Thursday, June 4, 2009

Bonjour Paris

I love Paris. I've been here for about 24 hours and within the first few I thought to myself, I could live here. They use a 24 hour clock, the streets are small but the sidewalks are big, everything is small. Everything is beautiful, every building and every person. I was told that Napoleon knocked down all the dirty ugly wood houses and paid to build these beautiful stone apartments all through the city, just for beauty's sake. Isn't that amazing? I keep looking at the sky thinking I am in a different world with the same sky. But actually the light is different here, I didn't notice at first but it is softer.
Yesterday I got on the train to Paris and this guy sat next to me.
"That's my seat. I'm supposed to have the window seat." He seemed kinda angry.
"Oh, sorry. Want to switch?"
"No." He seemed resentful.
"Are you sure?"
"How about we switch half way through?"
"I'm going to fall asleep half way through. Why don't we switch now?"
"No, you sit there."
Sure enough I slept the whole time. When the train stopped and I woke up I could hear him grumbling about how I took his seat and then wasted it by sleeping.
Juliette's friend is letting me stay with her and her family in the Latin quarter. Her name is Carla and she is about my age, and her brother is like 15 or something and his name is Sandro. Carla an I didn't recognize each other at first so I had this nervous moment at the train station where everyone was clearing out and I didn't know where to go. But Carla found me and I followed her to the metro. She walks so fast, it is like running. Her house is super cool. You open this giant blue door and you go through a hall that leads you to a big courtyard. If you look up there are tall white apartment buildings. The lift inside could barley fit Carla and I, we were touching because it was such a tight fit. But the staircase is beautiful and spirals to the ceiling. I've heard the apartments are small here but really it was just comfy. The bathroom and toilet room are separate which is kinda cool. Carla let me use her room. I never really figured out where the parents sleep though. All the furniture and floors are made of dark wood and the sun shines through the many windows that overlook the courtyard. It is beautiful.
Carla is skinny with curly brown hair that is wispy thin. Her brother is fuller and his hair is in thick curls. Carla walked me around her neighborhood, it was like having a tour guide because she knew the history of everything. Carla is studying history and anthropology at a famous school called...Sabrone (I think). She is hard to get to know. her brother is much more friendly and we talked about music, his favorite band is Ramstein. The whole family speaks broken english. They all seem to love art and museums, they just keep telling me museums I have to see.
I was up until late last night, and I didn't wake up until almost noon. Sandro was just coming home for lunch - he gets two hours for lunch, weird eh? I think they need a break from me sometimes because it is a struggle for them to speak to me and I sit back and know no french. Well, I know "je suis fatiguee" and mange (or is it manger?) is to eat and alonz-y is let's go (not the right spelling), oh and preservatif! I want to get my hair cut in Paris but I don't think it is going to happen.
The TV is on and MTV has some stupid show recorded in English and voiced over in French. Stupid. I walked all over and got lost a bit today. Then Sandro took me to Notre Dame and the river. Sandrow as so easy to talk to the first night I met him but now he was nervous and couldn't talk. I think he was starring at my boobs at one point. He kept asking me if I wanted a drink and I kept trying to say "whatever you want" but he didn't understand. So we sat at some bar cafe thing outside and he had a cherry coke and I had a beer. I didn't ask for a beer but that is what i got (in the middle of the afternoon!). It was good, I think it was called picon. I had no trouble drinking it, which is rare for me and beer. The bartender came over and tried asking me something, but Sandro must have told him I didn't know English.
"Ah, American!" the guy said something in french and then pointed at me, like 'tell her'.
Sandro was carrying a dictionary around and starting flipping through it.
The waiter yelled what I think was does anyone speak english?
The guy at the table next to our came over and talked to the bartender and Sandro and then leaned down to me smiling and laughing, and he said "you will like this, very good" and he pointed to my beer. OK....
Anyways Carla and her mother are making dinner and I'm sitting on the couch listening to music. I'm hungry but I have no idea what I will say to the family during dinner.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Leaving London

