I. Will. write. like. this. to. avoid. spelling. errors. not really, but as Nick so kindly pointed out about my last post, there were a lot of typing errors; i hereby solemnly swear to try harder. as the title of my post indicates, i have run into a few strokes of luck as of late. i was slightly distraught by the fact that specialty's cafe and bakery never called me back about the prep job (even though I got the Magnolia position) because i had such a fantastic interview. the chef de cuisine told me several times during the interview that he liked me and even seemed like he wanted to hire me on the spot. alas, when I did not get a call by friday at 4 pm (the time at which he indicated all hope would be lost), i just had to move on with my wounded pride. Lo and behold, he called me yesterday to offer me a part time position. i was very excited about this as i thought "maybe he'll offer me a baking position since he knows that's what i'm interested in!" It turned out to only be a sandwich position and i had to turn it down. i felt so bad since i'm pretty sure the chef created the position just for me to fill. he said that they had to go with someone more experienced in the prep position i interviewed for, but he wanted to offer me this position so that i could get my foot in the door. he is a very nice man and i'm sure a pleasure to work with in the kitchen; he exuded enthusiasm from every surface of his body and he sounded truly happy to hear from me. In addition to this boost to my self-confidence, it earned me a very good contact; we all know that it's not what you know, but who you know. after Informing him that i will be looking for an externship (which is the same as an internship, but the food biz feels it necessary to chance the name up) in about 8 months, I asked if perhaps i could call him in about 7 months to talk about a possible baking position. he said that it could be a definite possibility, so kudos to me! I really need to get on with trying to find an externship location and this is a great start. In 8 months, i don't want to find myself unable to find a externship, and, in turn, postponing my graduation.
In other news, I've also secured a stage (said STAHge), which is basically working for free, but it will gain me some excellent contacts and greatly-needed experience. I go in to Sweet Sensations Bakery tomorrow at 9 am to report for my very first experience working in a professional bakery. I'll be doing all the grunt work, i'm sure, but my ultimate goal, again, is to network for my externship. a lot of people will stage in order to find a job. i, however, needed money asap and had to find a job before i could work somewhere for free. this may actually work to my advantage, though, as i can go to bakeries, offer to work for free, and they are not pressured into feeling like they must give me a job if i do well. honestly, all i want to do is gain some experience. if they do want me to come back, my response will be, "well, I will be looking for an extern ship in x months. maybe we can talk then?" this is my goal. I want choices of where i will externship. i don't want to be stuck somewhere i don't like and i certainly don't want to find myself without any options at all. my other goal is to get ahead of my class mates. the kitchen is dog-eat-dog and while we are all pleasant to each other, i can't help but look around the room and think "this is my competition..." Sad, but true. i need to get all the experience i can so that when it comes time to find a big-girl job, i am miles ahead of everyone else.
orientation at magnolia starts this coming wednesday at 9 am and i am sooooo excited! I cannot wait to see with whom i will be working and what the place looks like. magnolia might also turn out to be an externship opportunity, which would be ah-mazing, but i can't put all my eggs in that basket. like i said, i want choices, not just one option. also, the first Bears game is this sunday and i will be starting my super-part-time job at soldier field as a prep cook. it's not glamorous, but the dakota north company is a good name to have on a resume. oh, yeah, and it pays a little too. That always helps. I'm sure it will be a fun experience.
I am so happy that things are falling into place and that, after this weeks, i will actually have things to do! having nothing to do, although nice for a while, quickly turned into boredom, a feeling of uselessness, and eventually slight depression. now i am doing something with my life and have evidence that i did actually move to chicago for a reason and no, i am not starving or living in the ghetto. it just further strengthens my belief in the law of equivalent exchange: "mankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return". I am giving it all i've got and so far, it seems to be paying off.
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