Getting ready for France

It has been a really nice summer so far. I spent all of June traveling through Europe with Clay and Rachel, made it back to LA by the first week of July after stopping through upstate New York VERY briefly. I also just got back from a week-long trip to North Carolina where I saw a bunch of my old friends for a wedding. Good times.

As you can imagine, all of this traveling, and well, just general relaxing, has not been keeping me in tip top shape. But, never fear, while I may not have touched a handball since the end of May, I have recently been hard at work on the Viking workout program, courtesy of my dear friend Kathy.

There have been a few stops and starts, but I am feeling pretty good, and am hoping that by the time I get to France in a few weeks, I will at least be in good enough shape that I won't embarrass myself. I keep my expectations fairly grounded- just try not to show up and get beaten by any of the goalies on the run. One part of me was thinking maybe I would try for a six-pack, but then the other part of me remembered that I promised to gorge myself on all of the foods that I missed out on all year in France.

My body was kind of freaking out at the beginning of the workout program, not just because I'd spent the last 4-6 weeks doing practically nothing (unless you count walking around the Balkans and the occasional bike tour/kayaking trip), but because I hadn't really lifted weights in a year.

I have probably mentioned this before, but the French just aren't loving "musculation." It almost doesn't exist; finding somewhere to lift in France is like finding a Chick-fil-A north of the Mason-Dixon line...good luck. On the plus side, not lifting very much in combination with running a ton (which the French like to do, despite smoking a pack a day) helps a girl get down to French weight. Still, as tempting as it is to lose 10 lbs, losing 10lbs of muscle just isn't as exciting.

So, my goal this summer was to get my strength back a bit so that I could try to maintain some muscle with body weight exercises when I got back to France. Strength has always been one of my more important qualities, so I'd really hate to lose that, especially at my position where the ability to overpower your defender can mean getting 2-3 more shots or penalties every game. Even as my strength wained over last season, it still helped my confidence to know that I was stronger than 90% of the girls who were trying to defend me. I may not have the same skill or experience, but I can definitely bring brute force to the table!

On the physical side, I definitely feel like I'm on my way to being ready to start the season. Paperwork-wise, which has seemed to play an even bigger role in my French handball career so far, is probably not quite up to snuff. I have submitted all of my papers for the visa, but am waiting on a "confirmation" from Campus France before I can make an appointment with the French Consulate to get my visa.

Campus France is a huge scam- despite the fact I already have all of the papers I need for my visa, including an acceptance letter from the University in Lyon where I'll be going to school, I am forced to RE-APPLY to school using this dumb website, and then pay them $120 to say that yes, you have received your admissions letter and you can apply for your visa. Scam.

So, right now I am waiting for the letter...I am kind of afraid to buy my plane ticket until I KNOW I have everything, since last year paperwork was drama for all three of us going to France. So we'll see, keep your fingers crossed that this year things go a little more smoothly on that front.

Other than that, I feel pretty calm about my "rentree" this fall in France. I feel like things will go much more smoothly the second time around, now that I know how almost everything works. There is only so much you can do to hurry the paperwork, but at least now I know what to expect when dealing with the French government. I also already have a bank account, a phone and a social security number. Yay for that! Oh yeah, and all of my stuff is already there, so hopefully traveling back will be a cinch.

For now it is just keeping up my fitness and getting myself mentally prepared to go back to the french-speaking world, where doing almost any task takes twice the effort. At least this awesome summer has me renewed and ready to face the challenges of a new year! And if all else fails- here is always Plan B...working on a farm in Australia?