My Wellesley Girl Self

I have never considered myself a particularly exemplary student. I didn't expect to, and won't, graduate with a 4.0. But my grades were "above average" and I could probably count the number of non-recruiting related class absences on one hand.

So this is why Cordon Bleu has presented a real disappointment to me.

We are graded on a very long list of skills (about 20) including: Seasoning (protein), Seasoning (Veggie), Trussing, Puff pastry making skill, Hygiene...etc etc. I have a 3.49 out of a possible 5. (As of Feb. 11) The grade doesn't mean much until you know the average. Average is 3.5.

I'm not a grade-grubbing-whore...I'm not a grade-grubbing-whore. I won't let this bother me...I won't let this bother me... Watch the steam come out of my ears.

I'm actually not *that* upset over it. Most people get around a 3.5 average...and I think the highest person in our class probably only got a 3.6. And I'm not trying to compare myself with people who have already worked in a restaurant, or people who have been home cooks for over 30 years.

There is something I am more upset about...attendance.
I really like the classes, I enjoy sitting through the demos, and then though they are masochistically stressful, I even enjoy the practicals. So when I had to miss a demo earlier this week for personal reasons, I was sad. Missing a demo means that you are noat allowed to attend the practical that follows. So there were my first 2 absences.

And today (actually as I type this) I am missing 2 more.

Today I had an 8:30 class. 8:30's are much harder in cooking school than at Wellesley. At sWells, I could wake up at 8:10, grab a banana in the dining hall and rush off to class to be in my seat at 8:30...or 8:32. In cooking school, I have to wake up at 6:45, to get out of the house by 7:20, to get on a metro that gets me to school by 7:45, change into my uniform, talk to my friends a bit, and be seated in the class ready to go at 8:15. At 8:30 (exactly, if not at 8:29) attendance is taken. If you are not there, you have 15 minutes to get your butt into class..if you are not there by 8:45, it counts as an absence.

I woke up this morning at 9:10. Oh I was mad. I always have trouble waking up for early classes, but yesterday I made sure to set my alarm. Set, Double-checked, phone not on vibrate, Set. Not to mention, when I have early classes, Scott gives me a call at 7:20 (since its 10:20 PM Pacific time) to chat on my way in the metro. So I couldn't believe it. Neither my alarm clock, nor Scott woke me up. Why? Because my phone ran out of battery. I charged my phone yesterday. Then I made 2 phone calls, probably totaling 50 minutes of talk time. Then I went to bed. At 5:30 am (I know this because my phone time said 5:30 when I finally plugged it in), my cell phone ran out of juice. So right now, my friends are in demo. And I'm sitting at home writing a blogpost. And in an hour and a half, my friends will be starting a practical...and there is no point in me even going to school because I know I won't be admitted.

So there goes my attendance record :(...and even more...2 awesome classes that I'm sad to miss.

A very sad,
Daria


1pm Update.

What was funny about today's demo is that half my group didn't show up. Out of 7 people that are in my practical subsection, only 4 people were at the demo! This is *very* odd because usually we are always a full class. My friend called me after the demo and told me this very interesting news, so I decided to wing it...I ran to school and got here in record time.

Surprisingly, I even saw one of the other girls who missed the demo and both of us went upstairs to our practical room. Hoping and praying that perhaps the chef (who is very nice) would let us watch. When he got there, we begged and pleaded the Chef's forgiveness (and I even got down on one knee for a moment -- don't worry Scott, it was all in gest ;) ). He let us watch.

We thought we were safe. We started taking notes and even helping out our friends empty their trash bowls and bringing them string to tie up their meat. Until Ms. Bitch arrived.

Ms. Bitch is a school administrator. She says "rules are rules" and kicks us out. We beg and plead (though no one got down on one knee in front of her) and we take our stuff and leave. So the other girl and I go downstairs, put our knives away...and decide to try just once more and sneak back upstairs!

We were greeted by a less friendly chef who had a practical in the classroom next to us (Chef Bruno, the amazing wonderful fantasticly kind chef, was no where to be seen). This Chef told us that we couldn't go - and in fact when I entered the class just to ask my friend if we were still meeting up before the class dinner tonight, she said that I really needed to go because they called Ms. Bitch back up here. We ran as fast as we could.

Leave it up to me to break the rules in order to be able to attend class... I guess these are really my true Wellesley colors.

-Daria