200 Chinese Employees....

What a day. We got to work around 8:30. It is horrible how long it takes to get around here. There is so much traffic that wherever we go it takes forever. Today 200 employees showed up. 115 were for culinary and the rest were for facilities and operations. We broke them up into groups and got on our way. It was pretty chaotic but we were given a translator which was awesome. It turns out that the 10 employees I have actually speak a little bit of English which was a huge bonus. As I said before we have our soft opening July 11th so we were having them clean and get everything organized. The way these people clean is amazing. They work really hard and never miss a spot. I might see if one can fit on my carry on because we are in the market for a new cleaning lady.

While cleaning I was moving stuff around and had to push trash cans into those big trash holder type things. I don't know the name for them but its like the trash bins you see in a food court. I opened up one of the doors and there was all this cardboard and bubble wrap. I started pulling it out so the trash can would fit and this guy stops me. He starts speaking Chinese and I just say " I don't understand." He does a hand motion for sleeping and I just tell him to move it. Bottom line is, it was the guys bed and he thought I was throwing it out. I told the translator to just tell him to put it else where.

The whole bed thing is something I have seen multiple times since here. I am not sure who hired them but there are people who sit in each building and don't do anything but just look out for the stuff. I am not sure if they are Aramark employees or what but all they do is sit and watch. They also sleep there. It is very common to see people sleeping behind a cooler or under a staircase. It is a bit disturbing and I am not sure what will happen when the games start.

When I was given my assignment I was told that I would be dealing with Coca Cola. Today the guys came to make sure everything was up and running. They spoke maybe a word or two of English. The guy was trying to explain that we need converters for some of the coolers. It took forever but once I realized what he was talking about he was very happy and gave me a hug. I thought a hand shake would work but it is what it is.

I just want to give you guys some background on what I have observed about Beijing. I have been here for 5 days and seen the sun once. It is so humid you could die. Traffic is horrendous no matter what time you travel. You walk in the street and smell something horrible and go "that is the worst thing I have ever smelled" but one block later you smell something even worse. Employees love to sleep. At any given point you will see someone passed out on chair or even standing up. When we went for dinner last night our waitress was sleeping while we were eating.

Eating here has been a huge culture shock. Most of you probably know I am a very picky eater. The first day we ate amazing food and since then it hasn't been so amazing. Last night all I wanted was noodles with some chicken. The menus here are designed for people like me, all pictures. I paged through the menu until I saw noodles with chicken. I ordered that with a small bowl of what I thought was rice but came out as something that I can't even describe. The noodles come out and they are this brown color and don't look like noodles. I dug my chopsticks right in and they turned out to be really good. The chicken however was not so good. I took one bite and almost broke my tooth on a bone. I don't understand why they can't just get rid of the bones. I had to pick out all the bones and was left with a piece or two left. The food is starting to frustrate me a little. I am willing to try some random things but when you go to take a bite of chicken and its a bone it really kills your appetite. I might Google "kosher deli" and see what I come up with.

This weekend we are heading to the Forbidden City. I am looking forward to seeing some of the history this city has to offer and I will be sure to take pictures.

I still don't think I am over the jet lag. Today was a very long day. It could be my allergies though. It is so stuffy outside you feel kind of hungover when you are walking around.

Until next time.