Hi..midnight.
Thanks for today.. no matter what.
Woke up in the morning around 5:30, in the cold weather. After the heavy quarrel we had, I rejected to sleep with family in the master room, but to sleep on my own at the room I use computer. This room wasn't get heated so all the cold winds blow in from the window and is really really cold to sleep. I forced myself for sleep when it was around 9:40 and as I couldn't sleep, I on the computer to watch premiear league games while sleeping. After waking up at 5:30, I felt too cold to sleep and brought a jumper to wear on while I force myself for another hour of sleep. I thought of waking up at 6:30 to prepare myself to go out and reach the library at 7am. That was the opening hour of the library. I wanted to do something productive for myself and thought that reading the newspapers that are placed in the library early in the morning, would indeed be beneficial. However, as I forced myself for another hour of sleep at 5:30, I only woke up at 7:30 which was already quite late. I prepared my breakfast on my own, bathed. I saw the time and it was already 8:20. It wasn't a good timing. If I reach the library it would already be 8:50. I had to leave the library at 9, so it was waste of energy. I chose to read news at home using computer and left for work at 9.
I thought I wouldn't be late as the mall was only a 5 minutes distance from my house by bus. However, soooo unfortunately I had to wait for 12 minutes for the next bus. I guess I just missed the bus when I reached the stop. I wore five layers of clothes to cover myself from the cold winter's wind but it was still cold.
When I reached the shop, it was already 9:32. The manager told me why I was so late and I apologized and changed to the work clothes she provided me. The working clothes was so much better than the previous working clothes for the flyer distributing job, as they gave me a hoodie from their shop. This shop, called Hazzys, seemed like a really popular man's clothes shop in Korea, though I didn't know what this shop is. I was told that I will be working at the event hall which was on the same floor but slightly distant from the main shop. There were four workes in the shop including the manager and two part-timers including me. I followed the girl who seemed more experienced to the event hall. She seemed a bit fierce but was really nice explaining to me about the job scope. Being friendly too, she seemed to be friends with almost everybody around. Everybody came to talk to her. I thought, I should be more serious in this job while making friends with colleagues is important too.
The event hall was a place that was instilled separately to show all the items that were on discount. There were four shops and each shop had its own table. Mine was in the middle and on the left was Henry Cotton and on the right was Lacoste and Polo. The nuna told me to be familiar with the clothes so I can take them without much time wasted when the customer wants different size. However, it was still like 30mins before the opening so it was really dark and I couldn't differentiate the colors. I wanted to use phone's flashlight but my phone didn't have one. While I was struggling, it was already 10:25, and only left 5mins before the mall opened. I didn't feel nervous but rather excited to start on this new job! As people came over to have a look at my table's clothes I really felt so happy. Although I have a fixed rate of money I get but I felt really happy to see them looking at my clothes and considering to buy. Along the way, as the nuna was really experienced with selling exp of 3 years, she taught me basic skills like how to receive payments and how to deal with the customer's queries. I didn't even know how to fold the clothes and learned from her how to do so. She joked with me whether I had never folded clothes even once. I always do because I lived alone, but didn't know how to fold in a way to display to others. Mine was more of home comfortable type of folding. While waiting for customer, there were really nothing at all to do. Unlike flyer distributor job which is routinely but busy at its job's character, it was realllly boring and nothing to do at all. People rarely came although most looked at our shop's clothes more than the clothes layed on the other shop's table. The nuna began talking to the girl beside at Lacoste shop. The lacoste worker who was about 158cm had a big eyes and she seemed tired and exhausted all the time. She had that complaining face haha. I wanted to make friend with everybody in here so I said hi to all. I asked the nuna who is my partner what's her age. She being naughty asked me back how old she looks like. I said 30 and she was kind of shocked in the Korean facial expression. The other girl at the Lacoste shop began laughing and I told her my aunt is also 30 and she look like her. She was shocked again and told me not to talk anymore. Be it intended or not I hoped that could break the ice in there.
She left the shop to go to the main shop few steps away and I was alone taking care at the event hall. I began talking to others and talked to the polo shop's worker who was guy. He was nice guy to talk to and I realized that he is actaully a reporter! A sports reporter! And even this morning he told me he wrote an article about Suwon Samsung Bluewings' stars who will be releasing on FA. I was so glad to meet a person like him. He shares some what of my dream and I was seeing the live witness of that. I wanted to talk further, but halfway through, the exhausted Lacoste nuna called me there was someone looking for me. The another worker at the shop came over to find me. He told me it was lunch time for me and I can go on for lunch with my colleague. Two of us went down to the cafeteria to have the cheap lunch. It only cost about 4 dollars yet so fulfilling. Kyungmin, my colleague was bit chubby but didn't eat much. She will always not be able to finish her food. We talked all the way during the meal and felt we were getting closer. She brought her tooth brush and I waited for her.
The second period of work has come. It was 1pm. Still, there were so few people up in here. It was a series of folding the clothes after each customer came over to see. The first cutomer came around 2pm. He was Chinese who can speak Korean. As the nuna went over to take the stock from the main shop, I tried to please them by speaking the little bit of Chinese I knew. After helping them to pay, I felt so great to have sold something. There were not many people till 3pm and I kept talking to others. When it was after 3, people came in storming. Although not all bought them but it was really crazily a lot of people. They came in and everybody looked for different sizes and it was so confusing to identify the clothes. I just feel that I didn't do anything so wrong to spoil the customer's mood or the sales. It continued till 5:30 pm. Halfway through, as the main shop got busier, Kyungmin came over and nuna went over to the main shop. One thing I realized while selling was that there were really a lot of Chinese in Suwon. There are really a lot. And most of them. can actually speak Korean. Even those who are not chinese all can speak Korean. Wanting to show off my English language skill to those American customers, I didn't get a chance as most of them could speak Korean.
After 5:30, was really a relaxing period. Although at times I had to run all around to get the stock from the main shop and to the mending room to save customer's time, it was still relaxing. This was the time talking to other people around me. The one on the left was Henry Cotton and there was two girls. Everytime I do work, I always get girl colleagues. At this event hall there were only two guys including me and 4 girls. The girl at the Henry cotton was really pretty. However, after a while I realised she is not the type I like. Actually.... although I wouldn't know what will happen but, even if I meet my type of girl i don't think I can fall into relationship so easily. After the first relationship I had. which ended not in a great way.
From that time to 8:30 was all the time of me bonding session with Kyung min. We talked all the way yet selling like 3-4 clothes. It was really satisfactory. I was most glad that I finally have friends to talk to in Korea. I talked non-stop till Kyungmin got bit annoyed but I was still so satisfactory.
Although it was little bit confusing, I learned really a lot today. It was so glad to be communicating with so many people today. Hope I'm growing and learning everyday. Hope that I wouldn't change my attitude and live as first-timer always.
Good night....
and Happy 19th Amy Wong Chin Fong.
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