I’m in France, fairly spontaneously.

After Costa Rica, unable to face a gloomy Pacific Northwest winter from the upstairs room in my parent’s house, I decided to fulfill a long-held dream to come to France and study French.

Et voilà. Here I am, student of one Sofi64 Language School on the Atlantic coast in the Basque Country of France.

Ladies and gents, this was a good life decision because:

1) I have wanted to learn French since I saw the Parent Trap, with glamorous Natasha Richardson casually conducting business in French from bed in her London flat, sketching 90’s chic bridal gowns while a young and still-innocent Lindsay Lohan looked on in awe. I related deeply. Parent Trap set a lot of unrealistic expectations such as that top hats are a good way to round out a bridal outfit, summer camps are fun, and the Concorde is the best way to make a transatlantic trip. I digress. Natasha Richardson in that moment seemed to my 8 year old self to be the epitome of sophistication and chic.

2) I left Washington between snow storms. I don’t like snow.

3) Rather than sitting around moping, I’m learning a new skill.

4) French food.

5) I get to do my homework on the beach while pretending not to check out hot French surfers.

I was the only student during my first week. I’ve since been joined by a couple other students, which means I have buddies to go explore with. An hour’s bus ride from Spain, and an easy 2 hour train to Bordeaux and its international airport, this is a pretty sweet area of the world. More explorations forthcoming—for now I have to go do my homework.