You really never know what future brings you. I am so glad that everything turned out just fine for my career (at least so far). After months of struggling with online applications, a couple of interviews, a volunteer job, and a handful of temp jobs with different temp agencies, I finally got a full-time job. So I turned down the hostess position with a Hilton hotel. I was hoping to get a position with the organization where I volunteered but never got it. I also didn't go to some interviews placed by temp agencies because the pay was too low. At that time, I thought I could do better than that. After I turned them down, I felt so so bad because I just blew my rare opportunity to have a stable income. If I hadn't gotten my current job, I could have applied for a position with another org where I was temping for. Well, that place is not as nice as mine now. So finally, life is good to me. I got the job I wanted and I work where I liked.
It is interesting to see the rough road turned smooth at the end beyond our expectations. First time I went there for a temp job, I ran late because I was not familiar with that new area. My old GPS is not up to date. I had to apologize a million times to my temp agency and my company now. I worked there for about two weeks. I was good. People were nice. Nothing went wrong again.
The second time I temped there, I ran late again. This time I was almost in a big trouble. You know when you are temping, there are days or weeks you have no jobs, no phone calls. And when you have a temp job, you will get a couple of phone calls a day asking if you can work this or that. Well I wanted to keep good relationships with both agencies and maximize my time and money making opportunities. I upset one agency, still got both jobs, and went in late one day. I thought that was pretty good.
As a temp, even though I worked there for a couple of weeks totally, I made good friends. People were encouraging me to apply for a position. So did my temp agency, of course. And I did and and hoped. I got an interview which was not so difficult because I knew the interviewer. And I was happy and hopeful. That was the last day of the first temp assignment.
I came back the second time hoping to know the result of my interview. I was told that they had selected a final candidate for that position. Then I was disappointed but I applied for another position and I hoped for an interview again.
Weeks after that I got a phone call from my temp agency saying that I got hired. It was out of the blue and beyond all of my expectations. My first day at work as a permanent employee, I was welcome back instead of being just "welcome." I already had some buddies and a lunch group. Socialization to a new workplace has not been easier to a fairly new employee!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
I volunteer!
I read and I heard people saying that volunteering is a good way to get a job. So I was looking for volunteer opportunities in order to find job opportunities. That being said does not mean that I do not have mercy for people. I am always willing to help people even though I mostly find myself in a less advantaged position to help other people. Knowing that only 10 dollars can help a child have a SMILE operation, I have never given 10 dollars to donation. I would rather contribute my time and other resources to help people. I went on a one-month summer trip to help local schools out of Ha Noi when I was in college. It was fun and a great way to make great friends. I volunteered on a committee at graduate school. I didn't do much and felt like being in a token position. I worked a couple of hours a week for a local hospital in Missouri. There was not much to do but opening doors, answering the phone, and registering patients, but I saw the importance of my presence there. Then I moved to the DC area, I found a volunteer position teaching ESL to my fellow Vietnamese people. These people were mostly recent immigrants. They need to learn English to live in the country permanently and to find a good job. The course I taught was to prepare them to an English program at a community college. From there, they would complete a few month course towards a certificate in the health care field. They would become a dentist assistant, a clinic assistant or a helper in a hospital.
So my students were very diverse, from some fifty year old man to 18, 19 year old young boys and girls. After the one or two first days of class, my class downsized to 12 students. Most of them came to class regularly and did homework at home. Some were better than others. Some understood but couldn't talk back. Some could read well but rarely opened their mouth. One would want to answer all of my questions. Most would stay quiet until name was called. Some worked very diligently. Some would find every opportunity to flirt with the instructor (a.k.a. me!). It was not the first time I taught ESL nor first time with a non-traditional class. But it was the first time I taught such a diverse large group. It was hard for me to make sure everyone understand equally. Sometimes they were lost in my English blah blah, and I was lost in their unresponsiveness. Sometimes I had to let my better students explain to other students in Vietnamese because I wouldn't allow myself to speak in Vietnamese to them. It would make a bad habit for us, I believe.
