I’m a 20-something Californian with a pinch of Cajun, Italian heritage and a love affair with France. I've embraced the facts that life is short, good friends are invaluable and everything taste better with Heinz57. Once upon a January 2010 ago, I decided to use the Quarter Life Crisis Excuse and gave up my comfortable California life for some adventure; for my infatuation with travel; for a year abroad in a country that welcomes baguettes, cheese and Nutella; I left for France. But here's the catch: Without French citizenship, a French husband, a French job offer or being monetarily wealthy, my options for living in France were limited. Cue the calling for Au Pairs. I envisioned Mary Poppins, afternoons in the park and the comeback of High Buttoned Black Boots. And it's well, nothing like that at all. Join my adventures as I try to summon a little resilience, maintain my balance and practice a bit of patience in my new job: caring for French children. When that doesn't work, we'll submit to the cliches of French life with our glass half full (of a full bodied Merlot) and delight in the beauty of life's imperfections.