matt schauer89

This week I started work! My first week of my first full time job! I can definitely feel that I have a lot to learn, but I don't feel like I've done very much the past couple of days. Then again, I'm also getting the feeling that I have a lot of freedom to do pretty much anything I want at whatever time I want, so that's interesting. One thing that I'm a little disappointed with myself about though is that I obviously have things that I need to get done after I get off work, whether it be more work or errands that affect both personal life and work or whatever, I'm just so tired/lazy that I don't do anything when I get home for about two hours. Part of that time is spent making ... read more

Anybody who has traveled abroad, particularly those that have spent a little while in a location outside their "normal environment" (which could also be another city/state in your own country), they begin to realize how different the local customs and perspectives are from their own and further, that these perspectives are often related to the way in which a country portrays itself to its people (through the media, in speeches given by public servants, in the education system, etc.). This is pretty straighforward, but the next point is what I want to focus on: When you think about these things oftentimes your first reaction is "well that's wrong/stupid/naive" or some other critical assessment, but after thinking about it a little, you really begin to question your own persectives and upbringing. This is where my story comes ... read more

Work has been a bit more relaxed in a way after turning in the report last week that I was told to do. I still don't think it's an exceptional piece of work, but it's the best I was able to do, so oh well. On the other hand, working on my visa stuff has been driving me crazy. Quick breakdown of what I have learned and what I need to do: I need a work visa to work in China and legally receive a salary. Problem: China late last year passed a law saying that individuals who receive a work visa MUST be over 24 and have two years work experience in the field which they will be working. Sucks for me right? I don't fulfill anywhere close to either of those. One small light ... read more

I got a job! I officially got hired on from my internship to become a full time worker. Below are the details: Company: Opportunity International (China) Job title: (still to be determined, but i'll be something related to marketing) Job location: Shuyang (my current location) (but, I'll be traveling very often to the different branches in the area to work on the marketing and expansion of each of the branches) Job description: I will be going out to the markets (or wherever there are regular, steady gatherings of people buying and selling product) to advertise OIC. I am supposed to coordinate with the local branches regarding dialect difficulties, regarding expertise in various industries, and regarding different marketing strategies based on local customs and ideosyncracies. I will be reporting directly to the CEO and am the first ... read more

This week has picked up a lot since the last blog or two I left. On Tuesday the China country CEO came to our branch - a monthly occurrence, so nothing special - for a meeting. At the beginning of the meeting, however, he complimented me on a number of different characteristics including my work being very dependable, me working very hard, he thanked me for putting OIC in contact with State Department officials, etc. Complimenting me would've been fine, but he bragged about me for so long, it felt really awkward for me. Anyway, fun times. Also, I feel like my job prospects here at OIC are more and more definitive, partly because the CEO bragged about me for so long and partly because I really feel like I'm integrating into the group; my branch ... read more

I forgot to add these to the previous blog. Sorry.... read more

I went to Shanghai to meet Sun lu Friday night. To sum it up, it was like a dream. Seriously. She landed really late and finally got to the hotel around 3am Saturday morning, so she woke me up when she walked in. So not only was I getting over the fact that I hadn't seen her in forever, but I was also still quite drowsy. Seeing her, squeezing her, kissing her, all of it felt felt surreal. It was wonderful. Over the course of the 1 1/2 days we had together, we slept in, ate an amazing hot pot lunch, met with her cousin and old roommate for dinner, and walked around the Pudong "Bun" area (a really touristy area in Shanghai near the river). Really, we didn't do much. The point was to see ... read more

Been having a rough time recently. Quick recap: Sun lu and I had a decent sized fight; I'm having culture shock because the mindset and train of thought here is so different from what I'm used to; I don't feel satisfied with the work that I'm producing because I feel that my language skills still have much in terms of improvement; I'm absolutely incapable of being a self sufficient, independent individual (something that I have tried to be since very young) in this city because of 1) long distances on very rural roads (IF considered roads), 2) dialect differences, and/or 3) since I'm so new and know nothing about what is here or even how to find it; I had a heated political discussion with my roommates/coworkers about Japan (Chinese tend to really discriminate against the ... read more

I just got back from the hospital. Apparently my shoulder refuses to believe that I had surgery and enjoys being dislocated. This time, unlike every previous time that it has dislocated, I couldn't put it back into socket, I almost fainted, and was sweating profusely. Eventually when I got to the doctor and he was putting my arm back into socket, I was in more pain than I think I've ever been in (or so that I can remember). Even when I broke and dislocated my tailbone, had to board the rest of the way down the mountain, drive home on my own, and sat in 2 hours of traffic (totalling 4 hours of driving, instead of the usual 2), I still didn't feel as much pain as when the doctor was thrashing my arm around ... read more

Had a good meeting today about job prospects with the woman who interviewed me for this internship. She helped me focus quite a bit on the work that I'm doing (since the people at my branch aren't helping too much in that department) and provided me with some more reassurance that I'm probably going to be hired at the end of the internship - pending that I don't screw up anything majorly and that I'm not super lazy; so I'm excited about that. So the other intern that I'm supposed to be working with arrived the other day. She's Singaporean, going to be a sophomore in undergrad next year, and is both nice and not terribly upfront about her needs/expectations with people in the org. To be perfectly honest, while she seems quite smart and capable, ... read more