where has the time gone?

It feels like it was just yesterday that I was sitting out on the terrace at a wine bar outside downtown Cleveland, sipping a delicious Australian wine and snacking on French cheese with my good friend Anna and our French professor from school, preparing to leave for my D.C. trip. But here I am two weeks later, sitting her on my bed with my dog Mackenzie curled up next to me. Crazy. I honestly do not know where my time has gone.

These past two weeks have really gone by in a flash. After that great night of conversation and company and some minor car trouble, I made a trip to the Northern Virginia/D.C. area to visit my friend Jessica. I had a great time out there spending time with her, meeting her friends, and a fun trip to the amusement park Kings Dominion where they had a miniature replica of the Eiffel Tower. I also bonded with one of her friends who is pretty much my doppelganger except with England instead of France. Now, I see why Jes kept telling me that this friend reminded her of me.

I just spent the past two days in Chicago. I drove out there with a friend from BW. I went there to apply for my French student visa. Ah yes, the annual Chicago visa trip. I did some shopping - bought a few shirts, a dress, and two pairs of shoes, all of which were on sale. One of the best things about going to Chicago each summer is that I am able to meet up with Suzanne and David - two friends I made while studying in Aix. Suzanne and I took our annual photo underneath the Bean. She laughed when I suggested it as our meeting place. We all went out for dinner at an Italian restaurant and reminisced about Aix. It was such a lovely evening. The next morning, I had my appointment at the Consulate. It seemed to go smoothly. Unfortunately, visas are no longer processed same day, so I will have to wait about three weeks before my passport is sent back to me. The trip was a very short one which makes me sad, because I really do love the city. And I definitely did not do nearly as much as I wanted.

I leave for school in less than a week - Sunday to be exact. I had to answer a bunch of questions in preparation for my oral interview there. Ouch. My written French sucks. I kept writing like I talk, so I had to keep going back and correcting mistakes. Hopefully, this improves. And fast. Emily and I were cracking up jokes over one question that asked what I think of when I hear the word "French". Of course, our responses ranged from cheese to strikes to stalkers before I got serious and actually answered the question.

I start grad classes next Thursday. I'm so nervous. It's been so long since I've formally studied French, and this program is going to be intense!