(I wrote this before Christmas, but didn’t get a chance to review it with Mike before now, so, I am posting it before a Christmas post.)

We were just asking some questions during lunch, and suddenly both of us ended up with new roles!  We were trying to find out more about how things work here, and what the plans are for certain responsibilities.  And, boom, Amanda is taking over communication and Mike is stepping into responsibility in the kitchen.  I’m sure none of you are surprised. 🙂

The communication for the base includes students, short-term volunteers, and teams that want to come.  I did this for a llittle while last time we were here, so I am hoping it will be easy to slide into this role.

As for the kitchen, there is a staff member who co-ordinates all the shopping, and a paid cook who cooks lunch and supper Mon-Fri.  Mike will be working mainly with these two to bring some variety and more efficiency to the menu.  (I am laughing as I write that, because variety and efficiency wouldn’t be the top two things I would say if I was naming his strengths – BUT when it comes to working in the kitchen, he definitely has a lot to offer in those areas!)  Right now, there is basically a weekly meal rotation: so Monday lunch is always the same, Thursday supper is always the same, etc.  There are so many tasty and fresh ingredients to use, so it seems a shame to always cook them in the same way!  Part of it is that we are used to much more variety than is usual here – so it is going to be a balancing act: trying to introduce a few new things/cooking things in different ways, while not changing too much, too fast.  (I know, I know, I’ve never before accused Mike of changing too fast – ha!)  People all over the world are very attached to their food, so it is a sensitive area. But Mike is really looking forward to working on this.

(We’ll post soon about our Christmas!)