Freezing it up in the Big 6

Hello again from Toronto or the Big 6 as they like to call it, which has something to do with their area codes I believe. We are currently living in the debts of winter and absolutely freezing but sure its still better than the rain I guess? At least I have finally learned how to take it easy when I walk and have stopped falling so much because honestly the first couple of weeks I was li
ke bambi on ice just booting it around the place. And on that note ill discuss some of the fun things we do before I get in to the education part of it all. Robert and I like to spend our free time exploring the city as its so big you can always find new spots if you try. As you can see in the picture to the left that is the Flatiron building located in the financial district which dates back to 1882 which would be quiet old for Canada, so this would be one of the most historic monuments in Toronto. We also Took a trip down to the distillery district which really is a must see when it comes to Toronto. Its full of craft brewery's, lovey restaurants and unique shops and boutiques. I really am glad that Robert was my partner in crime to this trip in Canada as he's always up for an adventure even if it is - 25 C.


We got an amazing opportunity to go winter camping with the Overhang Adventures crew to whom we went skiing with. This was honestly one of the most amazing experiences I have every been on. Three days two nights in the Killarney Provincial park. We started off our stay by pulling all of our equipment and supplies in sleds in some of the deepest snow I think ill ever see. Thank god we took a quick trip to Value Village and got completely decked out in snow gear, meaning we could really enjoy the snow. That day we took a hike in our cool snow shoes, across a frozen lake and up a little valley. It was just utterly breath taking. We then had dinner which was burgers done on the BBQ and smores from the fire for desert. The group then broke away and a few of us went down to the lake at night to lay down in the snow and look at the stars. This would have been magical if it wasn't so overcast, it was still pretty fun tho. That night we all had a great sleep in our heated yurts.

The next day we all got up, had breakfast burritos and went for a morning hike where we learned about the pine trees and how to track a animal trails. We hiked up to the highest view point to see the Georgian bay, absolutely spectacular.
We decided to have a little fun before we had lunch after the hike and we went tobogganing which is just really fun sledding for all the world. One of the leaders brought two rings with him and they were particularly fun to go down the slope with. This honestly provided hours of entertainment throughout the day. We then had lunch and after lunch was quinzhee building time. A quinzhee is essentially an igloo but instead of building blocks you just gather and compact a massive hill of snow and then dig out the inside. This was with the hope that we would get to sleep in them but unfortunately the two that we attempted collapsed. One of which both me and Robert were in, it was fun being dug out of a quinzhee. The night went as it would with dinner, stories and a few sneaky cans back in one of the yurts before bed. The next day was spent packing, tobogganing and walking around before we got the bus home. I honestly can not begin to explain how much I enjoyed this weekend. it was worth every penny (300 dollars) and then many more.

Now on to the education portion. Not much has changed from my last blog, we're Coming to the end of this term and finishing up some of our courses such as emerging trends in Canadian cuisine. I quiet enjoy this class as Chef Simon really listen to his pupils and lets us experiment with cool trends such as textures of veg and smoking purees. After this we will be moving on to other subjects like Farm to Fork Sustainability which I look forward to. Thankfully we will be staying in Butchery as we have settled in quite well in that class and hey its also quiet fun not only watching the demonstrations but also getting to practice on good stock. Humber college is a great college I just wish (believe it or not) that we had some more classes as I feel we have far too much free time. So I would highly suggest if you we're to choose Humber to get a co op visa so that you could take up a part time job as well as go to college. Hey minimum wage is 14 dollars in Canada so that would be pretty sweet ehh. I believe That's all for now. Thanks again for listening to my random babbles

Best regards,

Saoirse

The Final Month Has Arrived

So after three months I have finished my time in Ulster University. It has went by so quick. I am so happy i got to experience uni life. I have learnt so much from being here and was given such amazing opportunities. I feel like I have gained memories, great skills and experiences from this. It has made me think about after college next year and whether i should do a course here in Ulster University.

Food sensory module. For the final assignment, as a group we were asked to come up with three products associated with a certain commodity. Ours was milk. We then created the three products, candy floss milkshake, white sauce based pizza and rhubard and ustard ice cream. On the day we cooked the pizzas and blitzed the milkshake. The ice cream was done prior. we cut them into small samples. Small enough that it wouldnt over feed the testee but not too small so that they wouldnt have enough sample to answer the associated questions. We sampled a total of twenty two people. the results were done on a data base and we interperated them. Then to finish it off we did a 2000 word assignment about the results. It was a great learning experience to see how companies with new products use sensory analysis to determine if there product will sell or not. And to see what sensory analysis can show someone about their product.

