I am so sorry for my absence lately, but school is well school. Let me try to catch ya'll up on my life without boring you.

October 3 2006 was the first time I stepped on campus at Le Cordon Bleu. It was...well an experience. It was nothing what I thought it would be. It was not neat, white and tidy with bleu trim or anything like that. Le Cordon Bleu is a sub school within a school - Northern Sydney Institute of Tafe, Ryde Campus. It is windows and cement, how classy! But the school has it's own building, but most of the kitchens are in the other building, block A.

I spent most of the afternoon in orientation. I was lectured to about visa requirements and making sure to change my address if I should move. Then we broke for lunch, provided by from Le Cordon Bleu (LCB). It was nice. Then pictures for our campus ID's and then a quick tour. It was pretty boring. However, I meet a guy from the States, Tom, from Colorado...and we chatted during the tour, so it made the time pass faster. Then we were free.

I hooked up with two other people and took a bus into the city with them. We had to find the store that had our uniforms and knife kits. It was a long ride, a long day. We got to the city and had to walk numerous blocks to the store. Finally, fitted with our uniforms, only two each and our knife kits, weighing a lot, we left to find food. We hung out and ate and just talked. It was nice to meet people who shared an interest like I do.

Finally, I got a bus to come back to my place. It was now about 7 at night. It was a long day, but a good day. The walk to school only takes me about 15 to 20 minutes, so that will be my exercise for the day. Plus I have to carry so much with me, there and back...it's going to be interesting.

My schedule is as follows: Thursday, Friday and Saturday I have basic patisserie at 8 in the morning. It lasts until 2:30 and on Thursday I have to stay until 5, because of a theory class. The theory class is just a talk about what is correct in the kitchen, the basic procedures to be safe - food and the chefs/students. It is a good class, but I have already done this about a thousand times. I exaggerate, but you get the point. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I have basic cuisine, from 7:30 in the morning to 2. Sunday now really means the day of rest! This is going to be intersting.

I have been talking to some other students. They have told me stories about other students who have tried to do what I am doing, combining the cuisine and patisserie, and they just can't do it, they quit. GREAT! I wonder if I will be able to pull this off. I sure hope so.

Ok, so school. My first day was Thursday. I got to school on time, changed and was ready. However, I forgot my apron. This would normally mean I would not be able to participate in the day's lesson, but being the first day, they were nice. If you forget a piece of your uniform, you will not be allowed to come into the kitchen. You will have to miss that day and take an absence. My uniform is: black and white checkered pants, a chef's jacket with the LCB emblem on it, a white skull cap with the LCB emblem on it, a blue kerchief, a name tag, LCB apron, black non-slip shoes and your knife kit. It's a lot of stuff.

The first day of class was to be easy. We were making scones. I've made these before...so it was going to be easy, right!?! WRONG! I screwed them up. I put Cream of Tartar, not baking powder in them. So they did not rise. Great, great first impression Laura. The chef, he just laughed. But he was nice about it. He is Danish. A very nice guy. I was ahead of class in finishing and he noticed that. He asked me to help him out during the class. But at the end of the day, I have to mess up my lesson. Stupid. Oh well. I am going to say it was only the nerves of the first day of class. I hope that is right. I will prove myself next week.

The second day, we had a new chef. This chef was sweet, a woman from Switzerland. Each day in patisserie we will have a new chef. I felt more at ease with her. We made scones again and cookies. Again, I was the first to finish. So I got to help her out during the class. Then we had to pull out our products, I did not screw it up. It all turned out great! The chef from yesterday came in and I showed him my beautiful scones, he told me I did well. Thank god!

Today, October 7th, was kinda a combination of the last two days. I screwed up on my cake batter - genoise. It is a sponge cake like consistency, very airy. I was mixing it by hand, but could not get enough air....I had to cheat and use the mixer. The chef, from Britain, was nice and helped me. I felt just miserable. I screwed up again! I can't believe it. But the other products turned out great...the other cake. I again finished early and got to help the chef out. It is very nice being able to talk to them one on one and be able to pick their brains. I enjoy that. I just hope that I will be able to prove myself and show them that I can do better. Today, we actually got to ice/decorate the cakes. I wowed the chef on that. She knows that I have worked in a bakery....by the decorating and also by me finishing faster than the others.

Culinary school so far seems to be ok. We are doing a mix of things. Some of the products I have done myself and others I have no idea. This will be the exciting part. I wish that I had brought all my "tool kit" with all my stuff. I am missing so much. The reccommended reading, is a cook book and I have it. When I go to France I will be more prepared! Hopefully there I will not make a fool of myself. But I might, because of nerves and being in a new place with new chefs to impress.

My only worry is being able to carry through this whole diploma. I hope I will be able to hack it. It is straining on your back and feet, little sleep, but I am loving it. This is what I want to do. I just wonder if I will be able to hack it. I am going to take this one day at a time and just not expect anything of myself. I am going to concentrate and do what I know what to do. I am going to ask as many questions as I can and soak up as much information as I can. This is my time to experience and just learn. And that is exactly what I plan on doing. This will open doors to places most can only dream. I've dreamt and now I am going to achieve. My life here is going to revolve around the kitchen, just like college. Like college, I have noisy neighbors, but their music does not go all night, just until 11. The crazy thing about this whole ordeal is that now I am finally on the correct time - sleeping. I go to bed by 9 or 10 at night and wake up by about 6:30 to go to school. It's so weird, being normal. I had to come half way around the world to get to the correct times again...go figure.

I hope this finds everyone in good health. I can't wait to see ya'll...the count down has begun, 10 weeks to soak up as much as possible.

Cheers Mate!

p.s. - Will, I am bringing home about 10 cartons of Tim Tams...all different kinds.