Externship Goal: Achieved!

I can remember being 10 years old and receiving my first diary.  It was pink and had a tiny lock and key.  I would pour my little heart out onto those pages.  Initially I would write about my crushes, log the events of my days, or complain about my little sister trying to tag along with me.  As I got older and matured, so did my entries.  

One of the habits that I have had for many years is journaling out a list of goals.  I would often revisit them to check on my progress.  My favorite reason for establishing goals is that sense of accomplishment I get when I achieve them.  In times where I didn't accomplish my goals it's always interesting to see how much I have grown and changed my perspective on life. 

To this date, I had never shared my goals online, but in February I made a bold move to blog about my desire to complete my externship in France.  In that moment, I had hoped that by writing and sharing it with the blogging community it would keep me accountable.  To be honest, I was feeling demotivated because reaching this goal was more challenging that I expected.  Shortly after blogging, I shared my disappointment with a friend of mine and she responded, "Why would you want to go to France?  Holland is much better!" She told me her family had been visiting Tummers Patisserie for several years.  That night I looked it up online and fell in love...their desserts were simply beautiful, the patisserie was elegant, and they even had a tearoom!  I thought to myself, "The Netherlands is not France and I'm definitely no Julia Child, but if I had a little luck on my side I may get my chance to work overseas."  That's when I realized I needed to modify my goal.  I started the process optimistically, but knew that if it did not work out at least I tried. The worst that could happen is that they would say no.

With my friend's help, I was able to get in contact with the owners.  After several emails and a phone interview I received word via Skype that I would become part of the Tummers Patisserie & Passionelle team members.  During my externship I will not only have the opportunity to learn how to make European pastries, desserts and chocolate,  but I will also learn to  make Dutch speciality items such as the Oliebol, Kerststol, and Sinterklaas Dutch Chocolate Letters.

Cake & showpiece that won
Chef Jongsma the '09 Dutch Pastry Award

When I left the military to pursue this new career I was ready to dream big.  I had hoped for a chance to travel to Europe, but my little mind could have never imagined that I would be working in a patisserie that has been around since 1921.  Not only that, I will be working with Chef Daniel Jongsma, a Dutch world-champion patissier.   The picture below is the cake & showpiece he built during the 2009 Dutch Pastry Competition. 

Achieving this goal has reminded me to continue to dream & set big goals, work hard, and most importantly take action in order to make them come true. 

Now that I have achieved the first part of my goal, I think learning to speak a little Dutch before I start my externship will be a great addition to my goals.