Wednesday,
June 23 1999 : Last Classes
The Program will
end tomorrow... students are busily packing their suitcases for
the return flight to the US or for their travels within Europe,
as the case may be...
The week has
gone by quickly; on Monday, we had classes as usual, but allowed
for some free time in the afternoon. On Monday evening, we gathered
at host family Montcoudiol's house for a picnic on the lawn.
The weather, however, was unseasonably cold (in the low 50s),
so that we all ended up in a tent where the ambiance was warm
and the food was tasty.
The photos below
show, at left, the two Jennifers demonstrating a gothic arch,
for some reason. At right, we see Jessica forced to smile by
Baptiste Cunat, a five-year-old whirlwind of energy.
 
On Tuesday morning, we met at
the Stäubli factory for our last tour. We were guided by
Mr. Guichard, who always speaks clearly and shows us many interesting
things. Stäubli, the largest employer in Faverges, employs
1000 people, including some of the host family "dads".
We see in the photos below Roger Duret (photo at left) and Guy
Montcoudiol (photo at right) chatting with the students.
  
Stäubli has three principal
activities: it produces dobbies (Weaving control mechanisms for
looms), high-tech connectors (for Ariane space launchers, TGV
trains, hospitals, etc.), and industrial/medical robots. The
students watched in awe while the robots went through their test
routines, as Mr. Guichard explained that such robots are now
routinely used for hip replacement surgery. We were all impressed
by the cleanliness and relative quiet of the huge complex, as
well as by the excellent benefits package enjoyed by the employees.
After the factory visit, we held
our next-to-last class, as students gave their final oral reports
and commented on the final chapters of our book.
In the afternoon, several students
went shopping in Annecy; others had their hair done by one of
the three hairdressers in Faverges. It had taken them almost
six weeks to find the courage --and trust their French language
skills sufficiently-- to entrust their locks to the care of a
coiffeur! The photo at right below shows Tonie and Lisa sporting
their new "do's" on Tuesday evening...
 
On Wednesday, the final classes
were held. During the Civilization class, the students surprised
their teacher with a gift, a token of their appreciation. In
the afternoon, Mrs. Boubée held the last conversation
classes at the terrace of a nearby café, to the delight
of all concerned!
 
Thursday morning several students
will be catching a bus at 4am to go to Geneva Airport. Several
other students are staying in Europe for a while: Jessica Selden
will be going to Colmar (Alsace) to work for Timken; Jennifer
Hollering and Jon Ackerman are heading for the Riviera to relax
for a few days after our intensive program of study; Renée
Chlysta will be staying in the Alps for a few days before returning
to Ohio.
Final report, probably
Friday.
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End of the 1999
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