“I had the freedom to make mistakes.” Alma has found a welcoming space of ‘good vibes and good energy’ as the result of her successful search for a post-lockdown gift-to-self.
“When lockdown was over, I was looking for things to do. I felt I needed to get out and do something for myself. Something that felt like a gift.
I’m in my thirties and work as a support worker. Much of my time is dedicated to others. I needed something which wasn’t about other people but was about me. The chocolate course seemed like the right thing for me.
Initially, the course felt like I was in a very exposed situation – you’re being observed while doing something you’re not necessarily good at. Well, I didn’t feel particularly good at cooking! I was also the only participant there without a partner.
Yet I was made to feel very comfortable, and what I remember is that we all laughed a lot and had a great time. At some point, another participant and I made a terrible mistake that ruined the dish, but the teacher made no fuss. We just started again and that was it.
Everything we made was delicious and didn’t seem too difficult to make. I felt that after watching how it was done I could actually do it myself. I liked the participants and how they were all friendly and fun, and the teacher who made me feel so comfortable despite being on my own.
I liked it that the people who work there, volunteers included, all seemed to believe deeply in what they did. One of them told me something that has really stayed with me: that the kitchen was her ‘happy place’. I could sense it and it felt good to be part of something like that.
I felt I had freedom to make mistakes and that was one of the elements that drove me into booking more courses, and I also started volunteering in the Kitchen shortly after. In the three months after that first course, I completed five other courses and did five volunteering sessions. I also started working in another project with children. So much has been happening!
When I’m in the Kitchen for a course, I’m more grounded and focused and grow more confident in my ability to cook. It takes me away from my support work and I have more clarity and calmness. The Kitchen is a place of good vibes and good energy, and the atmosphere and acceptance in it is fantastic.
I’ve used the recipes I’ve learned at home, but it’s always with a twist. My confidence allows that now. For example, Charlotte’s carrot cupcakes turned into strawberry cheese cupcakes in my kitchen. It made me laugh as hers took only one bowl, while mine took many and made a mess. Yet my niece was highly impressed, so it was worth it.
I had some major changes in my life happening at the same time as I did that first course, with the start of a new job and feeling that I had little time or energy to cook. My ongoing connection with the Kitchen, through courses and volunteering, is keeping me motivated to look for that time to cook and look after myself. I know that even if I can’t see the results now, they will come if I keep that motivation alive.”
