Final Blog!

Hotel Etxegana! What an experience is all I can say! I came in with dozens of expectations and they were all surpassed after a week. I came to this Hotel: 1) having never in my life worked in a kitchen 2) never spoken Spanish. Before I came to this hotel I was used to work that was the complete opposite of what I did here. I think that was something hard for the people at this hotel to understand, but I never complained. Whenever I was yelled at or insulted, it more so helped me to do better and for that I am thankful. I am happy for every single minute that I have been here in Spain, because this is completely different from anything that I have ever done before. Right now, these are the moments I need to take advantage of  because you never know when the opportunity will come again. 

Basque Region is a unique part of the globe. From what I know it borders northeastern Spain and southern France. I can honestly say that a lot of what I have been able to see and experience here were all for the first time. I have been lucky enough to travel to a lot of places around the world, but this trip has showed me that there is just so much more out there for me to see. It makes me despise "Anthony Bourdain" that much more, but he too must have faced many hardships before landing a job traveling the world in the show "No Reservations."

If you have followed from the beginning you have been able to see how my daily routines were on  a busy, slow, and free days. Every minute of it has been an adventure especially in the sense that I was never bored here. My head Chef Mauricio loves to call me out when I don't look motivated or if I'm moving slow, but I think that is more so b/c of the lack of sleep . I have always been up for any challenge that was asked of me at this hotel. Even if I didn't know what it meant, I did my best. I wish there was a way to let the people at  the hotel know that, but I plan to show them with my how hard I work day in and day out until the day I leave. No matter what Mauricio or anyone says about my experience here, I have learned a lot! I cannot wait for what's next in my Culinary Journey and in Life. To think almost 3 years ago I was one step away from applying to Law School and now I'm in Spain enhancing my skills in the art of Gastronomica (as they call it here)! All things happen for a reason and its important to take whatever life gives you and run with it. 

Thank you to all the followers, 

Adios, Agurd, Goodbye!

Tranquille!

Hola Famillia y Amigos!
Sorry it's been so long since my last post, but i've kinda just been spending more time enjoying the rest of my time in Espana! It looks like I will be coming home a little earlier than expected, but It's ok! I'm ready to  be back in Chicago! The new roommates are great and they are helping me with my Spanish, but at the same time I'm getting used to speaking english again and I just depend on them whenever I need to say something to the Famillia at the hotel.
Things have really slowed down at the hotel. Since there are less clients they have me doing different chores necessary for the hotel. I don't mind doing any of the chores b/c it's good to get out of the kitchen once in a while. And the weather has been great, So I love being outside. I keep telling Mauricio that he needs to develop a Menu for me, So I can bring back all the cuisines of the Basque Region to Chicago! Hopefully me and Omar (My Friend from LCB) can put together a little fiesta for everybody and have "Taste of Spain"!

Mauricio has done a great job showing me what it takes to work in the kitchen and telling me the specifics of making certain dishes that he makes. He is also the "King of Salsa" and has been teaching me some moves during our free time! I feel bad for our roommate Inga (From Iceland) b/c she has practice Salsa with all the guys in the house since she is the only girl. But she is pretty much a pro now that we have been to a salsa bar almost every night we've gone out.

Mac is our other roommate from Philly. He also speaks spanish really well and is taking a year off from school before he goes to the University of Delaware. I always here the family (employees of the hotel) talk to Inga and Mac about my first weeks at the hotel. How I spent a lot of time repeating things said to me and just staring at them with a blank face. I'm not even embarrassed anymore and all I can do is laugh. When I laugh, everyone laughs b/c they all realize that I understand they are talking about me. The good thing is my spanish has improved from 6 weeks ago, along with all the skills I will take away from what I have seen in this kitchen.

This trip to Spain has been more than I could have ever asked for and unforgettable experience. I hope to bring back all that I have learned here: food, culture, language, kitchen skills, and even salsa. I wise man once told me that "It's important to put yourself in a position in life where you are out of you comfort zone, and uncomfortable. Because only then can you truly see what you are capable of"-Liebs
Those are words that I have learned to live by during my time here. When things got tough, I wanted to just give up and come back home, but I stuck with it and now I could not be happier and ready for what's next!

Until next time Hilo Bloggers!

Agurd (that is Basque for Good bye)

PS. Go Bulls!

Pacquiao Fight time!

Everything has  calmed down here a lot! The new roommates are awesome and It's great to speak English again. Although my Espagnol has probably gotten weaker since they got here, I could not be happier to have some other people in the house for a change.

Enough about them though, Pacquiao fights tomorrow. It will probably be 3am Spanish time, and 9-10 pm in Chicago! Ok people, let's get serious! I respect Mosley and he is a legendary fighter. No matter how much grief Pac gets for taking this fight, Sugar Shane is still one of the best fighters out there. If you disagree, look at what he did against Margarito two years ago and he was one or two punches away from taking out Pretty Boy Floyd. So I hate hearing all the mess that this is a bad fight. It is a great fight for Pacquiao  and Mosley and It is just hours away. Unfortunately, no one will get a mass text message from me b/c it is $1 a text from Spain, so just feel my text in Spirit.

Prediction: Sugar Shane will be knocked down a couple times before he is down and out. I hate to say it, but Pacquiao is the "Real Deal" and needs to prove a point. He is simply too fast, and Pacquiao has made it clear that it doesn't matter how big the fighter is after Margarito outweighed him by nearly 20 lbs. last fight. Mosley has speed, power, experience and a heart of a champion. Bottom line, Pacquiao is simply better than all of that at this point of this career and he is ready to go. He seems to have had less distractions this camp and there are no excuses for him to not to be the best Pac Man that he has ever been.

I just don't think Sugar Shane can last more than 5 rounds with what Pacquiao is capable of. He has too much speed, energy, and that killer instinct to put fighters away when necessary. With Roach in the corner, you know Roach would rather have the fight end sooner than later. I hope to see as much of you there during a skype or gchat sessioin. Time for Pac Man to add on to his legacy and fight for the pride of the Philippines.

PACQUIAO! PACQUIAO! PACQUIAO!!

