Graduation!

We survived the Final Exam.  We didn’t get failure calls from Student Services. My family had arrived safely.  It was finally time to graduate!

The exam was on a Tuesday (December 18^th) and my family’s flight was scheduled to arrive on Thursday afternoon.  I was so excited for them to come!  I cleaned the apartment, Chad and I made Christmas cookies, and I made cute little menus for our apartment: a drink menu (water, tea, espresso, soda, Kool-Aid, Milk, White Russian, Rum and Coke…) and an extensive dining options menu that outlined formal and informal places to eat in Ottawa, with a short description, and price range for each.  We picked my family up at the airport, and were ready for a fun Ottawa time.

I’ll talk about all the fun we had in the next post – this is the Graduation story!

Le Cordon Bleu graduation ceremonies are typically held at the Château Laurier, a historic castle-turned-hotel near Parliament.  Since our class was so large, this December’s ceremony was to be held at the National Gallery of Canada, an art gallery which we had visited during our visit last March.

I got ready in my family’s hotel room at the Château Laurier, doing my hair in a cute little updo (which I practiced a few times prior to keep myself motivated while studying), and put on snow boots for the walk, careful not to get my dress pants wet in the snow.  I had chosen a pair of patterned dress pants and white heels to wear with my chef jacket to mirror our uniform.  Mom ironed my jacket, so it was extra-crisp, and we carried it separately so my winter coat wouldn’t wrinkle it.  I packed my cute white heels into a separate bag, and we were off.

We were lucky there were signs - we had no idea where
to go

The gallery was only about four blocks from the Château, and it snowed during our entire walk.  When we arrived (early, as usual), we checked our coats (and my boots) and followed the signs into a lovely room outside of the gallery’s auditorium.  The room was directly under a serenity pool and the ceiling was made of glass so that the water was visible and its reflections and little waves danced on the floor.  Mom, Dad, Chad, and the boys went in to find a seat, and I waited in the watery room while my classmates gradually arrived.  We took a few photos (though not nearly enough, as I discovered) before we were herded into a small side room for our instructions.  Jeremie from Student Services gave us a brief outline of how the ceremony would be organized and where we were to sit, then were ushered into the large auditorium by class.

We took some photo ops before the ceremony, of course!

The Chefs and administration sat on the stage aside a podium and a large Le Cordon Bleu poster.  Opening speeches were made by Chef Philippe and Chef Hervé, the school’s new promotional video was premiered (you can see it here!  The back of my head is at 0:48), and it was time to hand out certificates.

The boys had my camera, and really enjoyed the Chefs'
accents during their speeches

When it was Basic Pastry’s turn, we were organized into alphabetical order by the stage.  I was first, so I walked, shook Chef Gilles’ and Chef Jocelyn’s hands, received my big envelope (which contained all of my grades from the term, none of which I had seen, my bronze pin, the professional class photo, and my Basic Pastry Certificate), and sat back down.  Evidently I didn’t pose long enough with the chef, because no one got a good photo of me up there, but that’s ok – better luck next graduation.

Shaking Chef Gilles' hand -- these were the two photos
the boys got of me on stage.

My family got to sit so close!

There were three more speeches, two by students and one by a special guest, and the ceremony was over.  It was party time!  The school had set up a nice cocktail reception for us out in the room under the pool.  There was champagne and soda and juice, and servers walked around with trays of curious little foods.  This was mainly a time for more photos, getting pictures with this group of students and that group, and, most importantly, a photo with the Chef.  I got to introduce my family to friends they had heard so much about, and Chef Jocelyn even spoke with my parents about my performance.  He said that I just “have the aesthetic,” that he can tell I have a good eye for design and a knack for decoration.  He also said that I work hard and that he can tell I will do well in the coming terms – good to hear!

With Chef Jocelyn, our Basic Pastry Instructor, and our
glasses of celebratory champagne at the cocktail reception

The whole crew!

Leslie couldn't get out of his jacket soon enough

I was nervous to look at my grades, since I am familiar with the French grading system and the type of sticker shock that comes with it.  My friend Leslie offered to look at the same time as me, so we both opened our envelopes and peered inside together.  My grade was surprisingly low until I remembered how the French do things, and I felt a little better.  Upon a closer look later, I understand my grade  better, and am glad I didn’t freak out after that first look.

When the party was over, we trudged through the snow back to the hotel to put my shoes and certificate away, then we walked to Milestones (a restaurant across from the Château) for a lovely supper.  We were seated in the bar, which was really noisy, but it was still a fun time.

Dinner at Milestones after the ceremony was
a fun way to cap off the graduation

Christmas Break had officially begun!