A work in progress

Now that you have a little background information on me I will let you know what I have been working on thus far in order to study abroad. After applying to the Iowa State University Study Abroad Center and being accepted, I have been meeting with my study abroad advisor to fill out way too many forms and to learn all about my program.

As of three weeks ago I had been officially accepted to the Paris American Academy and I have now started my process to apply for a visa. In order to apply for a visa I am required to travel to Chicago for a ten-minute visit with the French Consult. So you’re asking, why don’t you just mail your stuff in instead of spending too much money on a plane ticket or wasting roughly 22 hours in a car? I’ve thought the same thing but unfortunately I have paid way too much for a plane ticket and will be traveling to Chicago on Monday November 21^st for a ten-minute visit with the French Consult. Once I have applied for my visa I will officially be done with applications and forms! Then comes the waiting game.

I have a plane ticket purchased and I will be traveling with none other than Carl Westergard, my dad, to Paris, France. We will be leaving on January 19^th at 1:00 from the Sioux Falls airport and arriving in Paris on January 20^th at 8:00 in the morning. Dad will stay with me through January 23^rd, when my program starts, and will fly back home that Monday. Although it is going to be a long flight, it will be well worth it to have my dad along to keep me company and help me get moved in!

My boyfriend, Tym Wood, will also be studying abroad but he will be in Birmingham, London.  Birmingham, also known as Brum, is roughly an hour north of London and is only a few hours from Paris. He leaves for his program on January 4^th and has also started a blog! To follow his website, check out http://tymsbestofbritish.blogspot.com/ to learn more about his experience!