Month: October 2019

My First Day at Work

This is one of the days I will never forget. One of the days I was waiting for my whole life. I have always been the type of guy to make his own money and have another life outside of school. So right when I turned 16, I applied to a couple of my favorite places. I applied at Top Golf and Target and they both emailed me back within a week. I ended up picking Target because they pay better and I live way closer. Around late October, I had my interview and they hired me on the spot which usually doesn’t happen. I got my first day and my name tag and went home. I was so exited and it seemed too easy, I applied and they got back to me really fast and had a very quick interview and I got the job.

My first day was about a week after the interview and I walk in with my khakis and red shirt. I had an easy 4-8 shift after school and when I got there I was taught how to clock in. Then I met my to this day favorite boss, Athyun. He told me just try my best and be nice to all of the customers and earn red cards which were types of credit/debit cards for Target. He brought me to this girl who I trained with named Grace, she was very nice and knew what she was doing and I learned pretty fast how to do everything. I already knew a lot about electronics so working the register was very easy and started checking people out by myself on my first day. I instantly would connect with customers and they really seemed to like me. Even the ones that were having a bad day seemed to be happy after I finished checking them out. I met a lot of my coworkers that I talk to now on the first day. My friend Matt, who I met at my orientation had his first day at the same time as me was at the lane next to me. He was a 6’1 College kid who had dark curly hair, we talked a lot that first day and we are still friends today. I met this girl named Natalie who trained Matt and she was a taller Indian college girl with glasses. Us three all were having a good time as if we had known each other for way longer. The rest of my shift went by very fast and I almost didn’t want it to end. I met all these cool people and was sad that I don’t see them everyday.

 When I got into my car I just sat there and thought that everything was amazing. I just had so much opportunity ahead and knew I was going to meet so many new people and learn so much. I knew this was going to be the job that I love because I enjoy talking to people and good with technology. It has been about a year since I started working there and I still work there today. So many people come and go at Target I have just met so many people. The first person I met there, Matt, moved to Chicago for college and the end of the summer and I was very upset. A lot of people who I knew left for college but they will come back. Overall, I love my job and I truly think it made me a better person. 

The message I am trying to say is that you should put yourself out there and try new things. I never thought I would work there until I thought about it, I always go there and have shopped there my whole life. Just thinking back to applying was one of the greatest things I have ever done. I work a lot of the front end like cashier, guest service, and self checkout and learning more departments. I even got a couple of my friends a job there last summer and they really like it there. Another theme I truly believe is that having good social skills and building relationships with people is one of the most important skills in life. I have always been taught that and I really believe in it. I have never been the guy to be that great at school and I honestly I haven’t tried my hardest throughout high school because I have been busy with work and family. I know that social skills are going to get me farther in life than some of the content we learn in school. I see it with my dad, he went to Illinois state and didn’t get the best grades in high school but is still one of the most successful people I know. His job is to buy other companies which involves a lot of talking to others, which is something I am interested in the future. Most people nowadays think that going to these hard colleges is going to make you the most successful but really it is having real world knowledge and knowing how to talk to people. I have lots of friends at school, a bunch of friends at work, a girlfriend, and I get along with mostly everyone. These relationships you have with people are something you can’t just learn. These social skills are going to get me far in life.

This chapter is very different from the rest of the book. This book is in third person while the rest of the book is in first person. Most people probably oversee this idea but it actually has a bigger meaning than it looks. This book is mostly about Norman is returning from the war with all these medals and awards but he doesn’t even care about them. He struggles with keeping a job and overall everything is harder when he gets back from the war. I think the author did this point of view because it gives the reader a view of what others feel like when looking at Norman. Norman hides all of his thoughts and emotions which resulted in suicide and people could have stopped it but he didn’t want to speak up about his problems. This was a smart decision for O’Brien to do this because it made the story better for the reader. Seeing things from a different perspective can make an impact on the story. Norman didn’t see a purpose in living and was probably suffering from PTSD but he didn’t do anything about it to fix it. This relates to todays world because lots of people struggle from PTSD and keep it to themselves and don’t try and get help. We need to do something about this because people are suffering and dying from this because doctors and family oversee this problem and they just hide it.

In the Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong, by Tim O’brien, The chapter describes a story about how Mary Anne was a sweetheart 17 year old who went into the war all positive and happy, and then after the war she came back and was completely different. I think that this is a bigger part of the chapter on how one of the main ideas how war can change someone. Tim O’brien gives the reader a visual on how Mary Anne looks which makes the reader feel more connected to the story.

 Another one of the main ideas of the chapter is women fighting in wars and if they should be allowed to fight. I have mixed feelings about this, I think women should be able to fight in wars if they want to, but they shouldn’t be forced to fight. If a woman feels like she has power and wants to do something men usually do, the government should let her. But if there was a war and a women who didn’t want to fight got drafted, she shouldn’t have to fight. She has a disadvantage walking into the war being in a small group of women who are fighting and it is easier for her to get hurt or killed. The stereotypes of women is to stay at home, watch the kids, and help around the house while the husband is at work supporting the family. Most women are not like the stereotypes and have their own life outside of the house but that’s what a lot of people think. Even In my family, My dad goes to work while my mom stays at home and helps around the house and takes care of my younger sisters. Even though I have a job too while my sisters stay at home. I am making money for myself while my mom is supporting me at home with providing food and a place to live. My point is that women should be able to make their own choices and do what they believe is right. 

Another main point in this chapter is how war can change somebody. This theme is shown throughout the chapter on how Mary Anne goes into the war all happy and loving and finds love, then after the war she’s crazy and became one with the jungle. All her clothes are dirty and she wears a necklace of tongues. This is showing that the war can change people. In war you see a lot of friends come and go and everything can change in less than a day. You see all these people die and you aren’t eating and drinking as healthy. You aren’t getting good enough sleep and that can change your perspective on the day. And the longer this goes on the worse it will get, almost like a chain effect. Even a different society could change someone. If you live in Naperville around all these rich people you probably view things different than people who live in Chicago. How much income could determine where you live and could have different views. Also if you are more rich you probably will have better food and drinks and you won’t be starving and eating healthier and will be more healthy in general. Even if you are homeless that will make you have way different views on society. Going back to the war. Going to the war and being around all different people and being forced to do something can be tough and change your thoughts on life. In conclusion war can change people. No matter the circumstances.