Basque Country

There really is nothing else like the cuisines of the Basque Region. There are similarities with the food they make here, but they are few and far between. Not only are the ingredients different, but it is the way they prepare their food. I am still struggling with the language here and I am constantly getting laughed/ yelled at but I feel that in the end it is all worth it. I plan to leave this part of the world having the last laugh in the sense that there is nothing that will take away from the the experience of everything I learn, see, touch, taste, and smell. It is hard for me the describe the differences that this place has to offer therefore I plan to let my pictures do most of the talking. I will post all the pictures of the sites and the food the rest of the food that I have seen and tasted since I have been once I get the chance.

My first day off was great because I got the chance to just kick back and relax with Mauricio. Basically just  went to nearby town, walked around a little bit. The area seemed to be the closest similarity to what I am used to in the sense there was a big mall/ movie theater along with a Supermarket nearby. Kept things pretty simple and easy that day. I went out and bought some new clothes b/c I didn't really pack much for this trip. Nothing major, just a couple shirts. Then Mauricio wanted to go to a Sushi Restaurant in the mall because I have been constantly talking up the restaurant "Fusian" (Sushi Restaurant, that I cannot wait to be a part of). Great food and finally got to have food that I have had before. After, saw the  movie "Scream 4" En Espagnol. Besides the "bonita Chicas" as Mauricio would say, I did understand the movie at all. It helped my spanish a little bit though. We went bowling and had some brazillian food after and called it a day.

The best part of my trip so far would have to be my second day off where we had the opportunity to travel to San Sebastian. It is about 1 and half north east of Bilbao  and it the landscape of the city is beautiful. It is located directly on a peninsula that makes up the entire city. The buildings and beaches are all lined along the coast and it is a site to see. Although it was a day off, it was one of the most tiring days of my trip thus far. We had to walk everywhere since there is no bus route or train  capable of lining the coast. But walking is what made everything better. That way I did not miss any part of they city of San Sebastian. Mauricio told me about how it was so rich in history and culture and it has lived with city from centuries ago. From the way the people live to the way they eat of course. This week is still considered holiday b/c of the overlap and there were plenty of tourist around. What I really like is how the stores and shops are built within narrow roads all trapped within each other. The city is built like a maze of narrow roads that can barely fit the width of a car. Thankfully, it seems to be understood that the roads where all the shops are, are mainly for the pedestrians and tourists of the city. You will occasionally see a car or two but not much.

So as we walked into the city, Mauricio asked if I was hungry. We walked passed a dozen restaurants that had a wide variety of small single serving portions the lined the entire countertop of the restaurant. They were all bars, but just lined with food from one end to the other.  I assumed, we would pick one place and be there for one meal and be done. The best way to describe what we did is, It was basically a bar crawl but with really great food. All the portions  were not only visually appealing, but completely different from anything I've ever seen before. These restaurants all served what is known and "PINTXOS" which is similar to tapas, but strictly single serving basically like appetizers. When you walk into each different restaurant, all the food is just visually appealing. Not only are you thinking about how good the food taste, but for me I kept asking myself "How the heck did they make that"? I was egg yolks poached and clear gelatin casing shaped like an egg, different fish carefully decorated, and vegetables put together that you would be perfectly content just looking at it rather than eating it (yea right, I still ate everything I bought). Each portion ranged from 1-4 Euros on average depending on what you got, but it was all worth it. Mauricio's only rule was that "Pintxos (pronounced Pinchos)" is best eaten with a glass of wine. So even if we went to one place just to have one single small Pintxo, it was necessary to have wine which was fine with me until we got to 5 or 6th restaurant. What a great experience I will never forget and I told him that I need to go back at least one more time before I leave to go back to Chicago.

The drive back I was in such awe with the entire experience of the day I just had all these questions for Mauricio to how some the dishes were made, certain ingredients, and more about the history and culture of not only San Sebastian but Northern Spain (Basque Country) as a whole.  Can't believe almost one month has passed since I left, and there is still much I would like to do before I leave. Work is still tough and still getting very little sleep, but all the good times make up for the bad, which really aren't all that bad. I got some new roommates today. Inca, she is from Iceland and knows English and has been really great to talk to, since I haven't used English in over a month and there is another student from Philly comin in shortly. I will try to give another update soon.

Adios

BY THEY WAY! Dont think just b/c I'm in Spain and distracted by all that is around me I have forgotten about what is in a little over a week. Yea that right! Mannnnnyyy PACQUIAO!!!!! WOO!!! Cannot wait to be up at 4 in the morning watching the fight with all of you. My professional prediction is that it will be a KO of course. I will give my round prediction later this week.

PAC HILO

Day 20 (Ian Hilo)

I may have reached a point where I feel like I have very little energy left. Hard work and lack of sleep has been tough these past couple days, along with the fact that I have yet to have a single day off. Physically I am fine, but right now it is important for me to stay strong mentally. Something that has really helped on this Easter Sunday is knowing that my family is safe at home and my friends are all OK. It has also helped me a lot to think no matter how tired and exhausted I may be, it doesn't even compare to anything my cousin Ian is going through right now. 

For those who do not know, he is boot camp in Virginia and he left over a week ago. I have small idea of what boot camp must be like but at the same time, what I am doing right now does even compare to what he must be going through at the moment. If you get to read this Ian, just wanted to say thanks for being my motivation for today. Stay strong and know that we are all thinking about you as you are hard at work for our country. 

I'm going to be just fine, just as long as the Bulls stop losing and I can stay in contact with you all one way or another through: Phone, Facebook, GChat, Blogging, Email, Carrier Pigeon, Pony Express, or Skype. Happy Easter to all and will be in contact soon. 

SENOR DAVID "PAC" HILO

In the words of Chef O

"LIVE A LITTLE, EAT A LITTLE, COOK A LOT!"

Top Ten "Mauricio No Gusta!"

I had a few moments before dinner service, so I said what the heck! Why not give you a peek at the things Chef Mauricio does not like or gets angry with when I'm in the kitchen:

10) David No Espagnol:
9) David No Rapido
8) Everytime we drive past a herd of cows or sheep and it smells like Dun, he plugs his nose and says "Oh Daveeed, Bano"
7) Never touch his garbage and always make sure that it is back or emptied by the time he gets back
6) Clean, Clean, Clean
5) Energy, Energy, Energy (Those may be the only 2 words he know in English, and he uses them both very well)
4) Whenever I'm using the wrong tool for the job he will grab what I am using, act like and talk like a girl then he will grab a more efficient tool/ knife and say "Esta es por Chicos, Tu Es Chica!"

