# My first week at the hotel



## gus20 (Jul 26, 2002)

Hello, i hope u can remember me, Its Gustavo from Perú. Well i have almost finished the school. Now its vacation and im doing my externship in JW Marriot Lima. I started january first at 6.30 am. i was there well they treated me wonderful, very nice, everybody tell u daddy, it doesnt sounds good here, but between cooks its very common say that here. 

Well my work is doing the mise en place for the lunch and the dinner, i dont cook much, almost anything cuz there is a big buffet. well i have to cut all the vegetables, check the boiled eggs, all the herbs cutted, if we have everything, and ask all what we need in one of the restaurants to the hotel. Well the first day i was a little lost cuz they didnt teach what i had to do, just follow me, and do this, after i was realizing what i had to do. I enter at 6.20 and i left at 3.45 but many days i have been there till 6 pm for learning sometimes till 8 pm, but its free cuz i do externship they just pay me 180 dollars per month, but i want to learn. So i realized i was slow, at school i was fast compared to other students, but here im the slowest, and i see young guys like me, 22 years old who are like rockets, do the things very very fast. Some of my bosses tell me, come on Gustavo faster, faster, faster, but i cant now, i try to do my best, but I cant. 

Yesterday was my free day, i felt so frustrated, cuz i was just chopping vegetables, my boss tell me im slow, and i feel i have other skills, im very good for costs, administration, psicology, i love mathematics, i like business, so i was thinking maybe i chose the wrong career , I felt so frustrated, i told me, will i do this all my life? no way, not me, I was really angry to myself.

Well, today i got up and i told me to myself. well, if i choose wrong ,the time will tell me the truth, if ill be poor in this, ill know how to choose other thing, being a cook doesnt mean i cant study other thing or that i cant work in other thing. Today i finished on time cuz a cook helped me, tomorrow ill be alone, i hope my boss doesnt get mad at me again, but ill try to do it as faster as I can, specially cuz they want a nice macedoine or a beautifull brunoise, that makes it slow. I just think that its an adventure and ill try to do my best. And the Marriot has good things, good lunch, hehehe, and they try to teach u everything they can and train you, i think thats a good opportunity. 

well now i thinki im a little young for thinking ill be poor, cuz now i just do mise en place. Today i was talking to my chef from my school, he told me he could send me to Spain to a restaurant with 3 michelin stars, its a very known restaurant , the chef is his friend, so it doesnt look bad. Many of my friends would like to go to Paris, we can get a work but LIFE is very very expensive as we know since the euro appeared, and its difficult to affort the life, many of us want to go to Australia, too. But chefs says its not a good idea, but Australia everyday tells us they need cooks and people who can cut hair. I dunno if someone of you know how the food in Australia is. is there a good gastronomy? Can someone learn about good food there? i dont wnat to insult to anybody but we dont have much information about Australia, its very far from us.

Now i jus think that tomorrow ill have to cook as fast as i can and i should go to sleep soon cuz i have to get up at 4.45 am. Something that i like its that the time goes very veyr far, and i like working during weekends cuz my weekend are very boring and i prefer to work on Sunday than going to the beach, hehe. Thats it, please tell me that its normal the first days ina work after school u can feel slow or frustrated. Thanks
A biiiiig hug. And remember one day, the peruvian food will be very very famous and your friend Gustavo will invite you to the chain of restaurants, you will be my guests of honor, un abrazo and give me hopes, thanks, bye!

Muchos abrazos
su amigo

Gustavo


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## artameates (Mar 10, 2004)

You illustrate the challenge of entering an upscale kitchen beautifully. THe job sounds like its worth pushing yourself for. Keep your head down and focus of maximizing every movement of your hands. Sometimes, stop doing everything and pay close attention to the movements of your coworker. Analyze how he works. good luck


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## gus20 (Jul 26, 2002)

>Hello, thanks for the advice, ill think of it everymoment, today i was very very happy. Well i didnt finish my mise en place on time, but i realized its difficult to realize it alone, cuz once i did it with a cook, and we finished late anyway, so i told me, im in the beginning and ill try to do the best i can. 

I love talking to coworkers in free time about their experiences, cuz i think i can learn a lot from that, and many of them tell me, all time there will be troubles in a kitchen but dont let those problem break u down, dont be so worried, theres a solution. That guy is an example for me, he knows a lot and he isnt proud or is saying about how much he knows, and all the other cooks always jokes me. I ask where they have worked, well most of them have come from the best hotels from Perù, the dolphins hotel, the swissotell hotel . I rememebr how many times i went to the swissotel for giving my resume, like 6 times and never called me. Anyway its avey very good hotel. 
Tomorrow ill have a new cook like my boss ,he told me he knew the swissotel very very well and i could go with him, those cooks are soooo nice, very polite and friendly. Well Marriot always teach u how to treat people and be very very nice with coworkers that is ur family, a nice spirit.

Tomorrow my shedule will chnage, ill work from 12:30 pm till 10 pm in hot production, everything for buffets, it sounds good.

today the girls asked me, gustavo will u sleep at hotel, its 10 pm and u havent gone to home from 7 am, but i was feeling good, tired but very happy.

Many hugs to you my friends, and smile, remember theres a light always, a bad moment doesnt last much time. 

Gustavin


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