Final week

Hectic and difficult were the last days, as students wrapped-up 6 months of intensive living in Lausanne; more than ready to return home but, sad, as well. Michael was being an absolute pill - I think he realized this way of life was coming to an end.
The last meal at St Gery was a beefy hamburger with fries - along with party hats and banquet seating. Here are Joanne and Brittany, who kindly picked-up Michael and Jack from school every Tuesday. Thank-you!
The guys invited me out for a beer afterwards (Helvetica needs help with its brew!); we walked home in pouring rain.
The farewell banquet was held (once again) at the upstairs of Charlie's Place, a tight space reflecting the intersecting streets of the old city. The evening's festivities did double-duty for Jack, who was turning 3 that Saturday.
Carolyn's father and sister, Ev, were also in town, and helped out crafting thank-you cards for all the students, who were big brothers & sisters for our boys all year.
Cecily painted a tree on a large wall downstairs, inviting students to leave parting thoughts and photos; Liz helped Michael and Jack leave their handprints.

This 7 month experiment worked out amazingly well, as 5o plus college students lovingly shared their affection and time with us; yet allowing us to remain a family. The program will need to grow in order to pay the rent, so I'm not sure how much of the life we knew will remain. Kinda had the run of a big space. Pepperdine's other popular programs - Heidelberg, London, Florence - are in beautiful old villas, so Lausanne's appeal is a matter of taste: old houses with character versus the newer institution with better facilities.

We will remain in Switzerland until July 29th, staying in the hotel until early May. We move to the nearby town of Pully, from which Michael will ride the bus to continue school. We'll do some serious travel, mainly in France and Italy, but maybe also England, where Carolyn has some relatives.

A lot can happen when you live in a community setting in a foreign land - almost every day brings something new; each week presents a challenge, becomes an adventure. Makes for good blogging, but it's also unrealistic. On a somber note, I'm also very aware, as I turn five-zero this fall, that things are slipping away, and photographs take on, as one critic put it, the "quality of a corpse" - little memorials that stop time. This has been a good period for me to take a fresh look at priorities, reevaluate the life of teaching & research. Nothing sure for now, except for the good-byes.

See some of you back on campus.