That one week in October

Lyrics: "I don't want it all, all I need is a little bit" - Madeleine Peyroux

I arrived in Paris towards the end of October, despite having had the original intention of arriving here at the beginning of September. Having missed several events I was really anticipating, such as a grape-stomping and a famous horse race, I hit the ground running and tried to make this city my new home. At home, I was welcomed by the roommates with open arms while I searched for an apartment closer to the center of the city. David slept on the couch for close to three weeks so that I could have his room, which I believed I have thanked him for to the point of irritating him. I began work the day after my arrival and was shocked to discover that I work about a skip and hop away from the Arc de Triomphe. Yes, correct, off of the Champs-Elysees, pretty much the epitome of tourism and Parisian wealth. Upon walking out of the metro stop, I was visually assaulted by the largest Louis Vuitton store I could imagine [the flagship]. No exaggeration, the 7 or 8 storied building made me feel like the apocalypse was coming, heralded by an invasion of ugly little brown bags.

I got over the location [probably desirable for most, but somewhat distasteful for me] when I actually got to my office and found that the people I would be working for/with were incredibly refreshing, lively, and international. My direct team consists of Sean, who is from London, Brendan, from New Zealand, and Mia, from Serbia. Officially I am an Assistant-Account Executive, working on Brand Management, and my client is IBM. On my very first day, Brendan sent out an email to all of the Brand Management people across Europe, introducing me as the “new member of their team,” an email to which, the heads of these accounts across Europe, actually replied. And thus, the first [of many] times I called our agencies in London, Frankfurt, Rome, or Moscow, I was greeted by excited and friendly “Hello Natalia, how are you!?” In other words, it would not be an exaggeration for me to say that it was great. Because it would be somewhat unprofessional to discuss what I do at work in detail in such a public forum, I will leave it at that.

Within my first week I realized that I do like advertising, at least enough to look into it more. This is partly driven by my interest in cross-cultural psychology, which is very relevant to the field, and by my desire to do pro-bono advertising work. More so than just donating to a charity or sympathizing from across the ocean, I would rather actually participate in something that could drastically help, for example, an immunization campaign in Cambodia, or encourage HIV testing across South Africa. This will come in time, obviously, and has absolutely nothing to do with the launching of IBM’s new campaign in the first quarter of 2008.

Sidenote: my lunches have been delicious. Seemingly random little cafes around my work have led me to discover absolutely mouth-watering sandwiches. I also appreciate that portions here are smaller, so I can feel guilt-less in having a daily dessert!

In addition, I love the commute, despite the fact that getting from the center of Paris to Bourg-la-Reine takes over an hour. I absolutely relish the time I get to spend on the train, watching strangers begin or end their day, listening to Madeleine Peyroux , Buddy Guy, or Yann Tiersen and setting their movements and expressions to music that only I can hear. I feel like an accomplice of both the dawning day and the closing evening - both welcoming and releasing people, escorting them for part of their journey to work, their families, friends, or lonely apartments. It is a gift, to be granted this kind of observation, and I do my best to neither overlook nor underestimate it.

The roommates took me out for drinks on Tuesday and I discovered that for non-students, going out on a weeknight is actually feasible. Once over this pleasant surprise, I had a great time. Then on Thursday [my 5th day in the city], we went dancing for Nina’s birthday. The place is part restaurant, part dance club, and 15 Euros gets you a meal, unlimited champagne for an hour, and entrance to the dancing area. The great aspect of this is that it is specifically labeled as an “After work” activity, meaning that it starts at 7pm and ends at around 1am, giving everyone plenty of beauty sleep before the workday. It was fun to dance again, and with such a large group of people.

On Saturday, Nina, Heike, and I went to Café Universel, which is a small jazz café with no admission charge and live music. The performance was legitimately inspiring, and as I swayed and tapped to the rhythms of jazz, I wondered where these little places are in Cambridge and how come I had not visited more of them. The girls’ night out was great, sipping wine and listening to a great singer. I started to feel more at home in this city. Thomas then picked me up and we headed off to a party on a boat [not a boat party, but a party on a boat, because the host actually lives on a stationary boat on the Seine]. Again, everyone I met was incredibly welcoming, despite the fact that everyone here has asked me my age within 10 minutes of meeting me; apparently, they think I am 24 or 25, and are always surprised to discover that I just recently turned 21.

So far Paris has been very different from what I expected. It is a lot less cliché than I had been told. This may also be because I have come here full of the optimism, cheer, and nervous expectation of someone closing their eyes and jumping into dimly-lit water. I am lucky because most of the people I know here are French or have been living here for an extended period of time [which is not a privilege study abroad students have], so I have felt immersed in a different aspect of the quotidian routine. Most of the people I have met have been kind and friendly, and the city in general has a very unique air. In some ways, it makes me miss St. Petersburg; in others, Boston. And in many ways, it is distinct from anywhere I have ever been. In part, I believe this is because when in Florida I yearn for the cold, grey sadness of fall turning into winter. There is a depth of conversation that is facilitated by the bad weather, a feeling of human connection that is brought about by walking to and from places as opposed to driving. I feel tied to people, tethered to life in places like this, and I do not feel that in Florida and did not, to a certain extent, feel this in Shanghai. I need places that are temperamental - quiet and loud, achromatic at times and vibrant at others - not a single long day of warm beaches or nightlife or shopping. St. Petersburg is that to me, as are Beijing and Boston, and now, Paris.