Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Today was my second conference call with Chef Demian, in Costa Rica. Due to circumstances beyond their control (the partners were unable to get together to talk), we were unable to nail down any details today. We will be speaking again, on Tuesday, February 1 for our third conference call.

Natalie (my Career Services Director) and Chef Eddie (the Chef that has made this wonderful opportunity possible) and I were able to spend a few minutes discussing the details of my externship. Natalie stated that she wanted to be sure that I understood how important and "big" this opportunity is, and she needed to make sure that I was totally on board. I explained the depth of my commitment, and assured her that I was completely on board, adding that I will be selling all of my worldly goods, with the exception of my kitchen stuff. It made me feel so comfortable that both she and Chef Eddie reiterated that if at any time, I begin to feel overwhelmed or have any concern, that I can feel free to let them know. Such a wonderful knowledge to know that they both have my back and they are rooting for me.

I have been checking flights and prices, and it looks to be more economical to ride the Mega Bus from Indianapolis to Chicago, and then fly out from Chicago to Costa Rica. Plane tickets are almost half the cost to fly from Chicago, instead of Indianapolis. Most likely, I will ride the last bus out of Indianapolis and just spend the night in the airport, flying out on the first plane from Chicago. Or better yet, someone might offer to drive me to Chicago, to see me off. I am staying open to all options.

January 21, 2011

Today, I had a doctor's appointment to address some minor health concerns and get some prescriptions refilled. After concluding our visit, my new health care provider (my former doctor just left for a 5 year missionary trip to Uganda) asked me what my plans were after school. I shared my good news about my externship in Costa Rica, to which she replied "You will love it there, I just spent the last four months there." (Preempting my apologies to the patients that had to wait a few extra minutes) I was able to spend 10 minutes gleaning important information from my new doctor. I asked about currency (they have their own, colon (colones plural) currently exchanges at around 520 colones per US dollar. I mentioned that several people have said how unsafe it was in Costa Rica, but my doctor stated that as long as I kept a level of security around me, just being smart, I would have no problem. She also stated that it didn't hurt that I was 6 foot tall and weighed more than 150 pounds. She told me that San Jose is set up like a wagon wheel, so from the city (the center of the wheel) you can travel out (the spokes) by bus (which is also safe, she said) and see attractions. She said her favorite place was the Central Market, which is a bustling, crowded market which offers fresh produce and leatherworks. Four months and counting....

It's a YES

I have finally received my "Yes" with regards to my Chef's Academy Culinary externship in Costa Rica. I participated in my first conference call yesterday, January 18th, with my contacts in Costa Rica. Next week, we will speak again regarding the questions I posed yesterday. I am truly excited and thrilled for this opportunity. I will be the first student from The Chef's Academy to do my externship overseas. What an honor. It is my plan to update this blog as often as I get new information, and then once I am in Costa Rica, I will update at least 3 times a week, along with posting photos and videos.