In early December 2020 I went to my favorite chocolate shop to buy some gifts for family members in the USA. The owner, Denise Acabo, prepared every box of chocolates individually and wanted to tell you about each chocolate as she put it in the box. There was one other person in the shop who I assumed was a customer and when Denise began to serve me I told her that the other customer was there before me. Denise ignored my comment and just started to fill up my boxes. The customer began to talk with me and said that she noticed that I had an accent and asked me where I was from.
- It is common for the French to do that and that's considered to be polite. They will also frequently tell you that they like your accent and you should not lose it.-
I hesitated because the French don't usually start conversations with strangers, but she was better at breaking the ice and told me that she was also a foreigner. She was also American, but from SouthAmerica -- Chile.
While Denise took her time to fill the four boxes we had time to talk about our experiences living in Paris. She also told me that she was there to make a video about the chocolate shop. Yes, that was Pamela! Before I left we knew each other's names and she gave me a business card with her email address and the link to watch her live streamings about Paris which she had been doing for free during the Covid Pandemic. I watched her live streaming, I liked it and was impressed by some things that Pamela showed and that I did not know until then! I also thought that I could contribute, so I sent her an email with some thoughts about the streaming. She wrote back and asked me if I wanted to join her as she explored a new area and prepared the next streaming for Sunday.
When we met I brought along the first printed version of "Letters from Paris" and handed them to her, to which Pamela asked me if I would be willing to participate in the next live video. I did and greatly enjoyed it! So I continued joining every Sunday for almost 2 years along with other guides and Paris fans like Frederico, Adriana, Pascal, Julia and many others!
Watch us in action HERE 🎥
Covid was finally over and our live streamings also disappeared with it, but our friendship and collaboration remained.
Recently Pamela asked me if I wanted to keep writing "Letters from Paris", but a digital version this time. I agreed and here it is: the beginning of a new chapter.
And if you want to know the history of "Letters from Paris" click here.
Written by Eliot Goldman
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