First Day

Whirlwind! Slept in my car got about 3-4 hours of sleep and got headed over to start up registration. Some paper work, photo for ID card which I will use for everything (including discounts!), and my uniform, chef's hat included! After that I had a little time before lunch and got to explore Mammoth Springs a little. Totally could have smacked an elk, but she had friends nearby and I didn't want to make a scene in the middle of the parking lot...
I was able to find our employee dining room(EDR) without too much hassle and actually without asking for directions... that only happened once. After that we had another training session, more like information on Xanterra, the company I work for, and Yellowstone National Park. 1 Hour drive from Mammoth Springs to Old Faithful and I had to figure out where to register. Xanterra is so thoughtful for their guests I think they forget about their employees, no signs or anything and they hide the important stuff in random places. I'm just complaining, but after "registering" at the wrong building and driving around the whole Old Faithful area twice, and then asking for directions...again, found it. My room is about the size of my bedroom at school. Except now I have to fit in 2 other roomates AND all of our stuff. Not to mention, 6 hours after checking in I have yet to meet them so I'm hardly settled in.
Ha, so for dinner I start wandering, I have a general idea where the EDR is and I end up following a couple guys who looked like they knew where they were going. Circled the outside of the building once. Front desk and asked for directions... circled the INSIDE of the building once. Finally, I end up in a gift shop and I ask one of the clerks there where the EDR is. Really nice older guy named Rick offered to show me, he had to go on break anyway. Turns out they hid this EDR in the basement of the building I crawled all over and around. Food was ok, but Rick was good company. Later I went over to the gift shop in the building I will be working in and met his wife, whom he told me to find. Nice people, I hope to see them around. Wandered around some more after dinner trying to find things before I needed to know where they were.
So far, it's been really hard for me to begin conversations with people but I've found that once that is started it's easy to be friendly. There are a lot more employees than I realized, and I know this isn't going to be easy on me at all. But God is still in control, I got nothin' to lose, and He HAS to have a reason for sending me here, cuz there is no way I would do this on my own.