How do you say I need more luggage in French?

                Only a few more weeks until the big day of departure, waving good- bye to my familiar home, sitting in a plane and arriving in a foreign country with a group of teens I have never met before.  I don’t know if I am excited or nervous. I think a little of both. When thinking about leaving and going abroad I want to jump in the air, I can’t wait for the day to come. But then I also wonder what it will be like. Part of any journey is getting ready making sure I have everything in order has been slightly hectic. 

              Going to a foreign country at the age of 17, I have a sense of being independent, though I know I will miss my parents.  I know they have taught me the skills that I need to succeed and survive, like how to make a basic meal and how to wash clothes, and I am confident that I can do it when I have to.  When I strip everything down and really think about it though, I know I will miss home, but also that I will be okay. 

               Having only studied French for one year, I fear going over to France and sitting at the dinner table with my host family and looking like a lost puppy nodding saying “Oui!”  to everything.  I already have a French-to-English, English-to-French dictionary on the top of my packing list, just underneath passport and tickets. I don’t expect myself to know all the right translations when I get there; I know I will have the lost puppy dog expression on my face many times. But I also know that by the time I return I will know much more French than I did before. 

              The next concern I have is what to pack.  I have the basics.  But as I pack, I keep forgetting I’m going to a town like any other town and not a third world country.  I don’t have to bring it all with me, since I can buy everything I need over there.  I know there are a few things that aren’t essential to bring, like more than one camera, my mp3 player, and laptop. But I have special reasons to bring all those things.  I have finally come to the conclusion that I just have to decide if it is a “must have” or not, and then, if I still don’t have room, I’ll have to compromise. 

               During this trip, understanding and learning French is my top priority.  I also want to see a French movie in the theaters.  It will be unusual for me to watch a movie in a different language without subtitles, but it will be familiar since it is something that I do at home. I’m also going to take a lot of pictures, as I think that’s what my friends and family will be most interested in when I return. I’m really looking forward to coming home and share my photos with my family, friends and neighbors.  I anticipate returning home to be bittersweet, but the experiences that I’ll have to look at when I am finished will be great.  This trip will not only teach me French, but it will also show me how to appreciate my culture and learn how to adapt and appreciate a different one.

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