onewhocares
Aug 18, 2008, 9:58 AM
Hello All,
Well, I have been home a week from my adventure to cook and teach at a camp in Vermont and thought that I would give you an update as to the stay in the Green Mountain State. First and foremost, I want to thank ALL of you who took the time to share recipes with me for the cookbook which I published for the kids. I must say, that even though I was rushed, having only two days to compile the recipes and art work, it came out really nice. I had it spiral bound and laminated so the kids could take it home and use it. I received many compliments on the layout, safety concerns and cooking tips which I included. Arana, everyone thought your recipes were great when they read them! There was only ONE problem................I never ever got to teach a class or have the kids use the book, if you can believe it.
The week I spent in Vermont was nothing but pure HELL. Here it is a week later and I still can not feel my fingertips and my back is killing me. Also.....tip to all...never volunteer for anything. One of the reasons that I did agree to take this position( a challenge actually) was so that I could share the experience of camp with my daughter. I went to this very camp as a child and my wonderful memories have lasted a lifetime. This was not to be the fate for Kendall and I. We arrived on Saturday as I was obligated to take a sexual and physical abuse class before I was to commence working. Turns out, the class was postponed but no one bothered to tell me. When I met the director and one of the program directors, they said since you are here, lets get cooking. I was, as the camp director would later tell me in my exit interview, thrown directly into the fire. She surmised that I was a woman of stamina and looked like I could get the job done and handle anything they threw my way. Guess what...I did not stop. From Saturday lunch to the following Saturday lunch I worked non stop, standing on my feet....chopping, stirring and general cooking for 101 hours and then shuttle to and from the town for supplies for another ten hours. I was even told that I had to organize the stockroom and the walk in cooler. This tall chubby blonde came home tired, sore, disillusioned but.....thinner ...as all I seemed to have time for was to drink water and cook...I only had the time to brush my teeth two or three times while I was there. Funny how working non stop, in the wicked heat....only found out on Wednesday that the kitchen exhaust fan actually did work can make you skinny...er.
I attribute the disaster to the lack of communication and dysfunction of the staff. Seems, even though the co-program director knew all of the effort that I put into the cookbooks, the tee shirts to give to each child and all the supplies to make the daily cooking classes fun....never bothered to schedule the classes. Heck, the other director a blonde princess who did nothing but walk around all day with her daughter on her hip never ever introduced herself to the cooking crew. I understood that under a new regime of leadership that not everything would run smoothly...but man this place was a mess. Turns out what really hurt the most was that toward the end of the week, I put out the book and tee shirts for the kids to take, that the young counselors in training who, coincidentally taught cooking classes...come to the kitchen and used my cookbook and ingredients for their classes. Now most of you know that I am an easy going kind of a gal, but that really frosted me. Was going to donate all the things I brought for the classes and such, but in the end, sent them a bill.
I guess I should have gotten the hint on the first day. When the director contacted my brother, whom I had given as a reference, he joking said that he was sending me up their with my own travel trailer when she mentioned that accommodations for staff were tight ( remember, I was supposed to share the room behind the kitchen with the 73 year old Argentinean head cook). She said that the idea sounded nice. One of my brothers friend graciously lent me his 25 foot travel trailer and brought it up there for me and set it all up. On that first day, the maintenance man told me that I was drawing too much electricity and that I would need to conserve. Later in the week, on two separate occasions, my electricity was turned off. Well it turns out that even though the camper was there to ease their housing shortage....it was a godsend as it turns out that my daughter was allergic to the mold and dust in the cabins and had to bunk with me. SHE hated the whole experience. One night when she was not back in the trailer when I returned from the kitchen at 9:30, I thought she had made good on her talk of running back home....she said...she would walk to the main road, hail a cab and say...." my dad will pay you when you get me back to Boston". Turns out she was still at a program. There were camp get to know your fellow staff member parties that we were not invited to...yet our names were placed in a Secret Santa drawing. Even that training class was postponed several times and when it did arrive we were reprimanded for arriving late....and the dinner was late because we had to attend, and we were yelled at for that. When the day to leave arrived, we were all packed and ready and waiting for the fellow to come get the trailer...even here we were behind the eight ball. Having rained all week, the fellow got the truck and trailer stuck stuck in the field where it was parked and had to call AAA. We all pooled what ever money we could scrape together to get us out and on the way home. As it turns out, I had to bring another worker, who had been coming there for seven years, back to Boston so that she and her daughter cold catch a flight back to Europe as she left in disgust when the new staff came in and caused disfunction.
Lest you think that my ranting here were all my own....the saving grace of this adventure were the 73 year old Argentinean and the cool woman from upper state Vermont who also came to work in the kitchen. She had NO experience in the kitchen and they treated her worse. I am a strong woman, but on Tuesday they brought us both to tears. Were it not for the fact that I had made a commitment to the children, wanted to teach my daughter that one does not run in the face of adversity, and most importantly....I could not in good conscious leave the cooking duties for 150 children to one older man whose hands shook. So I stayed. The other cook and I both did.
They hinted around at the exit interview that they were looking for a replacement for the head cook who is retiring after next year and hinted to me.....I never laughed so hard.
Friends joke that this was my good deed for a lifetime and will surely get me into heaven. Well I look at it as it made up for all my past sins, sins to come and even sins which I could just possibly dream about doing. And when I get to the pearly gates and St. Peter comments on this week from hell....that he will allow me to bring my friends...I have enough free passes for ALL OF YOU on Bisexual.com to get in on my coattails.....just mention that you know Belle from Boston and you will go to the front of the line.
Well, I shall close this diatribe.....I thought you would all get a kick out of my adventure...but most of all I want to say THANK YOU for all your support and encouragement in the process.
