September 14, 2012

My first day with Disney English was busy and super exciting!  

I started the day a little terrified I’d do something spazy in front of the HR people that I desperately want to impress, eager to make friends right away, worried about getting a cell phone, and excited to learn everything I can about my new job.

The 17 other new recruits and I met with the HR reps in the hotel where we immediately started introducing ourselves and signing tons of paperwork.  We have officially committed next year of our lives to “The Mouse”.

The new staff is mostly Americans and I was happy to find that a majority were in their late 20s and in their 30s (the youngest person I met was 26!)  Some have already lived in China, many have taught overseas, and for some this is their first time leaving The States!

During the course of the day I sat through a orientation about my arrival (looks like I’ll actually be in Shanghai for about 5 weeks and then will transfer to Hangzhou and be in a hotel for up to 3 more weeks, a long transition period).  I visited a Disney English center where I listened to an insurance presentation from an adorable Chinese woman and sat in on a fascinating session about Chinese culture and adjusting to life as an expat.  

One of the centers in Shanghai

After work I went with a couple of people to the bank and activated my bank card, then shopping at a typical nine story Chinese mall.  While examining a fruit stand in the mall I heard someone above yelling my name.  It was my new friend, Krit, she and another staffer were two floors up at a Japanese restaurant I ran up to join them for dinner.  It wasn’t long before we saw two more friends through the window and called at them to come join us too.  We had some trouble communicating with the staff at the restaurant but the employees were patient and kind.  They only smiled a little when Krit pointed to her phrasebook, where “Where is the bathroom?” was written in Mandarin.

These are my friends Cam and Stacy, they're so fun!  Cam is showing off that he's drinking Starbucks, beer, and tea all at the same time

While waiting in the mall for Cam to get his cell phone unlocked Krit dared me to buy a suspicious looking doughnut at Donut King, I pushed Stacy into eating it with me

Sort of like eating a chocolate covered rubber chew toy