A J.O.B.

There’s a guy that hangs out by Notre Dame wearing a werewolf mask. He creeps up behind unsuspecting tourists, taps them on the shoulder, and then yells “ahh!” into their faces when they turn around. Most people either jump about a foot into the air or scream. Some do both. The onlookers find it hilarious and laugh, and then tip the werewolf for entertaining them while they wait in line to see the interior of the church. I’m still waiting for one of his victims to punch him out of pure instinct.

If you leave Notre Dame and head towards Ile Sainte Louis, there’s almost always a band of sorts playing on the bridge crossing the Seine. Today there was a guitar player, a cello player, and a trumpet player playing Louis Armstrong songs - I listened to them play “What I Wonderful World,” and watched as the street performer next to him blew bubbles the size of VW bugs, and little kids ran around high on nutella crepes and popped them. I stood there for about 5 minutes listening to him play, and thought about how happy I am to be in Paris. And how I better get a job quickly, or else I’ll be leaving in less than a month. 

Unfortunately, my work permit status is that of “illegal immigrant,” so I’m having to look at unconventional, under the table jobs. The werewolf guy seemed to get a lot of tips, but as I said, I’m still confident he’s going to get punched in the face one of these days. I can’t really play any instrument. I can’t sing either, so basically any type of musical career on a bridge or down in the metro stations is off the list. I applied for a job in the Alps at a ski resort as a children’s ski instructor, but seeing as I don’t know how to ski, I’m not really confident that I’ll get the job. My most marketable “under the table” job skill over here seems to be the simple fact that I’m an EMT - “English Mother Tongue” - so I’m hoping that has some pull. I’ve spoken with a few people about tutoring their kids in English, so am hoping that works out. If not, it looks as though I’ll be seeing you Atlanta people for Thanksgiving.