The end of Week 1

I set my alarm for 5, even though I knew I would be up by 4:30.
And I was.
How predictable.
I wanted to go running. I needed the endorphins. Paired with this blog and the occasional American indulgence, I need it for sanity's sake.
Asians don't run. I should really stop generalizing all Asians together. Maybe tomorrow.
When I was in Paris and went out to run, I quickly realized that the French don't really run either. Well, the girls anyway. There were lots of guys at the park, but the only women wearing exercise clothes were power-walking. And they for sure didn't do it alone. Always with another girl or a guy. So, of course, I stood out.
Although, they did stare less obviously in Paris than here.
For whatever reason, despite the sun being up at 4:30, my fellow complex inhabitants do not get up before nearly 6:30 and they all conglomerate into little cliques until the wee hours of the morning - I swear it looks just like high school out there, so I walk faster to get by.
Being up and out the door before 5:30 severely reduced the stares as there was virtually no one outside. Still, it took everything in me to muster up the self-confidence to walk out the door.
I realized what I was doing and was embarrassed. At home, I clearly have no problem being different. Why here? Why was I acting so silly and lacking so much self-esteem? My friends and family would be so disappointed.
I think we recognize race more than we admit and subconsciously relate to it more than we would be comfortable with. I saw another white person the other day and couldn't help but to stare for the brief moments before they passed out of my line of vision.
I caught myself and proceeded with an internal verbal lashing of how awful I probably made that person feel since I hated it when people stared at me so much.
But still, were they just as thankful to see me as I was to see them?
I know it sounds ridiculous and petty, but it really gave me a sense of comfort and pushed away some of the loneliness. I know that sitting there, in the states, or where ever you are, you are probably surrounding by fellow citizens of mostly your own race and generally people you relate to on a lot of levels and it is easy to say I'm being dramatic, but I assure you, everyone's sane until they're thrown into the isolation chamber.
I like it more and more each day here. And I find more and more ways that I relate to people everyday.
During my run, I felt like I was at home as I ran in the morning air along the tree-lined sidewalks. Generally it was a really gorgeous and amazing time and I don't think it will be as hard to muster up the confidence to go again.
With endorphins in my system, I was more patient than usual as we spent most of the day sitting and studying alone before our test yesterday. Check it out:

Yeah, fridge-worthy. Alex and I made a bet on who would get a higher score on the test.
Guess who gets to enjoy a free bueno bar and a soda soon!
I even tried food in the staff kitchen that I liked yesterday that wasn't solely steamed rice.
Do I know what it was?
Nope.
Do I really want to know?
Absolutely not.
It made me realize how hard, but sometimes easy it is to mix culture together. I have an apple and a banana every day, as they serve those with lunch and dinner. They are doing more fruit now since they realized it was something that we the interns actually can stomach.
Everyone has been gracious and asked how we like the food, as they are just as concerned that we can eat the meals as we are.
And as I shared a laugh with someone who didn't speak English as we peeled out apples (you can't really wash them off since it's polluted water so you have to peel the skin), he much faster than I who incompetently operated the peeled as if I were writing with my left hand, I realized that was one of my favorite things about humanity: sharing a laugh with someone who doesn't speak your language.
Even though I could never know what he thinks about politics or everyday life, for a moment, we were on the same page.
Even though the other residents stare, I still find comfort in all the American-like clothes they so love to don: overalls and t-shirts with English run amock.
They like our cars, our brands, our food, Apple, and Disney.

I know you probably can't read it but there is an iApple night at the bar on Tuesday's here at the hotel. You get a free apple martini or apple snack when you show your Apple product, all in honor of Steve Jobs. Awesome, right?

These are things that cross cultural boundaries, here. Somehow Disney appeals to most of humanity. I remembered back to experiencing Disneyland Paris where the attractions were a perfect mesh of English and French without ruining the show. One character, say Mickey, would speak English, and Minnie, would respond in French, but in a way that you knew what she was responded to.
So it was less like a Spanish repeat of safety rules after English ones in the states and more so like listening to someone talking on the phone, but knowing what the other person is saying based on what they're saying. This was really nice since I understood both languages and didn't have to listen to a repeat for the whole parade, show, ride, etc.
Here I am, trying to mesh with I know with what they relate with and I feel like I'm actually making progress.
There's also the comfort in not being completely hated as an American like some parts of the world see us.
Moving on from my rant.
I got my intern plan yesterday, so here's the breakdown of the next 6 months.

Week 1: General - Orientation, introduction and familiarization with Front Office
Weeks 2 - 18: Club InterContinental - Breakfast Setup, Afternoon Tea Setup, Cocktail Setup & Service Sequence, Shift Checklists & Guest Preferences, F&B covers forecasting, Guest relations
Weeks 19 & 20: Instant Service Center - Introduction to Guest services areas and functions, Communication Tools, VIP handling & guest relations Guidelines, Vingcard and safe operations
Weeks 21 & 22: Concierge - Transportation, Newspapers, Luggage Storage and lobby greeting
Weeks 23 - 31: GOR - Lobby greeting & rooming, VIP level chick-in and repeat amenities preparations

I just finished week 1 and I start at Club InterContinental after this sweet 3 day weekend (I'm off today through Sunday thanks to a public holiday for the Dragon Boat races tomorrow). Club InterContinental is accessible with an extra charge on top of the rate and is located on the 27th floor. I really love it for its library, view, and the awesome food they serve. Its sort of like a private concierge service as well, so I'm excited to have more personal interactions with people.
The instant service center is basically their in house operator office and from my previous experiences in those positions, its going to be crazy.
Concierge is just that, concierge and transportation arrangements.
GOR is like a high-level guest service rep that walks the lobby and handles VIP's, kind of like a 5 star Wal-Mart greeter for the stars. Nothing too crazy most of the time, but often carries quite the load.
I've got laundry to do and weekend plans to make, including seeing the dragon boats, so much love!