Today we want to take this opportunity to celebrate Haruka’s 17th birthday and wish her a lovely day!
We know for a fact that she is enjoying the last few days of the holidays we have left. We can’t wait to welcome her again and celebrate with her this amazing day.
This week at Collège du Léman we are celebrating “internationalism” as part of our RISE program. We asked the girls to come up with what they understand as “being a global citizen”.
In addition, we also asked the girls to share with us something about their country. Could be a fun fact, something they love, or a tradition.
The best part of Valentine’s Day is that it’s not strictly reserved for romantic love between partners. Here in Boarding we also like to reinforce the meaning of having good friends and nourishing relationships, as we saw during the last Wellbeing Pillar. the love that comes from another friend it’s also a way of love, and it shouldn’t be excluded from this meaningful day.
Today students had the chance to send roses to their loved ones. You could see friends hugging each other and being thankful for their friendship while exchanging roses and cards.
The dining hall was beautifully decorated with heart-shaped chocolates and ornaments. The food was delicious and the students shared their excitement with one another, making the wait to go back home easier for everyone.
Today after brunch, Kseniia, Sofiya, Akmaral, and her friend Sangeetha, embarked on an amazing trip to Geneva. Our destination? Bain Bleu Spa & Hamman 🤩
After taking the train and the bus, the girls immersed themselves in a completely relaxing experience. First, they visited the Hamman, where they enjoyed different rooms where they could relax, such as saunas, swimming pool, and hot stones siesta.
Afterward, it was time to go to the rooftop pool to admire the views of the lake and the mountains.
The experience was so soothing, that we had to fight not to fall asleep on the way back to school.
Today we celebrate Fields’ 17th birthday!
Although she is not spending the weekend with us, we still want to wish her a lovely birthday and lots of happiness for this year.
Dinner in the House is a boarding event we all look forward to. Last night the girls were even happier when they saw that we had lasagne for dinner! They all came quickly downstairs to finish setting up the table and start eating one of their preferred dishes. We ended up discovering Sofiya’s mom and Bruna’s sister are pregnant and expecting next month!!
We talked about our families, our brothers and sisters, and how many cousins we have (just for reference, Bruna couldn’t say the number of cousins… bear in mind she had 11 uncles from her dad’s side!!!).
We had a lovely dinner where we continued to get to know each other. We can’t wait for the month’s dinner!
This year, many East Asian countries will celebrate the Lunar New Year on the 10th of February. This day marks the beginning of a new year based on the cycles of the moon. The festival is a time for family gatherings, feasting, and paying respect to ancestors. Each year is symbolized by one of the twelve zodiac animals, with this year being the Year of the Dragon. Festivities typically include dragon dances, fireworks, red lanterns, and the giving of red envelopes filled with money for good luck. It is a time for reflection, renewal, and wishing for prosperity in the year ahead. The Lunar New Year is a vibrant and joyous occasion that brings people together to celebrate traditions and customs that have been passed down through generations.
Tonight, for our International Dinner, we had the pleasure of celebrating this day with all our East Asian students celebrating the Lunar New Year.
Today’s wellbeing session evolved on how to identify if we are good or bad friends/partners. We all think we are well aware of how to identify when someone is treating us wrongly but sometimes we can be so mesmerized with that person that we can not see the signs of them treating us badly.
For this, we presented the girls with an interesting Kahoot with different scenarios and they had to identify if each scenario was a green, a yellow, or a red flag.
This interactive activity allowed us to identify different scenarios and listen to everyone’s opinions. The girls expressed their feelings and allowed us to have a very interesting discussion about boundaries and healthy relationships. They didn’t identify any of the scenarios as yellow flags, which led us to think they are more aware of what they want in their life as a friend or a partner than what they thought.
This weekend the girls were spread out on two different campuses.
Akmaral joined the second ski weekend, this time in Crans-Montana. After attending an exam on Friday, she made her way up to the mountains to enjoy the lovely sunny (but also cold) weather the canton of Valais mountains had prepared for them. While our priority during the weekend is assuring students have fun and make the best of their time in Switzerland, we also pass on to students the importance of academics, and that’s why Akmaral decided to focus her Sunday morning on University applications and homework.
Back at CDL, and talking about University applications… we got the fantastic news: Bruna got accepted into a second university of her choice!!! We couldn’t be happier for her and the achievements she is accomplishing. We are very proud of her. We are sure we will receive many more good news regarding University applications…
As you can imagine, it was a very quiet and calm weekend here on campus. Most of the students went to the mountains, and the ones who decided to stay in Geneva spent their time studying and going to Geneva to get a break from homework.
Kindest regards,
Maria and Lina
In this third week of building positive friendships, we discussed about international friendships and microaggressions. In our boarding community, we have more than 100 different nationalities, which allows our students to connect with people from all around the world.
International friendships enrich our lives by exposing us to diverse perspectives, cultures, traditions, and ways of thinking. These connections foster mutual understanding, breaking down barriers and promoting global harmony.
However, international friendships can lead to unintended microaggressions due to cultural differences and misunderstandings. It’s crucial to approach these relationships with open-mindedness, cultural sensitivity, and a willingness to learn to avoid unintentional microaggressions and foster genuine understanding.
But, what are microaggressions? These are subtle insults, or problematic statements, typically directed at marginalized groups. They are typically based on race, ethnicity, or gender. And the statements or actions are often ambiguous enough to elicit plausible deniability. Sometimes when we try to call someone out on it, it can lead to a denial that there was any ill intent.