Bruges, 17 June 2016
Alessandro De Giacomo
Closing Ceremony
Speech by Student Representatives
Chopin Promotion
Sascha Daghofer
S : Goedenmiddag and good afternoon
A : Bonjour e buon giorno
S : Dzień dobry i dobbry den
A : Buenos dias y bom dia
S : Guten Tag und Grüß Gott.
A : Wow, Sascha, 10 months have gone by so fast.
S : Oh yes Alessandro, that’s so true. And now we stand here and have to hold a
speech. Are you ready for it?
A : Bien sûr, mais j’espère que l’audience va tolérer notre fort accent parisien.
S : Pour commencer nous voulons remercier M. le Recteur pour avoir toujours eu
une oreille ouverte pour nous les étudiants.
A : Un remerciement tout spécial va à l’administration du Collège – à la
bibliothèque, au service de langue, sans oublier l’ICT, l’Office des affaires des
étudiants et l’Office des Carrières.
Nous voulons aussi remercier les directeurs d’etudes et les professeurs qui nous
ont enseigné et qui nous ont permis d’élargir nos connaissances tout au long de
cette année.
Et notons également avec gratitude le travail important de soutien des assistants
académiques.
Un grand merci est destiné à la cantine, de nous avoir nourri, et au residence
ladies, pour leur soin maternel, et bien sûr au Nightwatchmen!.. qui ont détruit
l’ambiance de nos soirées ponctuellement à une heure du matin!
S : Et puis un grand merci à chacun, à nos familles et amis pour leur support
indispensable au cours de cette année.
Finalement, mais pas avec une moindre importance, merci à nos camarades,
étudiants, qui ont fait de la promotion Chopin, une année inoubliable.
A : Revenons sur les derniers 10 mois, quelle a été ton première impression ici ?
S : Quand je suis arrivé ici, j’ai appris que j’allais habiter à Oliebaan. Une résidence
aussi decrit dans la bible du college sous le nom d’Australie - faisant référence aux
incroyables 25 minutes à pied, bien éloignée de ‘tout’ dans cette ville géante.
Bruges, 17 June 2016
Alessandro De Giacomo
Closing Ceremony
Speech by Student Representatives
Chopin Promotion
Sascha Daghofer
A : Moi, j’avais plus de chance, comme à Biskajer, il était plus rapide d’aller à pied
que de sortir mon vélo pour aller au cours…
S : Alors Alé, raconte-moi, est-ce que cette expérience t’a aidé à te faire des amis
pendant ces derniers 10 mois ?
A : J’espère bien! Comme les personnes hors du Collège, ne se rappellent plus à
quoi je ressemble, je pense.
S : Pourquoi ça ? Ne rentrais-tu pas les weekends à la maison ?
A : Les weekends ?! Ce quoi ça?! Pas du tout. Mais au moins je n’avais pas de
cours d’italien le dimanche après-midi.
S : Wow, c’est très intense. Mais j’espère que tu as appris beaucoup cette année ?
A : Tu veux dire à part de la biographie de Chopin ? Concrètement, je suis
maintenant marié aux traités européens – en espérant qu’ils ne changent pas leur
personnalité au cours des prochaines années. Qu’en est-il pour toi ?
S : J’ai appris comment monter rapidement les meubles IKEA. Mais à part cela,
mes thèmes de conversation préférés sont maintenant la PESC, les relations
commerciales internationales, le mécanisme européen de stabilité, l’identité
européenne, les référendums européens sur différents thèmes et j’en passe.
En parlant de cela, as-tu lu les récentes conclusions du Conseil européen sur
l’accord entre l’UE et la Turquie ? Intéressant n’est-ce pas?
A: Well, thank you for your presentation!
S : You’re welcome. But each department at the College has its own
characteristics. Our ‘Harry Potter’ sorting hat spoke only in March at the Bri’rish
party, right?
A : Yes indeed. The sorting hat divided our departments into LAW-Slytherin, POLRavenclaw, ECO-Hufflepuff and IRD-Gryffindor.
So tell me, how did the Slytherins’ year go? Did our lawyers even come out of their
dungeons yet? With their overwhelming work load?
S : What the KECK?! You mean those with job contracts already signed in
January? They have definitely been the most desired ones throughout the
year..some of them are still stuck at the career days interviews, I’ve heard ..
Bruges, 17 June 2016
Alessandro De Giacomo
Closing Ceremony
Speech by Student Representatives
Chopin Promotion
Sascha Daghofer
But Ale, what about the POL-Ravenclaws? I guess that through your close
connections, you can tell me more about their ‘moment of the semester’?