For the eight weeks, once a week, I drove an hour or so to class. We got to know each other better. I read their homework and learned more about their personal life. One of my students has twins, one boy and one girl. She must love her family so much that she could write long essays full of joy and pride about them. I also learned that a student had a bad pollen allergy. He was a live example for me to explain the word "Allergy" in English. We had fun in class and after class, my students would hang around and talk. Some would exchange phone numbers and address in case one needs a ride. Actually an older student offered to drive two other students to class during all that time. They would give each other advice on immigration paperwork and interview. On graduation day, people brought food over and had a party. It ended up too much food for that number of people. So at the end, everyone had to bring some home. That was fun!
I didn't think that that short course would be enough for my students to get into the English program but to my surprise, they all did very well. All of them got through, some got placed into an advanced class. I thought their placement tests must be very simple. I was so happy for them. People would say that I must be very proud but not so much. I felt like their success was due to their efforts more than my teaching. I didn't feel that I helped that much. I hope I did a little bit. I know they are grateful to us and I am touched by that. That was why I stayed 2 to 3 hours in the traffic to teach a two hour class one day a week in 8 weeks. That was my pleasure to know my students and offer my help. And knowing that a little thing I do can possibly change someone's life will keep me volunteering on whether I have a real job or not.
So my students were very diverse, from some fifty year old man to 18, 19 year old young boys and girls. After the one or two first days of class, my class downsized to 12 students. Most of them came to class regularly and did homework at home. Some were better than others. Some understood but couldn't talk back. Some could read well but rarely opened their mouth. One would want to answer all of my questions. Most would stay quiet until name was called. Some worked very diligently. Some would find every opportunity to flirt with the instructor (a.k.a. me!). It was not the first time I taught ESL nor first time with a non-traditional class. But it was the first time I taught such a diverse large group. It was hard for me to make sure everyone understand equally. Sometimes they were lost in my English blah blah, and I was lost in their unresponsiveness. Sometimes I had to let my better students explain to other students in Vietnamese because I wouldn't allow myself to speak in Vietnamese to them. It would make a bad habit for us, I believe.
For the eight weeks, once a week, I drove an hour or so to class. We got to know each other better. I read their homework and learned more about their personal life. One of my students has twins, one boy and one girl. She must love her family so much that she could write long essays full of joy and pride about them. I also learned that a student had a bad pollen allergy. He was a live example for me to explain the word "Allergy" in English. We had fun in class and after class, my students would hang around and talk. Some would exchange phone numbers and address in case one needs a ride. Actually an older student offered to drive two other students to class during all that time. They would give each other advice on immigration paperwork and interview. On graduation day, people brought food over and had a party. It ended up too much food for that number of people. So at the end, everyone had to bring some home. That was fun!
I didn't think that that short course would be enough for my students to get into the English program but to my surprise, they all did very well. All of them got through, some got placed into an advanced class. I thought their placement tests must be very simple. I was so happy for them. People would say that I must be very proud but not so much. I felt like their success was due to their efforts more than my teaching. I didn't feel that I helped that much. I hope I did a little bit. I know they are grateful to us and I am touched by that. That was why I stayed 2 to 3 hours in the traffic to teach a two hour class one day a week in 8 weeks. That was my pleasure to know my students and offer my help. And knowing that a little thing I do can possibly change someone's life will keep me volunteering on whether I have a real job or not.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Amazon.com vs. University Bookstore
As a college student, this is a fact that all of us can't help laughing at whenever conversations mention "the bookstore." University Bookstore is supposed to effectively serve students and faculty once it comes to books and office supplies. I don't see how that "mission" can be fulfilled when everything in the bookstore is more expensive than a regular price.
