Deep Thoughts

So... as I'm sitting here contemplating my time here in Paris, I've come up with a few jewels of wisdom that I'd like to pass on to posterity:

1) Water-resistant is not the same as waterproof. 

• Date learned:  the day after I got to Paris and realized that although my jacket kept me from getting wet IMMEDIATELY... it did not stop me from getting wet EVENTUALLY.
  

2) When in doubt, say it with confidence.

• The tour guide's motto...  and no one ever doubts a tour guide :-P

3) Skip the line, take the stairs.

• Date learned:  The day I picked the shortest line to get up the Eiffel Tower and realized that it was the stairs. Ouch.
• Also courtesy of: Mike Franz

4) There's no such thing as too much ice cream (bread, gelato, cheese.)

• This can also be translated to: I count the day wasted if I have not had gelato.

5) PB&J and a bottle of water do not a picnic make

• Date learned:  The day Liz and I went to Versailles and bought enough food for a small army.

6) Look good. Don't die.

• Courtesy of:  A really cool high school boy from one of my Segway tours.  He ended this phrase with, "And if you have to die, look good doing it."  Very apropos for the ridiculousness that happens on the streets of Paris.

7) Here's to the brie.  It's better than cheddar.

• Substitute "cheddar" with Borsin, Roquefort, Camembert, Gouda au Cumin, Comte du Fruit, Chevre... aka... I've become a cheese snob.

8) Motto on fixing bikes:  Sometimes it works - sometimes you break it more and end up running

• If you were to ask Devin, his motto would be, "Kassie, stay away!"

9) Take time for yourself.

• I think this is going to be an important lesson for me in the coming year.  I have a tendency to be a workaholic - but I need to take some downtime.  Maybe even a few vacations... what a novel idea?!

Anyway... so that's what I have taken away from this summer.  I'd love to hear anyone else's personal words of wisdom too.  And I also just want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me through this entire summer - I can't tell you how much your words of encouragement have helped me.  I love you all.

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Portrait of a Fat Tire Employee

I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason brining something we must learn. And we are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them, and we help them in return. Well I don't know if I believe that's true, but I know I'm who I am today because I knew you... Because I knew you, I have been changed for good. - Wicked

So not only have I learned an incredible amount this summer, I found a new Parisian family. It started with the spring guides who gave me words of wisdom that I have only now begun to understand. Then continued with my training class (FTBT-TC208) who laughed with me, drank with me (when we could afford it), and supported me through an unbelievably challenging summer. Finally, it ended with the new fall class - they have so much to look forward to, and they will change more than they ever can possibly realize.

But when I think about all of us, I wonder if there is a common thread. Among the guides? Among the office staff? So here is my conclusion: We are outgoing, intelligent, sophisticated adventurers. We are tall (or short), boy (girl), strong (out of shape), loud (quiet?), Texans (Californians, Mississippi-ites, Alabamians?), Aggies (Longhorns, Red Raiders... Auburn, Ole Miss, UNC, Stanford), and Francophiles (franco-what?). We read too much, talk too loud, and party too late. We are sleep-deprived caffeine addicts. We miss home, but home is with each other. We make French history jokes. We wear DOW-JONES rally caps. We are unequivocally green. We are liberal (or conservative). We smoke hookah, get in fights, drink wine at 2pm, and stuff ourselves with cheese. We argue with each other. (We secretly hate all Australians.) We laugh, cry, and ride bicycles. We are animated... dry... nerdy... sarcastic... and over-the-top.

In short, there is no stereotype, there is no perfect tour guide. We have the southern gentlemen and the caustic New Yorker. We fix bikes (or break them). But we are all in it together. Everyday is a new day in Paris. Everyday is the best day of my life.

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The Triples Challenge (aka Kassie's Breakdown)

Overall, I would have to say that I have worked harder this summer than I ever have in my entire life.  This job is stressful, the hours are long, and its virtually impossible to have a normal life.   Yet I would not change one second of it. Now... that being said, right before Franz left for Austin to train the fall class of guides for another season, he decided that it would be interesting to count just how many triples each of us had worked.  And what do you know... I was winning.  But not far behind me were Kregg, John P., Leach, and Chris.

So, add in the fact that we were incredibly understaffed those last 2 weeks, Franz decides to make things a little more interesting.  Whoever works the most triples by the time he gets back (in 1 week) is going to get a prize.  Sounds good right?  And then lets stop and think about this... we're burnt out... every single one of us.  BUT propose a competition between a bunch of type A personalities and suddenly everyone is willing to work twice as hard again just to WIN!!! Subtle.

