This weekend we had another action packed offering of activities in our Weekend Programme. The students had the choice of Tennis, Cooking, Horse Riding, Woodcraft, Photography, Running, Climbing, Golf, Music Club, Nature Walk, Chess, Boxercise, Baking and a trip by boat to Yvoire.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Pongs were Pinged! And Tables were thoroughly Tennised in the crucible of sport that is Olympus and we would’t have it any other way with two of our boys fresh from the fight!

(left) Firdavs of Concha Blanca faces off with (right) Olympus’ own Davyd who they should call the Disgruntled Diner, because he sends everything back!

(left) Our very own Nikita does battle with another Concha Blanca boy!

Ping Pong is a vigorous sport filled with strategy and incredible amounts of core strength to stop yourself from flipping the table after a close call in your opponent’s favour. It’s a firm favourite and we’re proud to have been a part of this season’s championship!

On Wednesday we had our weekly international dinner. This week we enjoyed the cuisine from Japan.

You would think the passé Neo-Californian fad of avocado toast wouldn’t even register in a creative mind as cutting edge as Boris’. But this evening, he put his own spin on the dish to serve this evening for Bruno, Kevin and Mr. Jakob (who has provided these photographs).

(left to right) Boris and Bruno dig into the Guac, spreading it on lightly toasted bread for an imitably tangy crunch. The lot complimented by salt and pepper dispensed at ones own discretion. 

The onions were not skimped on. You might want to keep some mints handy but that doesn’t change the fact they make the mellow freshness of the avocado pop like nothing else.

Bruno and the bread.

(left to right, Boris & Bruno) Any and all adventures in the kitchen -no matter how successful- should only ever be capped off with a thorough clean-up. Whoever partakes in the food, must help with this. Judging by how popular Boris’ Guacamole Bread is, we’re done in no time.

As I’ve mentioned before, bringing your own skills to the community is what gives this communal living true meaning. Sharing skills and passions is true partnership and leads only to benefits. It sets the bar for others to match in the fun and growth that comes with sharing and honing skills that prioritise ‘giving’ and ‘sharing’.

Best of the best from The Olympus Boys!

After a refreshing break, it’s time for everyone to roll on back into Olympus, ready to dig into what’s left of the Spring Term and forge on into the incipient Summer. Welcome back, everyone!

Wow! Wow, wow, wow, wow! Another break comes swinging around the corner. Like that extra-long fry at the bottom of the bag, a gift from the universe! Or from…you know. The curriculum or whatever- BUT! It’s no more and no less than a welcome break. I’m proud to say that we’re all cagey with our holiday plans because we’re that tired. A deserved break is one that isn’t quite planned, I suppose. You’ll know when you need a break when you feel that it doesn’t much matter how or where, just that it be soon. We’re happy to report that we all feel this way, especially with our older boys busting through this very significant milestone as when they return, they will be free of their timetable and exchange their daily periods for pure exam preparation during their study leave. It’s very exciting and we’re all behind them. For the rest of us, it’s time to take the next two weeks as easy as possible and watch the Spring begin to push its way out of the rain-soaked ground and when we’ll have the privilege of welcoming our Olympus boys back, the flowers will be in full bloom.

Wishing you all a fabulous break, wherever you may be.

Best of the best from The Olympus Boys!

This Monday, we had another wonderful In-House dinner. On the menu: Lasagna! Hot and fresh from the CDL kitchens and delivered right down to the doors of Olympus.

At 19:00 all the boys marched out into Olympus’ expansive common area and we set everything out for them and us to serve each other over the evening’s gathering.

Olympus really is the best place for these In-House dinners with our massive shared space that allows the construction of the buffet station ‘and’ the common eating area to occupy the same space. Serving and enjoying the food takes up the same amount of social environment, allowing the communal flow to remain intact. All the fantastic cafeteria food, paired with the homeliness of Olympus Boarding House.

Salad days with Gabriel!