*I usually try to hold all my tears for when I get back to my room, but sometimes it's just so hard!
3) He likes to ask me to get things from the Freezer, fridge or Pantry and I have trouble for the most part translating b/c I have never used Spanish in my life. He will usually continue to yell the same thing over and over in hopes that I will run back and forth to the Kitchen with exactly what he needs. From a spectator point of view, I would imagine this would be pretty hilarious, but from my point of view it is absolute mayhem. He will then finish by yelling :"Pincar" (think) or "Memory!" I guess he know more than 2 words in English.
2) "David No Intiendo Espagnol"
The # 1 important thing that helps run a good kitchen is communication, and that is hard to do when you can't communicate. So I again say how the fact that I don't speak Spanish really gets his Jets Burning. I'm learning everyday and hope to be fluent by the time I get back!

and the "# 1 reason Chef Mauricio No Gusta":


1) DON'T YOU EVER, EVER,
EVER,
TOUCH HIS CHEF KNIFE!
I made the mistake of using it once, and I know to never use it ever again! Let's just say I'm lucky to have all my fingers still, haha!

Adios!

Muy Bien!

Nothing beats the peacefulness of sitting in the gazebo after a tough morning of work for Sunday! Yes! It's Sunday! Sorry blog followers I know it has been a couple of days, but now I know how much you missed me posting. I didn't realize I had any followers until people showed concern after I missed post for a couple days. but to be honest, since Wednesday I have been in the kitchen for a minimum of 13-15 hours a day,  with 2-4 hour breaks in between Breakfast/ Lunch and Dinner. Is it Tiring/ Exhausting? Yes! Is it Stressful at times? Si! But I'm having a great time, and I'm just doing my best to keep up with fast pace of this kitchen. 

I think it was Wednesday of this week when I just stopped being so stressed and uptight about my duties here and realized, it is simply important for me just to have fun! If I look at this job as work, It's going to be along 2 months. If I walk into the kitchen with the attitude "I get to be here!" It makes the time that much better for me and faster as well. 13-15 hour work days seem long on paper, but the time flies in the kitchen. With exception to breakfast or when I'm eating dinner, I am constantly moving in the kitchen. There is always something that needs to be done at any given time and it is important to move from job to job. Whether it is: cutting vegetables/ meat, Setting up cooking utensils/ burners, Cleaning, or running to get ingredients in the fridge or freezer. There is always something to be done, if I'm sitting for a while, I begin to worry that there is something that has yet to be done and Mauricio is not happy if something isn't where it needs to be. My first couple post, I explained my daily routines and that is basically how my days have been. It's different every day b/c the menu changes and amount of people changes as well. But now that I have got everything down to a tee for how the kitchen operates, I need to continue to get everything done in a timely manner. It's like my instincts have taken over from what I have learned in school and now is the time to apply it all. 

Week 1 I was lost and didn't know what to expect and what I needed to do. I have never in my life really worked in a kitchen. I mean the few months I was in Pinocchio's is much different from this place. Pinocchio's I didn't really do any of the cooking, but I got the feel for what it takes to work in the food service industry (Thank you Lauren and Ian). Here, it is much faster pace. You have to take into account that people are waiting on your order, that food be served warm, properly cooked, and presentation is everything. As people, we first eat with our eyes. If it doesn't look good, the perception of how we taste it will be completely different. So, not only is their a lot of physical labor that takes to running this kitchen, but it is just as much mental. That may be why Mauricio is constantly pointing at his head and yelling "PENCAR" at me. I used to think he was just scratching his head at first from how hard he was pressing his finger against his head, but it became really clear that he was telling me to think. 

It was ok for me to ask lots of question the first couple days and he actually encouraged it (hard to do when I don't know Spanish). From then on, he expected to me to figure out mostly everything on my own. I may have lots of duties to complete, but he has just as much that all needs to get done!

But let's get to why I titled this blog "Muy Bien!" After almost 2 weeks of Mauricio yelling and screaming at me whenever I did something wrong or I was wasn't "Pencaring"(wrong conjugation for thinking, but it's my blog so what), out of the blue there came a random lunch rush. We don't typically have that many people in for lunch and it usually just appetizers served. Dinner is the main part of our day and bulk of our workload. Esther walked into the Kitchen and said 30 people just came in and they are all expecting the full dining meals. So let it be known, that before dinner, we usually spend 2-3 hours of prep to get everything ready for dinner, but now we were expected to do an entire service with no prep and nothing else completed except for the cleaning we had just done for breakfast. When Esther said this I had not fully understood any of it yet, all I heard was "Trente!" and Mauricio repeated it surprised. He took a step back for 5 seconds, then he looked at me and said "Vamos!" I immediately realized that this was really happening. It was exactly like a scene from Hell's Kitchen but En Espagnol (I'm  sure I've said that before). All I did was do everything I had been doing for the past week, but I had to work twice as fast. Mauricio gathered a ton of different vegetables and just said "Cortar! (cut)" I knew exactly what to do with each individual ingredient b/c I knew the menu looked like and it was time to do work. I sliced, diced, brunoise, julienned, everything that was in front of me. I was cutting so fast that I actually cut through my fingernail. Mauricio stopped for a second, looked over at me and I lifted the Knife. 

Thank you God, it was just the tip (That's what she said!) "Balle (OK)". It took me around 30-40 minutes to cut all the vegetables. I did this while Mauricio put together the appetizers for the guest and got all the meat ready. 

The appetizers were out and now it was time Mise en place for the main course. After that was done, I had to make 30 salads. Sounds really easy, but not so much! Once I post my pictures, you'll see how complex some of these salads get. Mauricio was solely focused on dinner, and in the back of my head I just kept thinking how long it was goin to take for those people to eat their appetizers, turns out, not that long. This must of been a hungry group of 30 people, b/c the dishes came back into the kitchen just as fast as they were sent out. I ran to the salad station and just started putting them together. There was no time to ask Mauricio what should go in each salad, I just had to make them as I was taught. As soon as I got done with each one,  new server came and brought it right out. After salads was dinner, got all the plates threw them into the oven to warm them up and threw the other half in the dish washer b/c there wasn't enough space. Dishes once again started coming back and now it was time to plate. Each dish went out one after the other and the intensity in the Kitchen was complete chaos. The oven was going, the blender was spinning,  Mauricio threw me on the grill station while he took care of everything on the stove. This part is usually the most stressful part for during the past services, but there was something different. I realized that I was more calm and composed, but still aware of the 10 things going on at once. Mauricio is always yelling Tranquille (calm) whenever I seem flustered. I also realized for the first time since I have been at Hotel Etxegana I was just having fun with it all and it made everything that much easier to complete. 

