27 – 28th August
These two days have been quite calm, I have noticed that most of our Walk-in
customers tend to be tourists which is quite convenient for me as I can shine during the
time I advise or help them. Other than this I wanted to share this post to explain my task a bit more in detail same.
Even if I am not in Okinawa anymore this post will cover both workplaces as they are
both skate shops and the work which I have done is pretty similar. In this part I will focus more on the tasks and environment which I have been working with, I will then dedicate an own post on the 9th of September for the conclusion and the comparison of the cultural differences I have noticed between the two shops.
When it comes to my working tasks, I was firstly happy that this possibility even
occurred and to imagine that I can not only work in Okinawa but also in Taipei, is very
lucky. So, when it came to my tasks, I was pretty open to do anything, which ultimately
was the case.
I was and am sort of a boy for everything, but when it comes to what I enjoy most it is
clear that it is interacting with customers and as a Skater myself to give advice.
This is also clearly where my strength was especially as a proficient English speaker
which was missing in both shops.
So, in Okinawa there was quite a lot of American customers from the bases which gave
me a lot of opportunities to shine. In contrary in Taipei this wasn’t as much the case, and I was often sorting stock and cleaning the shop. Besides other things such as
packing orders and running errands.
In general, I can say I was integrated in both shops quite well but that being said I wasn’t officially contract bound as this would’ve complicated things a lot. But I am nevertheless grateful for the opportunity and the trust they have put in me.
This working experience was especially meaningful for me as I have been working in the same restaurant for over 5 years and I have been on the lookout to change my
workplace. With the Freestyle Halle in Zurich, I have already found a Skate related job as
a teacher and shopkeeper, but the amount of working time differs a lot. So, this working
experience has motivated me a lot and I am thinking of applying at Doodah a skate shop in Zurich for a part- time Job after I return. This experience has been so eye- opening to me as I could still stay in the customer service industry but in a workplace which aligns more with my interests.