Vive la France!

So I think I'm starting to get a hang of this whole pastry school business. We had a wine class which taught us about how wine is made, how to taste, etc. We were to taste 6 wines. It was 4 p.m. and there was so much wine, that all of us pretty much filled each of our glasses. I mean, free wine! The college student in me still can't say no to free alcohol. Anyway, by 6 p.m., we were all pretty gone. Fun times ensued.

So I've decided to do all 3 sessions of this patisserie program. Two things solidified this decision for me. First, I found out I can do a session in Paris. They don't offer the advanced course in English, but the beginning and intermediate levels are taught in French, but simultaneously translated in English. Second, Friday was an awesome day at school. We made a "Bande Feuilletee" which is basically a puff pastry with pastry custard and fruits. It turned out really good! And by that I mean that it looked nice. I didn't even try it but was really just happy about how it turned out. And the crazy French chef, who is really hard on me usually, said "Fantastique!" I came home to show mummy and daddy, who are in town, and they were really impressed too. And I'm not trying to show off about how amazing I am or anything, cuz I definitely don't have a knack for this, but it's just amazing how much they can teach you to do in just a short amount of time! Dad gave it a 7 out of 10 in taste. Not too bad for a start. Mom was actually able to eat one of the things I made that day as well because it didn't have egg. She gave that a 10 out of 10, but I think that's because she can never eat dessert. Kind of a biased party.

So at first, the reason I had decided not to do all 3 courses was cuz that would mean I'm pretty much in school from now until June 2008. But coming here, I realized, it's not hardcore school like Berkeley. I mean, I have about 2-3 days of a school a week and can do whatever I want otherwise. And back in America, yeah it'd be nice to see my friends...but let's not kid ourselves...how many do I really have? Those that I do have will just have to wait I guess. Or...come visit me in Paris or Sydney! Yay!

I'm really excited for the next two cities though, because I feel like London was an easy move. I'm living here with family so it's really comfortable and a lot like home. Going to Paris will be different because I'll be alone, without family, in a country that speaks a different language! It's high time I throw myself in the deep end.