Belle
PS, if you want a cookbook for your kids, just let me know.
Well, I have been home a week from my adventure to cook and teach at a camp in Vermont and thought that I would give you an update as to the stay in the Green Mountain State. First and foremost, I want to thank ALL of you who took the time to share recipes with me for the cookbook which I published for the kids. I must say, that even though I was rushed, having only two days to compile the recipes and art work, it came out really nice. I had it spiral bound and laminated so the kids could take it home and use it. I received many compliments on the layout, safety concerns and cooking tips which I included. Arana, everyone thought your recipes were great when they read them! There was only ONE problem................I never ever got to teach a class or have the kids use the book, if you can believe it.
The week I spent in Vermont was nothing but pure HELL. Here it is a week later and I still can not feel my fingertips and my back is killing me. Also.....tip to all...never volunteer for anything. One of the reasons that I did agree to take this position( a challenge actually) was so that I could share the experience of camp with my daughter. I went to this very camp as a child and my wonderful memories have lasted a lifetime. This was not to be the fate for Kendall and I. We arrived on Saturday as I was obligated to take a sexual and physical abuse class before I was to commence working. Turns out, the class was postponed but no one bothered to tell me. When I met the director and one of the program directors, they said since you are here, lets get cooking. I was, as the camp director would later tell me in my exit interview, thrown directly into the fire. She surmised that I was a woman of stamina and looked like I could get the job done and handle anything they threw my way. Guess what...I did not stop. From Saturday lunch to the following Saturday lunch I worked non stop, standing on my feet....chopping, stirring and general cooking for 101 hours and then shuttle to and from the town for supplies for another ten hours. I was even told that I had to organize the stockroom and the walk in cooler. This tall chubby blonde came home tired, sore, disillusioned but.....thinner ...as all I seemed to have time for was to drink water and cook...I only had the time to brush my teeth two or three times while I was there. Funny how working non stop, in the wicked heat....only found out on Wednesday that the kitchen exhaust fan actually did work can make you skinny...er.
I attribute the disaster to the lack of communication and dysfunction of the staff. Seems, even though the co-program director knew all of the effort that I put into the cookbooks, the tee shirts to give to each child and all the supplies to make the daily cooking classes fun....never bothered to schedule the classes. Heck, the other director a blonde princess who did nothing but walk around all day with her daughter on her hip never ever introduced herself to the cooking crew. I understood that under a new regime of leadership that not everything would run smoothly...but man this place was a mess. Turns out what really hurt the most was that toward the end of the week, I put out the book and tee shirts for the kids to take, that the young counselors in training who, coincidentally taught cooking classes...come to the kitchen and used my cookbook and ingredients for their classes. Now most of you know that I am an easy going kind of a gal, but that really frosted me. Was going to donate all the things I brought for the classes and such, but in the end, sent them a bill.
I guess I should have gotten the hint on the first day. When the director contacted my brother, whom I had given as a reference, he joking said that he was sending me up their with my own travel trailer when she mentioned that accommodations for staff were tight ( remember, I was supposed to share the room behind the kitchen with the 73 year old Argentinean head cook). She said that the idea sounded nice. One of my brothers friend graciously lent me his 25 foot travel trailer and brought it up there for me and set it all up. On that first day, the maintenance man told me that I was drawing too much electricity and that I would need to conserve. Later in the week, on two separate occasions, my electricity was turned off. Well it turns out that even though the camper was there to ease their housing shortage....it was a godsend as it turns out that my daughter was allergic to the mold and dust in the cabins and had to bunk with me. SHE hated the whole experience. One night when she was not back in the trailer when I returned from the kitchen at 9:30, I thought she had made good on her talk of running back home....she said...she would walk to the main road, hail a cab and say...." my dad will pay you when you get me back to Boston". Turns out she was still at a program. There were camp get to know your fellow staff member parties that we were not invited to...yet our names were placed in a Secret Santa drawing. Even that training class was postponed several times and when it did arrive we were reprimanded for arriving late....and the dinner was late because we had to attend, and we were yelled at for that. When the day to leave arrived, we were all packed and ready and waiting for the fellow to come get the trailer...even here we were behind the eight ball. Having rained all week, the fellow got the truck and trailer stuck stuck in the field where it was parked and had to call AAA. We all pooled what ever money we could scrape together to get us out and on the way home. As it turns out, I had to bring another worker, who had been coming there for seven years, back to Boston so that she and her daughter cold catch a flight back to Europe as she left in disgust when the new staff came in and caused disfunction.
Lest you think that my ranting here were all my own....the saving grace of this adventure were the 73 year old Argentinean and the cool woman from upper state Vermont who also came to work in the kitchen. She had NO experience in the kitchen and they treated her worse. I am a strong woman, but on Tuesday they brought us both to tears. Were it not for the fact that I had made a commitment to the children, wanted to teach my daughter that one does not run in the face of adversity, and most importantly....I could not in good conscious leave the cooking duties for 150 children to one older man whose hands shook. So I stayed. The other cook and I both did.
They hinted around at the exit interview that they were looking for a replacement for the head cook who is retiring after next year and hinted to me.....I never laughed so hard.
Friends joke that this was my good deed for a lifetime and will surely get me into heaven. Well I look at it as it made up for all my past sins, sins to come and even sins which I could just possibly dream about doing. And when I get to the pearly gates and St. Peter comments on this week from hell....that he will allow me to bring my friends...I have enough free passes for ALL OF YOU on Bisexual.com to get in on my coattails.....just mention that you know Belle from Boston and you will go to the front of the line.
Well, I shall close this diatribe.....I thought you would all get a kick out of my adventure...but most of all I want to say THANK YOU for all your support and encouragement in the process.
Belle
PS, if you want a cookbook for your kids, just let me know.