Events and festival management course work was very handy.It was a blog based assignment. Each week we would write a blog detailing what we done in the lecture and the seminars. With already writing these blogs I had a good idea how I was going to go about this assignment. And I hope ill get  good marking this one. I am feeling confident!

Last but not least my food innovation module. Vegan sausages. Over the last three months I have been working with two other girls to create a recipe for vegan sausages using South Arican spices.Once completed we narrowed it down to four different sausages to present to the company. A presentation was dont to outline all the basic facts about the sausages like the recipe, nutritional value and the process to make them. We gave samples of each sausage to the company owners for them to try and see which is their favourite. Making the task a little bit more of a challenge the sausages had to be soya free and free from as many allergens as possible. In the end the vegan sausages were dairy free, soya free, gluten free and free from any artificial substances.Which is pretty impressive in my eyes. The company loved them. I hope in the future they will be selling the vegan sausages on the market. It would be an accomplishment to know the I had helped in the making of the product

And that is it. My time in Coleraine has sadly come o an end. And what an experience it has been. I have met some wonderful people and learnt some knew skills I can keep with me after college. It has opened my eyes to just the amount of knowledge that can be gained from the industry I have entered. making me more content that I picked the culinary industry to work in.

Uni Life At Its Finest

Onto my second months already in Coleraine. For any of you who do not know my name is Michaela Quigley and I am currently an erasmus student on study placement in Coleraine studying food innovation and consumer science. So far, I have been busy getting used to the weekly routine of uni life. My modules, food innovation, sensory analysis and events management, are all practical based. In small groups. I don't have to take exams,which is a lot of pressure taken off. It gives me more time to focus on my assignments and group work.

The students here are extremely helpful and very friendly. It is a big relief. Going up to study placement alone, although just in Coleraine, was still nerve wrecking. There is nothing worse than standing in a university knowing nobody. But my fears were shortly resolved. They students i worked with in groups were also very understanding. I got a job while I was up in Coleraine. Due to the fact that I wanted to constantly practice cooking while studying. And with uni only being about three days a week I thought it would be a good use of my time. Coleraine is a small town, quite like Waterford. After a while it becomes quite boring, especially when everyone of your roommates commute back home on the weekends.

This month focused on some interesting topics. For one of our assignments we had to come up with a recipe for vegan sausages. There has been alot of progress. the company wanting us to do this came in and sampled the sausages. we had six samples all sing different spice blends and a variety of fruit, vegetables and grains fr texture. It was an amazing feeling when we got high compliments from the company. They praised our sausages and said they were better than most of the vegan sausages available on the market.

We have continued doing wine sampling every two weeks. We also had a guest lecturer from Chicago come in and teach us about food trails that she has went on in Asia and the ones available and what they entail. It was an interesting topic and a side to tourism I forgot even existed. The last module has mainly consisted of practical work. We are half way there to getting two products together before doing sensory analysis on them. It should be great to learn how to conduct a live sensory analysis. It will be something new to learn. Its always good to learn something new.

Well that really sums up this months Uni life. Time flies when your having fun. And with next month just around the corner i truly believe in that statement! Until next time

So long Slieve Donard

Hello, Sinead here finally checking in after finishing up at the Slieve Donard Hotel, time flies when you are having fun as they say and that is certainly true for my time in Newcastle, Co. Down. Its hard to believe how fast the past 6 months of my placement went and that I along with my classmates are facing into our last year of studies in Waterford.

Since my last update, work had been more hectic than ever, I don’t think there was more than 5 days over the last 3 months that we didn’t have a function or event on. This had resulted in long hard hours being put in by all the kitchen staff to keep the show on the road. I had been moving around the kitchen a lot more, doing starters, the pass, helping in pastry and doing a few shifts in the lighthouse lounge.

Now that I am looking back on my experience of working in the Slieve Donard, I can definitely say that you get a real all round experience in the kitchen. Within the 6 months of my placement I worked in every section of the kitchen. From this I can say that I really did get a good overall experience to the kitchen and therefore it has helped me with the decisions that must be made ahead of fourth year as to what area one would like to specialise in.

Working in the Slieve Donard taught me lots of things. Firstly to never stop concentrating as it may result in slicing the tip of your finger off but that is a story for another day! I learned many lessons from my time working but the most important thing was to never give up. Our Head Chef, Hazel Magill always kept the show on the road no matter what obstacles were thrown in the way and it was always amazing to see the way problems could be easily fixed with a calm mind. I feel I can now face any problems that may be put in my way in future jobs.

