The Code is Insane!

Wrapping up my first day in the office in SZ. We were hoping that the workday was over at 5pm, but apparently not because usually the day ends in a mass exodus and nobody is leaving yet. Well, except for Brian who has ditched me for the hotel treadmill because it's too hot in here. I'll continue to hang out here, thanks. Yes it's warm but I "forgot" my running shoes. Such a shame!

Today's lunch can be officially counted as my first True Chinese Meal. Our building houses a very well-known Dim Sum restaurant that puts anything I've had in the states to shame. I enjoyed everything that our team lead ordered for us, and was very proud of myself for being adventurous until she confided to us that she ordered all of the "American-Friendly" dishes. So no chicken feet yet, but maybe I'll see later in the week if they do curry cuttlefish as well as they do at Happy Chef in Chicago's Chinatown.

Also conducted a meeting with my team here. English proficiency varies from person to person so I tried to keep it simple. My spiel was met with a mixture of nods and blank stares, which is pretty much par for the course for me anyway. I'm getting better at not speaking in idioms or using sarcasm, which means I pretty much have to strip my personality entirely if I want to be understood. When one analyst phrased a question he had for me in Chinese first to the team so they could help him ask me in English, he seemed embarrassed and apologized to me. I tried to make him feel better by assuring him that his English is still far better than my Chinese, a comment that I have said many times to try to get a laugh or at least a smile but I haven't gotten one yet.

When the meeting was over, I said "ok that's all I have, thanks everybody," which in America means "Class Dismissed" and usually initiates a stampede. Here everybody just sat and looked at me. So either they really didn't understand a word or they were expecting me to leave first.

The rest of the day has plodded on along with the soundtrack of jackhammers outside, which I really don't mind, they're far enough away to be ambient noise, and noise and "fresh" air from outside does remind me of summer, which is probably why the heat inside the building doesn't bother me so much. I say that to stir up a little jealousy to all of you still in the cold, except I hear it's in the 50s and maybe 60s over there...figures!

I think it's time to head back to the hotel and wash the grease and pollution off my face.

Oh one last thing. Even though this is a very modern building, the floors are raised and seem to be made of cheap plywood which literally bows under people as they walk, also the chairs are a little rickety. Anybody want odds on whether I end up through/on the floor by the end of the week?