So I recently interviewed for another Peace Corps jobs –
this one in Georgia. As I made it to the
final round, I thought seriously about whether or not I would go ahead and
leave early (my contract is not quite half over, not to mention my lease). Surprisingly, or maybe not so, as I thought
about it, I realized I’d still rather stay at this point. For all the “challenges” I’ve faced in
China, I realized there are things I actually LIKE about living here. So here’s my “Top Ten” (okay, it may be my
ONLY ten – lol):
1)
I like the fact/idea that I’m working for
Disney. I’ve always been a Disney freak,
and I’m still enough of a little boy to think, “Oh, cool, I work for Disney!” J Not to mention the perks of free movie passes
to see Disney flicks, my Silver Pass for free parks admission, my Disney
discount, etc. The first time I went to
HK Disneyland, I was wearing my Disney “Voluntears” t-shirt and had more than
one person approach me and gush about how cool/awesome it is that I work for
Disney. Love it. I’m also lucky in that the Disney English
Center I’m at is a good one, with a cool staff/people I like working with &
hanging out with (ESPECIALLY BEX! Yay,
Bex, here’s a reference just for YOU because YOU YOU YOU are so awesome!), a
good location and physical layout, etc.
VERY lucky.
2)
I like living in Guangzhou on the whole. It’s very lush
and green/tropical for such a large city, it’s very cosmopolitan, in a great
location, with a lot expats from all over.
It also has an awesome history (as CANTON - reference for you, Foreign Devil SueLin Poh!), lots to do, etc. While I might
consider living in Shanghai (or, possibly, Shenzen), I’m glad I’m here of
all the places in China – okay, I’d probably live in Hong Kong, too, but again its just a 2 hour train ride away.
3)
I like the fact that I can get the first 3
seasons of “Game of Thrones” on DVD for less than $5. Or the entire series of “The Wire” for less
than $7. And, of course, I’ve already
blogged about the incredible movie collection deal that I got. J
4)
I like my apartment. It’s the perfect size for just me, in a good
location, very white and “mod.”
5)
I like the long holidays. While, technically, they don’t celebrate as
many different holidays as they do in the states, when they take time off, they
REALLY take time off. I just got 5 days
off for “Mid-Autumn Festival” and come next Jan./Feb. will get nearly two weeks
off for Chinese New Year! Hello, trip to
Thailand and/or Singapore without using vacation days! J
6)
I like the fact that it’s cheap enough for me to
eat out pretty much every day if I want.
There are a variety of places nearby where I can get an entire meal for
like $2. And I just recently discovered
the place across the street from me has awesome fried rice for less than
$2.
7)
Speaking of eating out, I’m actually eating
BETTER here. I eat more vegetables, and
while “fast food” and SOME Western junk food is available, it’s pricey enough
that I only get it for a special treat.
It’s a big deal for me to splurge on a Dr. Pepper, for example, or a
Three Musketeers – but that makes both of them that much more “special” and
enjoyable. J
8)
It’s not violent here like it is in the
states. Yes, they act like savages when they’re
pushing on to the Metro, but it’s a BIG deal when there’s a murder, and you
most definitely do NOT have the everyday senseless violence that you
see/hear/read about in the states. It’s
a nice absence!
9)
I like that I can afford to have a maid and
afford to take taxis when I want. It’s
nice to not have to have a car - which is usually the deal in any real city, of
course, but not always in conjunction with cheap taxis.
10)
Finally, for all the challenges and cultural
differences, I still like the “intellectual stimulation” that comes from living
in a totally foreign culture. It makes
you question your values and assumptions, it keeps you on your toes, I think,
and makes you feel more “alive.” My
grandma always said you had to experience the bad and the challenging to make
you appreciate the good and the easy. I
used to think that was crap, but now I see the wisdom in it.
Now, on to stuff I miss from the states. Amazingly, this list is shorter. I’m sure if I really tried, I could come up
with more, but I’ve been “stewing” on this for some time, so maybe not….
1)
Of course one “must” say friends & family
#1. J But, seriously, as depressing as Oklahoma is
as a place to live, spending the time I recently did there was nice to be able
to see my family on a regular basis again.
Esp. my adorable nieces & nephews.
And of course I miss my friends, too.
2)
Football.
Specifically college football.
The time difference and my schedule makes it even more difficult as I
can’t even watch games online or through Skype – outside of the occasional “oddly”
or “off” scheduled game. For those fools
who just don’t understand, during football season, I would literally spend 12
hours in front of the TV flipping between games every Saturday, would usually
catch another game on Thursday and/or Friday night, and would probably spend
another 10+ hours a week reading about stuff online. Sigh.
