See Ya China

It's over! My last day of work was today and I fly home in 48 hours..

What a trip it has been. I have had an amazing time here and have enjoyed almost everything China has to offer...minus the gross food I ate. I really can't believe I am heading home. I was here for 3 months and at times it felt like a century but at other times it felt like it flew by.

I was looking back on my first few posts that talked about where I will be working, where I will be staying, and all the nervous feelings I had a month before leaving. Reading it made me kind of laugh. I had no clue what I was getting myself into, I just knew I needed to show up on July 1. The first day or two I ironed out the nerves and started meeting people and my journey was in full swing. The experience here was truly incredible. This will be the largest Olympic Aramark ever does. There were 237 international managers and over 8,000 employees. On a busy day we would feed roughly 15,000 meals. Looking back on it all and seeing two villages, AV and MV, go from something to nothing is truly incredible. I was so fortunate to be a part of this project. I was one of the youngest managers here and I was working with people who were general managers, regional managers, and even some corporate managers. The connections I have made will hopefully provide a boost in my career. Not only did I meet great contacts I met some great people here who luckily live close to Philly. We hit it off right from day 1 and hung out the whole time. Granted most of these friends I made were almost old enough to be my parents it was still fun! Polishing off a bottle of vodka with regional managers and then trading business cards is something I wont forget.

Of course living in Beijing for 3 months had its ups and downs. There were days I wanted to just pack my bags and get the hell out of here and then there were days that I wanted to stay longer...actually not really! What am I thinking? Let me rephrase..there were days that I really enjoyed the city.

Now for a summary of the things I will miss and the things I hope I never have to see,smell, or hear again!

I will miss:
-cheap meals, cheap beer, and cheap taxi rides.
-the people I worked with and became friends with.
-hearing the annoying Chinese voice on the Subway.
-having my laundry folded perfectly and returned in plastic bags.
-my boxers being hung on hangers with creases.
-the awesome bread place around the corner.
-amazing dumplings, noodles, and steamed bread.
-crazy Silk Market and all the people who try selling you things.
-the translators who made my life so much easier..I could call them no matter what I was doing and they would translate for me.
-negotiating for everything..even at a hotel

I will not miss:
-the nasty smog filled sky.
-everything being a process when you have a simple task at hand.
-the stench in the taxi cabs.
-the little babies wearing assless chaps.
-walking down the street and getting hit with the worst smells ever.
-having staff that slept more then they worked.
-the chaos of work.
-having to wake up at 1am or 7am to watch Phillies games.
-the awful beds here.
-the traffic!
-the lack of personal space.
-people staring at me everywhere I go ( I have had issues with that since I was little!)

Well the things I wont miss out weigh the things I will miss but don't get me wrong...I still had an amazing time. As you all know being in Bejing for 3 months is something I will never forget. Everyone since the day I said I wanted to go to Beijing has been very supportive. Friends, family, and co-workers all encouraged me to come to Beijing to take on this challenge. I think I embraced the challenge of working on the other side of the world and making the best of everything here. It is hard to believe but I barley speak Chinese and still managed to get by for 3 months.

I look forward to getting back to Philly and back to my normal routine. I will be returning back to the Linc for football season. I think being here and working on the Olympic project will open up new opportunities for me.

I can't wait to see my family and friends and of course Game 1 of the Phillies playoffs. No more skype calls at 3am Beijing time to my father screaming about the Phillies game, no more video chats with my sister and cousin Michael at work, and no more emailing my mother to send me every time of medicine Target has to offer.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this long journey. I look forward to seeing everyone when I get back to share stories. Who knows where my next adventure will take me!

Love,
David