Close-Ups Expat Examined Expat Examined: Marvin Brooks
| Expat Examined: Marvin Brooks |
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| Written by Priscilla Lalisse | |||
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Essentials:
Name: Marvin Age: 32 Nationality: American
PM: How long have you been in France and what brought you here?
MB: I have been in Paris for about two weeks. I recently accepted a position to teach fashion merchandising at French University. PM: What keeps you here?
MB: My new position keeps me here for now..After that fashion would definitely keep me here! Not to mention the scenery isn't too bad!!!
PM: What?s different for you here, versus where you?re originally from?
MB: Well, I am originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati is no comparison to Paris; however, there are wonderful French restaurants in the city. This is a big, diverse melting pot! I really love it
PM: What do you not like about living here, if anything?
PM: What do you miss most from your own country?
MB: Cereals, mouthwash, hair products! Those are all things I could easily sacrifice to live in this beautiful city!
PM: If you didn?t live here, where would you live?
PM: And if you left France, what would you miss the most?
PM: Tell me about your work here. What do you do?
PM: What does it feel like to attend a big fashion show, especially a big Parisian fashion show?
MB: A bit overwhelming! Press, buyers, stars! Kanye West at Vivienne Westwood on Monday caused a huge paparazzi scene! An Asian student cried in awe at the end of Vivienne's show. I've seen this at movie but never at a fashion show! At Jean-Paul Gaultier, invitation holders were fighting to get out of the rain and into the show! A man even pushed me so he could stand under my umbrella. I saw everything from pushing and shoving to a student dodging a security guard. This is all done for the love of fashion. Fashion is enthusiasm;moreover, Paris is fashion!
PM: Got any favorite quotes short antidotes?
MB: "Life is too short to wear horrible clothes." "You can never over dress for an affair" "There is no such thing as packing too much, only too little" "You can never be too rich or too skinny"-Nan Kempner
PM: Do you really believe that too skiny quote? Because some of these models are way, way too thin when it comes to fashion. Otherwise, you can see painfully thin women on the streets of Paris and I just don't think it's attractive.MB: Are you familiar with Nan Kempner? She starved herself her whole life so she could wear couture from the runway. I think the quote is disturbing!! I don't necessarily think it's true. Nan Kempner looked really sick by the time she died! Rumor had it she only ate lettuce sandwiches! I believe Vivienne Westwood made the quote about life being too short to wear horrible clothes! I believe that 150%! Unfortunately, most American's believe that quote..everyone there is there is judged by how much money you make and how much you weigh. Sad, but true... PM: Complete these two sentences: Paris is...
MB: a never ending amusement park of food, culture and fashion.. There is something here for everyone.
PM: French people are...
MB: honest and sincere. Treat them with respect and they will respect you .
PM: What advice would you give someone who wants to move here?
MB: Upon moving to Paris, have education,goals and ambitions. You'll need it to survive in this city!
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Marvin Brooks is my cousin, but I didn't know him or that he was my cousin before he called me this week to tell me. It's not often that one gets a call from a family member to say, "Yeah, I'm here in Paris, living and working." Sure, you get calls all the time saying that family members are coming to visit, but actually having someone from your family living here, well, that's quite freaky, especially if you've never ever met them.
