65 Days in Switzerland

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Filippa

Hello friends!

I apologize for the very late update but during the past weeks I’ve been so busy with school and travelling to different places that the time to write was non-existent.

Since my last post I’ve been:

Skiing and drinking hot chocolate by the slopes

Organizing a welcome party for all new and returning students in one of the bars of the school

On a trip to Milan. It took us about three hours to drive there from school. We checked in at the Nhow Hotel, went to brunch, walked around the city centre and looked at all the nice shops. We went for dinner, drinks and dancing and drove back the next day. A very short but intense trip and I can’t wait to go back when the weather is a bit nicer

On another trip to a place called Blatten where I got to experience the Swiss carnival and go sledging down a mountain in the pitch dark (so scary!)

Travelling to London for a weekend to celebrate a friend’s birthday
Enjoying the sun in parks, on a balcony, and during the “après ski”

Hanging out with my family who came to visit for a week
Booking a flight home to Sweden for Easter break

But I’ve also been…

Finishing a huge project involving six different subjects
Writing seven out of nine mid-term exams
Preparing three presentations
On many interviews and presentations with many hotel companies

I’m enjoying my time here in Switzerland a lot and time flies by so fast it’s hard to believe we are even past the half point. In three to four months I’ll be living and working in a city, but I have no idea where…That’s the beauty of the hotel industry–you have no idea where life (or work) will take you.

X Filippa

First few weeks in the white alps

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Filippa

Bonjour tout le monde!

What an intensive start (hence the late update)… The past couple of weeks have been amazing, and I’m so happy I decided to finish HOIII here in Switzerland.

The school impressed me from the very moment I arrived at the airport. They were waiting with a large Les Roches sign for me and other new students, gave us water and snacks, and took care of all luggage. A big bus was waiting outside and the ride to the campus took roughly two hours. After a steep climb up the mountains we reached our final destination – a tiny place called Bluche. After I did my check-in, I was assigned a room, and later on I met up with a bunch of friends for dinner and drinks. Since it was a Saturday, we all were curious about the nightlife so we took a taxi to the nearby village Crans and danced until our feet became sore. Since there are only a few places to go out, people here tend to stick together and that makes it so much more fun.

Monday morning it was time for classes straight away. My year is divided into five groups, and compared to Marbella, that is a lot since we only had three over there. First week was basically an introduction to all teachers, subjects and classmates, and on the second week projects, quizzes, assignments, presentations and exams kept on coming in. I have also joined the Student Committee marketing team where we promote events and activities such as crazy mufti days and parties, so that (along with this blog) keeps me busy, to say the least…

I am very happy that the school offers us to move between the different campuses, and although the contrasts between the schools are quiet big, it’s still the Les Roches spirit all over…

Next weekend awaits a welcome party thrown by the Student Social Committee plus a spontaneously planned trip to Milan… Promise to update you all on that.

Ciao for now!

X Filippa

First Impressions

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Leandros

Hey to everyone from the beautiful Les Roches!

I am not able to express my feelings in just one blog. If you are not here in Bluche, it is difficult to understand exactly the feeling you get when you are walking around the campus, and the amazing scenery that I am able to see from my balcony every time I wake up, but I will try to give you an idea about Les Roches and the area.

First of all, when you will come to Les Roches you will take part in the induction week. The purpose of the induction week is to learn about the regulations, to familiarize us with the campus and to share important information about the program. I have to say that it was an overload of information the first week but it was worth it in order to understand some important details that I didn’t know.

After the first week, some of us started with academics and some of us with practical, working in the restaurant outlets of the school. If you do not have any work experience don’t panic because the supervisors and the teachers have a lot of work experience in the hospitality industry and they act like workmates and not as a teachers. They try to help us a lot and to give solutions to possible problems.

I was in the first group and I started with academics for the first week. Believe me, if you have a passion for hospitality this is the place that you are going to learn the extra tips for a successful hospitality career. Every class is really interesting, it is not like a typical class, the faculty has a passion for what they are doing. The teachers share their experience from the industry and you can see in their faces that they love what they are doing. We had a lot of discussions, sharing opinions and generally a really friendly environment in the class. One of the classes that I found really interesting among the others is the Bar and Beverage class where we start learning about the history of wine. In the future, we are going to have wine tasting and many more activities like culinary visits.

Now I really want to focus on the social life of Les Roches. A lot of us were afraid it would not be the best. Believe me, the social life here is amazing! Greece, where I came from, has a world renowned nightlife but here you can have a lot of fun, trust me. Here in Bluche we have two bars where everyone goes. The first one is the Sports Bar, a bar operated by Les Roches students and faculty where you can meet most of the students having fun from 9 -11.30 pm. The second is the Atlas bar, very nice atmosphere and Dj Baldo Durazzo from Napoli, my best friend here in Les Roches, rocking on the decks every Friday night. Ten minutes by taxi is the renowned resort of Crans Montana. A place full of restaurants, bars and clubs; every Friday night after Atlas and Sportsbar everyone “goes up” as we say here. In Crans, you can find clubs and bars full of people, excellent cuisine, and traditional restaurants.

This week, I am in stewarding and service. Because of my work experience it is much easier for me but I am not able to say it is not challenging. Don’t worry, because in Les Roches you will meet some of the kindest and friendliest people. Everyone smiles and try to help each other. Team work is an integral part of hospitality and every day the faculty focuses on that.

Thank you very much for your time, I need to leave now or I will lose my duty. Believe me I can understand now the “Les Roches way of life” and if you want to be successful you will love it too.

Work hard during the day, play hard during the night.

Leandros Pembos