emhelmer

My foreign land!

Have you ever been in a crowded room and felt completely alone?  I have.  But the one that sticks out to me the most was my very first day working at a mcdonalds.  I walked in there thinking I was all ready to go.  I had my new mcdonalds shirt on and my hat all fastened and a “I’m going to rock this job out” smile on my face.  I started getting trained, but the only thing my trainer did with me was taking the money from costumers in the drive thru, which is about as “self-explanatory” as it gets.  Then, she left and I was expected to work all the jobs!  I was barely trained and had no idea what I was doing while my coworkers were looking at me like I was trying to ruin their lives.  That wasn’t even the biggest reason why I felt like I was in a completely “foreign land.”  No, the main reason is because I would ask one of my coworkers a question and get the answer back in spanish, which I knew very little of.  I remember getting curious looks from coworkers when I accidently dropped food out of the drive thru window, annoyed looks from costumers when I messed up their order completely, and “you’re an idiot” look from my superiors when I was holding everyone up trying to figure out the new coffee machines.  It was a terrible feeling!  I don’t know what it is about not feeling accepted but it hurts.  I wanted to go home and never step foot into that horrid place again.  But then, there was this one guy who worked there that everyone loved.  And after mistake after mistake made by me, he started laughing and said to me, “Emily, you’re hilarious!” 

After that day, people were so nice to me.  It’s crazy how gaining the favor of one person can change your whole experience.  I don’t work at mcdonalds anymore but I don’t look back on the memory with hate or sadness, but with laughter and joy!  What started out as a complete disaster in a “foreign land” turned into a great working experience and a fun time!