I got a job!

Really, I convinced someone to let me work for them for free.

At the end of our program, I have to do a one month internship at a real patisserie or restaurant. The school is supposed to place all the international students in internships because, well, it can be difficult. But I'm quite impatient. And somewhat of a control freak. And I don't like other people making decisions for me. So I put the word out to a few friends asking them for any advice or recommendations.

I had no idea where I wanted to go. The coast? Big city? Small village? I've always said I could live anywhere for a year, so a month is really no big deal. But I thought I may as well find somewhere I'd enjoy. The last couple months in tiny Yssingeaux have made me realize that living in a less than optimal location has the power to slow down the speed of time.

So anyway, one friend suggested Strasbourg. It's an important city for many reasons, past and present. It's old, yet it has every modern convenience. It's located in a beautiful region. It's centrally located and easy to travel to or from. It's a university town so it's got a youthful energy. And it's population is around 300,000. Not too big, not too small. I like it.

So I mention my internship and interest in Strasbourg to a friend and he tells me to contact his friend who has a pastry shop in, as luck would have it, Strasbourg. So I promptly write a letter (in French) introducing myself and my situation. Intern Aurelien proofed (rewrote) it for me. Then a couple weeks later Aurelien says that he's going to Strasbourg to visit some friends and I am welcome to come along if I like. At this point I hadn't heard any response, so I email again and say I'll be coming to town (again, in French) and get a quick reply: Call me (yes, it was in French).

Yay! This is good. Only problem is, she thinks I speak French! And I do. Kinda. I've been improving heaps. And I understand a lot. Chef has been speaking more and more French in the lab and Yssingeaux only speaks French. So I get in a lot of practice. But I'm still not very comfortable speaking. This is something I'm gonna have to get over. I know. And I am. But I felt like I painted myself into a corner. Here I wrote this nice letter in perfect French and now I'm gonna get on the phone and speak like a kindergartner. She's going to think I'm a fraud. I was terrified.

So I asked Chef for help. He misunderstood and called for me. He chatted about the program, about me, about what we make, about his expectations for our internships etc, etc. Then he handed me the phone mid conversation and I awkwardly set up a meeting time for Saturday morning. And that was that. I felt bad that Chef had to speak for me, but I was relieved that Chef spoke for me.

So I went to Strasbourg and it was exactly what I had hoped it would be. I met with the woman at the patisserie and the head chef on Saturday. We had a short, simple and nice conversation entirely in French as they don't speak English. They both agreed I could come back to do my internship with them. What a relief! So come September, you can find me working here, at Litzler-Vogel.

And when I'm not working, I'll be wandering around here.






I even found a yoga studio. (It's the pink building with blue shutters.)


And if I don't feel like walking around the city, maybe I'll kayak.



Delicious pretzels (or Bretzels as they say in Strasbourg). I'm told this is where they were invented.


Look, an unexploded bullet. Not sure which war.


Here's the beautiful cathedral. My pocket guide told me, and is now telling you that, "It is one of the most important monuments dating from the Middle Ages (11-15c). Its 466ft high spire was completed in 1439. It remained the highest in Western Europe until the 19th c."

I went in when a service was in progress. The music was intense.




Okay. I just looked at the time. I'm up too late again! Gotta get some sleep so I'm rested for class and my parent's visit. They arrive tomorrow evening. They'll hang out in the area for a couple days then we're driving down to Provence for the weekend. I can't wait.

I'll probably check back in next week. Bonne weekend!