24th of August, Saturday  Rainy

I was the earliest one who left the office yesterday, at 5:30 pm.

“咁我走先啦。” stuffed all the files into the bag, I summoned the courage to stand up and say goodbye to them.

“Byebye.” Allen and Freeman responded in union.

“See you next week.” Centaury smiled.

Bill said nothing. Too focused on the report? Thus when passing through Bill, I said “Bill, 我行先了。” Bill looked up at me from the Apple and responded:”Byebye.” Then, I fastened the step and headed toward the entrance.

This scene ended my first working week. If I need to make a summarization of this week, the first word is, comfortable. I don’t mean the office environment, though it’s a fact that building and the office are very clean and has wonderful scene outside French windows. What I want to emphasize is the colleagues and regulations.

Bill is the head of this GZ representative office. He’s from HK and in fact he’s retired already. Though at a not young age, he is quick-minded and full of energy. This, I assume, is closed related to his previous job in HK, the supervisor of HK Police Bureau in Chai Wan District, a position I learn from TV series in TVB as a children but never thought I would have the chance to meet such personnel. Oh, almost forget, his English is much better than mine. He has skype meetings with Paul in English every day.

Allen is the manager and it’s he who my work is responsible for. I thought he’s from HK as Bill do based on my impression at my interviews. But later I learn from Freeman he is a local instead. Patient and kind-hearted, he instructed me to do everything: how to use the database, how to settle up my email, how to read the report, etc. But he is very shy, er, I mean, every time he talk to me, like explaining the usage of a database, he never meets my stare, never (- -, he won’t read my blog, I guess). Anyway, his capacity and English is without doubt. Yesterday I read the report which he spent on afternoon to write. The logic, and profession, the English he uses…wow, will I be as strong as he half or one year later? Definitely want and need to.

Freeman and Centaury are assistances to Allen. Very friendly also. I like Centaury very much, her appearance and her temperament, especially her short hair ((^_^) I like girls with short hair). She is a local and very energetic. Freeman, because both of us need to take the metro on and off duty, thus there’s more time between Freeman and I to chat and to understand. He is from Panyu District. Though a district in GZ like Tianhe, Yuexiu, “Panyu people is Panyu people”—this was his words. Now he is renting a house in Zengceng for 2,000 RMB monthly. Everyday he needs to about thirty minute’s metro after forty minute’ 楼巴. “I’m long marching every day.” He joked. Centaury,

The reason why Freeman’s still willing to do the long march every day, I’m sure, is he like the regulations here. Bill said to me in my first working day:”Working hours is very flexible. Though it begins at 9:00 am, it’s ok if you are late for a while due to the bad traffic or terrible weather. In fact, we encourage our colleagues to avoid rushing hours. None of them will arrive on time except me. Besides, we will leave the office earlier if there’s no work.” Bill is right: my first working day ended at 5:25. Though I began at 9:00 on second day, I didn’t see Centaury or Freeman until 10:00, and that ended at 5:30 also. And I was surprised by Lan, our administrative girl, one day she arrived at 10:00 am and left at 4:00 pm…besides surprise, there’s an unnamed feeling towards my previous job. It’s a rare case for everyone to leave before 7:00 (no over time pay) and I felt very lucky and also guilty if I left before seven. But now, after one hour’s metro, I can still back to my dorm before seven. Also, while there’s only thirty minutes to stuff the lunch into my mouth, now I have two hours to enjoy the lunch in either nearby restaurant or the office and then take thirty minute’ nap…What a difference…

But there are conditions for these comforts: I must be qualified to the job. And thus another word to conclude this week is challenging. I read a lot of reports this week. These are big projects they had completed these years. “You can get yourself familiar with the format and also get some understanding of what we need to do.” Allen said when he skpyed the files to me. To be very honest, the reading frustrated me at the very beginning. Economics, finance, share, stake, quota, balance sheet, bond, CR code, AR…I knew none of them!! Not to say to understand the report…though now I know some of them after Allen’s explanation, there’s still a long way to go… Thus, the first challenge is, I need to squeeze in some knowledge of economics. And the second is, urgently improve my English…

Back to the last scene, in fact, I’m very worried about this…I was the first one left the office…Will Bill think I am being rude and thus fire me, will he?...