Omar throws up the shaka as the salad bar is unveiled. The gesture of course one of invitation, entering common practise on the Hawaiian islands to indicate friendly intentions. There are many stories linked to the popularisation of the shaka. The most well-known of which is a Hawaiian sugar-mill worker who lost his three middlemost fingers in a work accident. Subsequently, when he waved to the children from the shoring boat he worked on, they would mimic his odd wave by tucking their middle fingers into their palms and waving back. It remains a friendly symbol to this day and today is no exception!

Imanali and Mr. Miguel serving themselves intently.

(left to right) Ayu, Gabriel, James, Davyd, Aleksei and Maksim Here you can see the boys all enjoying some dinner together as well as James demonstrating another friendly hand-sign. The famous ‘thumbs up’ which originated in the ancient Roman Colosseums where Gladiators would fight for the entertainment of the Roman citizens and gentry. When the fight would reach its end, an opponent knocked to the ground and yielding, it would come to the crowd and to the politicians present to give a ‘thumbs up’ for the warrior to be spared and fight another day or ‘thumbs down’ and be slain. That’s where the sign comes from. Or so everyone thought. Turns out, this was assumed from paintings produced in the 1860s, far, far, far after the fall of Rome and the events depicted. The actual origin of the ‘thumbs up’ is as violent. It was popularised by RAF pilots during the 2nd World War. Specifically the ‘Flying Tigers’ Unit who operated in the Chinese and Cambodian theatres of war. The Chinese base personel would say “ting hao de (挺好的)” to the pilots and give a ‘thumbs up’. Meaning “All good!” and the thumb sign being the symbol for the number 1. Pilots adopted the sign to communicate with Chinese ground crews that they were ‘OK’ when landing or good for take-off.

(left to right) Ryunosuke, Aoto and Boris enjoy some lasagna on the comfortable upholstery available all across the CDL boarding campus.

(left to right) Omar, James, Mr. Miguel and Mr. Gordon. Mr. Gordon expresses how thrilled he is as he prepares a meal for a student arriving late to the dinner.

Here, Leonid shows another interesting hand-sign. The two fingered sign the Australians refer to as the “Forks” were once and probably still are, rude. Originally used as an insult to the French troops at the battle of Agincourt (1415) by the English soldiers, whom -upon capture- would have their index and middle finger amputated to prevent them from operating a longbow, therefore showing their intact indexes and middle fingers became an insult. This is also not true and was made up by British newspapers during the World Cup in 1975 as a psych-out against France. The ‘V’ as a rude sign -at the time- could not be found as rude anywhere outside of the UK. It was really popularised during the 2nd World War (sound familiar?) by Winston Churchill and his government’s ‘V stands for Victory’ campaign and has spread since as a universal sign of ‘peace’ after being appropriated by the anti-war sentiment of the mid 1960’s. Who know Lasagne could be so educational! That’s what you get with these In-House dinners. Truly diverse conversation. Because we all come from somewhere and it’s not just the things that are different that can make for a profound experience, it’s the many things that remain the same. No matter the dish, no matter the locale, the company makes the evening and good company can be found and made, anywhere!

Another successful In-House dinner with some delectable Lasagna and even better company.

Best of the best from The Olympus Boys!

Ladies and Gentlemen! Roll up! Roll up! Have I got a show for you! And I mean a ‘show’! A truly rare occasion for rare folks! A chance to witness the Collège du Léman talent show!

From all corners of the lake-side campus, the strange, the joyous and the downright marvelous houses assemble under the Eiger auditorium’s roof and perform their bespoke acts to amaze and shock!

But first, a performative aperitif!

(above) Our very own C.D.L boarding staff -under the direction of Leman’s Rogerio- open the spectacular evening with an unusual number.

And with that…

Let the show begin!

The Maritime

The Chaotic

The Choreographed

The Mysterious!

The Esoteric!

It’s a show like no other that really showcases the planning and forethought of our brilliant boarders! Piecing together unique performances to thrill and amaze! With the element of surprise, there’s not much we can come up with that won’t impress!

Best of the best from Collège du Léman and the Olympus Boys!

