What I have learned from the experience?

It has been a challenging month for me as I started my On-The-Job training at Avenue Plaza
Hotel, Magsaysay, Naga City. Far from being a student, my daily routine changed into
something unusual for me. I have to woke up as early as 4 in the morning, prepare myself for
the long day ahead, and give out my best during my working hours. During this tedious and
busy days, I came to realize the importance of the on-the-job training to my future career and
to my life. It indeed prepared me for the outside world.
It is not just the training but the experience I have acquired in the kitchen that I was able to
develop a sense of diligence in every work assignment given to me. Adding extra care means
being always attentive to the present situation, keeping the mind focused what is currently
handled, getting particular with every detail without missing anything. This are just some of the
things that I need to remember as I stepped my feet in the floor of the kitchen. For me the
kitchen is both a hell and a heaven in earth. It is hell because everyday is a busy day, every
minute of our working hours are consumed purely in working, no time for plays and jokes,
there is no room for mistakes because once you made a mistake it was like a domino effect;
everyone will be affected.
Despite the pressure and tiredness, I can say that the kitchen is also a heaven. It struck different
when you know that despite the tiredness you also feel the contentment and the joy while you
are working. You can feel that you really belong in that place. I always love to ask question,
eager to know more and learn more. In Avenue Plaza hotel, we are also given the opportunity
to show our skills and explore, by giving us tasks like mise en place, plating and cleaning the
work station. We are not being limited, we are treated as if we are really their co-workers,
giving us more room to develop our skills in cooking. I also learn crucial attitudes needed in the
workplace, I developed my sense of independence, as I have to work on my own sometimes
because everyone has also their tasks and you cannot depend on anyone at all times. You need
to help yourself. Moreover, I also develop critical thinking skills, it is common that in the
kitchen, problem arise all the time and sometimes we have to solve it on our own. In general,
Avenue Plaza have given me the chance to prove that I am capable and improve the skills that I
have gained in my 4 years at Mariner’s Polytechnic Colleges.
The most memorable event during my Practicum
FIVE VALUABLE LIFE LESSONS
In my time at Avenue Plaza Hotel, I’ve made a lot of memories and learned a lot of lessons.
First, I learned that Mise en place is life for everything. Knowing what to put first on your list is
always tough for me because I always think everything is a priority. I always think that every
task in the kitchen all need the same amount of energy, and for my first week of stay, that was
what burn me out. However, in the following week chefs taught me how to spot what really
matters and how to see the most important things in a list. This skill also helped me in
organizing my life and daily schedule because I saw ow much time I could dedicate to each task.
Second, I learned that having good time management skills lead to a balanced life, when I
started my training, I was stun with how my whole week was only spent with nothing but work,
our duty starts at 7 am and ends at 7 pm, afterwards I am too burnt out to even be with my
friends or to even have at least 5 minutes of phone call with my mother. I feel like there never
seem to be enough hours in the day, and there are always too many tasks on the list. Our days
at Avenue are usually pretty pack, everyday we prepared for special occasion, whether it a
wedding, a birthday or a holiday. The key that I found keeping a level head through the day is
organizing my time and balancing it out. Third, I learned that passion is a necessary component
in the Hospitality Management Industry, with the heavy workloads and pressure, it was so easy
to give up but what keeps me going is my passion. A chef can teach anyone to make salad and
steaks but what they can’t teach you to do is care about your work. Be thirsty for knowledge
and always ask why they do things a certain way. Show that you want to be here and the chefs
will guide you and even respect you for it. I believe that passion and joy will drive you to work
your hardest and make the best product possible. Fourth, I used every opportunity I get to do
better than the day before. Sometimes, mistakes are made inside the kitchen, but those
mistakes open us to learn and be better every day. Every day is not going to be your best day,
we are learners and we make mistakes and learn and that is alright. It is important that on
“those” days, you see the little wins where you can get them. Perhaps, you may have cut the
wrong ingredients but your salad plating is commendable and perfect. You cannot control the
situation but you can control how you react to it and your perspective. Our knowledge, skills
and life lessons are expanded because of the experiences we’ve had at Avenue Plaza Hotel. The
growth I have see in myself from when I started is almost unbelievable. Lastly, treat everyone
with respect and have fun. During my practicum everyday I get to say good morning, goodbye,
thank you for today and a wide smile. These are the part of the days where I feel like I belong to
new set of family. A family that no matter who you are, you are welcomed and respected.
These moments are the moments that a savor and enjoy. Every smile, every joke and every
story that I have seen and heard will always have a special place in my heart. Indeed, the
people I have met during my practicum will forever leave a print in my life.
RECOMMENDATION
In the beginning of our Practicum subject, we were given the choice to either choose
online training or a face-to-face training. Although it was more complicated and riskier, I chose
the in person face-to-face OJT and I am not regretting that decision as I have gained a first-hand
experience on the industry that I will soon be indulge in. In the whole duration of my practicum,
it provides sufficient learnings and it shaped my attitude towards work. With the long hours of
exposure in the kitchen, I believe that it pushes me to do things bigger than myself. Even
though, the training helps us explore and develop our skills more, I think it is still important that
we can have a thorough orientation before being assigned in our respective areas in the hotel.
Perhaps a one-week orientation, will help us be more aware on what is the duties and
responsibilities that are expected upon us. Moreover, it would also be helpful if we are given a
more flexible time, I know that the industry is demanding and time-consuming and that time
management is a crucial skill but as a trainee we are also doing some other paperwork that the
school requires us, hence it is very hard to do both things simultaneously. However, despite this
conflict I can say there is still a silver lining in this situation because we are given more
challenges compared to the other interns which helps us to be more ready and aware of what
would be the real scenarios once we decide to pursue a career in the Hospitality management.

