GOAL(s)!!!!!!!!!!!

Please read the title of this post thus (this is not a grammatical error - 'thusly' is not a word, so those of you that use it should quit it already -- this message brought to you by Thomas).

Imagine, if you will, that you are a college student bound to study abroad in the near future. Imagine now that you are having a casual discussion with virtually anyone and this opportunity happens to come up during your conversation. Do you hear it? That is the sound of unsolicited advice. It just comes out of no where, before you have the chance to change topics or run away.

"Make sure to make a list of goals and reasons for going to Europe." This one isn't so bad, and I suppose quantifying my goals might prove to be a worthwhile exercise. Here is my list:

• Speak French - Oddly enough, I chose to study in France to improve my speaking skills. After around 8 years of French language classes, it is time to prove my (mediocre) French. As far as I can tell, there are only two ways to do this. Option one: buy Rosetta Stone. The problem here is that the kiosk in the mall that sells the CIA-approved product is located one floor above Abercrombie&Fitch , so standing there long enough to finish a transaction might likely sustain brain damage from the (per)fume. Option two: go to France. Okay. I choose that one.


• Food - In the past 8 months or so, I have really gotten into the food world. TopChef is probably to blame here, but the intrigue goes much further than a reality show. I read the Food and Dining section of the New York Times weekly, mostly obsessing over the new restaurant review. I check a number of food blogs and news sources daily (if not hourly). In fact, this summer, I foolishly thought about abandoning academia and enrolling in culinary school. I now understand that being a chef is terribly hard work. It is so much easier to eat good food rather than make it in a professional setting. And so in France, I want to do a lot of just that. Restaurants. There is a Michelin one star restaurant conveniently located right in Angers (more on this later). Bakeries. I understand there are a lot of them. Cafes. It is France, after all. Home cooking. I am living with a host family that will hopefully teach me some secrets.


• Live my life (hey... 'cause I'm a paper chaser) - Studying abroad will offer true independence. This will be an opportunity to prove that I can live on my own. I will actually have to cook for myself (no dining halls), manage money in the real world (no flex points/domer dollars), and do laundry (no mom just three hours away, willing to drive down on consecutive weekends to pick up and deliver my laundry - in my defense, they were football weekends and I had a lot of tests that week), among other things.


• Travel - There are a lot of great places to go in Europe, and I fully intend to hit as many as I can (Paris, Prague, Belgium, London, Scotland, Croatia, and others). While in Europe, I will try to find a balance between traveling and staying and Angers (or at least France). I really want to take advantage of French immersion and the opportunity to truly experience the culture.

So there they are, all written down and official-like. Here's hoping some of them work out.