Merchandise products, such as T-shirts, sweater with your school's logo or mascot on it are way more expensive than the equivalents sold in Walmart or an average store. I guess we pay more for those extra logos and mascots. And we are willing to do that because we use the apparels not only to keep your body warm (or something like that) but also to show off our school's "spirit" or "pride." Well, at my pride level, I had two T-shirts with our mascot in the front and our chant in the back. I didn't pay a dime for them. I got them for free at the orientation. Some of my friends would go to the orientation for new students every year to get a new T-shirt. Some would go to the games (football, basketball, etc.) very very early to get one of the 100 free T-shirts for first comers. A dear friend of mine gave me a real nice school T-shirt for my graduation. I have not worn it since then. Again, at my pride level, I haven't seen a good occasion to parade in that T-shirt in this area.
Merchandise items are exclusive to the Bookstore so you really do not have a choice if you want to wear a school logo or mascot. Other than that, everything else you can find any where from outside with a lower price. Maybe that is why paper, notebook, pens, and other stuff are normally on display for a thick level of dust if they don't dust it regularly. I myself bought some poster makers there because I didn't want to go to One Dollar tree for one-dollar poster makers. My friends would run to the Bookstore to get some sharpies if we forget to bring extras for a group project. Oh I also bought a couple of blue books from the Bookstore. It is 50 cents each. Some instructors require it as a test book and you can find it nowhere else.
Those small items you can do without easily. But books are essential to prepare for class. Most courses have at least one required textbook. First semester at my school, I was new and obviously with no experienced guidance, I bought all my textbooks at the bookstore. It cost me a fortune even though I had all used books. I thought it was worth it for my education. As its life cycle ends after four months, I thought I may never use some of these books again and I wanted to sell it back to the Bookstore. I thought I would make some money back and help other students have access to lower cost textbooks. Well, it turned out more painful than I had thought. I stood in line for ever and found myself rather keep those books for no future use than selling them back for just a couple of dollars. I sold them anyway because I didn't want to waste my waiting time and I learned my lesson. For the mission of the Bookstore (or the profits of it), I made nearly a quarter of my money back. I thought that was quite an expensive one-time use of a book.
After that pocket-ripping pain, I decided to shop very carefully for text books. I would buy text books online or from my friends in the department. Of course, I am familiar with amazon.com and half.ebay.com. Most of the time, books on amazon.com are cheaper but if you are lucky, you can find some at a unbeatable price on half.com. Even when you want to sell your books back, you can probably make all your money back. I haven't tried selling my textbooks back to amazon.com. I am still trying to hold on the belief that someday, I will do something related to what I studied and I may need my books to look things up. Maybe I am just holding onto a dream that is drifting away.
Merchandise products, such as T-shirts, sweater with your school's logo or mascot on it are way more expensive than the equivalents sold in Walmart or an average store. I guess we pay more for those extra logos and mascots. And we are willing to do that because we use the apparels not only to keep your body warm (or something like that) but also to show off our school's "spirit" or "pride." Well, at my pride level, I had two T-shirts with our mascot in the front and our chant in the back. I didn't pay a dime for them. I got them for free at the orientation. Some of my friends would go to the orientation for new students every year to get a new T-shirt. Some would go to the games (football, basketball, etc.) very very early to get one of the 100 free T-shirts for first comers. A dear friend of mine gave me a real nice school T-shirt for my graduation. I have not worn it since then. Again, at my pride level, I haven't seen a good occasion to parade in that T-shirt in this area.
Merchandise items are exclusive to the Bookstore so you really do not have a choice if you want to wear a school logo or mascot. Other than that, everything else you can find any where from outside with a lower price. Maybe that is why paper, notebook, pens, and other stuff are normally on display for a thick level of dust if they don't dust it regularly. I myself bought some poster makers there because I didn't want to go to One Dollar tree for one-dollar poster makers. My friends would run to the Bookstore to get some sharpies if we forget to bring extras for a group project. Oh I also bought a couple of blue books from the Bookstore. It is 50 cents each. Some instructors require it as a test book and you can find it nowhere else.
