The Legendary King Chai

By Kalani Chai-Andrade

Leading up to my first day at work, I was extremely anxious. I had never interned for a company, let alone worked in a newsroom, so I didn’t know what to expect. What would my workday look like? Would my coworkers like me? Would I even get to take photos?

These thoughts all raced through my mind as the bus slowly but surely made its way to Joy FM. Thankfully, I wasn’t going alone. Kaiya was interning at Joy with me. After arriving, we made our way into an office and said goodbye to Leslie, Senyo, and the remaining students. Near the entrance, a display of various awards took up the entire wall. 

Seeing those awards only deepened my anxiety. “Oh great,” I thought. “This is an award-winning organization with the best of the best. How could I possibly compete with them?” Eventually, Fentuo, the lead editor of Joy Sports, came for us. He took us to the building where we would be working, leading us through the various radio stations and into the newsroom. Here, we left Kaiya with her new coworkers so she could get oriented.

Just like that, I was on my own. The sweat surfaced on my skin, and my heartbeat quickened. Entering the JoySports office, a sea of eyes immediately locked onto me. It felt as if I had been dropped into a tank of sharks. Fentuo introduced me aloud, and gave me my first task. I was to send my best 10 pictures from the President’s Cup to Lawrence so he could publish them. 

Sitting at the only open desk, with someone else’s belongings on it, I started to work. The silence was deafening. Everyone was locked into their assignments, and only the sound of typing filled the room. I had edited my photos the night before, but now I started to doubt my skill. Were these the best I could do? What is Lawrence going to think? What if he doesn’t publish them because they’re so bad? 

Eventually, I selected my 15 best and handed them over to Lawrence. After uploading them to his computer, he immediately began writing the article. It was a spectacle to see. He wasn’t fast at typing by any means, yet the perfect sentences rolled off his fingers. He didn’t need to rewrite, check for grammar, or even fix typos. An entire article, written in AP style, was created in under three minutes when it would have taken me at least half an hour. Watching that level of skill made me doubt myself even more.

Afterwards, I got lunch with Kaiya and two of her coworkers. Talking with them eased my nerves, and trying a local dish called gobe helped lift my spirits. Ready to face the storm, I went back up the four flights of stairs to my office. To my surprise, laughter could be heard as I approached my floor. 

The energy had completely shifted. 

Eyes that, an hour ago, had pierced through me were now soft and inviting. Coworkers chatted with one another, laughing heartily and filling the room with warmth. 

*inhale* *exhale*

I could finally breathe. These were actual people, not sharks. Fifi, a higher-up, emerged from his large office, nearly half the size of the entire newsroom. With his deep, baritone voice, he asked my name. He struggled to say my first name, so I told him my last name, Chai. It was as if a lightbulb went off.

“Chai! Ah, what a great name, Mr. Chai!” he boomed. His voice echoed through the room, and everyone stopped to listen in. Suddenly, word spread from one to another, and I was met with a multitude of hospitality. “Legendary Chai! Nice to meet you,” one coworker said, shaking my hand. “King Chai!” another remarked. 

What was I nervous about? In my overthinking, I didn’t realize that I hadn’t spoken to anyone all day. They were curious, excited even, yet I appeared cold, silent, hard at work. They were scary in my mind, but I must have looked equally unapproachable to them. 

Now, after a hearty lunch and the workday winding down, everyone finally had the chance to introduce themselves. It wasn’t just a place to work. It was a family. 

I realize now that if I want to connect with others, I have to take the first step, because more often than not, they won’t. Once I overcame that hurdle, my nerves faded away. Three weeks in, I’m doing work I love, building my portfolio, and forming genuine connections I know will last. 

JoySports has taken me in as one of their own. I’m excited to see what the next three weeks will bring, and already a little sad that they’re going by so quickly. I came in full of doubts, but left with a nickname, newfound confidence, and a team I’ll always remember. That’s how I became King Chai.