Season Finale
Starting my internship on September 15, I never thought this day would come where I would have completed months of working full-time at an international logistics company located in Shanghai.
That day has finally arrived, and of course, the feelings have been mixed. I knew it would be hard to leave my job, my co-workers, stability, a source of income, as well as plenty of other things–but at the same time, I am completely relieved. It’s been a rough 9 months, as if I really WERE havin’ a baby–I’ve had to nurture my life carefully in this foreign place, learn how to make use of hours and hours of free time at my internship, adjust to so many changes both physically and mentally, deal with emotional instability and try my best to control mad cravings for things from home. I’ve finally given birth to what I would call a new season in my life, and am ready to put my all into this new chapter.
Despite a whirlwind of experiences, I am so happy to finally move on to this research project I have been working on, as well as just travel and spend time with a close friend. But I look most forward to returning home and seeing my loved ones again.
I know I probably should have done this earlier, but upon the request of Miss Lisa Corujo, I thought I’d give a brief tour of where I’ve spent majority of my time here in Shanghai to satisfy all of your curiosities…
C. Steinweg Co., Ltd., Shanghai
http://www.steinweg.com/en/home/
Morning Commute to Waigaoqiao Bonded Logistics Zone
Waiting at Century Ave for the company bus along with other local workers
And, it arrives. Co-workers pile in quickly to claim the best seats for the hour-long bus ride
TV with Chinese dramas to keep us entertained. Very useful tool in improving my Mandarin--it's a lesson each morning!
entering through security gates into WBLZ
Pulling into the company parking lot
Front Entrance
bus drivers and my sassy co-worker, Jennifer
Front Lobby
Reception Desk
Operations Department
Up towards the second floor to my department and desk
orange-themed cubicles and chairs--work time
where i spend the next 9+ hours of my day...
Break Room/Lounge
fancy, eh?
caffeine galore--tea, tea, tea!
you know you're in when you get your own office mug
1.) emphasizing health and fitness 2.) providing employees the illusion they're escaping the workplace
Lunch Munch
where our bento box bashes take place--it's always a fight for the microwaves
Warehouse & Storage Yard
view of our outdoor storage yard and managers' nice cars
piles of copper cathodes (our most popular stored commodity metal)
unloading copper from containers for storage, usually shipped from Brazil.
our warehouse that stores mostly metals like copper, zinc, nickel, cobalt, etc.
rainy days
It was a good 9 months. I’ll miss my loud, crazy Shanghainese co-workers (which ~80-90% are women), the loud booms and bangs of forklifts loading and unloading cargo into the warehouses which can sometimes cause the entire office building to rumble, dining with others on reheated bento boxes, indulging in the taste of green tea throughout the day, catching up with friends on Gchat for hours at a time, completing basic admin tasks as well as random jobs, receiving small gifts from co-workers who’ve recently come back from their honeymoons, vacations or just had a baby, random snacks from co-workers like Yak meat pie or duck tongue, the smells and feel of the orange-colored office, and most of all, being left with a sense of accomplishment when I hop on the bus to return home after a long day.
Thanks to the Big-G for all that I’ve gotten during this time.
