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Published: August 14th 2008
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BRASIL
is where I really belong So it's been about 3 weeks since I last wrote. Really? Sorry.
- I turned 23 in Bali with my brother. I turned 22 in London with a collection of my favorite Eurotrash. I turned 21 in Hong Kong with corporate expats who basically hazed me. I turned 20 in NYC with Americans. I realize that in my past 5 birthdays in 5 countries, Fred is the only person to have been present at more than one. I can't decide if this is really cool or really sad. Maybe a little bit of both.
Unfortunately I am now 24. I don't want to talk about it. I make myself feel 21 celebrating this past weekend with Fred at his house in the countryside near Ramboulliet (something that sounds like HRam-boo-YAY.) We grill a lot of meat, drink a lot of liquor, and dance around in the shortest shorts we can find all night long. The best part about this is the fact we partied sans showers after a full afternoon of tennis, filthy in true French style. A Chris Evert Wilson racquet from the 70's gives me a monster blister.
- Recently I decide that in 3 weeks
Champs Elysees
Tour de France after my French jaunt, I will head to the Dark Continent. That's right, Amy's going to Africa for a few months. This wasn't really in the plans but a week ago I receive a message from Tim. Tim is from Botswana, and I met him diving on the GBR over Christmas 2007. Original plan was we would meet in Australia again to dive Yongala. But now Tim says he is going home for a month and asks if I want to come dive Mozambique and do some game drives. Does a bear shit in the woods? I land in Johannesburg from Tel Aviv on September 9. I'm not sure how a "game drive" differs from a "safari" yet, but I'm kind of hoping I get to fire a gun.
Preparations for such a sudden change of plans is all-consuming, especially to the continent of Africa, and especially when you give yourself three weeks notice. I have been running around trying to figure out the French health systems, loading up on malarial pills, getting shot up with more vaccinations left and right. Most of my spare time is spent poring through the LP Africa (which by the way, will serve
as my barbell when I start traveling with it) scaring myself shitless with all the diseases/viruses/nasty microbes/HIV that I will be exposing myself to. Just today I recieved my second installment of the rabies vaccination (called "la rage" in French) along with the meningitis, and I swear I can feel my brain swelling in response already. I quite like being able to say that I'm getting vaccinated for rabies though. Now I can finally fulfill lifelong aspirations of wrestling foaming wildebeasts without fear.
- I'm sorry, am I actually supposed to be talking about Paris in this blog? I don't know where to start, I mean I am 3 weeks behind. The Tour de France came and went. People have been travelling through, visiting, etc nonstop. I mean literally I have a couple separate groups of friends in Paris every week. I am way past the touristy Paris now. I haven't actually even picked up my SLR in 6 weeks. I hang out, have bad days, skip classes. I have had to start paying for the Metro as somebody decided to finally lock the door that swang wide open at Luxembourg RER. I haven't purchased a baguette in probably
Dave comes in from London
le Showcase... well this ain't no gay pinata party two weeks. I have started eating McDonalds again.
Speaking of McDonalds, why did nobody tell me that the Big N'Tasty burger has been upsized and is more delicious now than ever? I remember at work, Niccolo and I would head down for one of these babies when the days weren't going so well. I'm not sure if it's just France, or perhaps the burgers are just little in Hong Kong. Either way, it is one delicious shot of 850 calories.
I even went to the cinema yesterday, for the first time in probably 6 months. I went to see Christian Bale. Well, I suppose I should say I went to see the Dark Knight. I don't want to sound like a bad traveler, but man it felt SO GOOD to watch a pure AMERICAN BLOCKBUSTER in all its glory, all in English. There is also one totally sick scene shot in Hong Kong. It almost makes me miss working in that extremely phallic, demonic looking building that is the International Finance Centre 2... almost, but not quite.
- What else is going on in Paris? Today I learned that my neighbor Wolf, the one that bitches at
me all the time about noise levels, works in Monaco as a body guard. Seriously. He has been in Monaco for the past 2 weeks protecting guests of the Sultan of Oman. My neighbor downstairs, a crazy Italian lady, has asked me to not flush my toilet at night anymore. She says it's too loud. Are you serious, woman? Past those two neighbors, I'm pretty sure everybody else is on "vacances." This makes me a bit depressed. In my opinion, the summer in Paris is nice, but I wouldn't come in August. Nobody French is here in August. I admit that when I get lazy and want to eat something nice and oily, I head to this Chinese takeaway place on Mouffetard. They know me there. I head over there the other day after a long day in class, and much to my surprise I soon find myself facing another one of those cold "FERME" signs. What?! This is a Chinese place, they aren't supposed to take vacation! Chinese restaurants are open during Thanksgiving and Christmas! What is this nonsense? This would NEVER fly in NY Chinatown. France is like another planet. A really lazy planet, where even the ASIAN
Oh Fred
you make me so hot and bothered people are lazy.
Take Fred for instance. Fred at first glance could pass for your typical hard-working person. Cosmopolitan lifestyle, lived in Beijing, NY, schooled in Canada. M&A investment banker. Always stands up straight, wears smart suits, pays for drinks. Seems like a straight-shot, hard-working guy, yeah? Well, you forget he is French. And as a FRENCH investment banker, he likes to call me at the end of his workday for a conversation that inevitably goes something like this:
Frenchman: Miss Yu...
American: Salut Fred, how was work today?
Frenchman: Oh, I don't know. It sucked.
American: Oh no, why?
Frenchman: Because well I got a little bit of work to do.
American: ... Well... it's work, right?
Frenchman: Yes, but Miss Yu, in France you aren't supposed to get any work in the summer.
American: ...
It's hard to believe that they get paid just as much as we do elsewhere in the world, only they get paid in EUR and get an extra 2 weeks of vacation a year. So really what I mean to say is that I think they get paid more. They get paid more, drink better wine, probably have more sex.
short white shorts
Team Israel: Fred, me, Martin - I have a pretty packed last 3 weeks in Paris so hopefully I will be building the blog frequency back up. I feel like now I have adjusted to normal life here, and already I am itching to get back on the road. I was discussing with Fred just yesterday. I'm quite glad that I got spend 2 months in Paris, was even able to "get used to it" but at the same time, I wouldn't want to stay too long. You should always leave before you get "enough" time in any city. Keeps things fresh, you know? I still can't believe six weeks has flown by here just like that. A birthday party in Angers (say ahn-JEY, not ANG-ers), the rest of the week in St Tropez, London for a wedding... and off to Israel.
Maintenance of English has become progressively hard, spelling is extremely trying. I can hear the British accent surprising corners of my pronounciations (fucking Sara...), and French mucus having parties in my "R's". I think I need to continue writing these blogs not for my sake anymore and not even for yours, but now for practice. Today though, I think I need
to end this now because it is sapping too much brain activity from me. Either that or its the swelling in my brain from the meningitis vaccination.
Merde.
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Aki Yoda
non-member comment
Happy Birthday!!!!
hey babes! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! i know you are not too happy about this "aging" thing...but just be happy that you're getting this amazing chance to see the world!! i am 10 yrs older than you and i never got to do it... :( let me know whe you swing by asia. miss you! xxx aki