Awesome awesome awesome.
Today was promising. I got to MoCA just on time, and my boss gave me a desk and a computer and told me to start working, and then left. I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to be doing (which I later realized was the joke), but instead walked around meeting people. There are about seven women who work in my office, all in their twenties (besides the bosses, who are much older and much more male), and they all get along well. As we went through the day, gossip was flying around the room, the boss would stop and joke around every time he came past, and everyone was furiously using MSN messenger to talk to each other. It felt a lot like the office. At one point, someone yelled, "let's get bubble tea" to a hum of enthusiasm, and then we ordered bubble tea and hung out with the boss.
I translated today that was "for immediate release". I don't know when I became qualified to translate important information, but it felt great. I worked like a madman to get it done quickly (one was almost five pages of mostly text), and finished three short projects. This, and because no one spoke English to me, caused my Chinese to improve around 8 billion percent over one work day.
Lisa (who is working at an upscale restaurant next door) and I have been scheming to plan an event together, along the lines of "Wine and Cheese and Art" party. I finally got to pitch it and they arranged a meeting tomorrow. I can't wait to create an event.
I might get to bartend. There's a nice restaurant area and bar at the top of my museum, and I asked (as a joke) if I could and/or bartend with the workers, and all they said was, "sure, of course".
Overall, fun coworkers, fun boss, fun tasks, and some responsibility. What else could I ask for?
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
The day before the first
Friends made today:
1. Police at the Lupu bridge. I ran there this morning and ended up asking a young officer how to cross to the south of the city by foot. He said I couldn't, and we got into a discussion about the incompetence of bridge architects these days. He wasn't sure if there were any places around to cross over, so he told me to go with him and we jogged over to a police post on the dock to confer with his collegues. They basically laughed and told me it was impossible. Eventually I felt out of place and thanked them and ran away, but in the mean time it was not a bad visit.
2. People at the Yale Club of Shanghai. Many of them are wonderful. I met some older alumni, including one British art seller who was highly critical things in general, but amusing. When I told him I was working at MoCA, he immediately commented, "I don't like that very much", disapproving of the owner and the location of the gallery. Snappy British men can get away with it. A handful of recent alumni were also there. A good group of people to know.
I learned how to poach eggs today! And made a tasty brunch of banana-stuffed french toast, eggs, watermelon and the like. All a product of Will's and my early-morning food exploration.
Other fun things:
1. I now possess a dozen gift certificates each to McDonalds and Starbucks in a meeting to get us "oriented" to Shanghai. Ironic. It was made better by a gift certificate to Element Fresh (arguably the tastiest thing since Swedish Fish) and a pass to the Expo.
2. Given the outrageous numbers of mattresses held between all of us living here, I have vowed to hold a "Bring Your Own Matress" (BYoM) party to celebrate excess and glut. Only bacon and alcohol will be available.
Tomorrow is day one. Let's give this one a go.
1. Police at the Lupu bridge. I ran there this morning and ended up asking a young officer how to cross to the south of the city by foot. He said I couldn't, and we got into a discussion about the incompetence of bridge architects these days. He wasn't sure if there were any places around to cross over, so he told me to go with him and we jogged over to a police post on the dock to confer with his collegues. They basically laughed and told me it was impossible. Eventually I felt out of place and thanked them and ran away, but in the mean time it was not a bad visit.
2. People at the Yale Club of Shanghai. Many of them are wonderful. I met some older alumni, including one British art seller who was highly critical things in general, but amusing. When I told him I was working at MoCA, he immediately commented, "I don't like that very much", disapproving of the owner and the location of the gallery. Snappy British men can get away with it. A handful of recent alumni were also there. A good group of people to know.
I learned how to poach eggs today! And made a tasty brunch of banana-stuffed french toast, eggs, watermelon and the like. All a product of Will's and my early-morning food exploration.
