My World in a Nut-shell: Day 3, and left overs of Day 2

Day 3

Highlight for today- Stool sample! Getting the cup filled up wasn’t fun nor a sight, but it had to be done. Anyhow, Verena, Ute, Steffi and I took a cab to the “Beijing Centre for Disease Prevention and Control” Headquarters, which was actually a block or two from where everyone else was doing the health examinations. So, after a good 20-30 minute wait for everyone else to arrive, we approached the guard house to ask for directions and a nice dude walked us to the examination hall where we had our (on sequence): 1. Photo taken, 2. X-ray, 3. Stool Check (they stuck sticks up for some of us), 4. Heart, Lung and “feeling around” check, and lastly 5. Blood testing. After all that, we went to the HoS for the general briefing (after collecting our uniforms!). Filippa briefed us on upcoming events, the general rules and she set the boundaries for the new work culture. We had a short tour and followed by lunch. Around 13pm, we had our briefings in our respective departments. Sebastian, Ute and I are all in the Public Restaurant (THE restaurant) where it seems we would be running the busiest and most complex part of the gastronomic department. However, the team seems to be a great mix and we seem to get along already! Later, the three of us were called to help out in the kitchen, where I remembered why I never want to be in the kitchen- the work culture doesn’t suit me. After a full late noon making chocolate sweets, mis-en-place, and cleaning up other people’s mess, I sneaked out with Sebastian to get some Pizza hut for dinner over some Hotel Babylon. And half way through dinner, Steff came to our apartment to steal my Pizza Hut box to use as a plate, our aloe vera plant AND to announce that she has bought her apartment a new pet- a FISH! Awesomeness! I bet it’s a Siamese Fighting fish from the supermarket near by! Anyhow, off to bed- long day tomorrow. Expecting to work from 10am till late.

Trivia Roll:

The haze is still bad
You have to request for the doctor to change to new gloves
Can the locals STOP assuming I am Chinese?
Our Converse shoes have no “Switzerland” on it, but at least they’re original
Our Shirts are tailor made in Hong Kong
Staff food in the HoS is great
Apparently I get charged for receiving calls
Sebastian is now addicted to Hotel Babylon (Manuel soon)
Hakon knows what KK is!
I found 2 other Malaysians in the HoS!
Pizza Hut is DAMN expensive
Luka and Mike seem like a lot of fun!
Love the service concept and service outline
Filling up the pill box was NOT fun nor was it easy
Apparently it will rain next week (Chinese government will make it rain)
Sebastian and I met Kitty and her friend Elena last night in Yoshinoya
Kitty promised to get us into the Pangu Plaza
Steffi thinks the moon has a face
WE SAW A CLOUD! (yesterday at the Forbidden City)
Kitty is Chinese now, and I am suppose to pass her “present” to Magnus (don’t ask)

Till then for now, IC