Those small items you can do without easily. But books are essential to prepare for class. Most courses have at least one required textbook. First semester at my school, I was new and obviously with no experienced guidance, I bought all my textbooks at the bookstore. It cost me a fortune even though I had all used books. I thought it was worth it for my education. As its life cycle ends after four months, I thought I may never use some of these books again and I wanted to sell it back to the Bookstore. I thought I would make some money back and help other students have access to lower cost textbooks. Well, it turned out more painful than I had thought. I stood in line for ever and found myself rather keep those books for no future use than selling them back for just a couple of dollars. I sold them anyway because I didn't want to waste my waiting time and I learned my lesson. For the mission of the Bookstore (or the profits of it), I made nearly a quarter of my money back. I thought that was quite an expensive one-time use of a book.
After that pocket-ripping pain, I decided to shop very carefully for text books. I would buy text books online or from my friends in the department. Of course, I am familiar with amazon.com and half.ebay.com. Most of the time, books on amazon.com are cheaper but if you are lucky, you can find some at a unbeatable price on half.com. Even when you want to sell your books back, you can probably make all your money back. I haven't tried selling my textbooks back to amazon.com. I am still trying to hold on the belief that someday, I will do something related to what I studied and I may need my books to look things up. Maybe I am just holding onto a dream that is drifting away.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Me: a coward, a chicken, a baby
She is a friend of mine. She is just full of courage and recklessness. She traveled to different places by herself, not knowing any one there. She once went to New York city and knocked on door after door to look for job. And I believe that was not the first or the only time. She amazed me what she dared to do and to think. She would move to another city, working some low paid job for 12 hours a day the whole summer in order to pay for the tuition. It is crazy to me that she thinks she wants to do it and then she does it. She has done so many things that you and I would never think of. For example, she does web designing as a hobby but she has made money doing it. She has done an oddest job in the world that is watching people sleep. I won't reveal what that job is about so that I would keep you wondering.
In comparison to her, I do travel by myself but normally I know someone there. And I am lucky enough that I have never had to go look for a dirt-cheap job by myself in a city of strangers and who knows what else. I got her to go with me. I always have big ideas but my passion normally falls short when it comes to execution. She is such a great friend that I see myself as a coward, a chicken, a baby in comparison to her. I am the safe player, she is the risk taker. I sometimes I wish I could be like her, as crazily adventurous as she is.
In comparison to her, I do travel by myself but normally I know someone there. And I am lucky enough that I have never had to go look for a dirt-cheap job by myself in a city of strangers and who knows what else. I got her to go with me. I always have big ideas but my passion normally falls short when it comes to execution. She is such a great friend that I see myself as a coward, a chicken, a baby in comparison to her. I am the safe player, she is the risk taker. I sometimes I wish I could be like her, as crazily adventurous as she is.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Brothers
I used to work for a family-owned bakery where I worked with almost all the members in the owner's family. Most of the time I work in the front with either one of the two brothers. Because they are both older than me so I will call them "Little brother" and "Bigger brother." Little brother is very generous to customers. He would give samples away for tasting. He always tells me to give extra to some serving so that customers will come back for our food. He would tell me the ins and outs when we are not busy or super busy. He would keep track of inventory and time the served food for safety. He would show me things to do to keep the working area clean and sanitized. I have worked in food service before so I know he has trained me professionally and was trained professionally.
Bigger brother also works for mom and dad like his little brother. And he is good and knows what he is doing all the time. There is one thing that makes him different from his little brother. He would be nice to customers but price to him is tightly fixed. No extras, no bargain. He would give away food to workers like me and the kitchen people or himself. At times he would go to the kitchen to find some "sample" to snack on. Everyone is okay with that. When there is not many customers, he would sit or stand outside to catch up some smoking. He would joke around with people all the time. But one time he got so mad and even started cursing when a customer brought back some cakes she bought the day before. She complained about the quality and wanted her money back. Bigger brother yelled at her and said: "Did you see this? All sales are final. No exchange, no return." This old lady was upset and went on with her complaints. She wouldn't leave so Bigger brother had to take back the cake and gave her the fresh ones so that she would go away. After that, Bigger brother still cursed angrily.
I hardly see Little Brother and Bigger Brother in the store at the same time. They avoid each other so that they wont be involved in a fight. At times I would hear Mom or Dad talk to either one of them that the other said this to them. That means, if one brother is not happy with what the other does, he would tell mom and dad and mom and dad have to go talk to him and straighten it out. Their personality is that much different. So is their management style.