Other fun things:
1. I now possess a dozen gift certificates each to McDonalds and Starbucks in a meeting to get us "oriented" to Shanghai. Ironic. It was made better by a gift certificate to Element Fresh (arguably the tastiest thing since Swedish Fish) and a pass to the Expo.
2. Given the outrageous numbers of mattresses held between all of us living here, I have vowed to hold a "Bring Your Own Matress" (BYoM) party to celebrate excess and glut. Only bacon and alcohol will be available.
Tomorrow is day one. Let's give this one a go.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
The Comfy Life
I have essentially just spent the last two days in transit, starting with boarding a plane on Thursday afternoon. Fifteen hours, two catnaps and half a dozen romantic comedies later, I skipped through customs and into the arms of my chauffeur who greeted me with a bottle of champagne before whisking me away into the swirling, romantic Shanghai night.
Not actually. But the Yale Club of Shanghai did set up a private driver. And he did greet me with a bottle of water. But it was raining and I was sleepy, so I clumsily plopped down into the back of the car and all of the sudden I was at my hostel, where I crashed.
As usual, my jetlag woke me up at 4:30 am, and at 5:30 I jumped out of bed, grabbed my bags, and searched for my apartment.
My apartment has entered the land of excess. Not only is it beautiful, but it has three bedrooms (for two people), four beds, and three balconies. I soaked it in for a few minutes, then hopped into the street for my first run in Shanghai, followed by a look at the (not bad) gym in the apartment complex.
Friends I made today:
1. Jamie, a Singapore woman in her twenties who went to Berkeley and works for the company that owns my apartment. She's been here for over four months, and knows her way around. We went to Carrefour together! And I stocked up on all the cooking basics.
2. Yi and her collegues from Munich that run the German Expo pavilion. We met while getting cell phones (I had to buy a cheap one to use here, so the pink machine is on lay-away), and went out for brunch. Now I have V.I.P. access to the German pavillion, and invitations to go out and have them "show me a good time" in Shanghai. I'm excited for friends.
So far, the Shanghai experience is far less taxing than last summer in Taiwan. Instead of beating my way through the foreign forest, Shanghai has been more-or-less cut out. Although a wise Lady once said, "if it's not rough it isn't fun", I'll take what I can get. Will just got and the Yale contingent minus Lisa and Madison are going out to eat. Good things to come.
Not actually. But the Yale Club of Shanghai did set up a private driver. And he did greet me with a bottle of water. But it was raining and I was sleepy, so I clumsily plopped down into the back of the car and all of the sudden I was at my hostel, where I crashed.
As usual, my jetlag woke me up at 4:30 am, and at 5:30 I jumped out of bed, grabbed my bags, and searched for my apartment.
My apartment has entered the land of excess. Not only is it beautiful, but it has three bedrooms (for two people), four beds, and three balconies. I soaked it in for a few minutes, then hopped into the street for my first run in Shanghai, followed by a look at the (not bad) gym in the apartment complex.
Friends I made today:
1. Jamie, a Singapore woman in her twenties who went to Berkeley and works for the company that owns my apartment. She's been here for over four months, and knows her way around. We went to Carrefour together! And I stocked up on all the cooking basics.
2. Yi and her collegues from Munich that run the German Expo pavilion. We met while getting cell phones (I had to buy a cheap one to use here, so the pink machine is on lay-away), and went out for brunch. Now I have V.I.P. access to the German pavillion, and invitations to go out and have them "show me a good time" in Shanghai. I'm excited for friends.
So far, the Shanghai experience is far less taxing than last summer in Taiwan. Instead of beating my way through the foreign forest, Shanghai has been more-or-less cut out. Although a wise Lady once said, "if it's not rough it isn't fun", I'll take what I can get. Will just got and the Yale contingent minus Lisa and Madison are going out to eat. Good things to come.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Daily Dose of Photography
A.P. Photo Challenge
Monday, May 24, 2010
Putting In Contacts
Worrying about forming bad impressions with "the boss" has always seemed like a silly, distant, grown-up worry. It's like in the sitcoms - the male B character is always finding himself caught in some farfetched situation that contantly lands him on the bad side of the boss. Skipping work for a baseball game? The boss sees him on T.V. The employee wipes off spilled coffee on a woman as the boss walks in? It's probably the boss' wife. I have no reason to worry yet, but I learned in my first interaction that it can sneak up on you and be surprisingly unforgiving.
