The Runaway Cook

I can’t believe that today was our last day here. It feels like just yesterday I had arrived in hot mess straight from Italy. Today, we are technically finished with our school program, and all I can think is how much I wish I could stop time or at least adjust it to be slow enough to be ready for the next second.

It rained this morning, so much so that they postponed our final examination until the rain slowed enough for us to walk in it. Unfortunately, most of the class was already on our way by the time this news of the delay got out. We were soaked to the bone. Surprisingly, both the identification and the written examination were both very easy to me. I knew nearly every answer on the written portion, there was only one question I wasn't positive about. AND get this! I knew all of the foods we needed to identify. I feel so proud. Sometimes learning all these new foods with completely different aromas, flavors, and uses can feel like trying to speak a new language. However, after a month of practicingthis food language, I wish that this test had been just a little more difficult. I really have learned so much here. I just can't believe that I can cook all these things now!

I have fallen for this place and part of me is sick to be nearing the end. Sometimes I think maybe I should have somehow failed the test so I would have to do this program all over again.

I could definitely deal with another night like our At-Sunrice BBQ. THis school sure does them right. Just as the day started to cool, our whole class filed into the bus for what everyone

had told us was going to be one of the best barbecues ever. . . It was. After about a 30 minute drive we arrived at the home of the At-Sunrice School's founder. This woman knows how to through a party. Her whole house opens up to become a fusion of indoors and outdoors. We ate loads of food, much of which was not Asian at all. The sweet offerings of potato salad and steak made us all feel like we just read a postcard from home. Who knew we had missed home so much.

After dinner every person there, which includes every faculty member of the school we had met, got onto the dance floor. I can't tell you how much fun it is to have about five different cultures on a small dance floor all teaching each other the silliest and "coolest" dance moves from home. If you run into me sometime, you have to ask me to demonstrate the Singaporean "math dance"- very cool ;)

I am sad to leave this place, even though I know we are coming back after a week. I guess I'm just a little sad to close this chapter . . . but excited for the new place and new things to learn.

This trip seems to be going much too quickly for me. As soon as I close my eyes at night they open to a world going 60 miles per hour faster than before. Our days here have been so full and so long, that I've had hardly any time to just exist without the pressure to experience and perform. I guess it makes those few moments, like that one in the photo to the left, extra special. . . Yeah, but I still wish that the massage on our schedule in the next couple days, was today.

At least we all can relax in the bus on our six hour trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia tomorrow. I really have been looking forward to just cuddling up with my blanket and snacking on some strange-but-good asian junk food. . . hmmm Malaysian customs, wonder what that'll be like.

I'll keep ya posted :)