Nachos Con Sushi

My first post-graduation goal was to spend time in a Spanish-speaking country. The majority of my language acquisition had taken place in the classroom; I was ready to take the next step to attain fluency: full immersion.

I set out looking for any and every opportunity I could find, networking with anyone that stumbled across my path. Calling resorts in Puerto Rico asking if they needed summer help, looking at rainforest farming internships, contacting every Spanish professor/classmate I'd ever had and asking for connections-- I exhausted every low-budget option imaginable.

All the while, I was working full-time as a server at Applebee's with some of the most miserable people I've ever met, barely making enough money to pay my rent. I lasted 3 months until I became the bar manager of a Japanese restaurant. Nearly a year after I quit working at Applebee's, a hankering for boneless chicken wings forced me back through those same doors. I ran into my old manager. "Hey George, how are you?" He maintained the same expressionless face, "Oh you know, just living the dream."

I crossed over from a fried food culture to the land of Japanese food and those who eat it. My new co-workers represented countries all over Asia: Korea, China, Indonesia, The Philippines and Japan. Many of my new friends didn't have legal paperwork. For the first time in my self-involved life, I started to learn about the immigration process. Everyone told a story that seemed far more interesting than my own.

As the new bar manager at the Japanese restaurant, I made it a personal mission to modernize an outdated bar by creating new specialty cocktails, revamping the drink menu, meeting with new wine and liquor reps to update our selection and coordinating wine tasting/training sessions for all restaurant employees. I established a system for tracking inventory and increased bar sales by starting specials like 1/2 priced bottle of wine night.

Encountering unfamiliar cultures can be messy. The feminist inside of me cringed at times like when I got scolded for holding a knife incorrectly... "You are a woman, how don't you know this?"
Other occasions, like Halloween, were infinitely entertaining. I came to work festively dressed, in my homemade costume, as Chiquita Banana. Apparently Halloween isn't a big holiday in Asia (who knew?). My boss made me stand outside so my colorful costume would attract more customers while he hung my backup costume, a bingo card, as a welcome sign on the door.



While the cultural collisions and language barriers of the Japanese restaurant presented unique challenges, it couldn't have been a better preparation for when my trip to Peru came to fruition! 8 days before takeoff, I got a phone call saying that I was accepted into an internship program with Mission to the World. I would be staying with an old family friend in Lima. I packed my bags, quit my job and embarked on this highly-awaited adventure.