Language, luggage, and looking ahead

No one (myself included) ever said foreign language was my forte.  I have been using the Rosetta Stone program since February and things are not moving along as quickly as I'd imagined.  Okay...I have not stuck with the "one hour per day" goal I set for myself when I started, but I have practiced regularly.  What is it about my Arkansas/North Carolina dialect that prevents me from properly pronouncing "garçon"?  It SEEMS simple enough.   I am also holding fast to my belief that I can get through the Classic and Modern Sauces classes at Le Cordon Bleu without having to use the word "four" (quatre) for the same reason.  Costs be damned, I guess I am going to have to take a few more private lessons with my departure for France less than six weeks away.

There is also the issue of packing for a 5-week stay in a foreign country.  I am going to have to adjust the budget if I keep purchasing the "perfect" bag.  Three suitcases and two backpacks later, I am still not there.  Granted, Susan and I managed to travel to Italy for 10 days using a medium size duffel each.  But there is something about a trip to Tuscany that just screams duffel bag and backpack - while Paris and the south of France whisper Chanel and and a lovely train case with all the essentials.  I am, however, committed to one small suitcase and a very small carry on.  I think I can, I think I can...