Fat Tire

California beach cruisers 

   It's official, I have started my new job. After almost a year and a half since I had a "real" job, (I worked, just not regularly or for money), I had my first shifts last week. I am an office girl at Fat Tire Bike Tours in Paris. (Also, for City Segway tours, Classic Walks, and Skip the Line tours. I'm kind of worried I'll have to start answering the phones saying all that.) I have a full-time position, which in france means 35 hours a week, and a regular weekend. I don't have Wednesdays off like some work schedules, though.

182 bikes in the office right now

    So my work day starts either at 8:30am for an opening shift, at 10:45am for an afternoon shift, or at 5pm for an evening shift. They're about 6-7 hours long, so for the evening shift, I'm done around 10:45pm. We do different things depending on when we're there and which tours are going out that day. We greet the tourists and get them set up on bikes and anything else they need. We answer phones and emails a lot and anyone who comes by with questions. We keep all the things for sale stocked, like candy, drinks, gloves, water, and shirts. In the evening, we clean the whole shop. 

the desk where I sit at

   During the day, there are at least two other managers there, usually at least one other office girl, and a variety of guides in and out. Right now there are 4 full time office girls and two part time office girls. We also have a full-time bike repair guy. So it gets pretty busy. Most of the managers are from the US, but the guides are from all over. We have a couple Australians, a Kiwi (that's New Zealand), a couple English guys, a Scottish guy, a Portuguese guy, and some Canadians. There are about 15 guides right now, but we'll have about 25 or 30 during the summer, and more office staff.
   For training, we got to go on two bike tours, a night bike tour, (which ends on a "bateaux mouches" boat with wine), a Segway tour, a trip to the D-day beaches, and a full day bike tour to Versailles. All for free since we have to be able to describe the tours and answer any questions people have. 

Segways are fun, but weird

   I've also had to go on "field trips" to run various errands. One was out to a tour in progress bringing boat tickets, since the guide had forgotten to take them. I've also gone to the pharmacy, the post office, and to a locksmith place to make copies of keys. Those are fun. The not so fun errands are down to the basement storage below our building where we have shirts and candy stored. It's a maze down there, and kind of dark and cold. But all in all, it's a fun place to work.
   

my first day of work outfit