"You know what I was thinking when I was dripping this butter on my milk?"

Tech is a strange place. It's kind of like school, but not at all at the same time. You go to your shop (culinary, cosmetology, carpentry, etc) with kids from a bunch of different schools, some over an hour away from you, and you all have class together. I personally am in culinary arts and a lot has changed since my first day there and today.

I started off knowing no one. I had to start fresh and make brand new friends. All the first levels (students attending for their first year) were grouped together and we had theory every single day for the first semester and couldn't go out into the kitchen. Needless to say, I made lots of new friends. Even some new best friends. Unfortunately, after that first year some of us aren't that close anymore.



I came to learn early, that in the kitchen, sharpie markers are treated like gold. Rarely does anyone around you have a sharpie and if they do, someone is going to steal it out of your chef's coat in about 2 minutes. You need sharpies almost all day. Anything you make, you have to label it when it goes into the walk in.



I found out the hard way, that it's very possible and most likely, you will be injured, tackled, or knocked over in the locker room when you are doing simply nothing but getting changed. 12 girls at one time don't really fit in our little locker room at one time. It gets kinda crazy in there sometimes.



The chefs at tech aren't exactly like teachers. 2 of the 3 male chefs have moustaches and there is no FORMAL education. We frequently get off topic and some bad language is used. Some of the chefs are really awesome and completely understanding...



... while others are kinda creepy and you try to avoid them at all costs.



We've had millions of awkward moments and I've heard people say the strangest things. I've also seen some of the strangest things. I once saw a chef pretend to be a rapper while kneeling on the floor. I've heard billions of "that's what she said" jokes. I've heard the most awkward things come out of a chefs mouth. For example, as Shane was filling cream puffs, one of the chefs came up behind him and said "don't put it in too deep". And I've been in many awkward situations where I have no idea what's going on.



All in all, I've learned a lot from tech, and not just in a culinary sense. I've learned to get along with people I don't like, how to deal with bullshit drama, how to fake smiles and sincerity to customers, and how to deal with situations I'm completely clueless in and just use what I know to get me through it. It's weird to think that I completed my time at tech on May 20th. We have our awards night and I'm done. I'll still come to tech for another week, but it'll be pointless. I will already have my certificates and I'll be set up for college.

In the beginning, I was worried that tech wasn't the best idea for me. Now I've realized that tech was one of the best decisions I've ever made. It solidified that pastry arts is definitely what I want to pursue as a career and I've completely fallen in love with what I do. Plus, I've made some really great friends in the process and I've had some really amazing mentors and unforgettable experiences.