First Day of Classes & Work

Yesterday we had our first culinary class at USIL. Our professor was a lively 60-year-old woman, who made the class so much fun. She even had us playing American music for her. Since it was just the five of us, we all got to help her make the food, which were all common Peruvian dishes. Afterward, we got to feast on everything we made. We have these classes every Monday, so I'm very excited for the next one.

Next, we went to our orientation for CCLH, Lima's premier hotel. The property is beautiful. We were shown multiple rooms, including the Presidential Suite, which sells for 3000 USD per night. All of us have the same hours (7am-1pm) but we will all be working in different departments on a rotational schedule, so we can experience every department.

Last night was funny because we were all quite tired, but we desperately needed to do laundry, so we wandered around Lima in search of a laundrymat. People kept sending us to places that were only dry cleaners, but we finally found a nice man with a cute dog who knew where a laundry mat was. We finally got there - only to find it was closed! Our problems were solved when we found out our hotel offers laundry service for almost the same price. Much easier!

Today was my first day at work. I was scheduled to work in the pandeleria (bakery) so I got to wear the chef whites that USIL gave us for class. In the kitchen, you're also required to wear a hairnet and a facemask. I soon found out that no one in the kitchen knew any English, which made it tricky to communicate. But somehow I managed, and worked alongside the pastry chef all day doing tasks like wrapping chocolates in foil so they look like gold coins, making plates of cookies for guests, filling tarts and decorating them with fruits, chopping mangos and strawberries, and I made over 200 cream puffs (dipped them in chocolate, poked holes in them, filled them, and placed them in wrappers). It was very tedious work, but fun. They chef let me try most of what I was making, and it was interesting to watch as he made cakes, etc. I enjoyed everyone I worked with, the chef was very nice, and I appreciated that no one seemed to mind that I speak so little Spanish, and also that I have no idea what I'm doing in the kitchen :) Tomorrow I am on to a new department!

Tonight, we all went for a walk down to Larco Mar, a mall that is built into the cliffside, only a five-minute walk from us. It's basically an outdoor mall, with lots of stores like Banana Republic, etc., and a lot of restaurants. All with an ocean view. Increíble!

I can't believe I've only been here a week, it seems like so much longer! I hope you all are enjoying your summer en los estados unidos!