All the food went out and the final step is Dessert. It's usually easy when you have everything baked before hand, but since we were limited Mauricio  grabbed everything we had and scaled everything out to make sure we would have enough for everyone in service. He plated one dish and I immediately got all the plates out and copied the exact plate that he had done. It looked delicious, it was hard for me to plate w/o eating the dessert it looked to good. He grabbed a chocolate coulant (basically a brownie muffin filled with chocolate, one scoop of Helado (ice cream) and a strawberry apple crepe cut in quarters to serve each plate. Once again plates started rushing into the Kitchen and I just started to plate 30 desserts alongside of him. As soon as all the desserts went out Mauricio had a look of intense relief on his face and looked at me raised his hand in the air to give me a high five and just said "Muy Bien!" That was the first time I heard a compliment from him the entire time I had been here and it definitely fired me up that we just got through that service in 90 minutes give or take 10-15 minutes. For the first time Since I had been here, I finally realized everything just clicked. 

That's enough for now, until next time TEAM PAC HILO blog followers

Adios!

1 whole week

I have officially worked every single day this week. I wonder if I'm ever goin to get a free day. Sunday and monday were only 4 hours but still. I worked from 10 -4 today and 6-11. It gets tiring but I guess still easier than my schedule when I was doin school and work. I got to go into town yesterday. Its really small town called Iguri about 10 min away. Maricio, Pauola, Little Lucia (dos anos) and I drove in Chef's little hatchback. Manual of course, and he drives really fast down the mountain. All the stores in the town are separate.

There is know big super market/ Costco for everything (silly americans). We first stopped and got fruits, then we walked down the block and bread from the bakery. We unloaded everything in the car, they we went into a grocery store that reminded me of the closest thing they had to a jewel, but still not everything. I was able to pick up my toiletries and some food. It was a quick little run and we were headed back up the mountain.

Once we got back, I started to clean a little bit. It has just become second nature to me, b/c not only do I cook and do prep in the Kitchen, I clean a lot. No problema, I kind of look at it as exercise since I haven't really got a chance do much of it. Mauricio says he has 5 bikes in this storage facility of a house (Luis keeps all his Muebles (furniture) at this house. If we had a garage sale, we would make so much money. No lie! But I guess, my first off day, I'll get to ride bikes with Luis around the mountain. It seems like a lot of fun, b/c I always see bike riders passing by, but some of the parts of the mountain or muy steep.

Luis prepares lunch and a light salad. It's great living with a chef b/c he always makes good food. We had Pain con fromage, pollo con caramelized red onions and red peppers, and Pear (pera) por postra. Luis said he enjoys nice simple meals but with great flavor. He then told me that when he's in the kitchen he may be crazy from time to time, but it is important for me to be tranquille. He gives me time to look up the word and it means calm. He points across the street to the hotel and says mucho trabajar pero aqui mas tranquillo( calm) en le casa. We had a good talk and he said he enjoys the company and how there are always different students passing through Etxegana. He appreciates my hard work , but he said it's important for me to Mirar (watch) him and apprendir (learn) from him. Our conversation was a good one although it was broken up b/c we both had dictionaries and and we were trading words back and forth. But it was good for both him and me, and it shows that he is trying to learn as well.

The next day, Tuesday, started off slow. everyone in the hotel seemed to be running around. I didn't get a chance eat all with the family (staff ) today. There must have been an important event goin on for around 12-15 people. Luis told me to watch him as me some food which would probably be for tomorrow's dinner service. This is the part I actually enjoy, getting to watch him make food that I just know will turn  out great. And these meals we serve up are gourmet fine dining meals, which is another part I like about my externship. I'm not just working at a Chili's or a TGI Friday's/ Applebees. All great restaurants, but all there stuff is corporate and it probably is all premade and shipped out to the restaurants. Everything is made from scratch here and it allows me to learn much more. Typical dinner service, but this no days off thing is really taking it's toll with me. I need to nap more I guess. Gotta be up tomorrow for desayunos!
Buenos Noches.

Lunes!

