So i already mentioned the time i spent working in the Latina as a bus boy, but it's such a unique experience almost no other foreigner has shared i though i would go a little deeper into it.
When most foreigners come to China they teach, or study, or work, or intern, or buy goods for imports. When i first arrived i had the intention of teaching English, but since i arrived right after the school year started there was very little opportunity right away, especially since i dont have a college degree. So for the first few weeks i was here i just kinda sat around and didn't have much to do, and when homesickness started kickin my butt i had to start lookin for somethin to do.
In the first few days i was here a friend of the people who i was living with had mentioned he managed a western restaurant and would consider employing me if i was interested. So i asked Sisi (the mother of the family was living with) to contact this guy. He actually didn't have any work available for, but he referred me to the Latina.
Quick side bar; as i was looking into this work option i didn't really know what to expect, but i at least thought since it was western place where foreigners would be going i would at least be in a positions to use English. I dont know, maybe.... a greeter, or mingler... ya a mingler would have been sweet.
Anyways, i showed up to the interview between the lunch and dinner rushes. When i sat down one of the workers brought me a glass of water, and asked if i would like anything else, and the managers all came out and introduced themselves as best they could... it was nice, and i figured this would be a cake job, no problem at all... then interview started. when i say interview, i more mean the branch manager told me the hours and how much they would pay me. as he told me the details i could only think of one thing... "bummer". i was to clock in no later then 8:45am and clock out no earlier no earlier then 10pm. i would make 6 CNY an hour (about $.80) monday through friday. I would get from 2pm to 3:30pm as a daily break, they would also provide me TWO FREE MEALS A DAY!!! i'll get into that little golden nugget a bit later. The only special treatment i received as a foreigner was to have two days off a week rather then one.
So, what were my duties as the newest member of the Latina team?
It was originally intended i would be server. That meant taking drink orders, or things not on the buffet and putting them into the computer. I was also supposed to ring up the bill and bring it to the table and... pretty much a bunch of other stuff involving the computer. Problem was... the computer was in Chinese. And i wasnt just a few buttons to remember and it was all good. no, there were lists, and sub lists, and categories, and whole bunch of other stuff. they tried to help me out by giving the 14 page manual they gave all the other servers. Guess what... ya that was in Chinese to. I was in this position for about three long days of annoying the other workers getting them to help punch in just about.... everything.
Here is where i was appointed the glamorous job of bus boy. since it was painfully obvious the computer was not for me, they told me just clear dishes as people finished them and take food back and fourth from the buffet and kitchen. So i went from table to table to table asking people for their used dishes and what not.
Another side bar; be nice to your servers and bus people. i know now first hand how it is to people be just ridiculously rude and sometimes just plane mean to me because i am serving them. maybe it was because i was an western foreigner doing a chinese working class job or something but people, foreign or chinese, were a absolute nightmare most of the time. there were some people who decent enough, but the easy majority were not. (if would like examples just let me know.)
there were other responsibilities i had but im tired of typing and will post that later. i'll also talk about the meals, the workers dorms, the other employees and some other interesting stuff. should be up in a few days.
