an iron there when I have an extra one here. The same goes for sheets - I plan to take two sets and lucky for me, it looks like my bed will be a twin size, so I have plenty of those from four years of living in a dorm! :)

I leave from Charlotte on Sunday the 25th just before 2pm and will be flying first to Chicago, then to Paris. I know that seems really stupid, but the other options were through Miami or through NY. I would have chosen NY, but it was a flight into LaGuardia then a change over to JFK. I didn't want to have to deal with changing airports. I'm flying from Charlotte instead of RDU because it's much closer for my sister and sister-in-law, who are meeting up with me that morning for brunch somewhere to see me off!

I am ridiculously excited to be going back! It's going to be a lot different this time though because I'll essentially be a teacher, not a student (though I will be taking a course or two each semester through the CIDEF). If I didn't have so much experience tutoring, I'd probably be a nervous wreck!

There's still so much to do in preparation, though! We'll see how it goes...