How was your first day going to work?

After the moment that I was so happy about my job, I started being nervous because I did’t know how I was gonna go to the city. We went to the garment district, where my office is few times already, but I never paid attention on the way. Moreover, I am the worst at direction, so Ben decided to take me to work for the first two days. It is pretty convenient to go to my company by bus from Livingston. The bus stop is just 5 minutes walk from Ben’s parents house. We got in the bus, it is much nicer and cleaner inside the bus comparing to Vietnamese buses. Ben told me that my stop is the last stop, which is good for me because I don’t have to care about others stops. I just need to make sure I get on the right bus to New York. The bus ride is pretty easy for me. But getting off the bus and going out to the street is so confusing! I already felt lost when we just got off the bus because there are so many people in the station and there are so many directions in the station. To be honest, if Ben did not go with me, I would cry in the station because of being scared. The crowd in the bus station is not the worst thing. As soon as we step out of the station, I saw a huge crowd of people on the sidewalk. I was surprised and asked Ben: Are all of them going to work? Ben said he thought so. It was really overwhemlming how many people walking on the sides of streets in New York. Everyone was also in hurry to work. They walked so fast. I felt like I would be pushed if I just stopped for a second. One thing came out of my head that understand now how foreigners in Vietnam are so scared and nervous about the rush hour in Hanoi. For me, big crowds of motorbikes on the streets in Hanoi is such a normal thing and it becomes one part of our life there.

After the crazy crowd of people rushing to work, I finally got in my office. As soon as I said goodbye to Ben, I realized that I forgot my phone at home! I was so stupid. How could I call Ben to go for lunch or after work? I got supper worried. I did not want to get lost the first day at work! I told Ben that I would try to contact him by email before I finished work. So I went in to the office. A girl in my department met me and took me to say hi to everyone in the office. Everyone seems nice and friendly. I felt a bit dizzy because there were so many people in the office. Again, for me all of white people look the same, except my manager is Indian and other two girls in my department are Chinese. I barely can memorize some people’s names there. That was the only thing I worry about. For the rest of the day, it was pretty good because everyone in my department was so nice to show me new things for me.

                                              Typical Street crowd in New York City

Oh well, I felt my first day at work was so adventurous, just like my first day my mom brought me to kindergarten. I hope that in this second week I will be more “grown up” because I am gonna go to work by myself!