Das Eismeer – The Sea of Ice (1823-24) Caspar David Friedrich. The Romantic Painter’s depiction of a crushing and unpredictable Polar Sea. A frightening, yet grandiose vision of an untamed and mysterious territory fighting back against discovery.

They say that “Seeing is believing!”

But 17th Century clergyman Thomas Fuller said “Seeing is believing, but feeling is the truth.” The full quote that is so often broken up in aid of an opposite meaning.

We can see all we want. In fact, these days we see far too much. I think that in essence is the disadvantage of seeing too much is that we see, but only once in a while do we feel. The more we see, the more difficult it is to have a feeling stirred within us, we’ve seen it all before. Doesn’t stop it from being fun. Especially when you could see anything you could ever need or want to see through a screen: Vintage Tractor Repair, Make-Up Reviews, Stop-Motion Instructional Videos of the Stock Market Crash of ’29? We’ve got it all and we’ve even got it in 1080p.

It’s a wonderful experience…but it can make one forget that seeing something in person, is really experiencing it. Behind a screen, we can construct a comfortable environment. Perfect for helping us see the things we might not want so much to see in person. Out in the world, no matter what one is looking at or doing, experiencing it is inevitable through being in the middle of it. It flares deeper inside oneself to be there. Seeing is believing. But feeling is the truth.

Anyway, the kids got trawled out to the Mer De Glace at the top of the world. And rather than describe it to you, I’ll resort to someone’s feelings about it:

“I can no otherwise convey to you an image of this body of ice, broken into irregular ridges and deep chasms than by comparing it to waves instantaneously frozen in the midst of a violent storm.”

-William Coxe (1777)

“It’s very nice.”
-Imanali (2022)

The ‘Mer De Glace’ is an immense valley glacier snaking down through the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps. A worm of churning ice that bristles at 7.5 kilometres long, the longest Alpine Glacier in France, drawfing the Aletsch glacier that sits at a mere 3.2.

We can talk about it all we want, but there’s something riveting about actually seeing it. That’s what is meant by feeling it, rather than seeing it. The truth is all about how it makes you feel.

It’s difficult to fathom it as real when it’s lined up in front of you. It helps with perspective. Makes so many realise how massive the horizon is beyond the valley. I’ve mentioned many times before the benefits of Switzerland as a microcosm of Geographical variety. To have a sight as grand as this at a stone’s throw from CDL’s quasi-metropolitan campus is a rarity we take full advantage of. To offer experiences to our boarders. And with a sight as grand at the Sea of Ice, there’s few who can claim it left them as cold as the glacier itself.

The gang, framed by the epic slopes of the Alpine Valley that cradles the frozen sea below. Our boy Imanali was our emissary and representative of the Olympus Boys (far left in Green/Teal hoodie)

The gang, overlooking the behemoth of ice, no doubt thinking about the majesty of nature and lunch.

It’s like he knows. Aoto regards upwards to the Swiss Horizon. Or at the shuttlecock that’s headed right for his head. Either way, it’s a wonderful weekend full of perspective-shifting grandeur.

Faster than a coiled king cobra, Murat is centimetres from connecting his racket with the shuttle and cause us more grief with the insurance company after he launches that odd little fluorescent cone, rocketing up and through the ceiling of the Olympus Sports Center and through into the Olympus boarding house above.

The running club gears up for another convoy through the Swiss country-side. Our boy Tony (to the right of Martina in red) is once again in tow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a-HfNE3EIo

Wandered above the Sea of Fog (1818) Carl David Friedrich. A young man views the world before him, enshrouded in foreboding yet tantalising mystery. It’s a classic piece that I’ve included here as it inspired one of the foremost works set in the Swiss Alps. Mary Shelley’s magnus opus ‘Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus’. The painting was seen by Shelley in London and saw the pioneering and tragic figure on the mount and felt it gel with her vision for her Doctor Victor Frankenstein. A man on a noble mission that leads him far beyond into truly undiscovered territory.

Best of the best from The Olympus Boys!