Personally I prefer Little Brother's work ethics and management style, but I also enjoy Bigger Brother's casual relationship. Working with them, I realized what I have become through this American experience.
Bigger brother also works for mom and dad like his little brother. And he is good and knows what he is doing all the time. There is one thing that makes him different from his little brother. He would be nice to customers but price to him is tightly fixed. No extras, no bargain. He would give away food to workers like me and the kitchen people or himself. At times he would go to the kitchen to find some "sample" to snack on. Everyone is okay with that. When there is not many customers, he would sit or stand outside to catch up some smoking. He would joke around with people all the time. But one time he got so mad and even started cursing when a customer brought back some cakes she bought the day before. She complained about the quality and wanted her money back. Bigger brother yelled at her and said: "Did you see this? All sales are final. No exchange, no return." This old lady was upset and went on with her complaints. She wouldn't leave so Bigger brother had to take back the cake and gave her the fresh ones so that she would go away. After that, Bigger brother still cursed angrily.
I hardly see Little Brother and Bigger Brother in the store at the same time. They avoid each other so that they wont be involved in a fight. At times I would hear Mom or Dad talk to either one of them that the other said this to them. That means, if one brother is not happy with what the other does, he would tell mom and dad and mom and dad have to go talk to him and straighten it out. Their personality is that much different. So is their management style.
Personally I prefer Little Brother's work ethics and management style, but I also enjoy Bigger Brother's casual relationship. Working with them, I realized what I have become through this American experience.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Job interviews
(Continued)
My second interview was a little bit awkward. I proudly hold a Master's degree and am applying for a hostess position in Hilton. I was debating with myself if I wanted to apply for this job or not. I want a job that has the stability and potential for me to move up. And I got a good referral so I decided to apply. Then I found myself debating again. Should I send my best resume with all the education, awards, and conference presentations to them or send them a hostess resume? I thought they would not want to hire a Master's student to be a host. So I made up a very nice hostess resume that no education is mentioned.
I got a phone call to an interview right away. The awkwardness started right from the moment the employer said he was looking for someone to do hostess, bartending, room service, and other job. It's a part-time position with benefits if you work more than certain hours. And he asked us about education level. Well, I tried to avoid it but didnt want to lie. I felt my disadvantage right there. He was interviewing all three of us at the same time. So questions after questions, we had to find a most appropriate answer to the question and add something the other people hadnt mentioned. It was really hard. I came prepared but still was not feeling well prepared enough.
Lesson learned: We are never prepared enough for a job interview or anything that is in the future. That might be what you already have makes you fit into that position. One more lesson, job interview is like a two way street. It is the opportunity for the interviewer to find a most suited candidate and for the interviewee to find a likable job.
My second interview was a little bit awkward. I proudly hold a Master's degree and am applying for a hostess position in Hilton. I was debating with myself if I wanted to apply for this job or not. I want a job that has the stability and potential for me to move up. And I got a good referral so I decided to apply. Then I found myself debating again. Should I send my best resume with all the education, awards, and conference presentations to them or send them a hostess resume? I thought they would not want to hire a Master's student to be a host. So I made up a very nice hostess resume that no education is mentioned.
I got a phone call to an interview right away. The awkwardness started right from the moment the employer said he was looking for someone to do hostess, bartending, room service, and other job. It's a part-time position with benefits if you work more than certain hours. And he asked us about education level. Well, I tried to avoid it but didnt want to lie. I felt my disadvantage right there. He was interviewing all three of us at the same time. So questions after questions, we had to find a most appropriate answer to the question and add something the other people hadnt mentioned. It was really hard. I came prepared but still was not feeling well prepared enough.
Lesson learned: We are never prepared enough for a job interview or anything that is in the future. That might be what you already have makes you fit into that position. One more lesson, job interview is like a two way street. It is the opportunity for the interviewer to find a most suited candidate and for the interviewee to find a likable job.
