Oh the excitement of going back to school, otherwise known as "la rentrée" in France, especially when your 10 year high school reunion is already coming up fast!
I walked up to ESCF (Ecole Supérieur de Cuisine Française) Ferrandi this morning decked out in my work suit (quand même!) and the Coach purse I bought when I got my first real job offer, ahem, 5 years ago. I took the "students forbidden" elevator with a friendly future classmate who innocently asked me if I also just passed my "bac" (French high school graduation exam). Hmmm, not exactly... When we passed a chef wearing the French colors on his collar, my heart skipped a beat. I was in the same building as a MOF! Now, I don't know about you but that acronym conjures up all kinds of ideas, kind of like the reaction some people get when they see the "FCUK" logo for the first time! Anyway, MOF stands for "Meilleur Ouvrier de France", a title given to the winners of a prestigious frenchy competition. In my amateur mind, it's like seeing an Iron Chef in person, but I may be insulting one or the other with this association.
It was an interesting day with 30+ of us new students sitting in an amphitheatre with the Very Important People from the corner offices first exchanging kisses and then talking at us kids about how we must be disciplined, show respect and not rebel. Fitting into the Mold is très important here. The school is very hierarchical but that could just be French organizations in general. We were shown the pictures of people we absolutely must say "bonjour" to in the halls. I had forgotten that we say "merci" and "au revoir" to someone who finishes a speech instead of applauding, which makes for an awkward murmur from all corners of the room. The chefs actually proposed a cigarette break (not coffee) and then we went on the grand tour.
Chef M showed us around and chuckled at how a group of Japanese students were paying 20,000 euros or so to study here, which is exactly why I'm putting myself through the frenchy program. The Anglo program is more than double the price of the French one but you get out of a bunch of more general classes which may be worth it at the end... The Chef greeted and was greeted by everyone it seems - I'm interested to find out what he's notorious for! Him and Chef C seem professional but are quite funny. Or, it could be that anytime someone uses slang that I actually understand it seems like a joke to me because I'm super proud of myself for getting it!
I'm looking forward to the stage d'integration next week. I'm not sure I'll make it back in one piece after a day with 7 hours of hiking but at least I'll be victorious in one thing. I may not have the strength of an 18 year old but my skin's sure gotten a lot better since! Mwahahaha
I walked up to ESCF (Ecole Supérieur de Cuisine Française) Ferrandi this morning decked out in my work suit (quand même!) and the Coach purse I bought when I got my first real job offer, ahem, 5 years ago. I took the "students forbidden" elevator with a friendly future classmate who innocently asked me if I also just passed my "bac" (French high school graduation exam). Hmmm, not exactly... When we passed a chef wearing the French colors on his collar, my heart skipped a beat. I was in the same building as a MOF! Now, I don't know about you but that acronym conjures up all kinds of ideas, kind of like the reaction some people get when they see the "FCUK" logo for the first time! Anyway, MOF stands for "Meilleur Ouvrier de France", a title given to the winners of a prestigious frenchy competition. In my amateur mind, it's like seeing an Iron Chef in person, but I may be insulting one or the other with this association.
It was an interesting day with 30+ of us new students sitting in an amphitheatre with the Very Important People from the corner offices first exchanging kisses and then talking at us kids about how we must be disciplined, show respect and not rebel. Fitting into the Mold is très important here. The school is very hierarchical but that could just be French organizations in general. We were shown the pictures of people we absolutely must say "bonjour" to in the halls. I had forgotten that we say "merci" and "au revoir" to someone who finishes a speech instead of applauding, which makes for an awkward murmur from all corners of the room. The chefs actually proposed a cigarette break (not coffee) and then we went on the grand tour.
Chef M showed us around and chuckled at how a group of Japanese students were paying 20,000 euros or so to study here, which is exactly why I'm putting myself through the frenchy program. The Anglo program is more than double the price of the French one but you get out of a bunch of more general classes which may be worth it at the end... The Chef greeted and was greeted by everyone it seems - I'm interested to find out what he's notorious for! Him and Chef C seem professional but are quite funny. Or, it could be that anytime someone uses slang that I actually understand it seems like a joke to me because I'm super proud of myself for getting it!
I'm looking forward to the stage d'integration next week. I'm not sure I'll make it back in one piece after a day with 7 hours of hiking but at least I'll be victorious in one thing. I may not have the strength of an 18 year old but my skin's sure gotten a lot better since! Mwahahaha
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire