Excerpts from Elizabeth Brown's Letters Home:

Looking back, it seems that preparing to leave was much more traumatic than actually leaving home. While it was difficult to say good-bye to friends and family, once I arrived in Strasbourg and met our group's resident director and our host families, I was so excited I forgot that I had planned on being scared and homesick. Those feelings of anxiety were crowded out by exciement and curiousity. However, deciding what exactly to pack and how to fit it into two suitcases was very stressful. Luckily, I was traveling to a developed country where I would be able to purchase almost anything I forgot. Probably the most difficult part of packing was convincing my parents that they did need to buy me a new wardrobe (because people dressed do drastically differently in Europe) and that I needed new gadgets, computer accessories and cameras to make my trip more enjoyable (which they certainly have).

When we arrived in the Strasbourg airport, which was considerably smaller than those in Detroit and Paris, we all went to look for our luggage; everyone's arrived except Ivygrace's and mine. At that point I was really discouraged, but I also met Mme Verheye, our resident director, and my host parents: Alain and Francoise Redempt. Immediately, Mme Verheye introduced me to Mme Redempt who began talking to the airline worker to help me fill out the forms to get my suitcases. Once I remembered that there were people here who would help us find our way around and get settled into the new culture, all of the fear and dread that I had been experiencing on the plane went away. They were replaced with awe at being in such foreign surroundings and excitement about exploring my new home.

Finding my way around the city on the buses and trams has kept me busy for the last two weeks. And homework and classes are sure to keep me occupied for the next couple of week before our vacation. I have slowly been learning more about French culture and improving my ability to communicate with my host family and other French students. I feel that I am more or less prepared to begin the next several months and I am excited to meet the new challenges that will come along with living abroad.