Calling my boss last week was messy but entertaining. Let's start with the basics: my boss' name is Joe Zhou. For non-Mandarin speakers, that's pronounced "Joe Joe". At the very least, the guy has a sense of humor. So I readied my online dictionary, counted one through ten aloud in Chinese, and called MoCA using Skype. It took me a few calls, but I got my boss' cell phone number and gave him a ring. I explained who I was. He remembered my name! But he seemed busy. I awkwardly told him I'd send him an e-mail with some questions instead. My friend Helen from Yale, a native of Beijing, has been monumentally helpful in helping write good business letters, and I ended up sending a well-written e-mail to my boss. The end result: answers! Directions to MoCA; work hours are 9:30-18:00; "easy and casual" dress code; and a list of jobs:
1. Guided tours of the exhibition
2. Art lectures, organizing the lecturer and audience
3. Kids' corner, organizing the kids and art interactive activities
4. Membership activities
Less than a week before my first day, and that's what I'm doing: whittling down my to-do list and getting in touch with friends and contacts.
I had several friends-of-friends contact me in the past week, and I'm excited to meet people who work in China. One is a woman who runs the Ritz Carlton in Hainan with her husband (I find the high-end hotel industry fascinating). Another is a Yale grad, Brian, who works in the Education/College recruiting industry in Shanghai.
The Yale Club of Shanghai is incredibly present. Not only are they picking me (and all other Yalies working in the city) up from they airport, they've got an orientation and welcome dinner planned for this Sunday, alongside a slew of activities for the summer. Hearing from them makes life-after-Yale seem less daunting.
Finally, my apartment with Will this summer will be hoppin'. I've invited a few friends who need a place to crash in Shanghai, and so has he. Ethan and Nick, who were in Taiwan with me last summer, will both be coming (maybe at the same time?), along with Ling Yu, my best friend from the Sichuan earthquake trip last spring, and a few others. Hopefully we can get people and food flowing like wine (and maybe some wine, too), making for an excellent place to stay.
Until then, it's tying up loose ends, studying enough Art History to pass, putting together my contacts, and worrying about embarrassing myself in front of my boss.
1. Guided tours of the exhibition
2. Art lectures, organizing the lecturer and audience
3. Kids' corner, organizing the kids and art interactive activities
4. Membership activities
Less than a week before my first day, and that's what I'm doing: whittling down my to-do list and getting in touch with friends and contacts.
I had several friends-of-friends contact me in the past week, and I'm excited to meet people who work in China. One is a woman who runs the Ritz Carlton in Hainan with her husband (I find the high-end hotel industry fascinating). Another is a Yale grad, Brian, who works in the Education/College recruiting industry in Shanghai.
The Yale Club of Shanghai is incredibly present. Not only are they picking me (and all other Yalies working in the city) up from they airport, they've got an orientation and welcome dinner planned for this Sunday, alongside a slew of activities for the summer. Hearing from them makes life-after-Yale seem less daunting.
Finally, my apartment with Will this summer will be hoppin'. I've invited a few friends who need a place to crash in Shanghai, and so has he. Ethan and Nick, who were in Taiwan with me last summer, will both be coming (maybe at the same time?), along with Ling Yu, my best friend from the Sichuan earthquake trip last spring, and a few others. Hopefully we can get people and food flowing like wine (and maybe some wine, too), making for an excellent place to stay.
Until then, it's tying up loose ends, studying enough Art History to pass, putting together my contacts, and worrying about embarrassing myself in front of my boss.
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