Leaving the Slieve Donard was emotional, I made some great friends during my time on placement, especially all the kitchen staff. When enduring hard days and long hours its always nice to know that the team you are part of are there to help and always try to put a smile on your face. I will truly miss being part of that crazy kitchen team.

Finally I would recommend everyone to visit the northern coast of Ireland. I was lucky enough to get a week off where I invited my parents up and we travelled all along the coast from the Mourne Mountains to the Giants Causeway and back down again to the HMS Titanic. It really is truly spectacular scenery and the hidden gem of Ireland’s coast.

That’s all for now, wishing all the best on your endeavours wherever you find yourselves, Sinead!

Magical Mourne Mountains

Hello All, Sinead here checking in from my work placement in the Slieve Donard Hotel, Co.Down. Since I last checked in, the hotel has been very busy resulting in a hectic kitchen. Since the sun has decided to come out above the Mourne Mountains, the hotel has become a playground for tourists both near and far.

In the kitchen its all steam ahead, each day getting busier than the last since Easter just passed. Now that I am fully settled into the kitchen I have found my feet on the starters section. The starter section is as it sounds, producing starters for service in the Oak Restaurant. Along with that comes the task of creating the Amuse Bouche every day. A favourite task on a quiet day but a dreaded task on a busy day. I have had some great fun experimenting creating different offering such as fennel sorbet with tastes of fennel.

We had a very busy Easter Sunday Lunch, serving over 300 guest a buffet style lunch. When it comes to buffets in the Slieve Donard the highest of standards is expected along with an exceptional variety of offerings. It’s interesting to see the behind the scenes of such a large buffet and the preparation that is needed to occur to ensure everything runs smoothly on the day. Below you can see pictures of the buffet display for Easter Sunday. 

The team in the Slieve are what makes this place so special, front of house and the kitchen communicate very well together ensuring the smooth running of all events. Management and staff are extremely friendly and there can always be laughter heard from one end of the kitchen to another.

From good times and laughter in the kitchen to good times on my days off. On my time off I usually get to explore the northern coast of Ireland, I often find myself driving to the most random of locations to take in spectacular scenery. A favourite place of my is St. Johns Lighthouse, where the lighthouse lounge at the Slieve Donard is named after. Its nice to have such relaxing surroundings to spend time in when you get out of the demanding environment that is the kitchen.

Since my last check in I also got the opportunity to attend the Taste of Tourism Summit in the Culloden Estate and Spa, as a chef from the Slieve Donard. The Summit included talk from various speakers Galton Blackiston, Dr Morgaine Gaye, William Sitwell, Greg Hughes, Danni Barry and many more. It was an interesting day of talks that opened eyes to what is currently happening in both the food and drinks industry and how its effecting the tourism industry in both Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Until next time, all the best from the Slieve.

Tying up Toronto

Wow where did the time go I’m sitting here in Toronto waiting for my flight home back to rainy old Ireland and to be honest, I’m very excited. My time spent in Canada has been amazing I’ve enjoyed every moment of it but I can’t wait to go home to a comfortable bed, a cup of tea and a crisp sandwich.

            The last 5 months have been amazing and everything I expected from Erasmus and maybe more I’ve travelled places I always wanted to go. I’ve made new friendships and strengthened old. I’ve learnt good and bad habits and I believe it has really made me into a better person. As Anthony Bourdain once said “If you’re twenty-two, physically fit, hungry to learn and be better, I urge you to travel – as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on floors if you have to. Find out how other people live and eat and cook. Learn from them – wherever you go.” Now I only had to sleep on floors for a few nights here and there but we travelled and we 
ate as much different food as possible. we saw so much of Canada with an  impromptu road trip to Ottawa and Montreal, I spent a night in a jail cell (it was a hostel that used to be a jail haha)

Ottawa

  

Montreal 

the lovely bunch of Irish people we met in Montreal

            

























Toronto is a strange city it’s a city where everyone seems to be from further afield yet Toronto feels like home. Having lived in large cities in North America before, The Toronto streets felt strangely familiar but completely different people are courteous even if it is minus 20°. And everyone has time for each other.

