IRD: I Really Don't (Do Anything)

IRD actually means In-room Dining, but for this post purposes it means, "I really don't (do anything)". My first few days in room service set the tone and pace of my new rotation in a laid back and pleasing manner. I am extraneous in every sense of the word there. This translates to: I get in the way, and the training I receive is for my checklist, not really for practicing. So far I've helped clear dirty trays, which takes a whopping ten seconds, set up new trolleys/trays and maybe even follow the runners to the rooms (but I can't go in with them because "it makes the guest nervous".) Yeah, I don't know what that means either.
I fold napkins, chat with my colleagues and learn more about the culture and opinions of my Chinese peers. When the napkins are done, and everything seems settled they send me home. Sometimes I work for five hours, sometimes less...compared to iCafe this place is "da bomb". (I'm bringing it back) *
I'm not complaining!! I love room service, the atmosphere and the people there. Everything is so light hearted, they don't get upset with each other or argue pettishly. My manager Rela, is a real stickler but in an admirable and efficient way that gets the job done right and done well. I also like our assistant manager Josie very much, because she is so open to any questions I have. Literally I can ask anything, and she remains friendly and unfazed. Whether or not she understands me is a different story haha, but she never shoots me down. We talk about movies, music, standard operating procedures, the hotel's standing in comparison to our competitors, training and of course Chinese dating. This is actually becoming one of my favorite topics. I'll hold on the juicy details til I get back... We gotta have something to talk about, right?
I've thought about this a lot actually, (not Chinese dating..Well a little, but more on that later.) When I get back, you'll have known so many of my best stories, and I'll be that girl repeating herself and recounting tales of mundane inanity over and over. So in advance...I apologize. This has been an all consuming experience so far, and I don't think I'll much else material to cover upon my return. Plus also, you can just tell me you remember my blog and I'll immediately shut up..or try to think of another story. (Which is more likely)
I also apologize for the posts that contain embarrassing grammatical and punctuation mistakes. I cringed a little as I reread some posts, and I hope you can forgive me for making basic errors that I haven't made since I was in the fifth grade. Sometimes my brain is way ahead of my typing capabilities, and my editing skills lessen the more pumped up I am about the post.

This week I will finish out my rotation with IRD on Sunday and begin a new chapter with Nishimura, our Japanese Restaurant (on the second floor! SO MUCH CHANGE!) Plus I'll have a new uniform, but unfortunately it's the manager's suit. I say unfortunately because I'll be the 23 year old intern, that's been at Shangri-La for three months, wearing a suit it takes some people 6-8 years to earn. Yep. Official poophead status achieved. I did learn that I am not actually making more than my fellow colleagues, in fact I'm making a substantial amount less than them. This is oddly comforting.
I will only have a week at Nishimura and then we are hopping on a plane and taking off to Beijing for five days, then on to Xi'an for about three more. I can't believe it's already time for vacation!
You are probably saying, "Uh, Ann...haven't you basically been on vacation for these three months?" Well...I can't really argue with you, its been less than a job, but more than a summer off gallivanting around China. We need a break from the hotel, from the struggle of learning and being trained by people who have difficulties spelling "diligent" or "foreigners" while filling out our evaluation forms.
Also, I feel like going to these cities will actually expose me to real Chinese culture. Dalian is a bubble city. There are too many people we are able to hang out with who speak passable English, and I eat Western food on a normal basis, and Chinese for special occasions. Beijing , and Xi'an are thousands of years old ...Dalian is a baby city in comparison, so it's hard to wrap my head around the fact I'm in China sometimes. It's too modern to make me feel like I'm not in America anymore...the only reminder is the fact that Chinese people are everywhere and speaking English may or may not be received well. So, with that said, I'm looking forward to seeing a different perspective on China.
By the time we get back, it'll be September. October our projects are due, and we will present to our  Executive Committee, or Excom members, about our findings. Then November will roll in, and we'll be flying home before we know it!

I crave  news from home, and I think about campus and my hometown all the time. I know that if I was there, more than likely we'd being doing the same thing we did last year: work, go out occasionally but spend a copious amount of time watching tv and sleeping...(which sounds faintly familiar :S) It's weird being cut off from the local goings on, and I miss being in the know about everything. Communication is a bit spotty because of our vengeful internet. I feel like I should start supplying our modem with hormone therapy...maybe that'll make it stay in a more stable mood and I can call my mom for more than five minutes without the stupid thing getting fussy and kicking me off.

We have come a long way from the first few weeks here barely able to work up the nerve to go out on our own, to takin taxis to restaurants we drove past once. I'm happy with where we are:)

*Actually there are tons of phrases, actions and stupid faces I'm bringing back thanks to my crazy roommates and our strangely addictive tendencies to imitate each other- then accidental absorption of each others antics, until we are a meld of one person's sounds and goofy poses.
Again...sorry.