A : Well, from the intelligence I’ve been gathering throughout this year, I can tell you
that they loved clubbing in Strassbourg with professors and assistants, beers & ribs
in spring …
Presque tous, SAUF LA PESC. But you know, THIS IS POLITICS (italian accent)!
S : And what about our Central Bankers-to-be, those from Hufflepuff?
A : You mean those who are daring enough to go on a study trip just before the
exam session starts? They had a lot of fun playing werewolf at the European
central bank! And the brave ones even enjoyed the real frankfurt sunrise!
Speaking of the brave ones, Gryffindor, what was the best Club Med aka IRD
moment this year?
S : I think one of our best moments together, was the Swiss Fondue in Geneva:
numerous speeches and a night full of dancing. I even had the honor to start the
new IRD tradition of opening the evening with a Viennese Waltz with our head of
department. It was a pleasure to share this dance with you, Professor.
A : Oh, I think I even recorded that! But it will always stay within Gryffindor. Don’t
worry!
S : But beyond our departmental division, every Thursday night, we have all been
the same. In our beloved Chop’Inn.
A : Oh yes, our student bar at Gouden Hand. Rumors say that we have had the
best Bar Committee at the College ever. They truly managed to make every
Thursday night special, but totally ruined our Friday mornings. Including this
morning!
S : I’d say we totally lived up to Alexander Stubbs words during our opening
ceremony at the beginning of this year: “Play hard
A : “work hard”!
Absolutely, also thanks to the best College band ever: Le Repas Froid! The first
College band to tour all residences.
Together with the choir and the BarCo, they really made our Christmas celebrations
amazing here at the College.
Bruges, 17 June 2016
Alessandro De Giacomo
Closing Ceremony
Speech by Student Representatives
Chopin Promotion
Sascha Daghofer
S : Talking about Christmas. Unfortunately, we have been the first promotion
without official Christmas trees in the residences. However, this fact didn't prevent
us from living up to the tradition of the Christmas tree stealing. Sint Joris even
managed to steal 3 at once, but didn't succeed in keeping them.
A : After our Christmas break, the diverse national groups allowed us to travel, at
least culinarily speaking, all over Europe and even beyond!
Starting with the well organised German-speakers to the lively Portuguese and
Hispanic Societies, from the tea-drinking Bri’rish over the French champagne
experts to the vodka ambassadors from Poland and Ukraine , from the olympic
Hellenics to the Open minded Northerners, from the European Neighborhood to the
traditional Turks, and from the culturally rich Arabs to the beer loving Benelux
countries.
Besides that, our host families helped us to feel home in Belgium.
So did the Italian Society in my case, especially in the past week!
All these diverse national weeks and folklore traditions really compensated the
looong and cooold winter in Bruges!
S : This was truly important, ‘Winter is coming’ gets a whole new meaning here in
Bruges. It never really leaves!
A : The hardest was surviving bike rides on these wet cobblestones, circumventing
tourists and paparazzi on boats, while not being distracted by the constant bell
ringing in this medieval Disneyland. But let’s admit it, this place will always stay in
our hearts!
S : So true, now we can even proudly say: Ik ben een Bruhhelin.
A : True, leaving the Bruges bubble might seem hard at the moment, but many of
us will just trade it for another bubble - slightly more powerful, slightly more hectic
and probably more vivid - the Brussels bubble.
S : Oh, yes, maybe we can manage to get an unpaid internship there.
And those who return back to their home countries or other European hubs, will
also actively contribute to our common dream of building a stronger Europe. This
way, we can also follow the example of our promotion’s patron Chopin of being truly
integrated Europeans.
A : Especially today we should never forget what Europe is about: building bridges
rather than walls or fences. Here at the College we also reinforced the idea that
love and friendship go beyond borders, nationality, race, sexual orientation, gender
or religion.
Bruges, 17 June 2016
Alessandro De Giacomo
Closing Ceremony
Speech by Student Representatives
Chopin Promotion
Sascha Daghofer
S : This is why, it is also called the College of Love. It goes beyond romance! It truly
represents the close friendships that we have been able to form over the last 10
months, which will hopefully endure forever.
A : Our vision for the Chopin promotion is to live up to the motto: United in diversity.
A motto the College and the Union stand for.
S : We would like to conclude this speech by quoting a great European personality,
Winston Churchill. His words truly reflect this moment:
A : "Now this is not the end.
S: It is not even the beginning of the end.
A&S: But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."