Esther and Eric took me out to Bilbao yesterday! I had a great time, but I was a little tired from desayunas service. No problema. I got ready and Eric closed the hotel and we left for Bilbao with a server named Sarah. She is very nice but she keeps talking to me in Spanish and expects me to answer her. She is very nice and friendly but I think she thinks if she keeps talking to me in Spanish I will eventually understand ( and her hand motions don't mean a thing for me!) She is muy curious and interested but I am unable to reciprocate but I try my best. Eric is driving and I am slowly discovering that he knows pocito (little) Ingles. Note to self: I need to know the difference between pocitio and pocinyo, help would be appreciated. So anyways It is a 10-15 drive down the mountain until we get to the main roads, then is its about another 15-20 to Bilbao. Not bad, but Eric says it only takes him 20 minutes to get to the hotel from his apartment which is near Bilbao.
We drive and Eric and Sara show me the sites as we pass through the city, it is a really nice small city. Sara ask me "Cuantos persona" and she points at me. I automatically assume she means Chicago and I answer 10 million people around. She is stunned and says Bilbao only has 1/2 a million people. We pass the Guggenheim museum and It is apparently world reknown and they have a wonderful place where they play symphonies! Eric jokes and say "it is zee best in the world, no in Chicago. Then he points at Bilbao's largest building (the electric company) . I tell him it looks big and he must of sense sarcasm b/c he followed with "OK! Sorry Mr Cheee Ca Gooo! (that how they pronounce Chicago) You don't have to make fun, you have big american buildings, but our building is da bessst in da world!" I'm slowly starting to realize that Eric is a very funny guy and likes to joke around, which is good for me, b/c he oversees what I do in the hotel.
We drop off Sara "Adios!" Then we drive a little more and pick up Esther, She seems a little tense at first b/c I guess we are late in meeting their friends. She then joins in the fun with Eric bragging about how great Bilbao is. I joke with her and point at the Guggenheim museum and I ask "Tu es Apartimente? (Is this your apartment)" I realize that is way off I'm sure, but once again feel free to correct me. She understands, laughs and says "Si es mi Apartitmente"! We Then head to a restaurant was close to park and it had a outdoor patio . As we walked in it looked like a two floor pub. All the furniture was hard wood and it looked a really simple classy kind of place and it was packed. It was 3 pm and I guess we were supposed to get there by 2. We walk upstairs and the tables are arranged picnic bench style along with a few tables on the side. The ceiling was very low and it was the roof slanting down, so you had to watch your head in some areas of the upstairs, but otherwise still a very nice place.
The crowd was a mix of people. I saw a birthday party for a little boy, A couple of families and friends sitting at big tables and then I saw Eric and Esther walk over to a table of around 10 people. Half guys and half girls. They gave me the pleasure of sitting directly in the middle and Eric sat across from me. The guys had pitchers and the girls just seemed to have water, and maybe some mixed drinks and the there was Pain (bread) on both sides. They all said "Hola" and they were all nice but then they all seemed to get back to their conversations. I guess they all ordered already and Eric gave me a menu. The Menu was in Spanish of course, So I just gave me menu to Eric and order something Bueno. He understood and coincidentally chose "Cordon Bleu". I said "Si" and he also ordered Salad and Chorizo for aperitif (Appetizers).
After I was done ordering I immediately look over to the girls side and reintroduce myself and say one of the only things I know how to say in a conversation. "Comment Te Llamos?" They all answer and I believe I heard "Litia,  Natali,  Another girl I forget, and Ester (No H is how she introduced herself, b/c  she is obviously Ester too)" Eric then interrupts and calls her "Ester dos ooh Ester numero 2!" The girls laugh and Ester dos, hits him in the back as she yells something in Spanish. I follow wtih "Soy de CheeCaGoo, y yo trabajar a la Etxegana Hotel dos meses. Yo finit school de Cuisine y ahora yo aqui por aprendir." ( I said something along the lines that I'm from Chicago, I work at Hotel Etxegana. I just finished culinary school and now I am here to learn) They all nodded so I assume they understood. Then Natali looks at me and says "Tu es Filipino?, Yo Tambien!" (Are you Filipino? I am to!)  I immediately answered and asked her if she spoke to tagalog and she said pocinyo (little) but it's not like that mattered b/c I speak just as much Spanish as I do Tagalog. Natali es muy Bello! She explained how her dad is Filipino and her mom is Spanish. We continued small talk back and forth about how we were Filipino Then Eric offered me a beer. I started talking the guys next and they all seemed to be having a good time. They reminded me of my friends goofing off and joking around and picking one of the guys for doing something stupid. They were then intrigued by a youtube video on one of their phones that was very gross and not table appropriate to say the least. Eric looked at me rolled his eyes and said "Mi amigos not normal, They es Loco!' Our food came along with everyone elses, I guess they were nice enough to wait for us. Cordon Bleu was basically a Country fried steak filled with Cheese. It was awesome! Frites served on the side and you could tell they were hand cut, amazing! Eric ordered with a sauce called pimiento mayo that had capers in it that was really good. Overall just great pub food with awesome beer. It felt great to finally be out of the hotel and in an environment with people my age even though I had no clue what they were talking/ laughin about. We finished our meals, drank a little more, and everyone seemed to be having a great time. They were all pretty much in their own conversations, and I tried my best to jump in every now and then, but Mi Espanol is still no Bueno!
After the restaurant, we left to go to another bar close to the Beach. It's was near a cliff next to the Ocean and it was beautiful. The only bad part was that it was cold rainy day. We went inside, grabbed more drinks and I finally start to get a feel for their culture. They don't really binge drink, but they drink a lot, throughout the entire day. So they definitely drink more then Americans, but not all at once. It is usually with meals or just sitting around. We sat at a table and played a card game that I had no clue how to play, but I did my best. Eric seemed very tired and said he got two hours of sleep last night b/c he partied in Bilbao the night before. He definitely looked tired when I saw him for Desayunos. I discovered that his father is Luis and Esther is his GF. The hotel is family owned and that aspect of it makes it seem that much better. I slowly started to realize that all their friends seemed to be dating on or the other and I felt like an 11th wheel, but they were never hangin on to each other, they would all be sitting at different ends of the table. After more drinks we left and more cheek to cheek kisses. I felt awkward at first b/c I had no clue how it works, but I felt very welcomed. Cheek to cheek kisses were just with the girls. Eric looked at me and laughed and said "Only homosexuals kiss each other on the cheek" as he grabbed one of his guy friends and jokingly kissed him.
We left and went to Eric's brother's new apartment, it was still in the process of being built but very nice. For the first time, I realized that everyone was family one way or another. Great family! Very nice and friendly people.
We left the apartment after about an hour then went to another bar and met up with the same friends. Had more drinks! Met Natali's sister Christen who is Filipino Spanish too (muy Bello tambien)! Didn't get a chance to talk to everyone as much b/c one of Eric's friends spoke english and we joked around about American Culture and what is fun to do in Bilbao. They all said "It is fun to Drink and ... (other things that are not blog appropriate but I'll leave that for your imagination.)"

It was a great night to finally go out and experience the night life a little bit, see more of the city, meet Eric and Esther's Friends, get a taste of their culture in Bilbao. It was also nice just to kick back and relax after working all throughout the week. I've learned soo much in la Cocina (kitchen) but it's a whole other experience seeing how people live on the other side of the globe. It's just a a different way of life. Not better or worse, but very different from how I live in America and it's cool to be a part of. Sorry, not tryin to get all deep philosophical but yea there is lots of down time with no TV and other people to talk to. Justin said my blog is dense like his Biology book and Zach said they are way too long. I'll try to shorten them up, but these are as much for me as they are for you all.

Adios Todos Peronas!

