I've spent the last few days furiously trying to prepare the store for Vegas' absence. It's been entertaining. Today, for example, I lifted enormous boxes and rearranged the stockroom for two hours, dripping sweat the entire time. There came a point when I was climbing on so many boxes that it no longer made any sense to have on my flip-flops, and seconds later I found myself standing barefoot on a pile of William Klein restrospectives, curling around a tipsy pile of miscellaneous books, trying to grasp the Rothkos that we had stuck in a back corner. The Klein pile was so tall that I had to crouch to avoid the ceiling, and it occured to me that I might not be putting my weight on the most stable of supports. Curiously, I really enjoyed the procedure and looking forward to doing more of the same in the future. It's not all that strange - I love organizing and the bookstore needed some SERIOUS refreshing. The difference is astounding, and it feels good to SEE the improvements after having put forth so much physical effort.
Meanwhile, I left the Hipster upstairs with the clients to rake in the cash, which he did at a phenomenal rate. So all in all: we made lots of money and I cleaned the hell out of the downstairs. Tomorrow we tackle some last-minute paperwork, I sign some I-am-now-responsible stuff for the post office, and we line up the books in the order they are to appear on the sales floor.
I've also spent the last 48+ hours hanging out with two teenage girls - one of whom I used to babysit when I myself was still a tyke. They were sweet kids, and it was entertaining to show them around town, despite their penchant for McDonald's - something I obstinately refuse to enjoy.
It was interesting (for me, anyway) to see the city through the eyes of American teenagers. I remember coming to Paris when I was fifteen, but the situation was different: I came alone, stayed with a family, and lived "the French life." Being the only person in my particular situation (ie no contact with other Americans, etc), I had no choice but to immerse myself fully in the culture. That was hard at first, but I remember it all finally coming together one day on the Champs-Elysees when a Spaniard played me a song on the fiddle and gave me a kiss. It was my first in-the-moment experience in Europe, and I realized that in order to experience the place fully, I would have to let all my "Americanness" fall to the wayside.
Perhaps I am out of touch, but I was a little surprised when they said they would rather go to "MacDo" than out for a typical French dinner. They were tired (understandably, as we had covered most of the city in the short time they were here), but STILL... the whole beauty of French culture is in the three-hour long dinners. I respect their choices and understand that at 16, one thinks different than one does at 25. It's just a shame, because what makes Paris such a great place to live is not the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre. I wish they had gotten to see more of the city, independent of its tourist attractions.
Regardless, I hope they enjoyed themselves and had a good time - I enjoyed the culture clash (with my own culture, alright!) and the swiss chocolate they brought me.
Their presence also gave me an added awareness of why I am here. This evening, leaving the dinner I had with my co-workers, who happen to be of all ages, shapes, and colors, I thought about how much I love this city and my life here for the incredible diversity it offers. I've met some wonderful people, and I feel at home in the big city in a way that I haven't felt at home elsewhere.
I suppose the fact that Paris is such a tourist mecca complicates things. For example, I am going to visit my sister in Portland this summer for a few days, but I'm going there to see her, not to see the city. My trip will hopefully be comprised entirely of coffee-going, restaurant-eating, and TiVo-watching. Oh - and shopping. We're good at that one.
Paris, however, is different. I have yet to have anybody come to just see me and hang out with my friends and just BE. There's always the tourist side to the trip; even though the tourist side of the city has little or no bearing on my daily life here. I suppose people feel they have to justify the ridiculous price of the ticket by going to see some cultural things, which I can understand.
In the end, I guess I just walk away with the impression that people never get to see the city's underbelly, the part of it that makes it truly charming. Part of this is because of language barriers, part of it is just not knowing where to go, and part of it is a natural seperateness people feel with a place when there as a tourist. Still, I wish people could get a taste of it, just to see why I want to be here so much.
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