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| Love in Switzerland |
It has been over five months since I left my Swiss apartment in Neuchâtel. Home in Toronto, surrounded by family and friends, I have not regretted the decision to put an end to the dream that I was living. In fact, what I have come to realize is that while in a very tangible way, I have said goodbye to two very special years, this experience will stay with me always. As Tennyson wrote in "Ulysses", "I am a part of all that I have met."
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| Christina last cut my hair on graduation day. |
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| Adam poses with Assan and Jean-Baptiste, part of the Microcité crew. |
My life in Switzerland pretty well revolved around the school; I met few people outside of my workplace. There were two exceptions to that. I had a special bond with my hairdresser, Christina, a transplanted South African. She was always good company as she shaped my hair into my now signature pixie cut. I will miss her. Also special were the folks at the Microcité, where students and staff had lunch daily. Jean-Baptiste and his crew were cheerful and very accommodating and, no doubt, were largely responsible for the 10 pounds I gained while in Europe. (Bob will miss his massage therapist, Maria, too.)
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| My advisee group stands with me at graduation. |
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| Posing with grads: Grace, Ellis, Thunder, Malcolm and Emma |
At the end of each school year, we teachers always say goodbye to our graduates, but June at Neuchâtel is particularly bittersweet. As you can well imagine, the students forge very deep bonds with each other over the year, and with the staff too. Graduation weekend is an emotional one, with academic pride tempered by the imminent separation that will follow this celebration.
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| Jen, Terry, Aaron and I all arrived at the school in September 2014; we navigated the Swiss experience together for two years. |
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| Our table at the staff dinner at Les Halles: Patti, Diego, his wife, Christine, Adam and Bob. |
In the week afterwards, there were some staff meetings to attend, culminated by end of year farewells to those of us who were leaving the school permanently. This is a school with many comings and goings. Every year, staff members depart, so saying goodbye is all part of the experience.
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| Sarah, Adam and Diego share food and a laugh. |
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| Beth, Aaron and the lovable Bellamy children were part of our last staff function |
I was one of four departing staff: Eila, our caretaker, was retiring after over 20 years working at NJC; biology teacher, Isabelle, who had taught the course twice, was planning to focus on other interests; math teacher, Adam, would return to UTS in the fall after only one year at the school; and I, at the end of my long career, was looking forward to "re-retiring" back home.
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| Isabelle says goodbye |
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| Eila and her husband Raymond at our final apéro. |
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| I say a few words. |
On the final evening before several of my colleagues returned to Canada, we reserved a table at a restaurant in Haute Rive, just east of the town, and enjoyed a final meal together. It was lovely sitting beside the lake with my colleagues, as we watched the sun set over the lake. Although it was a Wednesday, this felt like a Friday night dinner with my Swiss family. Lots of hugs that night.
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| The view from the restaurant. |
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| Our last supper with the gang: Adam, me, Patti, Jen, Bob, Henry (Patti's son), Terry and Bill. |
At the end of June, Bob and I stayed on in Europe and travelled to Italy for 10 days (I documented that trip in the blog posts before this one) before returning to our apartment to do our final clean-up. My colleague, Patti, had moved her things into our guest room while we were away; I am pleased that she is now occupying my home away from home.
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| My cozy living room. |
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| My old-fashioned kitchen |
On July 6, I stood on the platform at the Neuchâtel "gare" for the last time; we were heading back to Toronto the next morning. Miraculously, we managed to pack everything into two suitcases each and stay within the required weight limitation. This was no small feat.
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| Au revoir, Neuchâtel |
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| Jacob, Jen, Bob and Patti wade into Lake Erie at Crystal Beach |
Now that I am back in Canada, social media has kept me connected to the school. I am now part of a community of former teachers who have shared the NJC experience. In the months since my return, I have attended many gatherings for one reason or another. First there was Bill and Colleen Boyer's 40th wedding anniversary party in July; then a visit with Jen in Crystal Beach, with Patti and Dan joining us. In late August, a larger group came together to celebrate Dan's retirement.
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| Happy 40th anniversary, Bill and Colleen |
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| A reunion of the staff of the 2014-2015 year at the Anniversary party: Dan, Jen, Mary, Paul and Bill. |
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| Dan's retirement party |
Recently, I was invited to a Christmas party for former staff members including many I had not worked with. In fact, there were three English teachers there, a sort of tag team of Salle D. It is lovely to connect with these people who have shared my desire to "live the dream."
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| Jamie and Ingrid opened their home to former staff so that we could meet each other. Lovely. |
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| B.J, Kristy, Mary and Barb: all of us lived in the same apartment on Marie-de-Nemours. |
Students have stayed in touch too, through Facebook and Instagram. In July, I met three of the class of 2015 for lunch in my neighbourhood; in November, I visited the ROM with a trio of the class of 2016. Of course, on both occasions, we took a "selfie" together.
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| Maddie, Alex, Alexa and me |
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| Charlotte, Alex, Nick and me |
The biggest and best gathering this fall was the 60th Anniversary Gala here in Toronto, where over 1000 alumni got dolled up to celebrate the occasion. It was a terrific event. There I saw many students from both years of my tenure at the school, and met staff going back many years. Of course, the Head of School, Bill, was there, as was Lyn, who has the longest active service at NJC, by far.
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| Lyn (on the right) poses with several former staff, including Jamie, B.J. and Ingrid. |
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| Our emcee, Mark Kielburger |
Mark Kielburger of Me to We acted as the emcee that evening. He did so because, like many before and after him, he is a graduate of NJC. Since this was a celebration of the 60 years of the school's existence, the first and latest graduating classes were honoured.
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| Members of the class of 2016 stand proudly on stage. |
The class of 2016 was very well represented, and several members of the class of 1956 were in attendance as well. In fact, there were grads there from every year. They clearly loved reconnecting due to the strong bonds they had established during their year in Neuchâtel.
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| Members of the class of 2015 look happy to see each other. |
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| Ready for dinner |
Parents of grads came too, as did teachers and a handful of pension families, Swiss residents who house the Canadian students every year. After dinner and an auction, many of us got up to dance to a terrific live band. What fun it was to see the many generations sharing the dance floor!
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| With Brianna, Charlotte and Alex (class of 2016) |
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| With Melanie, Jesse (Class of 2015) and Emmy (Class of 2016) |
I made a point of visiting with every former student I could find. As I worked the room, the professional photographer captured me twice. In fact, all the photos I have included from the Gala are his. They were shared with all in attendance as a memento of the evening.
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| NJC swag was on sale |
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| The awesome ice sculpture of the Matterhorn. |
As you can see, I have had no trouble staying connected to my Swiss experience. While my blog has focused a great deal on the places I have visited, the people I have met are much more important to me. I hold them close to my heart. This blog post is dedicated to you–my students and my colleagues–who have enriched my life. I cannot thank you enough.