Domingo

Oh Mis Dios! (Oh My God!!) I thought Friday was a busy day but nope. Saturday night was definitely the busiest by far. I rested during Siesta and Dinner service started slow at least for me. I started just doin prep for desayunos and I thought I was in the clear, but after 15-20 min or so, Mauricio came to my station and started yelling "mas rapido"! He grabbed the rest of my work and did all the prep that took me 15-20 min and he cut it all in front of me in less than 2-3 min. I think he said something along the lines "That's how it needs to be done" (but in espanol)! Than he said clean and I started to help prep for dinner service. There was a lot that needed to be done and I could tell by the tone of Mauricio's voice. He is like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He is friendly and joking early in the day, but once dinner service begins he transforms to a whole new person. It's good though b/c it helps me realize of the importance of how quick I need to get things done, I just get caught off guard. As I am completing the prep of chopping roasted vegetables he yells for me to come and use a blow torch on chicken wings that he has cut. He yells a bunch of things in Spanish, but I just assume he wants me to use the blow torch on the raw chicken wings. 

As I'm using the torch he is yelling something at me that I don't understand, then finally he grabs it from me and tells me I am holding it the wrong way with a mucho angry face! Yep,  Mr. Hyde has arrived. This dinner service was so busy, Eric was in the kitchen to help mostly on dishes. I was there to prepare mise en place and salads, appetizers. Mauricio was grilling the fish and steak and all the dinner items. Every time I wasn't busy and tried to help clean, Eric just kept saying Mirar (watch) Mauricio! He said learn for later and if I don't know by Monday, "NO Bueno". He also said to take more pictures and we could go over then domingo. I was able to get through dinner service, but it was by far the craziest and most hectic night by far. Mauricio was impatient and didn't even want me to help with dessert, he just yelled "Clean, Clean, Clean"!

Once everything was finished it passed midnight. Luis came in looking exhausted and he gave me a thumbs and said "Good Job! Working" He then offered me Cerveza! It was French Beer and it was muy excellente. Me and Mauricio walked back to the house and he was laughing. He opened the beer with his teeth, I was impressed! 

We got back to the house and Mauricio was back to funny Dr. Jekyll! We finished the beer had small talk and joked about goin to Bilbao para Salsa y Fiesta a Manana! We talked and joked around for a couple minutes, finished our cervezas and I went to mi Cuarto. I read some of "Art of War" and passed out!

Breakfast was easy, but it was the busiest breakfast by far, and Mauricio was there to help this time. Breakfast was easy, I cooked and baked everything and Mauricio did all the dishes, it was a nice change of pace. After everything was clean, they said I was done until Manana Noches. As I walked out to the Gazebo, I got a call from Esther from Eric's phone! She said that her and some friends are getting lunch in Bilbao and she wants me to come! Hotel Etxegana is bello, but I'm ready to explore the rest of this town and head to Bilbao. I'm goin to get ready! Eric told me to "Look Sexy". I said "No Problema"

Adios Amigos y Ma Familla

day 5

Spanish outlets broke my alarm clock! It's OK Mauricio woke me up and then he said "Tu Matar" with an evil smile on his face. So I guess he lives in this big house too! and the two little girls must be his daughters and I'm guessing Paula is their mother. It's all starting to come Together! I ran across the street and told Luis I need to buy a Spanish clock b/c mine doesn't work. He understands and said "Balle"(OK)! He seemed to be in a good mood this morning. Desayunos was just me again, I guess Mauricio fell back asleep after he woke me up! I kept burning the toast and this cast iron skillets sucks, but I have to say the toast taste much better. All the bad toast goes to me, so it's good and bad. Breakfast started later today, maybe b/c it's saturday. So after all the prep was done I had desayunos with Luis, an older (I need to figure out her name, she already told me so I'm afraid to ask), and Eric! No Esther :( She is my best chance at any communication at the table. Eric was telling a story that they all laughed at and then Luis told him to keep it down! Then I heard Eric say and point to me "Balle, No Intiendo!" (It OK, He doesn't understand). Well I understood that Eric! He then explained the story to me in his best English possible and it was kind of funny so I guess it was all good. It went something like this:

"Luis hire new driver. Me no know new driver. New driver come to hotel, I tell him to get out because I no  know who he is, then he tell me he new driver!" They all laughed and I felt obligated to laugh along, but I can see how it was funny I guess. 

Desayunas began, I was once again "Executive Chef!" Luis pretty much had everything going, so things when smoothly. Some people didn't show for breakfast so pretty slow morning I guess. I got everything cleaned for when Mauricio showed up. He was happy everything was in good shape and I actually got to do some cooking today. The Night before Mauricio slow cooked and Oxtail stew. He made with with 4 parts Vino (Wine) and 1 part Agua (water). He also added fresh herbs, carrots, celery, and caramalized red onions!. It smelled and tasted delicious. He told me to remove all the meat off the bone and basically just fell off b/c it had been cooking for so long. After we finished up in the kitchen, there two people that joined us for lunch. Yan and this other girl. They saw my Le Cordon Bleu patch on my uniform and Yan said "Muy Bueno". I got to relax for a little after lunch and now I'm downloading and Ebook. I'm in a rush, so I'll have to get back to you all later. 

Adios!

