Business Trip Into Town

Today on my day off I had to travel into town to take care of some errands. This was my first time in town, besides just arriving at the bus station there my first day. I was told it was a small town, and at first it seemed big and busy to me, but I quickly realized there are just a lot of things packed into a small area, and it is fairly easy to navigate.

After staff lunch of fried chicken, fries, garden salad, and breakfast leftovers, I took a taxi into town. I had to get the village shop to call the taxi for me, as I still do not have my phone set up, but as is everyone in this tiny village, they were very nice and chatted with me until the taxi came, asking me who my favorite chefs were and whatnot (they have never heard of Cake Boss!?). The taxi driver was also incredibly friendly.

My first stop was setting up a bank account, which I managed to do despite not having an appointment. The teller was even kind enough to give me very specific directions and a hand-drawn map to my next stop, which I was incredibly thankful for considering I did not know the town at all yet. I arrived twenty minutes before they opened and there was already a line-up around the corner. This stop was not as successful, as apparently I have to travel to a different town an hour away to obtain a number for work. That would have been nice to know before waiting for an hour. Next stop to register my stay here – a requirement for staying more than three months. I was approaching my deadline of thirty days after arrival to do this. Apparently only one person can do this, and he isn’t in very often, so nine people were waiting for him. I was second in line and the first person took 55 minutes. I got registered, but I will have to go back there again.

The bakery - I'll take the chocolate one on the left, and that fudge cake, and that little square, and well, one of everything please!

Now it was time to have some fun and explore. My first stop I didn’t even plan but it ended up being a really nice bakery where I drooled over the cakes and pastries, and the offerings in the adjacent café. Luckily there were free cake samples, which were delicious, not surprising considering this was the bakery my birthday cake had come from. I stopped in at the mall, bought a few necessities, and drooled over some more food establishments and restaurants on my way – making a silent note of where I would have to visit when I had more time. I also visited the park and walked by a few churches, the library, and the post office before finding an awesome little kitchen accessory store. I could spend hours in there, but it was nearing supper time and everything was closing. I attempted to set up a phone plan at three different mobile shops, but none of them were compatible with the SIM card I had.

I returned with another friendly taxi driver to staff meal of roast chicken and salad. Although not much of my day, aside from visiting the bakery and cooking store, was food-related, I feel it is important to share it here in order to share the challenges and responsibilities that need to be dealt with when preparing for a work term in another country.