I am sitting in the Hostel's lounge for the last time; I just checked out and I have to catch my train in an hour. I'm just waiting for my laundry to be done - this girl from my room (Avril) and I are doing our laundry together to save money.
So last night I couldn't sand it any longer. When I get a bit of sex it is like a flip switches and suddenly I am on. I posted a note in Spanish for the Argentine that said if he wanted to talk again I would be in the back lounge after dinner. But I don't think he was interested. Maybe it was because his friends saw it and thought it was funny, or maybe some other reason. At first I was really bummed out and I felt unwanted. But he came onto me the other day - he wanted me obviously. Why let a failed invitation turn the memory sour? I'm actually ok with it now I think. There are more guys in Europe, and from what I can tell many of them find me attractive.
Anyways, I became friends with the girl Avril. We had dinner together and sat at the tables in the garden - the whole time the Argentines kept staring at us and every once in a while they would poke and whisper something to the guy I slept with and they laughed as he turned red, and he just starred at me. After dinner Avril and I sat in the lounge for half an hour (she knew of my encounter with the Argentina man). I didn't want to stay there hoping for him to show up. I turned to her and said "Didn't you say you wanted to go to the pubs?"
So we went to The Blackbird, where I had seen soccer/football boys before. We immediately got hit on by drunk men and I oogled the cute bartender. Then we went for a walk and found a bar that is open for the longest hours - Infinity, the gay bar. We got two pints of cider. They had this TV playing music videos and this drunk man kept coming over to April.
"I'm homosexual, but you look fantastic! If I was straight honey.You made my day! Want a pint? I'll buy you drinks - that is how you repay a lovely lady for her beauty she shares with the world!"
We giggled as he talked. Avril is tall and dark with long legs and curly hair to her chin. She has a wide smile and bright almond eyes. We had so much fun. He kept apologizing to me, he thought she was my girlfriend and that I might be offended that he was eyeing her. It's too bad we didn't go on the weekend - I bet that place is a blast.
We left and got followed by some random drunk guy who wanted us to come home with him. We told him what bar we just came from and he stopped in his tracks.
"...the gay bar?"
and we laughed. He gave us each a cig but we were all too buzzed to use the matches, they just kept going out even as we all huddled together trying to use them as a team. When Avril and I got back we sat on the steps for an hour. Some Japanese guy lit my cigarette for me. We saw the Argentines come home but they didn't say anything. We went to bed around two in the morning. But when I went to look for my vibrator I realized someone had stolen it. Someone had stolen my vibrator!
When I checked out I couldn't think of how to breech the subject but I wanted to mention it, I had just bought it and it was a very nice vibrator. Waterproof too. When the women checked me out she asked how my stay was.
"Nice, I like London. Nice people, lots of trees for a city. But you know, something was stolen from my room - I think it was last night. It is small and white, about this big, round with flat top that had three little bumps on it."
"Well I don't know if anyone found anything, what exactly is it?" her head tilted to the side questioningly.
I leaned in, "It's my vibrator."


As I left I realized someone also stole my ATM card out of my pants pocket while I was sleeping (I slept with them on).
Jesus titty fuckin Christ.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Early

Maria's Birthday. I'll have to call her later.
Ugh, so early. I couldn't sleep all night. I felt like a jerk every time I moved in the bunk bed because the whole thing would creak and sigh as it moved around, I could just feel the hate coming from the other girls in the room (there are eight bunk beds). I'm tired and I don't want to do anything but I don't want to waste my time here. I only have a week in London and the only thing I did yesterday was behind closed doors. I mean, this may be the only time in my life that I'm here and I'm going to hang out in a hostel? Somehow the sleepiness is telling me that it would be far more satisfying to chill here than roam the city getting lost and starring at famous buildings. The only thing I really don't want to miss is the British museum but I still have a few more days. I hope I don't regret it later. I hate when people ask "oh, did you go see this or that?" and I'll be like "no" and then they will explain why I should have seen it and I won't agree but will smile and nod anyways. I predict this in my future.
I'm in the kitchen in the hostel and there is this old guy in his robe with half his stuff hanging out, making something on the stove. His hair is sticking up and he is going bald. Kind of gross, kind of interesting - it is like sitting in the back of some middle aged man's kitchen. Smells that way too.
I have to confess, I am a fool. I am kinda hoping to run into the Argentine again. He won't get up until later (I think), so I guess he'll find me if he wants to. I hope he wants to.

Oh it's too early. Decent people are asleep.

Fin?

Fin?