Yokoso, to my Japanese adventure!!

Since my spring semester ended so early at APU (May 4th!!), I was able to receive the opportunity for an incredible job offer!

My new friend I met through work, Miou!

I'm a tour guide/event planner for Golden Gate Express, a company that is based in San Fransisco. A few times a year they host a company from Japan called Nitori (it's like an IKEA type store in Japan) who come to the U.S. to do research in a variety of stores, shopping centers, and many other locations, to see how we market and what kind of products we market in the U.S. I'm currently staying in Costa Mesa so, I'm basically with about 200 people from Japan all day everyday majority of which don't speak English!!! 
There are about six people from my company who are from China, so, they speak Japanese, Chinese, and a little bit of English and act as the translators within the group. My boss, Ping is from China but lives in the U.S. and speaks Chinese and English....she is basically superwomen, how hard she works to accommodate others is unreal. The translators/event planners, Vera, Emily, Lizzy and Jane are also perfect examples of hard work. And, to top it off, they are all incredibly sweet as well!!!
One of my many duties comes to be when there is some kind of communication problem. With them being from other countries, I explain any misunderstandings or how American culture differs from theirs because of how different our costumes are. And, in return, I am able to learn so much about their culture!! It's a wonderful experience :) I get to walk around shopping centers all day long with them! Which, sometimes, can actually be VERY bad for my wallet ;). Towards the end of my journey, a couple of the translators were actually my age and from So Cal!! It was so great being able to personally connect with someone.

My sweet girls! Lizzy, Emily, Vera and Jane.

I started Wednesday, May 9th and the first few days were very stressful and long yet, extremely fun! I had to say "Konnichiwa watashiwa Lauren de shu" in front of all them at a conference meeting when they were settled in on the first day, as well as when each new group came in. I don't think I had ever been so nervous! They all slightly giggled after I said it, so, something tells me my Japanese needs improvement. Come to think of it, they always giggle when I attempt to speak their language! However, I think it may have to do with the fact that I'm a tall blonde with blue eyes speaking Japanese. :) 

My boss, Ping!

At a reception with the company. My co-workers and myself were the only ones dressed up! Everyone else was in jeans and tennis shoes....my boss told me to dress up to show them "how American girls dress." It was so much fun!! And as you can see, they really do peace signs in their pictures. :)

This first group (some of which pictured above) arrived the first Thursday morning (5/10) from Japan, and stayed for about a week. The second group flew in on Friday (5/18) and stayed in Costa Mesa for about a week then drove to Las Vegas! I'll be staying here in Costa Mesa while they're gone, to prepare for the third group that comes in.

All in all, this has been truly a great experience. I made so many memories and gained incredible skills useful to any career. The knowledge I'm gaining of not only working with people from other countries but, being able to exchange a few words with them everyday makes me realize how vital communication is. Not only with people in our own culture, but others as well.

Yoi ichinichi o! Translation: Have a nice day :)