But... unfortunately for everyone else, I was so far ahead by this point that even with the boys working on their days off, they still couldn't catch up... so it wasn't much of a competition.  18 triples in 3 months.  I was told that I may be the runner up for the Fat Tire record... Blakely (the guy with the most) has a bike named after him.  Maybe someday I'll earn that honor.

So my prize?  Not quite 100 euros... but almost as good.  Franz brought me a real life Freebirds burrito - basically he froze it and let it thaw in his suitcase on the flight over.  My first Mexican food in 3 months... I could have died right then.  Best meal ever.

Now fast-forward to the next day - I woke up feeling... claustrophobic.  And unusually tired.  But I had another triple that day, so what could I do?  I had my morning Coca-Light and a cafe creme as lunch; but when I was done with my first walking tour, I was still exhausted.  Usually that much caffeine will KINDA wake me up.  I tried to take a 15 minute nap between tours, but I was so tired I couldn't sleep.  What a miserable feeling... and that claustrophobic feeling was only getting worse.  

But I was 3pm bike #1 - and as I was walking out the door, Leach (3pm #2) asked if I was doing ok and if I wanted him to go to the Tower for me  (I must have looked pretty bad.)  I said no, but I wasn't sure if I could do another triple that day.  So I left the shop and started walking... by the time I got to the courtyard behind the shop, I was in a full out nervous breakdown... sobbing, hyperventilating... the whole nine-yards.  There was no way I could go - so I called him up, and he ran to meet me and calmed me down.  

So I made it through tour #2 with the help of Leach, another Coca-Light, and a cafe creme.  And then there was night bike... I think I got back from my 3pm tour and I had to immediately turn around and run to the Tower.  As I walked out the door to grab a bike, I started to cry again.  Devin (our bike mechanic) looked at me and asked if I was ok... I think my response between tears and clenched teeth was, "No... but there's nothing I can do about it."  When I got back to the shop again, I was still crying... Lisa had to yell at me to snap me out of it.  Another Coca-Light later (as you can tell, I cannot survive without caffeine), and I had made it through night bike.  Not only that, but Heather was at the shop waiting for me when I rolled in at 12:30am with my favorite bottle of rose.  I have never needed a glass of wine so badly.

So although I won the triples challenge, I think my mental stability suffered a huge blow.  19 triples.  Lisa later told me that she was sorry she had to yell at me to shape up (I understood the reason why), but that I had accomplished what most boys couldn't... what most people couldn't.  And from her, I took that as a huge compliment.  I may not be working as many tours now (I think Franz is trying to keep me sane), but I now know my breaking point, and this kinda scares me.  I didn't think I had one.

I can't deny it... I'm scared about working here for another year.  I'm scared about not being able to go on... to have another day like that one.  That was by far the worst day in Paris.  Looking back now, I realize how strong I've been this summer... but I need a break.  I need to forget about that day and just remember the good times and the fun I've had.  Because that's what makes doing this worthwhile.  That's what makes it fun to get up and be excited day after day.

How can I sit in a cubicle after a summer like this? My bike is my desk, and Paris is my office.

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My Plans

I know that I've told some of you what my future plans are, but if I haven't emailed you in a while or just if you're wondering... here are my plans for the next few months:

• August - finish working in Paris; go to Italy with my Mom and Gran
• August 25th - fly home to Houston
• 1st weekend home - family reunion in Granbury
• 2nd weekend home - College Station Reunion!!!
• September through December - work for the candy factory (Sweet Taste of Texas)
• Christmas and New Years - Egypt with Liz and Megan?!
• January - backpack through Vienna, Prague, and Germany
• February 10th - start working for Fat Tire again
• February through November - MORE BIKE/SEGWAY/WALKING TOURS!!!

My current motto is, "Do it till it's not fun anymore." And since this is still fun, I'm going to take advantage of it and work here in Paris for another 9 months. So all of you who want to come to Europe, you now have a place to stay. Anyone who doesn't want to come to Europe but wants to see me, you know where I'll be (and you should come anyway.)

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Tour de France

I've suddenly come to the harsh realization that some people are very dumb. A woman came up to some Fat Tire employees and asked "what was going on?" while the Tour de France was riding into town. I understand not knowing that the tour was coming through Paris that day, but then she proceeded to ask "what's the Tour de France?"

