Introducing the love of my life, Monsieur Christophe! Although he considers himself an International, I like to think of him as a true "pioneer". He has lived in so many interesting places (Brazil, Africa, France...) but for some strange reason someone in the heavens decided to bring him to Southern California to meet moi! Did he fully realize he'd be exchanging the busy Parisian life-style with all its hustling and bustling subways for that of a common freeway commuter in LA? Probably not. Did he really conceptualize that instead of the Eiffel Tower or the majestic Pyramids, he'd ultimately settle for gang-related graffiti and smog infested valleys for his view? One can only guess. One thing is known - he never intended to fall in love in the States! Let me tell you what I've learned about him...

He was the first French person I came to know personally.He is such a gentle soul. At first, I mistook his gentle qualities as weaknesses, but he is in no way weak. He possesses the courage of freedom and purposely exposes himself to new situations and places. I also thought him naive, but I've come to understand that he is simply from another place where life is more complex- more satisfying and rich. The United States is so harsh in comparison. Being a product of the US, I am probably also harsh by comparison. In fact, for him, meeting me was like a baptism by blood into the reality of life in the West. He was not accustomed to our direct (American) qualities and brutal frankness. Even though he admires America and likes to think of himself as a cowboy in a rough saloon, he is still, after all, the gentle Frenchman more at home in a cozy cafe than he is on the harsh freeways of the New Frontier.