This post is going to be a bit different than most posts in that it has a serious tone to it.

Work has been going fine, but one conversation I had with my boss today got to me.

One of the girls I work with came back to ask him a question (about something small like which side of the table the silverware goes on) and he responded with "You're right. Never second guess yourself! You shouldn't second guess yourself, you're doing fine, you should believe in yourself mroe". After she had left, he turned to me and said "We have to build up her self esteem over the course of this summer, cuz you can just tell that she has low self esteem. I hate it when girls don't believe in themselves, because that's when they get into trouble".

Now, I agree with him somewhat about the fact that when people have low self esteem, they often make unhealthy decisions in attempts to validate themselves. However, I have a problem with the fact that he focused specifically on girls, and he was broadcasting that he thinks she had low self esteem to the girl and to her co-workers. He's only known this girl for a few weeks, and he's judging her. Even if his intent is to help her, making loud judgements about how she should or shouldn't act won't help her. In fact, if I were in her position, it would make me more self conscious.

But wait, there's more.

Then he turns to me and says "now you, I don't worry about. It's easy to see that you have confidence in yourself". and walks away.

Ok. I am a strong woman. I do have a good amount of self-confidence. BUT it has been a rough couple of weeks, and let's just say that my self esteem hasn't skyrocketed as a result.
To have someone who has known me for less than two weeks, who has only seen me in a professional setting, look me in the eyes and declare that I am self-confident was unnerving, to say the least. It's an example of how easy it is for people to not see signs of depression, or sadness, or even just a low-self-esteem week.

Looking back now, I kind of wish I had used that moment as an opportunity. I could have been honest with him and said "Well, I understand why it may seem that way, and I am certainly doing ok, but I do have clinical depression. Often depression is a hidden disease, and people certainly don't go around broadcasting to the world that they are feeling down." Because honestly, it felt like crap to realize that I could be in a bad mood, or feel down on myself, and to know with certainty that he didn't notice.

That being said, perhaps I've just learned how to put on a happy face to the point that only those who know me well know that I'm upset or down. Either way, the conversation bothered me. Oh well, not much I can do about it now.

Today was the busiest day yet at the cafe. Which isn't saying much, but there was a mini "rush" of like 3-4 tables at the same time.

At one point, my boss (who had been making all of the non-salad food) stepped out to talk to customers. A few minutes later, an order came in for a Reuben. I'll pause here for any "woman, make me a sandwich" jokes. You done? Ok. So, I technically haven't been trained on the entrees yet, but I had watched him make Reubens a few times, so I decided to give it a shot. For the record, since most of our sandwiches are paninis, and because my boss is pretty particular about his sandwich assembly, this was a task greater than just throwing some corned beef on rye. Also, the order also contained a grilled chicken salad. In short, I managed to make the sandwich and the salad, and just as I was about to send the food out, my boss strolled into the kitchen to make the Reuben. I showed him mine, and he approved. Thus, I have completed a multi-part order all by myself! Woohoo!

Of course, the day had its downsides. I managed to cut myself in the finger (minor cut, no worries) at the busiest point of the morning. I threw on some guaze (because our first aid kit didn't have bandaids- good job guys) and a rubber glove and worked one-handed for awhile. Fun times. Then, at the end of the day, I was making a BLT, and when I was taking the bacon out of the oven, despite the fact I was using an oven mitt, I managed to burn a different finger. Lesson learned? Klutzes in the kitchen can be hazardous to themselves. PS, the reason the bacon is made in the oven instead of fried on the stovetop is because when you cook it in the oven, it seeps in its own juices and thus is more flavorful.

That's all for now. Tomorrow is our first Sunday Brunch, which is sure to be full of fun and excitement.

An explanation

I'm guessing some people might be wondering why I chose the title I did for this blog.

The food preparations part is somewhat obvious- I'm working in a restaurant this summer, as previously mentioned.

Translations refers to the fact that I will be studying abroad this fall semester. I'm headed over to Prague, Czech Republic. I don't speak any Czech yet, but I will be taking a beginner course while I'm there, and I'm hoping I'll be able to pick some up. I'm really really excited about this trip, because it'll be the longest time I've been abroad, and I'm taking some really interesting courses.

Finally, transitions alludes to the fact that I feel like my life is constantly changing- not necessarily for the better or for worse, but changing nonetheless. I am transitioning from busy, hectic life at college in DC, to the slower pace of life here on the lake. I have a feeling that it will get just as busy and hectic once the season starts, but the mental strain should not be as strong. I'm also transitioning socially. I had a difficult time making friends and spending time with others this past semester, for various reasons. This summer I'm already making a lot of new friends here, and I'm hoping that the same thing will happen in Prague.

The next transition is one that I must treat with a bit more caution, because it is a highly personal situation. I have recently ended a long-term relationship, which was an extremely difficult decision to make, but I know it's for the best. Luckily, the other party has come to see the situation in the same way, which makes this whole situation so much easier.
I've been quite introspective as a result of this change, and I really do think that this is a wonderful time for me to explore more about myself and really to remind myself that I am a strong, independent individual that need not rely on another person to be happy.

Hence, Transitions, Translations, and Food Preparations.

Another year, another blog

Hi everyone.

So, I'm back to blogging, due both to popular demand (aka 2 people asking whether I'd be blogging again this summer) and to excessive amounts of free time.

So big change this year- I'm working food service instead of at the front desk. This should be more lucrative and I like the boss better. Right now I'm doing food prep- that's right, the microwave queen is in charge of making meals. We'll see how that turns out, so far I'm only doing salads, which are somewhat difficult for me to ruin.

I'm back at the employee dorm, with some of the same people from last year and some new faces. The building is just as unpleasant as ever, and as an added bonus, I have just been informed that the Powers That Be had our stove removed. Granted, this was the stove that sparked whenever it was cooking and set off two separate fire alarms regardless of whether something was burning or not... but it still was a stove, and I hope we get a new one soon. In the meantime, I guess I'll stick to being microwave queen when I'm not on the clock.

On a side note; I've yet to determine whether this blog will be like last years, in that I'm debating whether I want to stick to personal anecdotes and reflections like I did last year, or if I should also blog about current events and issues of importance to me. If you have a preference, let me know.