Job interviews
I am a recent graduate and am looking for a job, a real job. I do have job now, or should I say "jobs" because I have couple of them and they are not the one that I am looking for. And in this economy, it is very common. There are millions of people out there who are in the same situation as I am. I share the empathy with them but I have to compete against them also.
I have been sending applications out for months now and I just got into two interviews so far. The first one, I had to demo-teach for 15 minutes. I prepared something general and lectured through it to the possibly future colleagues. It turned out that I needed to teach a mini lesson instead. Oh well no one told me that and I didnt know what the criteria of teaching were. So I was thinking this was not my fault.
Getting down to the real interview, two on one. I didnt expect it that way. And the questions were massive. I came unprepared. I have a couple pages of interview questions which I have told myself to go through each and all of them thoroughly. But I have never gotten to finish it. There are very tough questions that I probably cant come up with a good answer. Anyway, I provided answers to all the questions. Some of the answers I thought were pretty good, but some were not answering the question at all. I got over it though and walked out with a very positive thought. It was not because I thought I did well on the interview, but because they may hire me because they didnt have another candidate. Huh, it turned out that they did and obviously they made a right decision. I am glad for them and for whoever who got the job.
Lesson learned: Come well prepared to an interview. It can change your life. Got to take it more seriously.The Job Hunting Handbook: How to Land and Interview, Impress the Hiring Manager, and Get the Job
Landing Your First Job Out of College: The Ultimate Job-Hunting Handbook
I have been sending applications out for months now and I just got into two interviews so far. The first one, I had to demo-teach for 15 minutes. I prepared something general and lectured through it to the possibly future colleagues. It turned out that I needed to teach a mini lesson instead. Oh well no one told me that and I didnt know what the criteria of teaching were. So I was thinking this was not my fault.
Getting down to the real interview, two on one. I didnt expect it that way. And the questions were massive. I came unprepared. I have a couple pages of interview questions which I have told myself to go through each and all of them thoroughly. But I have never gotten to finish it. There are very tough questions that I probably cant come up with a good answer. Anyway, I provided answers to all the questions. Some of the answers I thought were pretty good, but some were not answering the question at all. I got over it though and walked out with a very positive thought. It was not because I thought I did well on the interview, but because they may hire me because they didnt have another candidate. Huh, it turned out that they did and obviously they made a right decision. I am glad for them and for whoever who got the job.
Lesson learned: Come well prepared to an interview. It can change your life. Got to take it more seriously.The Job Hunting Handbook: How to Land and Interview, Impress the Hiring Manager, and Get the Job
Landing Your First Job Out of College: The Ultimate Job-Hunting Handbook
Cherry Blossoms Festival
It is beautiful, amazingly beautiful. It might be something you dont see very often in your lifetime. That is because Cherry blossoms blooming peak for only a couple of days. And if the weather is bad, the blossoms dont look good and you dont want to walk in the rain to see them either. In case the weather is as nice as this year, the scene is amazing, you still have to juggle with a sea of people. There are moments that you have to stop and capture the scenes you are seeing. It's really breathtaking. But most of the time, you have to watch your friend so that you wont get lost. More importantly, you have to watch other cherry blossoms lovers because their eyes are mostly glued on the blossoms or in their camera. There are spots we have to actually line up to take a picture from there. It normally doesnt take long to snap a picture but it takes us a while because people keep walking by in front of the camera. So we have to say a very long "cheeeeeeeeeese."
I dont like the crowds that much but it may be worth it seeing the beautiful scenes. However, I now know what it is like going to see the blossoms on a peak day. I may go again next year but definitely wont be walking and juggling with people. Maybe we will sit down for picnic and enjoy watching people walking and juggling.D C for Free: Hundreds of Free Things to Do in Washington, Dc
DC for Free: Hundreds of Free Things to Do in Washington D.C.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Public services
When you live at the bottom of the society like I am living now, please choose to live in a more developed country. I am taking advantage of most of the public services right now. I take buses to work. I take metro to museums downtown (at least some recreation is free of charge, kind of!). I go to a community health clinic for vaccination and some other services. If you only see America through television or movies, you would probably have seen only wealthier people who have their family doctor, own a big house, drive a fancy car (or cars), and go on vacations overseas more than once a year. Well, the America I have seen and experienced is not just that!
