Milestones and Signs of the End

A lot of things going on this week -- it's "dead week" at school, and I'm close to matching that description.

Today I cooked the last dish I'll cook in the student kitchen of my schools culinary arts program. It was a bittersweet moment -- I was relieved to be done, triumphant that I did it well, but a little sad. I'm going to miss the camaraderie and the environment of learning and inquiry. I'm not going to miss the petty bickering and schoolchild self-centeredness of some of my fellow students, and I'm CERTAINLY not going to miss not making a living wage.

On that note, I received good news this week. I've been selected as a recipient of a scholarship frtom a local congressman, earmarked for vets and displaced workers, several of each received it. It's going to finish off my tuitiuon and help with bill.

One small paper to write tomorrow, due on Friday, it's an evaluation of the dinner event. Tomorrow is also my 40th birthday, and I get to work (yay!), and finish the day in wine class, eating a buffet and trying delicious wines.

Tomorrow's also payday, and I'll finally have the money to buy my cap and gown for next Saturday's ceremony. The culinary program is hosting a luncheon for the graduating Second Years that day. It'll be nice to not be the one cooking for once.

I'm finally a Single Digit Midget -- barring any major catastrophes during finals week, in less than ten days, I will be an American Culinary Federation (ACF) Certified Culinarian, as well as an Associate of Applied Sciences in Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management. I'll also have my First Aid training certificate -- all of which will look good on my resume. The one thing I didn't gain as part of the program that would pad it even more is an OLCC liquor handlers license.

Officially I won't receive the AAS until I finish the Co-Operative Education segment, but that's simply a matter of working enough hours at a job, pay the tuition fee, and fill out a form. The ACF CC will be mine if I pass my final exam in my Culinary Leadership class.

It feels weird. It's like my life has been on hold for two years, and now that this period is passing, It feels like it's time to get back to real life. I just wish I felt more... transformed, I guess, if that makes sense?

Maybe after I've had some sleep.