So the first month of my internship is coming to an end – the initial hype and anxiety, being in completely different continent, slowly died down. While, of course, everything still related to Chinese culture was awe-inspiring, I got more comfortable in such daunting situations, which, in turn, would also play a larger role in the time to come (future travel wise).
The work environment is just amazing! This sense of an extended family - my Chinese colleagues assign a very vital role on building such a relationship. Either going with my colleagues to the basement canteen to partake in traditional lunch break, cleaning the restaurant hall after dinner service or just having a hot pot with all the food & beverage department employees after the week is over. I remember the time, when I first came to my workplace. First day in and I was invited to join the others at the canteen. I didn't have a second doubt about it: "When in Rome, do as the Romans" - when I went it, the rest of the employees were surprised to see me here (considering that interns could eat at the buffet upstairs). I went to pick up the plate from neatly stacked tray pile and jump right into the unknown. I didn't have the time to dwell so much on the food options, as I wasn't so familiar with the Sichuanese cuisine and also the queue behind me. Noticing my baffled look on the food choices, another employee, an energetic elderly lady jumped up from her seat and rushed to my aid with a smile on her face! She took my tray, and while chatting up with the lunch-ladies, pointed out the things for them to put in my tray! It was definitely a unique and a heart-warming experience. And this experience wasn't only limited to the elderly lady, but many others of my colleagues. Every time I came around and would head to the free seats, everyone would start raising their hands and signaling me (very energetically) to come over. While the language barrier was rather apparent, the use of sign language, translators, pictures, and occasional dictionary check, proved to be useful! So in turns, we tried to teach other the languages we knew! Remember how I previously mentioned the map? A tangible guide (preferably translated in the local tongue) is definitely a big plus when you are lost in the Chengdu suburbs. The narrow streets, while wider than Maeklong Railway market in Thailand, has an alluring quirk - with different items on display, pleasant smells, which penetrates your nostrils, you can just get lost in all this "five sense maze", even when the building you are searching for, happens to be right around the corner. While sometimes confusing, the streets offer the person new cuisines he/she can indulge themselves into and explore. This is something I have missed while living in Europe. In my country, even though it is slowly developing, there never were many places one could go to try international meals (especially places offering food from Asia, besides sushi). In Europe, you go out with friends, each order separate dishes (while you do share with them), while in Asia, the concept of gathering together and having ONE meal together is already well embedded idea. You can see such concepts, for example, but not limited to, in Chinese hot-pots, Korean BBQ (which is a great thing to try, especially in the winter time) or Japanese okonomiyaki (savoury pancake with tonnes of ingredients). It allows one to be creative, and even if one has zero experience in cooking, the most enjoyable process is making them with your friends/colleagues, as how you approach the situation depends on different circumstances, but provides you time to chat and enjoy each others company more (while you have to be careful not to burn anything...) |
AuthorOn a self-discovery in a country down under-ish! New Zealand! Archives
May 2020
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