I think that’s what made my time in Humber college so pleasant, the people are sound and have very much the mentality of Irish people. The lecturers are lovely people and really seem to care about their students. Of course, another fact I enjoyed about Humber was the fact we didn’t have to sit exams due to a communication error and us having flights booked for the week before the last week of college, luckily most of our course was continuous assessment and we were able to submit final proposals a week beforehand. We did, however, sit a few midterm examinations. For “emerging trends in Canadian cuisine” we looked at well, emerging trends in Canadian cuisine, which seemed to me like Ireland circa 2011, we had a choice of protein, starch and a vegetable, which we had to apply a previously learnt skill and present 2 dishes, Saoirse and I cooked pork tenderloin and pork belly with textures of carrot and fondant potato. The beginning of this process can be seen in the below time-lapse. With a final plate following.

The rest us just assignments and a proposal to Humber’s department for sustainability.

Of course, after Toronto, we had to go on a little holiday so Saoirse and I booked a 10-day break to Vancouver to see the other coast (I’m actually on a layover between my flights right now,  

I can’t believe it’s all over and I’ll be back in Ireland in a few hours if I can get on this plane. Canada has been such an amazing experience and I can’t wait to return probably in the summer though.

P.S.

I forgot to mention I’m going  be flying again to visit the 4 people in Venlo in a week to see how the Dutch do Erasmus.

P.P.S

I forgot to upload this. Venlo was amazing, do I have regrets that I didn't choose the Netherlands? no, but did I have a brilliant time, yes. What an amazing place with such a great buzz and such an international mix of people lovely to reconnect to the girls and see what their blog posts are all about.

For one last time

Talk to you later Toronto

Rob J. C

Netherlands…. The Only Place Where a Bridge is Built to let the River Cross the Street

The Last of many 41a Partys

Exploring Ireland with new friends

For those of you who just started following this blog but don’t know me I am Tom. This semester I am doing my exchange semester as the second part of my international year from Waterford Institute of Technology. So therefore, I am attending Fontys International Business School, Venlo the Netherlands. This is my last blog from this series which brings to an end the international year of adventure. Since my last blog I have continued to have many adventures well mixed with a bit of college work. This is also the last blog in this series but who knows when the next ones might begin.

Little Trip to Rome

Starting with the college side of it I have just completed my exams. Yes, in W.I.T. we would be half way through the summer holidays by now. One of the key differences between W.I.T. and Fontys is the college work load. I painted a Van Gogh style picture of life in Venlo and it was amazing however, don’t be fooled by the workload. I have spent many years in college but these exams were the biggest challenge yet. The results for the exams come within ten days of sitting each exam. So basically, you would get one result and a couple of days later you would get another. I thought this was a good idea at the start but that quickly faded as you had no relief getting your results and were constantly on edge. The good news is I passed all my exams so I did finally get relief. I got my 30 credits which was the requirement to continue on into the fourth year in Waterford. Overall my experience in Fontys was challenging and exciting. I would highly recommend Fontys to future students, however, before choosing ask yourself are you looking for practical or theory-based learning.

Lunch with Canadians, British and Irish in Germany

The year abroad from W.I.T. was one of the best years of my life. It all started in Canada and the last trip before I returned home was to Cologne in Germany were, I met up with four people I had worked with in Banff. One from England, two from Canada and then Derek from my class. The experience and social aspect of the year is unmatched. My advice to the people who have just started there year out is to push every boundary and do the things you never imagine yourself doing. Since the last blog I again travelled quite a lot I went to Rome, Belgium, Ireland and Germany. I volunteered at a Caribbean music festival in Germany with the other Irish students where we worked at a Caribbean food stall for the weekend, camped and made plans to head to Trinidad and Tobago in the near future.  I brought two of my friends from Mexico to Ireland and brought them on a trip through Irelands Ancient East showing of some of our culture.

This past year has been a year of discovery, experience and learning. It is one of the biggest assets to the BA in Culinary Arts course in W.I.T. What other course offers you the chance to work and study abroad in two different locations. I would defiantly advise doing the work semester first to give you the extra cash to have the best possible study semester however, being thrifty you can discover that there are many ways to do different activities without paying for them and also there is loads of free things to experience.

Thanks for following along with my blogging journey and for your sake thank god there over….

Sunsets in Venlo

 

What a difference a year makes!!

It’s hard to believe that a year is gone already. I left Ireland in May 2018 to start a journey of a lifetime in Canada. I've now been home in Ireland for the last month. Its’ given me a lot of time to reflect on my experiences throughout the year both in Canada and France.

The past year has gone by so quick and has been filled with so many amazing experiences, incredible people, lots of emotions, hard work and cultural shocks.

In this, my final blog post at part of the BA (Hons) In Culinary Arts International year, I want to speak as honest and open as I can. 