Going to those public services places mentioned above, you will see more than that. Many people live on minimum wage or lower. They work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. Still they cant afford to own a car. They rent a room or an apartment. They do not have insurance of any type to cover their medical expenses. They are possibly barely able to pay their bills already. When you live on food stamps, you cant care further than food and the very essentials. Before going to these places, I thought I would only see non-majority people. I was true, partly. Most of the people I see are Hispanic, Asian, and African. It however surprises me that there are a few white (non-Hispanic) people. It is also a "duh" because obviously not all white people are wealthier.
A lesson learned is that this is a cheaper America and I am living it.
Going to those public services places mentioned above, you will see more than that. Many people live on minimum wage or lower. They work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. Still they cant afford to own a car. They rent a room or an apartment. They do not have insurance of any type to cover their medical expenses. They are possibly barely able to pay their bills already. When you live on food stamps, you cant care further than food and the very essentials. Before going to these places, I thought I would only see non-majority people. I was true, partly. Most of the people I see are Hispanic, Asian, and African. It however surprises me that there are a few white (non-Hispanic) people. It is also a "duh" because obviously not all white people are wealthier.
A lesson learned is that this is a cheaper America and I am living it.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
I waitress!
Yes, I waitress. A Master's degree holder waits table. It is not a very proud thing to talk about but the job helps me live through these days. Even though I have more than two year experience in the food service industry, working in a school cafeteria is totally different from waiting tables in a fairly fine restaurant. That is how I get to learn new things every day. I have learned the name of the food we serve and what is in it. It sounds simple because you think that is what I eat at home. No, it is not simple. Only about 10 percent of these dishes is home style cooking, by that I mean what Vietnamese moms would cook for every day meals. The remainder I have tried or heard of in Vietnamese restaurants. There are some dishes I had no idea what was it about. Southern style cooking is different from what I am familiar with, so some names and tastes are different. And I have to learn all that. Other waiters and waitresses who are more senior than me showed me how to hold a plate, where to locate a dish in the ordering system, how to make drinks, and so on. As it is warming up, we have opened the patio area. And today I just learned the number assigned to the outside tables.
Lesson: My dear old professor who is a very disorganized over-achiever and a caring person always reminded us to be a life-long learner. He was so proud that he could learn a little computer trick I showed him. I am now happy that I learn a new thing every day. I am keeping my mind working, not academically (for now) but more vocationally. I am accumulating my life experience.
Lesson: My dear old professor who is a very disorganized over-achiever and a caring person always reminded us to be a life-long learner. He was so proud that he could learn a little computer trick I showed him. I am now happy that I learn a new thing every day. I am keeping my mind working, not academically (for now) but more vocationally. I am accumulating my life experience.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Public transportation
I went to graduate school in the Mid-West. As you may already know, people in the Mid-West drive everywhere, near or far. There is no bus or metro. Very few people walk. I know that feeling of walking alone on the street, just like walking on the highway or in a desert. So I lived more than 2 years in Missouri. The small town where I lived has no sight of any public transportation, well I am not counting Amtrak. I have been to Kansas city and St. Louis and noticed buses are not very visible on the streets.
Chicago is in the Mid-West, people would say, and it is an exception. Public transportation in Chicago is efficient as my experience. I can go to anywhere in the inner city by bus or metro or both. I walked and rode a bus to places. I didnt have to walk too far or wait too long for a bus I wanted to take, and I always had company. Oh I loved Chicago, and I still do.
When I went to visit New York City, I took the metro which was an easier and common way to get around the city. I just did not like people joining an imaginary race on the streets. I bet they have a fast-paced life in one of the busiest cities in the world. People walk very fast, almost like running. They do not look at each other in the eyes. Most of them are on the phone and carrying stuff around. I guess if I move there one day, I would be one of them. I dont blame them.
