CRISTINE

Today I talked to Cristine.

I am looking for a gift for a friend who just moved to a new house out of town. I enter Atmosphere, a store in Los Feliz. It has clothes for men and women, shoes, hats, jewelry and all kind of design objects. There is only one client in the back of the store, so I take my time to hang around and scrutinize every object: the glasses flash-drive, painted sake cups, funky bags, and Stetson straw hats.

Cristine is organizing clothes on the shelves. I ask her the price of a necklace, and she hears my accent. "Last time I went to France I was fifteen. We were going to south of France every summer. I've applied to transfer to France to study international relations - politics," she says. Cristine is 23 years old. She works at the shop every weekend in order "to make a break in her studies," she says. "Studying all the time is hard. After a while your brain is like on auto-pilot, and you don't process anything anymore." Cristine's professional goal is to work in diplomacy or foreign relations. She is looking forward studying in France. "I've got two cousins in Paris. One is a singer. I could maybe stay with them for a while," she adds.

I ask her why she has decided to study abroad. "I feel that, for the last ten years, people are more disconnected. Maybe it's only L.A., but I like the European lifestyle better. It's slower. I love America and I've always lived here, but there're many things I don't like." Cristine is the first person I have met here who does not drive a car. When I ask her why - I am probably the hundred and fortieth today - Cristine seems slightly annoyed. "I don't drive because I love to walk, ride my bike, and take the bus. Not driving comes with a hard price cause when I've got to run an errand, I have to walk to the bus stop and change the bus four times. It takes me the whole day," she says. A beam of orange sunlight enters the shop and lights up Cristine's face. Her freckles sparkle.

While we talk, the store is getting crowded. "Look, you brought all that business!" she says. We suspend our conversation when a stylish tall woman, wearing a jeans skirt and black suede platform boots, drops a large amount of clothes on the counter. Cristine starts folding, checking and packing the clothes. In the shoe section, a woman with bleached hair and dark roots, tries on every pair of shoes she can possibly find around her. A couple of Asian tourists advise each other on the clothes they see and seem to have a hard time figuring out their sizes. 

I come across a funny bronze monkey-shaped bottle opener and a pair of black and golden earrings for my friend. I walk back to the counter. The stylish woman pays for her shopping and grabs her last bag. "Thanks for the hustle, dear!" she says to Cristine, and bursts out.

Cristine and I continue to talk. "I don't want to contribute to the car culture. And I think it's healthier for people and for society to be interacting, walking, moving," she says. We talk about my blog and my approach that is similar to hers in many ways. Cristine says she is happy with the way she lives "because it is simpler. It's hard sometimes to live in a society that values other things that you value though. But I'm content with my life."

I ask Cristine to make gift wraps for the things I chose. We joke about the incredible creativity of certain objects that have to be inspected before you actually figure out what they are made for. "You remind me of my old roommate. Carefree and lighthearted in the way you speak," she says. She asks me where I live. Instantaneously, she draws a mental map of Los Angeles public transportation. "To get here you could take the subway line at Highland &  Hollywood, or you could also take the bus 2". I promise Cristine that one of my future blog-adventures will take place on a bus, a train, or maybe a bike. We split on a cheerful note and I get out of Atmosphere. The sun gently warms me up while I walk slowly to my car, enjoying every step I make.