I started my journey in one of Canada's most famous national parks, Banff which is in Alberta. I left Ireland in the unknown. I had no idea what life was going to be like on the other side of the world. I had no idea what work would be like and how I would settle in. I had no idea on where my journey would take me. But I did know one thing, leaving Dublin I said to myself when the plane took of that there was no going back now, this is it this is the opportunity of waited and longed for in my life. I said to myself to take every opportunity that was on offer and not to waste my time. Many people asked me before I left was I running away from my problems, in a way I was. I needed a new fresh take on life.  Life hasn’t always been good to me, whether it was being bullied all through school for being different or trying to fill the loneliness of life with love. But Canada changed me and changed me for the good. 

Peyto Lake 2018

For my internship I choose to work at The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, a world-renowned hotel in the heart of Banff national park. It was very daunting at first, but as the weeks went on and I became more comfortable in my work and my surroundings life became easier. As the saying goes its good to breath a different kind of air, and that saying is beyond true. Its hard to put it to words, how getting the opportunity to live and work in one of the world’s most beautiful locations has an impact on your life. When living in Banff, and the months and experiences went on, I really started to get a feel on who the true me is. I thought hard on where I would like my life journey to take me, but I also reassured myself that we can’t plan our lives out every detail by detail its juts not how it works. I learned that it is completely acceptable for us to not be happy with what we thought would make us happy. We must be open for change and accept change. We must learn from the people we meet and the experiences that weren’t good to us. We must learn that success doesn’t come without hard work and sacrifice but to live a successful life we must find balance.

But Canada wasn’t always perfect and that was ok. It was hard at times missing family and friends back home. It was hard to work with people who didn’t care about their job or always had attitudes towards things. It was hard to get respect for somethings when you’re not in a position of authority. But I learned from this working environment and there came points when you just had to turn other people’s negativity into your own positivity, because surrounding yourself with that all the time is bad for your mental health. Working at the Banff Springs I met some truly wonderful and fun people that’s I miss every day. People that always had a smile on their face no matter what. It was very hard for me leaving Canada, but I had to, my next journey, my study semester in France was fast approaching. 

Wine Wednesdays Banff AB (bad things happened) 

I left Canada 2^nd of January 2019 just after the busy Christmas period. It felt right but wrong at the same time. it had taken me nearly 7 months to fully settle into a life I was comfortable with and then having to end it all was difficult. I admit I didn’t want to go home to Ireland, life just felt easier in Canada. Canada and Banff in particular will always and forever hold a special place in my life, I will always remember that it helped me find a small piece of the true me but for the moment the world has so much more opportunity’s and experiences to offer and someday  I will return to the land that refreshed my soul and body and changed me for the good.

Open Roads 

France………….

Good friends & Good times
Lyon Feb 2019

As a young boy growing up and loving food and as the years went on and you become more aware of cooking and chefs and foods etc France was like a calling I always had longing to go there. Originally France wasn’t my first choice. I had my mind set on Providence in Rhode island but for various reasons I chose different. I got the opportunity to attend classes at a world-renowned college set up by one of the most famous chefs to have ever lived Paul Bocuse. I travelled home for 2 days from Canada as the semester started quite early in January and I need to be there to sort my life out before classes started. This was tough and very tiring both mentally and physically. Your trying to catch up on life at home having missed so much for the past 8 months yet trying to sort everything out for a completely new adventure that was about to begin. 

I didn’t know what I was getting myself in for before I moved to France, I knew that the language would be challenging and that I really need to immerse myself into the French way of living. My Erasmus was very different than any other experience somebody else would have. As the college is private and small it’s a more of intimate experience. We had some minor difficulties at the start of the semester, however, at IPB they run the classes in 4 week rotations which was good. Overall, it was incredibly hard work, a true test of character and not for the faint hearted.

During my 4 months, it was some of the hardest and loneliest times of my life. Being surrounded by some genuinely nice people and amazing food etc more than any training chef could want, life was very difficult and dark at times. However, I’ve been brought up to work hard and not give up, I have a thick skin to not let the little things get the better of me. I learned that at times we must give in to people and give them what they want or desire but to never lose what I believe in or to doubt my self worth and to come out the other side knowing right. My time and experiences in France will forever stand to me, again I found a piece of my true self. I learned things on how I want my career to go. I learned a lot on how I don’t ever want to treat people in certain was.  I learned that working hard for somebody else to take the benefits and not get respected is not where I want my life to go.

