My days are busier than I thought they’d be. That’s not a complaint. I just didn’t expect it. My apartment is a wonderful little retreat. It’s quiet and comfortable, and I have three very large double-door windows I can open for fresh air — and another in the bathroom and one in the kitchen, too. Because 50 degrees in February is considerably warmer than where I come from!

It’s day 6 for me here. I didn’t know a soul when I arrived on Saturday, and today, I have the phone numbers of « friends » from all over the world on my phone. The list of names is quite musical: Karina, Abrar, Nicholas, Nafiseh, Rushi, Siyu. Here, my name is pronounced LeeZAH, which also has a nice melody.

My classmate Irene, pronounced Ereena (from Spain), and I enjoyed a late lunch together after class in le Jardin du Luxemboug, with views of The Panthenon across the way. How insane is that? We had quiche. Yes, we really did have quiche. But it was a quiche like no other, that’s for sure. (photo below) The food here is indescribable, and I’m NOT even a foodie type.

Afterwards, we attended our first official cultural experience with the Alliance Française culture team, learning about Paris – clichés and truths. We tossed a beret to each other randomly to take turns « presenting ourselves » to the class. Everyone I’ve met has been charming and helpful. By the end of this event I had two new friends, plans for the weekend, and a standing coffee date with a lovely young woman from Shanghai.

When I was 17, I sheepishly stated to my family that I thought I might want to study French in college, to which they laughed. Lol. Whatever. I’m sure it sounded crazy to them. Okay, so that didn’t happen for myriad reasons, but here I am all these years later with the same passion. For what it’s worth, I’m not so sure it would have been as great an experience back then as this experience has been for me now. I absolutely adore my professor, and have never been more engaged in a classroom setting. Also, no one asks me, « Why do you want to study French? » because literally everyone in the building is studying French at Lol. That’s a question I never really had an answer for anyway, and now I know I never have to. It’s just been a passion of mine since I was 13.

C’est la vie! I guess it’s true, you’re never too old.