It’s been about 4 months since I started my job at a bubble tea shop, and I still love it. 7 reasons:

1. The shop is constantly being updated – innovation is a lovely thing, and the theme of our bakery might as well be progress, because anything and everything that can be improved will probably be improved. We have one location as of now, but another’s grand opening taking place in a month or so, and another on the way. Besides that, we always have new baked goods and desserts on the shelves to accommodate the seasonal changes and the input that we receive. And our cup designs and backdrops themselves are continually re-imagined…even the concept of bubble tea itself is very contemporary. Progress refreshes me of monotony.

2. I am better at doing my job – you’d think that life as a cashier is pretty easygoing, and I guess sometimes it can be, but it was the first time I’d ever had a job and there’s a rhythm that I sought for weeks before falling into it. By now, however, I’ve become hyper-efficient. I’ll have a pen ready for you to sign the receipt with before you even realize you need it, and as you fumble for your wallet I’ll be reaching around me for boxes and bags in which to pack your food. As one gets accustomed to their job, one discovers a sort of monotony that lets the mind wander.

3. My co-workers are the bomb-diggity – it’s always tough starting a new job, I bet, and it’s very comparable to your first day at a new school. Everyone else knows each other, and it’s up to you to infiltrate their circle – er, make friends. But the people here all reached out to me and engaged me in conversation, let me in on their little jokes, and made me laugh. It’s easy to pass the time if you’re in great company, yeah?

4. I worked in the morning once – I arrived at the bakery at 7:30 AM very sleepy, but perked up after a few cups of coffee…and wow, it was so peaceful. The store was quiet and clean, with the morning light was coming in through the windows, giving a youthful glow to the interior. Everyone was preparing for the day rush, moving food around and folding boxes and brewing coffee, and I just watched (and worked) as people on their morning commute came in for a cup of coffee or a quick breakfast; it was on that morning that I consciously thought about the way that our shop is just one stop in each and every customer’s hustle-bustle life and how diverse everyone is.

5. I get to control the music – for the first few weeks after I started, I just listened to pop radio for 8 hours straight, until someone informed me that we could plug our own music in. They didn’t get more than five words out before I whipped out my phone and started compiling a playlist, full of upbeat music to maintain our aura of exuberance. Having wonderful music that you can sing along to in the background while you’re ringing up customers or standing by in a brief lull period also makes the time pass much more quickly.

6. The customers are also freaking awesome – we get a huge variety of people visiting our store wondering what bubble tea is, or coming based off a friend’s word, or to get their daily baked good, or to study. Some come from hours away, from other states, and some live just around the corner, which is pretty amazing. We get lots of young people of all races, and we also get lots of elderly Asian people. Our store is a picture-perfect culture exchange, with all of the languages being thrown around, Vietnamese, Chinese, Burmese, etc.

7. I make money…– I get paid to stand around and eat my favorite foods and drink my favorite drinks and listen to good music! Five months or so after my first paycheck, I’ve calmed down enough to establish some sort of saving system. I have to be very particular about the money that I make, since I look at a stack of bills or a check and see nothing but the time and labor that I put in.