Just a Regular White Girl

That's what I've been dubbed by the people I work with. Yes, I know, I live in Miami, where most of the population seems to be Hispanic. But why do I just have to be a "Regular White Girl" (RWG, from this point forward).

A lot of people come into work who only speak Spanish. I understand that living here, knowing Spanish would make my life easier. Wait, no it wouldn't. It would make other people's lives easier. Sigh. We're in America- we speak English. I have WAY less of a problem with customers who don't speak Spanish (let's face it- we've all been to other countries and didn't speak the language) than I do with store employees who don't speak English. (recall my Target story?)

Anyway, climbing off my soapbox.... I was in the breakroom the other day, and one of my co-workers was talking to another coworker about how when he first met her, he thought she was "just a RWG" then he shortly found out she was Hispanic, which made her cooler, apparently. So I asked- "What exactly is a RWG?" To which he seemed to have no answer. I suppose I'm being descriminated against because I have no blatently obvious heritage... as my mom always says, I'm European American. That always gets questioning looks.

Regarding the Hispanic culture in Miami, I've now been here for three months and I have a few observations.

1. Their coffee is tasty. And strong. And cheap. Forget Starbucks, I hit up the coffee places around me and can get amazing coffee for $1. Put it this way- if it's more than $1.50, you're getting taken advantage of.
2. They like to kiss you. Weird. I have personal space issues, so when I first meet people, I extend my hand for a nice handshake. Nope- that doesn't work here. People love hugging and doing the two cheek kiss. Took a while for me to not be totally heebed out by it. It's beginning to grow on me... but I'm still not 100%
3. They call women "mama." It's not just the dudes that do it either- it's girls too. I have NEVER been called mama in my ENTIRE life, and suddenly, it's like my new name.
   
4. Back to the coffee... a lot of times, when you buy a Cuban coffee (just espresso and loads of sugar) they give you these little plastic "shot glasses" to share it with your friends. How fun. I suppose they think that you would have to be nuts to finish the whole thing yourself... I've done it. Many times.
   

Alas... I've had enough of my Miami observations... I'm sitting in the Fort Lauderdale airport (thanks, free WiFi!!!) waiting for my flight to NYC... I'll be there soon! Stay tuned for a trip recap and pictures.

I'm no longer unemployed!

Woohoo! I have a job!

I've actually had one, effective October 24, but that was just when we started training for the new Apple store. We had the grand opening on November 8- it was nuts how many people were there. I wasn't scheduled to work the morning opening shift, but since we live across the street from the mall, Jon and I decided to go witness the festivities. There was a line out the door of the mall... hundreds of people there, waiting for the opening. It was exciting! I took this video of the opening.... It was slammed all day, and has been since then. It's nice to have people my age around to work with and hang out with... and to actually be making money :)

Someone cares!

I got this email yesterday... woohoo for some sort of response to my job searching! After my shopping spree at the Apple Store last weekend, I thought it would be fun to have them pay for me to love and promote their products... instead of doing it for free and on my own time.

The Email:
Hey Angela,

Congratulations!

You have been selected from the many hopefuls that are interested in working at our Apple Store coming to Dadeland, FL. You possess something that we are looking for and we want to meet you!

What:
• Attend a hiring seminar and interview with the management team of the Dadeland Apple Store.
Learn about the store, the position, interview process, and time line.

We are looking for candidates for the following roles:

Specialist
Concierge
Personal Shopper
Business Partner


It went on to detail the when and where, so I signed up for an info session on September 26th. I don't know when they're opening the store, but I do know that the mall is about a 4 minute walk from my apartment. You can't beat that for ease. The only thing I'm hesitant about is going back to working in retail. Don't get me wrong- there is no job I think that I'm too good/educated for (hello, I once worked the Dunkin Donuts 6AM shift... and that was with a college diploma), it's just that I've gotten used to the whole no nights and weekends thing. I enjoy not having to worry about going out of town on the weekends, and being able to do whatever during the evenings. I also don't know about working the holidays- I already have a ticket booked for Thanksgiving to go see Sarah in New York... the whole family is going. Also on the agenda is Colorado to see Alan for Christmas (the whole family is going there, too). I'm going to Atlanta in the beginning of October for a wedding, and Sarah, Mom, and Dad are coming down the first weekend of November for an engagement party. As you can see, the schedule for the weekends is filling up fast- where is there time for work? I'll check out the info sessions- maybe I can work mostly during the week.

More info to come....

New Toys!

I am now the proud owner of.... a bunch of expensive toys from Apple.

We went to the Apple store this weekend and I got a new computer (MacBook), the Adobe Creative Suite Premium edition, Microsoft Office, and a new iPod Touch. The only reason I got the iPod was because it was free :) Turns out they're running a promotion for students, and if you buy a computer for school, you get a free iPod. Sweet. The price tag on it is $300, so I consider myself quite lucky!

I've been on the job hunt lately. Which I HATE. I've found a few good ones and sent in my resume, and now I'm playing the waiting game. What I have found (that's reassuring) are a bunch of jobs I'm not qualified for. At the moment. But it's nice to know that what I've chosen to go back to school for has fun potential. I've found a lot of jobs that, in a year or so, with a little more experience and a portfolio, I'll be able to get. It's a nice thing to see!

One of my favorite internet listing sites is Craigslist. It's gotten a little SPAM-y lately, but I still go there for job postings. There is some angry person (or some angry people... who knows?) that seems to have gotten miffed about people offering to pay graphic designers what, in his opinion, is a pity sum of money.

A few favorites, for your reading pleasure....
1- Taking the (slightly) high road
2- "50 bucks my ass"
3- "20k- what a joke"
4- a fair (?) warning

And those are just from yesterday and today. Crazy. If you ever get bored, there are a lot of amusing sections on Craigslist...and some of them are very inappropriate... I'll let you find those for yourself