My advice to those who will take their practicum in the near future
“Embrace the challenge”
Nothing beats experience, as my professor would say, as the perfect learning tool. Hence, the
purpose of the on-the-job training is to give student the taste of the real world---- glimpse of
what lies ahead after they graduate.
Hence, my advice to those students who will take their practicum is that it is important that as
you venture on your internship or practicum, take every ounce of knowledge you have learned
in your educational institution and apply it with diligence in your every day work. If there are
things that were left untaught to you fill those gaps with knowledge and skills that you will learn
during the training, change all your negative attitude into positive attitude especially those that
will have great impact in your career in the industry. Be humble all the time, there will be times
that you feel like acing everything, but always stay on the ground and always carry the sense of
respect wherever and whatever you achieve. Be teachable because you are not always right. Be
open to opportunities and failure, failing is an opportunity to be better and mistakes are done
for your self-improvement. It is also better if you continuously reflect on your mistakes and
convert them into strengths. Lastly, trust the process and have fun, internship is like sailing in a
rough ocean, there are disturbing storms and thunders, but there will also come a time that the
sea will calm and you will see a brighter sunshine and a bluer ocean. You are the captain of your
own boat, you will be the one to maneuver your life, keep Remember diamonds are created
under intense pressure. You are destined to be a diamond and your time to shine will come
soon through perseverance and hard work.

Final Word
The first day of my internship at Avenue Plaza Hotel was still very vivid. The
nervousness, anxiety and excitement were mixed up. The journey is not is not a walk in the
park, I have sacrificed my time with my family and friends, missed special family occasions,
Sunday night out with friends and so many more just so I can focus and finished my internship
on time. I can still remember the constant breakdowns as this set-up was all new to me, I have
no idea how I will be able to handle the pressure and the anxiety. However, despite all these
things, I manage to survive through the assistance and effort of the people behind my back.
With this, I would like to take this would like to express their heartfelt gratitude and
acknowledgment to Sir Kevin, the HR manager of Avenue Plaza Hotel, to my chef mentors; Chef Jah,
Chef She, Chef Donald, Chef Pio, Chef Nono, Chef Chris, Chef Erwin, Chef Rudy, Cheff Jeff, Chef Mar
and Sir Mhel for the professional guidance, constructive criticism and consideration you have
extend to me all throughout this internship. I am also deeply indebted to our SIPP coordinator,
Ma’am Liezel, who has been supportive since day one and constantly monitoring and checking
up on us almost every day ensuring that things are going smoothly at work and we are
physically, mentally and emotionally stable. A special thanks to my family for their
magnanimous support morally, financially and spiritually, assistance and motivation that swept
away my self-doubts. Above all, this completion would not be possible without the presence of
our Almighty God. He gave me the strength and courage to continue and finished my internship
successfully Moreover, the spiritual guidance and protection from unbearable anxiety and
emotional stress helped me a lot to keep moving forward.
My experience with the people around me
The transition from an online class to an in person face-to-face training is very challenging. For
almost two years, I have grasp and learn to communicate and collaborate through online,
hence being able to interact again with new people and new type of environment is a bit of a
challenge. However, despite this challenging transition I am grateful for the guidance and
excellent supervision of Ma’am Liezel. She made sure that we will have a smooth transition and
that our welfare is her number 1 priority. It was also helpful that I have my co-trainees who
share the same vision with me. At the age of 22, I can say that I still depend on my parents so
much, to the point that I can’t wake up early in the morning. But this changes, since my
roommate is also a trainee, she influenced me to persevere. I have found a confidante in her.
She also inspired me to be more dedicated in our work, we go to work as early as five in the
morning so we will have the chance to learn more, sometimes we work as late as 10 in the
evening so we can help more in the kitchen especially when there are several events. We
pushed each other to be more and be better. On the other hand, the chefs at Avenue Plaza
Hotel willingly teach us everything that will help us in our future career, Chef Jah, taught us how
to prepare, make and plate different salads; Chef She, taught us about the different desserts
and breads; Chef Donald, taught us different ways how to cook and egg and the techniques in
slicing different fruits; Chef Pio, taught us how to prepare and make sauces; Chef Nono and
Chef Chris, taught us how to cook different snacks and meat (roasting and grilling), and
techniques in cutting and deboning chicken, fish and meat; Chef Erwin and Chef Rudy taught us
to cook different dishes or main course; Chef Jeff and Chef Mar, taught us how to maintain the
cleanliness in the kitchen and guides us on what are the ingredients that we need to prepare;
lastly, Sir Mhel taught us how to be polite and responsible inside this kitchen. I can say that
each of these people play an important role in shaping and preparing myself for the real-world
scenarios I will encounter in the future. Indeed, it is true that we should always be teachable
because we are not always right.