So (not to insult anyone's intelligence or anything) but the Tour de France is a really big bike race! And it ends in Paris every year on the last Sunday of the month... in fact it ends in the Place de la Concorde - they make 8 loops from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place and then its over. Yay!

I was lazy and didn't go to the Place to watch it end, but it did ride down the quai right next to my apartment, so I got a video.

Carlos Sastre won (he's Spanish). Sad for all the Australians rooting for Cadel Evans (I wanted him to win too!)

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Versailles

So Liz and I finally got out on our bike tour of Versailles.

I just want to hit the high points in pictures:

This is just a cool pic of flowers with the Grand Trianon in the background.

Liz and I and the Grand Canal. This was Louis XIV swimming pool (and our picnic spot.)
The amazingness that was our picnic. Lets just say that Liz and I bought enough food to feed a small army... 4 baguettes, 4 types of cheese, rasberries, avocado, humus, fresh apricots, some weird yogurt dip, pain au chocolat, wine, cherries... omg... my days of PB&J picnics are over. Glorious feast.

After all that, the chateau was kinda a let down. I remembered it being a lot cooler the first time (but maybe that's because we didn't get to see the gardens.) So... instead, this is a view of the gardens from the chateau.

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Bastille Day

So for some reason, most countries have some sort of holiday in July that celebrates their independence. The US has the 4th of July - we signed a piece of paper declaring our independence... awesome. Canada has July 1st - I don't think that Canadians even know what that really means. And France has Bastille Day - July 14th. Out of these 3... Bastille Day wins.

Disclaimer: my tour guide-ness is about to kick in, but I feel like you need some background of the awesomeness that is Bastille Day. (If you don't care... here's a pic of the blue Eiffel Tower... this is as good as my camera gets without a tripod.)

The French Revolution was way cooler than the American Revolution. More blood, guts, and glory. Not to mention France had not 1, not 2, but THREE revolutions within the span of 40 years... fabulous. Since 1789 France has had 5 republics, 2 monarchies, a democratic monarchy, 2 empires, a facist regime, and an anarchist government and all (except the one we're in right now) have ended in bloodshed. Fabulous.

But back to the first one - so causes of the French Revolution:

1) High taxes: the average French person was being taxed 80% of their wages at the end of the 18th century. The richest 3% of the population (the nobles and clergy) weren't being taxed at all. Marie Antoinette was creating 2 foot high hairdo's complete with models of ships, and everyone else barely has enough to get by.

2) France sent a bunch of solidiers to help in another little revolution. It was pretty successful from what I hear - you may have heard of it. The American Revolution. Kind of a big deal. What were we fighting for? Lower taxes. Freedom of speech, religion, press. All these things were completely foreign in France. So the solidiers come back with all these radical ideas! And why did France send soldiers over in the first place? (It looks pretty bad that one monarchy would try to help a bunch of colonist overthrow another monarchy.) Oh... because its the BRITISH! That explains everything! Let's throw a bunch of money that we don't have into a war that we don't need to be in all because we're fighting the BRITISH! Stupid.

3) The winter of 1788 and 1789 was the worst winter France had seen in 90 years. Killed all the crops. And why was it a bad winter? Because of a volcanic eruption in Iceland. (I'm actually totally serious.) If this hadn't happened, the French Revolution may never have happened. The bread shortage was pretty much the last straw and this is where we get that awesome quote, "If they have not bread, let them eat cake!"

So Bastille Day... what is it? Well... basically this was a mob uprising. Before this, there were a lot of "on paper victories" for the French... kinda like our Declaration of Independance. So think of Bastille Day like our Boston Tea Party... but WAY BETTER!

The Bastille was this legendary prison/torture chamber. The press (they always manage to blow things out of proportion) had been hyping it up that if you were speaking out against the government, that you were being held at the Bastille. So the people march over to this place, kill about 100 guards, take out their pocket knives, saw off the warden's head, parade it around town on a spike. How many prisoners do they release? Oh wait... 7. Ya. That's it. 7.

If're you're like me... you're probably a little confused about why they celebrate this every year.

But celebrate they do... over 600,000 people were in the Champs de Mars. We got there at 4pm to stake out our spot. Only in France would they play a medley of Beatles music, and then suddenly switch to opera. It was amazing. So we hang out there till 10:30 (awesome fireworks), and then went back to Julien's to keep the party going. The pics below basically sum up the night.

But the best part is... Liz got here today! (So this explains why my posting has suddenly ceased... I'm going to catch everyone up on what's been going on... I promise.)

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