Day 4

Yesterday was a busy day! I overslept and was 10 minutes late! no bueno para Luis (manager). Head chef Mauricio just sat back and laughed at me as I rushed into the kitchen. Luis said no more internet late night :( He's right, but I still don't like all the rules. Breakfast is all pretty much the same and standard I just need to learn not burn the toast. It's way different here! I know I went to culinary school, but their toast is on a thick piece of bread, they use a lot of margarine on both sides than it is tossed on a cast iron skillet. Once again the starndard Desayunas (breakfast) warm french rolls with salami or prosciutto, toast, and Chocolate croissants. Everything is made in house, but they have all the chocolate croissants already made and we just need to reheat them. I had chicken (pollo) sausage for lunch with roasted vegetables. It is always served with Bread (Pain) and a nice salad. As we ate lunch I quietly sat there while everyone conversed and every so often someone will ask me a question and I will answer to the best of my ability. Found out some good news today, there is a girl that works at the hotel that understands some english. It took me a while to realize this b/c she never told me until she grew impatient with my terrible Spanish and just yelled "With me it's ok to speak English!" Her name is Esther and I could not be happier to know at least someone can translate a little bit. It also helps that she is around my age I'm guessing. She works the front desk I believe, and I hope she can help me out during the long meals that we have. It is great to actually eat real food and not go out and get any fast food for a change. I went back up to room to change and was ready to walk around the town again, but then I passed out and fell asleep until dinner service. I guess I'm still jet lag, but whatever, that's what siesta is for. Dinner service started at 6 and it seemed we were preparing food around 18 people. This may not seem like a lot, but the only people in the kitchen is me and Mauricio. Although the guest do not eat until 8 or 9, there is a lot of prep work involved. I had to cut up all the vegetables, and Mise en place, Mise en place, Mise en place! Mauricio yells! He is starting to grow a little impatient with me and expects me to have everything down  already, but it's only my second night in the kitchen, and the language barrier is a huge disadvantage during the fast paced dinner rush. There is a lot of yelling, shouting and repeating of the same spanish words that I still don't understand. It is then followed by and "OOOOOHHHH Mi Dios!" (OH MY God) which I was able to figure out! So at least I'm learning some Spanish. There are times where I want to freak out alongside him, but that would not really end to well for either of us. What I have learned to do is  find a job that needs to be done that helps out and relax, b/c what else can I do for the time being. Chef Mauricio will eventually gain his composure laugh it off and make jokes about hitting me over the head with sheet pan. I understand when he says that b/c he will grab a sheet pan smile and make swinging motions with them. I laugh, he laughs and it's all in good fun, hopefully! Once dinner service has ended, he yells "el Finito!" But then it is time for dessert, he has showed me all the desserts once before, but now he wants to make all of them and gets really mad when I don't remember how to make it! Esther walks in smiling "He's going to kill you" she says. Then I continue to nod and laugh hoping everything is alright. I then hear him say "Por Que Paul!!!!!!" Paul was the intern before me, and I assume he had way better Spanish speaking skills than me. But Oh well! What can I do, I hope to pick up the language day by day and hope for the best. Chef Mauricio is a young guy, and he is very talented at what he does. All his meals that go out for service look amazing and it is a great feeling to know that I had a part in all those dishes. I'm starting to gain more speed in the kitchen, in class it was more so cooking and baking things the right way! Now we are under a time constraint to please the guests. It's really hard to tell the time in the kitchen, but I base how fast I need to move to get the next dish out when the servers come back bringing empty dishes back into the kitchen. That is usually a good indication that it's time to hurry and get the next dish out. And once again, it is only me and Mauricio cooking for the most part. The servers help as much as they can, but it would add more chaos for them to step behind the kitchen. As I was leaving Mauricio left me with some words of wisdom. "Manana! Mucho Rapido Y Mucho Intelligente!" He expects me to have the entire kitchen memorized by now so that when he ask for something or something needs to be put away, I can do it quickly! I walk outside, respond to my games in "Words with Friends" (scrabble on my Iphone) Then I pass out immediately! I worked around 10 hours today from 8-2 then 6-10. So it was a pretty long day. I have no internet access in my room b/c it is accross the street from the hotel. I can sometimes steal the WI - FI ( or WEE FEE is how Eric Calls it) but then it goes dead right away. I basically passed out once I got to my room. I'm pretty sure that I live with a another worker of the of hotel (named Victor); seems to be a handy man, and his family. It's his wife and two little girls. I live on the 3rd floor and I've never seen anyone else on the 3rd floor but me. I passed out as soon as I got into my room.

Today I woke up at 4:45, my alarm clock broke b/c apparently it doesn't work with Euro outlets. I woke up from actual roosters roosting or crowing or ca ca cawing. Whatever you may call it! It's funny b/c my alarm on my phone is a rooster roosting and I actually thought it was my phone at first. I couldn't really fall back asleep So I just started to reorganize everything in my room. I realized I did not pack well, I have a lot of dress clothes and no regular clothes. This doesn't help at all since I'm 40 minutes from downtown Bilbao, and I probably wont get out there that much. Hopefully I can go in to the town this weekend or early next week to buy some clothes. I have yet to spend a dime since I have arrived. I have all this funny looking monopoly money (euros) but no where to spend it. I left the house around 7:20 am and it was another beautiful day. I haven't had a cloudy or rainy day since I got here  and Eric (asst mgr) told me that is rare for April. He said "yesterday it was 29 degrees and today 30! mas coulour (very hot). " I keep forgetting everything is in Celsius including the ovens! I burnt bread yesterday but I didn't realize how high heat was, Mauricio was pretty mad about that too.

I surfed the internet for a few minutes in the gazebo outside then walked into the hotel. I saw some peoples' comments on facebook and on the blog, they have all helped greatly. Mucho gracias ( I say that a lot , b/c it's one of the few phrases I know along with "Bien"). This morning the kitchen was empty, and it only me and Luis. Mauricio wasn't there, so I guess for the time being I was the Executive Chef for the Breakfast service. This may seem simple but there was a lot I needed to do. I prepared the all the oranges and put them in the juicer, which is a great machine by the way. The Juice is awesome! I had to put all the small french baguettes in the oven and I had to slice the prosciutto in the meat cutter which is really cool. I've seen them at delis, and I never got to do it myself. Then I had to bake all the chocolate croissants and start toasting the bread in the cast iron skillet. First you brown the toast and then you have to re heat them once the guest wake up. Luis or a server will run through the doors and yell a number and I have to put together a plate for that many people. It doesn't sound to hard, but the kitchen is fairly big and I have to run to all ends of the kitchen to put the meal together so that everything is "Caliente"! "Caliente es mas importante!" Luis says!  There must have been nearly 20 guests for desayunas which doesn't sound like much, but once again, I was all by myself in the kitchen, and Luis came by from time to time! After I was done serving all the food, Erick was kind enough to bring me some Cafe. It is the best coffee ever, I don't know how to describe, besides the fact that it is just so very good. We had a coffee machine at work with 15-20 different flavors, but this for sure tops them all. I don't know if it's the machine they use or the coffee beans or the milk, but it is top notch fo sho! Mauricio finally arrives, he was in a much better mood and we through some jokes back and forth. He loves Lady Ga Ga and said he knows how to break dance but really loves to salsa! He said Domingo (Sunday), we will go to Bilbao and Salsa with the Spanish ladies of course, which I'm excited to do. I got to go eat breakfast with Erick y Esther. Both are around my age and very friendly hard working people.
Got back to work after eating some breakfast and I cut up lots of fruit peeled a whole bunch of potatoes while watching Mauricio put together a great looking meal for what I assume is for the dinner service. For lunch he just put out a bunch of small appetizer portion meals that remind me of tapas style. There was tostadas served on pain, Foie grois con fruitas served on pain, and fresh tomatoes y mozarella on a stick with what I believe is pesto, but Mauricio keep saying no, it then drizzled with Olive oil. Then there is some sort of Tuna salad mixture, but it is much better than tuna salad, it has already been made so i'm not quite sure. While I wasn't lookng Mauricio made lunch for what he calls the "family." which is basically the whole staff. It is braised lamb/beef with pork sausages and roasted vegetables y onions. Servied with Medium diced fried potatoes, salad, and of course Pain (Bread). I have been very specific in this blog the past couple days, but I guess it's just to give you a feel of my daily routine. I'm also not sure when I'll have time to write again. But now it is Siesta and I don't have to be back until 7pm tonight. Oh and note too self do not say "Conyay!" No matter how many times Mauricio ask me how to say it in English! I learned the hard way, when he asked me to ask Esther how to say in English! Adios for now. I love your comments so keep me posted with questions or anything that you have to ask about my trip. Thanks again for following! It helps to blog b/c I have no one to really talk to here :(, haha!
later!

