A first meeting after 1.5 years, my first time in France, to the home of a friend whose face I hadn't even seen.

There was no passport control.

When leaving Latvia I seriously panicked, thinking I'd gone to the wrong gate. After checking, I found out that under the Schengen Agreement you don't need a passport to travel within the EU. I thought that was amazing.

A night crossing Europe

Despite some anxiety, I took off from Latvia and first headed to Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

When I arrived and bought water, it was 3 euros. Ridiculously expensive. And it was really small, too. I had about a two-hour wait, so I opened my laptop and looked at photos and videos.

And finally, to Toulouse.

We departed the Netherlands, the plane passed over Belgium to Paris. Then it turned left and headed for Toulouse.

All I could see out the window were lights. It was so beautiful. I was moved, thinking this is what it means to cross Europe.

We arrived in Toulouse earlier than usual. There was no passport control and I could just go straight outside.

First meeting with Elena

When I went to the arrivals lobby, she wasn't there yet. I spent about 10 minutes replying to April and waiting. Then Elena arrived.

And then her mother.

She was completely different from the image I had. I don't want to write what image I had, so I won't. She was a very friendly mother and really lovely. The moment I saw her I knew we'd definitely get along. I could tell for sure that Elena's mother must love jazz.

I hugged Elena and said "Nice to meet you!" to her mother in French.

A late-night drive to Elena's house

11 p.m. On the way to the parking lot, Elena's mother asked, "How are you feeling right now?" I told her I was a bit tired because it had been a hard day with many plane connections.

We put my backpack in the back of the car. Elena was very surprised that I had come with only a backpack.

We got in the car, breathed the cold French night air, and headed to Okanville.

In the car we talked about her mother's work. Apparently she works for an aircraft manufacturer. Incredible. When I said that Japanese airlines use BOEING planes, she went, "Oh no, the planes that always crash are made by BOEING," (laughs). She even joked, "Then Elena can't use JAL or ANA!"

We arrived in about 20 minutes. To Okanville.

A house lit by candles

Elena's house was really beautiful.

The moment I entered there were lots of candles and it was so stylish I could hardly believe it was a home. There were many works of art, and thinking that two people lived there, it had a very nice atmosphere—gentle and without a lived-in feel. It was a lovely room.

Originally there were no wardrobes or that kind of furniture; it was designed with built-in storage. So there were no unnecessary pieces of furniture and the space felt clean and uncluttered. The exterior was also very cute and lovely.

When I was shown to a room, it turned out to be her mother's study. There were Elena's photos placed everywhere, and childhood photos were displayed. It made me realize she had been raised with care. Her childhood photos were really cute.

There were lots of blankets on the bed, and I thought it was such a nice place.

Elena and her mother were past midnight, so they were going to sleep right away, and I was the only one who took a shower.

I thought it was wonderful to live in a house like this with her mother. It was very stylish.

She's right in front of me

After that, Elena and I had tea in the living room and made small talk.

I couldn't believe she was right in front of me.

A year and a half ago, I casually wanted French friends, so I sent messages like crazy. One of them was Elena, and I didn't even clearly know what her face looked like until we met. And now I'm in her house.

I couldn't believe it at all. It felt like something out of the blue.

When I think that this wasn't a coincidence but something inevitable, life feels interesting. The reason I'm here now is because I studied abroad in Russia, realized my place was abroad, then studied hard for five months and became a freelancer. I never imagined, not even a tiny bit, that I'd welcome the New Year with her.

I felt very happy.

Really, thank you so much for inviting me to France even though we had never met in person. Truly, thank you. She is such a good person, with a beautiful heart.

I hope we can keep talking regularly from now on. I really thought so.