3)
Sorry for those goody-two-shoes, who don’t
understand/appreciate, but I miss marijuana.
Not only does it make everything better, more fun, more interesting, it
helps with my glaucoma and occasional insomnia.
4)
Certain food/restaurants – especially Mexican
food. Fortunately, the Irish Pub on the
ground floor of my building recently
started a Tex-Mex Tuesday with really good tacos, so that’s a help, but I
really miss the variety of GOOD Mexican I could get at home, American style
breakfasts, DONUTS, soft cookies, cherry juice, etc. etc.
5)
I miss the convenience and variety. Again, I’m lucky to be in Guangzhou which has
its own conveniences and variety, but even the 24-hour 7-11s and their like
still don’t carry all the things I would get at a U.S. store. Yes, there are movie theaters here that show
some “major” U.S. films in English, but not like San Francisco where I could
walk to 5-6 different movie theaters and have my choice of at least 15-20 films
each week. In fact, let me add a “5A” to
this list: San Francisco. This is kind
of a cheat, coz I missed San Francisco while I was in Oklahoma, but I still
REALLY miss it. In fact, the one thing
that could make me go ahead and ditch Disney/this experience would be if I
could snag a well-enough paying job that I could afford to move back to The
City. Sigh. Someone make it happen! J
I’ll end with a really cool thing that makes me proud to
work for Disney. Below is a memo recently
circulated regarding a big Disney fan who often calls Disney HQ. As someone who has worked with
developmentally disabled folks, this touches my heart. Again, I know Disney is not the perfect
corporation – NO business its size is, these days – but they’re still pretty
damn cool, all things considered. Enjoy!
Greetings
everyone!
Many
of you are aware of, and have probably talked to, a very special young man by
the name of Billy. Billy is 23 years old, he is highly autistic and he LOVES Disney! He loves to call and talk to us (because we are Disney) several times a
day. Many of you have been asking what to do when he calls; below are the
instructions on how to handle his calls. For those of you that have not
talked to Billy yet, I’ve also included some key indicators that will help you
determine if it’s him calling:
He
may:
· ask to speak to a manager right away
· his speech may sound a bit slurred (he
doesn’t speak to anyone else very often, at all. He speaks
to his parents and his sister with usually only a one word response to their
question. We are
literally the only people that he has ever conversed with and carried on a
conversation with!)
· repeat the same questions over again
· get excited and shout out “Hi
Manager!!” mid-sentence
· request to be placed on hold so he can listen to our
Disney music
· It could also be hard to hear him. Some agents
have reported that it sounds like he is calling from a large room with a lot of
noise in the background.
Here
is how you should handle his calls:
· Please be kind, courteous and
professional, just as you always are with all of our Guests. Remember, from the 4 keys…. Every
Guest, Every Time!
· If he asks to speak to a manager, let
him know that you will be happy to assist him with
his questions and you will also be happy to put him on hold so he can listen to
our hold music – but you
really won’t put him on hold…. keep reading.
· If he insists on speaking to a
manager, you may transfer him to our Guest Services Dept
· He is only interested in Disneyland
and not Disney’s California Adventure. He wants to know the Disneyland
Park hours and which attractions are operating on that particular day.
(Sounds like his favorites are Space Mountain, Big Thunder and Splash
Mountain.)
· If he asks which attractions are down,
please tell him that it is our understanding that all rides and attractions in
Disneyland are fully operational at this time. (He gets worried and
becomes very concerned when he hears that one of his favorite attractions is
not in operation.)
· If he asks about the attractions in
WDW, tell him that it is our understanding that all rides and attractions are
fully operational in WDW at this time as well
· After you have answered a couple of his questions, you
may offer to put him on hold so he can listen to our hold music. But you
aren’t really going to put him on ‘hold’. You
will ‘cold transfer’ his call to a Speed Dial number that we have set up that
goes directly to our hold music. It’s speed dial number 660.
I
had the great pleasure of speaking to Billy’s father for quite a while.
He brought tears to my eyes when he said to me, “Thank you to you and everyone
else at Disney Travel for taking the time to talk to my son.” At this
point, he is getting choked up and he’s having trouble getting out these next
words…”You have no idea what this has done for him and our family. Disney did what hundreds of
thousands of dollars paying a speech therapist couldn’t do. How in
the world can I ever repay you people for that? I have spent literally
hundreds of thousands of dollars paying doctors and speech therapists trying to
help my son to get him to speak. You have no idea the impact that you
(Disney) have on people; especially people like my son. Thank you.”
Remember… Every Guest, Every Time！
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