Face-Skin-Thick (Meen Pay Houw)

There's a saying in Chinese that literally translates to your facial skin being thick. It's supposed to mean that you can take a lot of sh*t, that you aren't petty, that you don't take offense easily, etc. Today, I found out how literal that saying actually is.

You see, my new boss is very cool. She's Dutch, powerful, strong, mature and very motivating. She also has very 'thick' skin, which you could compare to an elephant's. I often describe her as a clay face, one that you might have moulded out of pottery materials and left out to dry. She's that strong! Anyway, today she told me very bluntly never to do something ever again and it was a bit intimidating, but along w/ her steel blue eyes and tough exterior, I took her seriously and won't ever do what I did again.

I guess it takes some getting used to when dealing with the bluntness of the Dutch. I consider myself straight forward too but now it's quite fun to be on the receiving end. There's that initial shock of 'did she just say what she said she did?' and 'whats with the intense stare that came with the saying?' but then over time, you just appreciate that the person could be that up front with you. Now I know where the boundaries stand, right??

Anyway, the new job is going well, the days go by quickly and I'm happy being able to stare out my window and see half of Amsterdam in my 15th floor view. The last week has been super sunny and its' unbelievable that it's already October and still like this! :)