Now I just moved to Virginia where it's like a hybrid of a bigger city and my Mid-West (so-called) hometown. There are buses and metro that carry you to some places but for your convenience, you are better of having a car, even though the traffic can be terrible. It is nice that I can take buses to work and do not have to walk very far. My bus comes once in every hour. It has a schedule but never comes at the scheduled time. There is a number that you can call and check the real-time next bus coming to your bus-stop but to my experience, it always has an error rate. First time I intended to take a bus to work, I ended up walking all the way through. I was waiting for my bus. I called the number, it said I had to wait about 10 to 20 mins for the next bus. So I decided to walk to the next bus-stop because it only takes me about 5 mins to walk. I was worried that I would be late for work. Once I got to a bus stop, I waited and called. I did the same thing to several stops. And in between the two stops, I heard the bus pass by. I was standing there watching the bus missing me. I could not describe how disappointed, desperate, and humiliated I was then. Now I got to walk all the way to get the next bus I needed to take to go to work. Then I walked, and I walked. After the snow storms, the sidewalks were still covered with snow so I literally was walking in the street with cars running pass me. I was thinking what if I got run over. That thought kept me busy while I was walking. I finally got to work after almost one and a half hours. Thanks God it was a nice sunny day and people knew how to drive.
Lessons learned: check the bus schedule, call the number but still get to the bus stop 15 mins before whatever time is said. I had better wait half an hour and get on the bus than missing it and walking again. It is not fun standing in the cold and watching cars and cars passing you by though. Haizzz!Over 200 things to do with your little scout: Kidding around in Kansas City
Cheap thrills in St. Louis: A guide to free and inexpensive things to do
Chicago is in the Mid-West, people would say, and it is an exception. Public transportation in Chicago is efficient as my experience. I can go to anywhere in the inner city by bus or metro or both. I walked and rode a bus to places. I didnt have to walk too far or wait too long for a bus I wanted to take, and I always had company. Oh I loved Chicago, and I still do.
When I went to visit New York City, I took the metro which was an easier and common way to get around the city. I just did not like people joining an imaginary race on the streets. I bet they have a fast-paced life in one of the busiest cities in the world. People walk very fast, almost like running. They do not look at each other in the eyes. Most of them are on the phone and carrying stuff around. I guess if I move there one day, I would be one of them. I dont blame them.
Now I just moved to Virginia where it's like a hybrid of a bigger city and my Mid-West (so-called) hometown. There are buses and metro that carry you to some places but for your convenience, you are better of having a car, even though the traffic can be terrible. It is nice that I can take buses to work and do not have to walk very far. My bus comes once in every hour. It has a schedule but never comes at the scheduled time. There is a number that you can call and check the real-time next bus coming to your bus-stop but to my experience, it always has an error rate. First time I intended to take a bus to work, I ended up walking all the way through. I was waiting for my bus. I called the number, it said I had to wait about 10 to 20 mins for the next bus. So I decided to walk to the next bus-stop because it only takes me about 5 mins to walk. I was worried that I would be late for work. Once I got to a bus stop, I waited and called. I did the same thing to several stops. And in between the two stops, I heard the bus pass by. I was standing there watching the bus missing me. I could not describe how disappointed, desperate, and humiliated I was then. Now I got to walk all the way to get the next bus I needed to take to go to work. Then I walked, and I walked. After the snow storms, the sidewalks were still covered with snow so I literally was walking in the street with cars running pass me. I was thinking what if I got run over. That thought kept me busy while I was walking. I finally got to work after almost one and a half hours. Thanks God it was a nice sunny day and people knew how to drive.
Lessons learned: check the bus schedule, call the number but still get to the bus stop 15 mins before whatever time is said. I had better wait half an hour and get on the bus than missing it and walking again. It is not fun standing in the cold and watching cars and cars passing you by though. Haizzz!Over 200 things to do with your little scout: Kidding around in Kansas City
Cheap thrills in St. Louis: A guide to free and inexpensive things to do
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