Day 2

Today was my first official day of work. I thought yesterday was tough, but try working with someone that you can't understand! There was a lot of pointing and head nodding done today. Some words I need to find out what they mean for tomorrow are: Balle, Eso, Mucho Rapido, Facile, Bueno, Non Bueno, Donde? I know most of the words, but I just need to reiterate so that I remember them. My morning started at 7 and I took a shower in a bath tub with no curtains. I live in this huge house, I hear people talking when I'm in my room, but I've only seen two people in the house so far. A young lady named Pauola and little girl around 3 anos. The bath water only has two temperatures, which are cold and freezing. I have no idea where the closest convenient store/ pharmacy is so I have to make due with these soap packets that say bath oils. I am on the third floor which consist of my room, a bathroom and two other rooms that I don't know who they belong to. So I had no clothes this morning because the airline was nice enough to lose my luggage, and I'm pretty sure I'm a 40 minute ride from the airport, so I wasn't sure how that was goin to turn out. I showed up to work in jeans, an undershirt and a cravate. The gate was locked to the hotel and I had to ring the bell, an older lady answered. I forgot her name but she was really friendly, but she just kept asking me questions in Spanish, and she thought if she said them louder and slower I would eventually understand. But I never did, and that's where I continued to nod, smile and say "Si". The first people in the kitchen were me Luis (supervisor) and Eric (assistant). They were preparing a breakfast (desayunos) that included chocolate croissants and thick sliced bread with pan fried with butter cream. They also served them with fresh fruit and Cafe. We made breakfast for what seemed to be 17 people. As soon as breakfast was over, I enjoyed some food of my own and the coffee was the best thing I ever tasted. The lady who gave it to me said it's because it's con leche (with milk) y americanos cafe con agua ( americans make coffee with water. Then she laughed, and I smiled nodded and said "Si". After breakfast, came lunch , this was a difficult menu. I can describe all the meals, but I would rather just post the pics on facebook and let everything speak for themselves. Anyways, Maruicio (head chef) is obsessed with Mise En Place, he kept saying it before I started making anything. Mise en place is preparing the plates and setting out all the ingredients before you do any actual cooking. Not only did we cook food for the guests, but once we finished, we had to make food for the staff. The best part about that, I got to enjoy that food. Paella Negra, ( basically seafood paella, with roasted peppers chifron (squid) and fish). It was garnished with cilantro and fried tomatoes. Lunch was amazing, and I helped make it. I got a chance to meet more of the staff , and they were all nice, but nobody knew any english. I said basic information about my self, like how old  I was and where I was from and how I just finished school at Le Cordon Bleu. Anytime I tried to break out in English and say more than a few sentences there would be a silence followed by someone sayin no inteindo. After lunch Maricio told me to leave and come back at 7. It was 2 pm and I had the next few hours to myself, so I walked down the road a half a mile and there was nothing but fields and mountains, then I did the same thing the other way but there was a wine vineyard and a couple houses. There must be no shops or stores for at least a couple miles, but hopefully I'll find out tomorrow. I took a few pictures, went back to my room and jet lag took over and I knocked right out. I woke up at 6:30, walked across the street hung out in the gazebo for a couple minutes. It was such a beautiful day by the way, very calm and peaceful, no sounds of traffic, cars, airplanes. I got some good news that Airport found my luggage, Thank you God, I was down to my last pair of clothes. Dinner service began, Mauricio seemed a bit more aggravated. Still under control, but he said mucho rapido a lot more. There is so much to say about the making of dinner but I will let picture speak for themselves. Mauricio is a very talented chef, and likes to test my  knowledge. He'll ask me questions that he knows he told me earlier then he will laugh when it takes me a minute to get it. We made lots of great dessert, cleaned and that was the day. I've already wrote too much, but I just got my luggage and I need to unpack now and rest for tomorrow. I will post more pics tomorrow! Hasta manana!
-Senor David.

Day 1

Just arrived in Spain. It was very hectic today b/c my Spanish is limited, and people don't seem to care if you don't know how to speak the language. Definitely my fault for not utilizing Rosetta Stone as much as I should have, but there is not much I can do now. I'm staying in a house across the street from the hotel. I am literally in the country side. It's beautiful and the air smells fresh. Our car was held up by a herd of sheep earlier, never expected to ever run into that in my life time. I have no TV in my room and my window oversees the hotel. I met the staff today, and they all have limited english if any. They prepared a simple light dinner for me that consisted of lamb cutlets, potato egg pancakes, pastry filled with anchovy and a salad. The Chef is Marucio, he is a nice young guy and I hear he is really talented at what he does. The supervisor is Luis and his assistant is Eric. Hopefully this will help me remember their names. I am writing this blog on the porch outside the hotel and it is now pitch dark and all I've heard for the past hour is an owl hooting competing with a small party of 10 people enjoying a late dinner, or maybe this a regular dinner for them. I will go to sleep soon, and I have to be at the hotel by 8 am. Buenos Noches, I will write again soon.