And so it begins..

Today I had orientation. We got our toolkits which are actually better than the ones I got at JWU. It includes star tips, circle tips, circle cutters, whisks, spatulas, knives, spoons, thermometer, pastry brush, and bench scrapers. We introduced ourselves and got to know everyone a little more. There are 23 JWU students and 22 students in my program (the French pastry winter class). Everyone is from everywhere, it's so awesome to be immersed in such a diverse group. There are people from Iran, Australia, Bangkok, China, Germany, Italy, Nigeria, and two other people from the states. Everyone here is so nice!

We traveled into town today, it's called Yssingeaux. It's so cute and amazing. There's so many shops and places to go.  We ventured out to the super market and I got to spend euros for the first time. Kind of intimidating but a lot of people in the group are helping me learn French. There's a lot of live stock around here, donkeys, chickens, sheep, goats, horses, dogs, cats. It's really quite nestled into the country side. The school is surrounded by mountains. The center of town is only a quick 15 minute walk from the school, so it's nice to be this close. 

Tonight, we're staying in and having a wine tasting. Each person in the group bought a bottle of wine, so we're all sharing. People also brought bread, crackers, chocolate, cake, sausages, and Mexican candy. It's really awesome to see how kind and generous everyone is. We're 'cheers-ing' at everything, and everyone is just trying to figure out everything about everyone. I have a feelings we're going to be such a family and it's really comforting. 

We all have the entire weekend off, so tomorrow we're taking a bus into Le Puy for a farmers market and to explore some more. 

Well, back to tasting wine! :)