First Day on the Job

Hello everyone! Now that I am checked into my room it is time to start the internship! Vennie (the supervisor the overseas department) from H&T said I could come in the afternoon because she thought I would be tired from traveling. She also had meetings to attend. It was good to have the extra time so I could get a bank account opened and unpack more of my things.
I started to get ready for work after lunch by taking a shower. Showers here are necessary but about 1 hour after I take them I am really hot and sweaty again so it almost seems like I shouldn’t take them! I got to the bus stop where I would meet Vennie and then gave her a call. She sent one of the workers to meet me and we went to the office, what a place!
The whole office is decorated in very traditional Chinese style. The office is honestly unlike anything I have seen before; I didn’t know something this unique existed! You enter the building in a large entryway. Outside are two small ponds that continue inside the building, the entry path is like a bridge over the pond. To get to the work area you take one of two curved stairways. On the main office floor there is a stream along the perimeter with real fish, plants, and small bridges to other offices. My favorite area is a small pond where you can take stepping stones to a wooden deck in the corner that has a table where you can sit and drink tea. It really needs to bee seen in person to be appreciated!
Since it was my first day I though I should wear a suit so I would not be under dressed. I was definitely too dressed up though, the office culture here is to wear much more relaxed clothing. You see people wearing short sleeved dress shirts, polo shirts, and even jeans and a t-shirt. There is more emphasis on creating a comfortable work environment than being perceived as professional.
I get my own desk like the other workers and access to the internet. Since I was only in the office for the afternoon I was given an H&T handbook to study so I could learn more about the company.