Two Remnants and a Rant
In work news: Golden Week has come and gone, surprisingly smoothly I might add. Because we can only fit a certain number of people in our main show at any one time (270 thereabouts), the only real chaos was in entertaining people waiting outside. I was unable to swap out of work yesterday, and thus missed the rocking Korean National Day celebration, involving (duh) Tae Kwon Doe performances, and also tons of pop star performances. It's tough workin here when there's things you actually WANT to do ... Luckily we work our butts off to create a nightlife for this Expo (European ones especially used to have whole sectors of pavilions converted into clubs nightly), so there's a party to go to almost whenever you want to go. We Americans earned a reputation as throwing the best parties around--now that's something to work for!
The Austrian and French were recent rockin parties. The Austrian one was held in their giant indoor sledding complex, lots of fun dancing barefoot but the place smelled of pure just-off-of-work RAUNCH after the first few hundred people and two or so hours. They had a scrumptious fruity wine featured as well, wish I could remember the name >_< Didn't make it to the French one, but I've heard they've got a special dance floor complete with all kinds of crazy ritzy club strobes and neon light shows. Woo!
It really is the little adventures in a day here that keep me going, as work is already routine. Unusual, but routine. A few random Japanese gems I've had lately include being given an origami crane by an adorable little mute girl, an email addy from a high-schooler who thinks I'm funny (I can tell jokes in Japanese now!), talking about country music with a crazy old guy in a cowboy hat, one of our guides being poked in the boobs by a middle-school girl, people who look you right in the eye and say "subarashikatta!" (it was wonderful) and hug you or shake your hand, a little boy who helped me count 33 phone cards for fun, meeting old faces again and getting discount curry, and a special thanks to every visitor who's come up to practice english on me (always adorable).
Gotta try to keep this entry short; my last PM shift before break is imminently dooming upon me. In more recent news, I have been Boodled. Yes, at one point or another everyone on our team has been to some extent, but I caught the real Wrath of Boodle yesterday. I've done my best not to sidestep any major rules (be they retardedly unreasonable or not), made attendance to ALL meetings that most guides don't even bother with, put in extra time at work AND work solid days--always an hour early, help with stanchions, radios, invitations, don't leave the work floor, no cellphone IMing, blah blah. But I missed a single "strongly recommended" (note: not advertised as required) meeting yesterday morning with miserable cramps (second time this month, yuck, hate ovaries), and in my 4-drug floating world forgot to call Michelle and notify her. Yeah, it was a mistake, and so I came in head down, expecting my verbal warning ... oh no. Apparently the Boodle was having a Bad Day. And now so was I. Not only did she ban me from the next cultural trip in her first breath before I could even appologize (Nara, tomorrow actually), but when I spoke to her and asked why I was not verbally warned first, got a HUGE laundry list of violations I wasn't even aware were violations (none of the other guides were either, mind you) This included such horrifics as trying to deal with uniforms that don't fit (They gave me Polo shirts that hang to my friggin KNEES--TWICE! Try looking "tailored and clean" in that!!) and the set of 3 1/2 sick days I'd taken for either a twisted ankle, or for being sent home with cramps (apparently it's illegal to be sent home by Operations for being sick...wait, no it isn't; it happens all the time and was approved by our Work Directors). Now I've been quiet and taken lots of this random scolding before--which is what one should normally do with a manager--but this time was different. Now she was threatening me, over things I KNEW weren't wrong--and in my delightfully honest self told her. I kept as calm as I could (still trembling mad though), no bad words, no screaming, and in doing so merited not only my trip back, but apparently three other people who had their trips unexpectedly stripped away as well. Yay voice of reason.
...She did call me back way after work last night and appologized for everything, so *deep breath*... Back to normal we go ^_^
EDIT: That's not really a short entry, is it?
EDIT 2: Apparently part of the reason Michelle was upset was because she had driven a few of us out to the Okinawa bar the night before, and assumed I didn't make it because I was hungover. A fair assumption I suppose, but also slightly insulting ... ah well.
The Austrian and French were recent rockin parties. The Austrian one was held in their giant indoor sledding complex, lots of fun dancing barefoot but the place smelled of pure just-off-of-work RAUNCH after the first few hundred people and two or so hours. They had a scrumptious fruity wine featured as well, wish I could remember the name >_< Didn't make it to the French one, but I've heard they've got a special dance floor complete with all kinds of crazy ritzy club strobes and neon light shows. Woo!
It really is the little adventures in a day here that keep me going, as work is already routine. Unusual, but routine. A few random Japanese gems I've had lately include being given an origami crane by an adorable little mute girl, an email addy from a high-schooler who thinks I'm funny (I can tell jokes in Japanese now!), talking about country music with a crazy old guy in a cowboy hat, one of our guides being poked in the boobs by a middle-school girl, people who look you right in the eye and say "subarashikatta!" (it was wonderful) and hug you or shake your hand, a little boy who helped me count 33 phone cards for fun, meeting old faces again and getting discount curry, and a special thanks to every visitor who's come up to practice english on me (always adorable).
Gotta try to keep this entry short; my last PM shift before break is imminently dooming upon me. In more recent news, I have been Boodled. Yes, at one point or another everyone on our team has been to some extent, but I caught the real Wrath of Boodle yesterday. I've done my best not to sidestep any major rules (be they retardedly unreasonable or not), made attendance to ALL meetings that most guides don't even bother with, put in extra time at work AND work solid days--always an hour early, help with stanchions, radios, invitations, don't leave the work floor, no cellphone IMing, blah blah. But I missed a single "strongly recommended" (note: not advertised as required) meeting yesterday morning with miserable cramps (second time this month, yuck, hate ovaries), and in my 4-drug floating world forgot to call Michelle and notify her. Yeah, it was a mistake, and so I came in head down, expecting my verbal warning ... oh no. Apparently the Boodle was having a Bad Day. And now so was I. Not only did she ban me from the next cultural trip in her first breath before I could even appologize (Nara, tomorrow actually), but when I spoke to her and asked why I was not verbally warned first, got a HUGE laundry list of violations I wasn't even aware were violations (none of the other guides were either, mind you) This included such horrifics as trying to deal with uniforms that don't fit (They gave me Polo shirts that hang to my friggin KNEES--TWICE! Try looking "tailored and clean" in that!!) and the set of 3 1/2 sick days I'd taken for either a twisted ankle, or for being sent home with cramps (apparently it's illegal to be sent home by Operations for being sick...wait, no it isn't; it happens all the time and was approved by our Work Directors). Now I've been quiet and taken lots of this random scolding before--which is what one should normally do with a manager--but this time was different. Now she was threatening me, over things I KNEW weren't wrong--and in my delightfully honest self told her. I kept as calm as I could (still trembling mad though), no bad words, no screaming, and in doing so merited not only my trip back, but apparently three other people who had their trips unexpectedly stripped away as well. Yay voice of reason.
...She did call me back way after work last night and appologized for everything, so *deep breath*... Back to normal we go ^_^
EDIT: That's not really a short entry, is it?
EDIT 2: Apparently part of the reason Michelle was upset was because she had driven a few of us out to the Okinawa bar the night before, and assumed I didn't make it because I was hungover. A fair assumption I suppose, but also slightly insulting ... ah well.