High School.

WEDNESDAY 23TH AUGUST 2023. 20:00

Hello again!. I am really glad that you are here to read my post. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Today, I will tell you about the experiences I had when I was in high school. 

Later on, you will understand why I put this picture at the beginning. Yes, I will talk about food. I hope that you are not hungry right now. 😂

First of all, I studied at the "Instituto Nacional Walter Thilo Deininger" which is located in Cojutepeque, Cuscatlán. Let me tell you that when I was in school I wasn't quite sure what I was going to study in high school, but luckily there were many options from which I chose the most interesting field. I studied vocational technical baccalaureate in dairy and meat. I will tell you more about it so you have a better idea because it may be the first time you hear about this baccalaureate. This is based on the production of dairy and meat products, microbiological and nutritional knowledge of dairy and meat foods, application of the regulations of the food industry, management of instruments and machinery in dairy and meat areas, etc. During all the courses we took, we learned to make dairy products like ice cream (which was my favorite), cheese, and yogurt along with meat products like chorizos, sausages, ham, and mortadella. Besides that, I learned a lot about food processing and preservation, manufacturing techniques, and machinery handling like the stuffer, grinder, ice cream machine, and vacuum packing machine. 

Stuffer

Grinder

I also learned about the ingredients, preservatives (just to clarify "preservative" is a chemical used to preserve food against decay), and processes by which dairy and meat products are made. For example, we learned to make chorizos which are made of ground pork, soy, spices (paprika, chili, garlic, onion, cilantro, and parsley), vinegar along with preservatives like salt, nitrates, or sodium erythorbate. Now, I will tell you more about the process of making chorizos at the Planta de Alimentos. First, before we start, we wash our hands and boots carefully. Then, we have to make sure that we disinfect all the surfaces of the areas where we will work. To do this, we will prepare a 100-parts-per-million chlorine solution for walls, floors, and tables and a 50-parts-per-million chlorine solution for utensils and vegetables. Once we have completed this process, we prepare all the utensils that we use (for example, knives, machines, pans, chopping boards, etc.) and we start to cut the meat and vegetables into fine pieces. We also use a weight scale to measure the rest of the ingredients. After that, we mix everything together to grind and start to stuff the chorizo mix using nylon to tie them. Finally, we put them in the refrigerator for around three days and they are ready to cook and taste. (That was a very simplified explanation of the process because it is longer and more complicated.)

Me and my classmates at the Planta de Alimentos. 

FRIDAY 25TH AUGUST 2023. 8:00

In addition to that, when I was in high school I made wonderful friends who I still keep in touch with. I mean I'm not in contact with all of them, but I still hang out with my best friends. In fact, I don't know how most of my high school classmates are doing since I lost contact with them many years ago. I have not seen them since I graduated five years ago and I do not know if they are studying, working, or living abroad. I just know that some of them already got married and have kids and others are working or studying. Honestly, I do not have much information about them, but I am still in touch with my best friend whose name is Erika Jacinto, and whom I met in high school. We have a wonderful friendship as we share similar interests and hobbies. She is one of my favorite people in the world; that is why, I will make sure that our friendship lasts forever. Unfortunately, as both of us are studying at the university, we do not have much time to hang out, but whenever we have some free time, we have lunch or go shopping together. Well, let me tell you more about my dear friend. She is studying for a bachelor's degree in Legal Sciences at the Pedagogical University. I am utterly glad because she is also in her last year of college, so we will both finish our studies this year. Yeah, it means that we will celebrate our achievements together. 💖 I really love my friend because I feel she is the only one who understands me, the one who knows me best, with whom I can share everything, spend time, and have fun together.

To conclude, before you go, I would also like to share some of the activities I did when I was studying in high school. I performed my social service in Cojutepeque at the "Embutidos La Española" (let me know if you have ever tried its products) where I learned to make chorizos and sausages ("butifarras" and "salchichón"). Moreover, I did some practice in the microbiology Laboratory at the Catholic University of El Salvador. 

Here I will show you more pictures of the Planta de Alimentos del Instituto Nacional Walter Thilo Deininger. 

That was it for today. I hope that you enjoyed reading it. Leave your comments. I will be more than glad to read them.