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| Blogs > victorylee0516 > Shy Asian Girl |
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Paris - April in Paris  We arrived last Sunday from London via the Eurostar train and it was nice to see the countryside from our very comfortable seats. California is supposed to have a fast rail like the ones in Europe/Japan someday but the politicians just cannot seem to get their heads out of their butts on this project. It has been at least 20 years since I first heard about the planned fast train from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Our friend in Paris got us a nice little flat to stay in for 10 days on Avenue de New York. From my window, I can see the top of the Eiffel Tower across the River Seine. We spent last Monday out on the town just to get the shopping bug out of our systems. We are fortunate because of the way our accounts are set up in Europe. In the UK all accounts are payable in British pounds and in the rest of Europe in Euros. Most of our expenses are paid using the local currency drawn from the European accounts. We are somewhat sheltered from the very weak American dollar. One of the first stops was at the Galeries Lafayette located in the heart of the Opera District. This department store is the city's veritable fashion capital, carrying nearly 80,000 different labels within its six floors and three stores, as well as the most prestigious brands of cosmetics, accessories, and culinary arts. Under the neo-Byzantine cupola, which marks this building, is the world's largest collections of perfumes. In the fashion department, all the famous designers and dressmakers have set up shop. We attended the free fashion show on Wednesday and we were treated to some of the finest fashions we have seen. We also checked out the bridal shops to see the latest in gowns for the bride and her supporting cast. There is a lot of potential to gain new here but I do not have the language skills to communicate with the locals. In the meantime, we did meet with our here in Paris but we do have the language barrier. Not only is my high school French bad, the Montreal accent I acquired really marked me as being provincial. As for the Chinese shops we visited, at least we could fall back on Mandarin. My sister will arrive this week to take over the rest of the European tour here in Paris and Milan. Her French and Italian are excellent and she knows most of our better then I. My trip to Paris was not just all fashion. Today, I will have the opportunity to meet with some scientist to discuss nanotechnology. I attended a conference here in Paris last June and I will probably attend again this year. My cousin and our European guide had some friends here to meet so we were kept busy in the evenings and the weekend accompanying them on a personal tour of Paris. I leave for Frankfurt on Wednesday for a few days to take care of some of our German . Before I return to London and my trip back to San Francisco I hope to meet with SFB for dinner somewhere in Germany. Overall, I think I learned a lot about the fashion business on this trip. It is not about the fashion shows or the latest designs. It is more about the we nave to work with since they are the ones who keep us in business. We need to listen to what they are saying and what they feel they need for their . At least the business plan is flexible enough to meet their individual needs within a price range where we can all make a little money. VICKY |
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That is so true about their use of English. My cousin and I would speak in Chinese and the shop keeper would approach us speaking French. She would then say something like, "Ni Hao Ma?" and we would smile and ask her a lot of questions in Chinese. Of course she could not speak the language. And then my goodness, gracious, lord almighty, she would ask, "do you speak English?" and we would answer in very broken English, "yes, a little." VICKY 
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4/25/2008 8:09 pm |
I have been to Paris few years ago, it's a very beautiful, fad and romantic city in my mind. My friend told me that before I went: ¡°French very proud of their own language, they can speak English, but they don't like speak English with foreigner, they like speak French to foreigner.¡± When I spoke with the locals, they like spoke English with me, I think maybe because while I spoke with them most of time when I was shopping, they like to sell their goods, so they like to communicate with me with any language. VICKY
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I have been to Paris few years ago, it's a very beautiful, fad and romantic city in my mind. My friend told me that before I went: ¡°French very proud of their own language, they can speak English, but they don't like speak English with foreigner, they like speak French to foreigner.¡± When I spoke with the locals, they like spoke English with me, I think maybe because while I spoke with them most of time when I was shopping, they like to sell their goods, so they like to communicate with me with any language.
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4/25/2008 2:45 pm |
boring....who cares...! Have a terrible day. And by the way, thanks for dropping by and sharing your drivel with those who do care. VICKY
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4/25/2008 2:15 pm |
boring....who cares...!
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4/22/2008 3:49 pm |
Drink some beer on the Thalies when you pass through Beglium ... ... But I guess you will take the plane. Cuddles
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4/22/2008 3:09 pm |
Drink some beer on the Thalies when you pass through Beglium ... ... But I guess you will take the plane. Cuddles
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