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.