Paul Bocuse statute 

The last 12 months have been the best times of my life even filled with all the emotions, the good and bad experiences looking back on it now I wouldn’t change any of it for the world. It’s been a roller coaster of learning and growing over all aspects of my life.

In my last blog I said this, “I believe that everything happens to teach us something. I’ve certainly had my fair share of lessons this year. If I’ve learned anything in the last year its this, the most difficult and testing of times are the ones you’ll always remember. Not for the pain, the struggle, the tears, or the heartache but for the strength of your character and the depth of your heart”.

But now I say goodbye and thank you to those who have helped me along the way and enriched my journey. My journey is not over and will never be over until the day I leaves this earth. So, keep smiling even in times of darkness, keep learning and growing as an individual. Most importantly keep true to who you are because its you journey to live not somebody else’s.

Derek.  

An ending to a great year !!

                                               Its not goodbye its a 'see you later'


I can’t believe I’m coming to the end of my erasmus year. What an experience it has been. This year has been one of the most incredible years in my life so far. I have so many skills, skills that have gained my confidence, made me a better chef but must importantly has made me a better person.

This time last year I was getting ready to start at the slieve donard. Going into a new work environment didn’t know what my expectations would be but I look back at my time there now and I can honestly say I have never worked in kitchen that such a close family bond and such a great work ethic and take pride in teaching others how work to in a high pressured environment . These aspects are what is missing in a kitchen setting, a sense of community and respect for one another.

When choosing to select work placement first rather than academic placement was the best decision I could make because I had the chance to save a lot of my wages from working in the Northern Ireland so I could be financially independent when studying in The Netherlands and to also to accommodate my travelling around Europe. I have had the best time here in The Netherlands, making some incredible friends from all over the world and studying a course that’s completely out of my comfort zone but I know it will benefit me going into my final year of college in September and my culinary career in the future. I was very lucky that I have travelled to other countries also such as Germany, Italy and Belgium which were all more beautiful than the other and of course travelling around the beautiful country that is the Netherlands from visiting the beautiful tulip fields of Keukenhof to visiting the astonishing shopping city that is Maastricht I will never forget the scenery, people and oh cant forget about that Dutch beer 😉

For anyone that’s going forward in doing an Erasmus year my advice would don’t be afraid to push yourself and get out of your comfort zone I went from a girl that hated the taught of being away from my family and friends for a long period of time to working and living quiet independently abroad with no feelings of home sickness. The year will define who you are as person and your career going forward so please if you can go out and see the world it is full of amazing people, places and opportunities.

Signing off for the last time.

Love,

Aine xo

The finish line approaches

I can’t seem to get my head around the fact that I am writing my final blog post. If I was told before starting college that I would live in Canada by myself for half a year working for a nationally recognised company in Calgary and then the Netherlands studying fresh business I would have had trouble believing it but this has been without a doubt the most amazing experience. I’ve developed so much as a person the past year with the help of throwing myself into new situations for example, moving to countries I have never been to before, one of them alone. I never thought that this year would help me grow so much but has been a huge benefit to me personally, my confidence and awareness has improved a great deal.

Scenes from Banff

     

Canada was a huge learning curve for me, it helped me improve my confidence in the kitchen and allowed me to experience work in different types of environments. I found myself drawing back on all the skills and knowledge I have gained from college often while also learning more while working. I experienced true independence and will always remember my time there. To this day I keep in contact with majority of the chefs and people I met in Calgary (sometimes too often) and hope to return someday.

It is also quite hard to admit that we are very close to the end of our time here in Venlo, we have had the true Erasmus experience. We’ve made friends with people all over the world and have really bonded during our time here. There’s never a moment of loneliness, someone is always up for doing something and the travel opportunities are almost endless. During our time here I have visited more countries than I have the past few years!

A portion of our Venlo family

The work has been tough at times but coming to the end of lectures and exams making their way towards us everything has been coming together. I’m very happy I chose to come to Venlo and study Fresh Business for my placement. I came here with the interest to see a more in-depth view of this side of the industry and I have experienced exactly what I was looking for. It certainly was different to what we’re used to but in time it all came together, and I’ve learned so much during my time here.

Scenes from Bruges

Finally, this whole year has been a pivotal moment in my life. I’ve developed so much during third year as a chef and a person. I’ve gained so many skills, knowledge, met amazing people and seen beautiful places while travelling around the world.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my adventures the past year, I look forward to returning to WIT for our final year and sharing my experiences with everyone.

Best of luck to everyone starting their journey this year!

For the final time,

Danielle