"He who would travel happily must travel light." -Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Well, that quote is proof positive that old Antoine and I probably wouldn't make the best traveling companions. I'm sitting in my room in St. Louis, triumphant at having crammed 4 months worth of belongings into a rolling duffel, a rolling suitcase, a rolling backpack, and a rather large tote bag. Yes, I've maxed out my luggage allowance and am probably checking the weight equivalent of two small children (or Nicole Richie). Trying hard not to think about what will actually happen when I have to maneuver them by myself. But no matter, I'm jetting across the Atlantic tomorrow! Hurrah! My mother is coming with me so we can play tourist for a week - I won't really start the program until September 4.. Am getting nervous, and finding that I'm muttering French phrases to myself to see if my accent sounds hopelessly American. (It's rather discouraging - Christelle, the lady who waxes my eyebrows, is from Paris, and she told me that no matter what, the French will all be able to tell I am American. However, she also told me that French girls have a really "natural" look, at the same time that she was wearing lipliner so dark it looked like she had outlined her mouth in Sharpie.) I have to get to sleep now - have a feeling the jet lag won't be the most fun I've ever had.