De-doubted

I think this first post should be a shout-out to everyone who has offered their confidence in me during my period of doubt about going to France. So many of you have given me firm but kind reminders that I have all the tools I need for thoroughly enjoying my time abroad.

I consider myself a fairly optimistic person, but I still go through patches of weirdness where I feel, among other things, doubt about my ability to remain optimistic. One such patch struck when I realized that I'll be going to a foreign country completely on my own, with no fixed place to live already secured, few contacts or friends, deep nervousness about my linguistic and cultural prowess, etc. It's all too easy to let these nuggets of negativity overpower the fact that I have navigated my fair share of real life and tough problems over the past four years. Quite successfully, in fact, I dare say. So I'm reassuring all of you that I'm working at putting panic aside and embracing the idea that life is a playground. (Thank you, Yes Man.)

Now, doubt stuff aside, a blog is a weird thing. I've grown up writing deeply personal thoughts into blank pages and text boxes, but I hesitate to burden you readers with that kind of intensely personal and unabridged nonsense. So this will be a continuing challenge - to give a taste of my time in France while carefully crafting the experience that I want readers to have. I guarantee you that by reading this you won't get the whole picture. But that's ok. Just consider this a letter from me to you, where "you" is Luciolita, a pretty little fictional allegory for an audience. :)

A la prochaine!