Oh, man...

I've been thinking lately about packing and eating.  I still have to put all of my stuff together, and I can't really pack in excess.  So far I have a small box in my room that has some little things in it, like travel-size soaps, some washcloths, and pictures.  I haven't gotten very far in packing clothes.  I'm hesitating on starting that part only because I still need some clothes to wear at home before I go.  That and I'm just a procrastinator.

About food, though--although I have a place to live once I'm over there, I don't have a meal plan.  Sure, there are places to eat there, whether those places be on the campus or just around the neighborhood, but no guaranteed meals as part of my stay.  It's kind of a scary thought.  I have a debit card that I plan on using over there, I'll have €85 with me already, and my mom is my financial sponsor... so I shouldn't have anything to worry about, really.  It's just weird to know that I'm going to have to fend for myself.

What I was thinking of doing was getting some stuff that I can keep in my room.  This way, I'll always have a little something available.  Bananas, cereal, etc...  You know, things like that.  Food that won't necessarily go bad right away or require refrigeration.  In a way, I'm kinda looking forward to this set-up.  Being on a budget will definitely help cut out the bad stuff in my diet...

... and then I remember that I'm going to be in Paris where there will be pâtisseries and boulangeries everywhere and that cake and bread will become staple foods.

Oh, well!  ;)

The thing is, my building apparently has work out facilities on-site.  That sounds nice.  Over the summer I went running on a pretty regular schedule--then I went on vacation and, after that, started classes again and got "too busy" to keep up with it.  I'm going to make it a point to take advantage of these things while I'm away.  I'll have to do a little more research to find out exactly what is offered--I'm pretty sure there's a pool, anyway.  I love swimming laps!  I can only hope that there will also be treadmills available, but who knows?  When I first applied to study abroad, I had to wonder what the French even did to stay in shape.  I know that it seems a little stupid, but I didn't know if they even used gyms.  Do treadmills exist over there?  Haha.

When I'm not attempting to work out, feed my poor college student belly, or do my assignments, I wonder what I'll be doing on my down-time.  I'll be in Paris with a friend of mine from home, so we'll at the very least have each other to keep ourselves entertained (and you should really see the list of destinations we have... traveling is definitely on our agenda)... but what about when I'm just relaxing in my room?  I asked a friend of mine that went to Paris last spring, and he said it didn't really start to warm up til about April.  Going outside doesn't seem too likely for a while, even though there's a nice park nearby.

I love books.  If I didn't need to pack clothes for four months, I'd stuff my baggage with novel after novel.  However, since this isn't very practical, I have to be very selective.  I want to bring some books with me, sort of like little comforts from home, but I can't bring a lot of them (and that just hurrrrrts).  I'll need something to read for the plane, at the very least.  Plus, I like to have variety.  Aren't I a pain?  ;)

So, aside from books, I will be bringing some favorite movies.  My friend who went last year, who is much more of a "parisavant" than I am recommended taking a few for the first couple of nights and watch them with the French language track.  I was already considering something of the sort, so his recommendation made me say, "Well, then I have to do it!"  I found a good CD case that I got as a gift a few years ago--I think I'll replace the CDs with DVDs and leave it at that.  Now the only thing is, should I bring the portable DVD player or just use my laptop?  That's less to pack, but I'll be relying on my laptop for just about everything.

I'm not good at this!  @_@