Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
Hello world! ^_^ Welcome to my very first blog post to Ken en France, where I will document all of my thoughts, feelings, and experiences while I study abroad in Nantes, France. Once I figure out how to make this page cute and aesthetic, I’m hoping to make it a place where I can also share accompanying video journals, photos, and lookbooks.
Studying abroad in France has been an absolute dream of mine since I began learning French and it’s almost unbelievable that it’s finally happening. I visited Paris and Brussels in May and got to show off my French skills to my family, but it made me realize that I still have a long way to go. One of my ultimate goals is to come out of this program confident in my conversational French—I’m going to embrace mistakes, learn from them, and grow all while consistently pushing myself beyond my comfort zone. I will show y’all the good, bad, and ugly of language learning… and trust, I will probably make a lot of embarrassing errors T-T.
Aside from that, let me update y’all on my summer so far!
May: Right after I finished school, I returned home for about 6 days before leaving for a two-week Europe trip with my sister, her boyfriend, and their friend. I went on my first international flight, fully funded by my summer work as a kennel tech, and destroyed every airplane meal. To anyone considering an international flight soon, do NOT take United ;(. Not only did my first flight get delayed because of a gate mismatch, but my connecting flight had a THIRTY MINUTE LAYOVER that turned into FIVE MINUTES by the time I landed, which meant I had to track star my way across the airport. It all worked out, but omg T-T you can imagine the relief I felt after releasing my clenched butt cheeks when I finally arrived in Paris. Here’s my favorite thing from each place I visited!
- Paris: The Arc de Triomphe. Ughhhhhhhh y’all. Please someone watch the newest John Wick… for some reason, it made my Paris trip more enjoyable >_<. I felt like I was in a movie!
- Brussels: The flea market!!! Not only was it HUGE and just downright incredible, but I also got to practice my bartering skills in French >:). PLUS getting free soju for my bday mwahahaha
- Amsterdam: seeing my roomie, Anna, and her sister for a couple of hours before I departed for Vienna! They showed me around, took me shopping, and I got to meet Rocky… the cutest dog evaaaa
- Vienna: The shopping + museums <3 it was amazzeeee. I ADORE Viennese art, especially the succession period. ALSO, I highly recommend Vitavien for cheesecake... I think I had a slice every day.
- Salzburg: sight-seeing! We walked everywhere… I think we did 20 miles at least. It was so fun and soooo worth it. Definitely one of my favorite cities from the trip.
June: I started chemistry summer classes + my current boba barista job.
July: I finished summer classes + met up with so many friends! I love being back home and spending time with my loved ones <3. A few days ago, I road-tripped to Houston to attend my French Visa appointment and saw my sister before her first day at her real adult job. I loved seeing her new apartment and my furry niece, Mina.
I cannot wait to share my study abroad experience with y’all! Stay tuned for more updates, photos, and more ;)
^3^ Ken <3
