ende des blogs

......und im juni 2012 geht's mit schülern der 3. und 4. klassen nach malta - guckst du dann eigener blog.

“Go to gate 23” means “Go to gate 23”

This headline suggests that there might be people who do not understand a very simple and straightforward instruction. None of the students of the TGM´s department of Mechanical Engineering is really as dumb as that. However, the problem was that two of the guys who took part in this year´s language course in Cambridge for some reason ignored the omnipresent information screens at Gatwick Airport on the day of the flight back home to Vienna. That´s why I had kind of a shock when  counting heads at the gate which I had told them to go to when a voice said “proceed to gate…”, and realised that two students were missing. So the only thing I could do was to have their names called out over the loudspeaker system at the huge airport, also making sure that the flight attendant pronounced them properly, else the boys wouldn´t have perceived them. Five unbearable minutes passed, in my imagination I saw ourselves flying back to Austria, leaving the two of them behind. By the way, they wouldn´t have had any money left to buy tickets for a flight, if the airline had got any in the first place. Finally, they came running along, sweating all over, and we made it into the plane after all, in the nick of time.

As I quite often learn things the hard way like this time, I said to myself I would never again leave the students unattended at a busy airport, or at least I would give them a vivid description of what would  happen if they did not play by the rules.

So much for the only bad memory I have of this week in Cambridge. Now for the more pleasant aspects: The results of the projects done this year very impressive. Obviously the prize-money granted by Raiffeisen Landesbank Wien, which this time could be increased by some an additional amount, made the one girl and the 25 boys do their best. Doing fieldwork in the street about things concerning the project topic and recording the interviews with cameras has become a fairly useful additional task for the students It seems they had good fun, as some of the recordings they made have shown, particularly when it came to approaching “cute chicks”

(politically incorrect, but handy expression, quoted).

London was as usual (meaning “as exciting as usual”), and all the students turned up at the appointed time in the evening after having explored the magnificent city and taken loads of photos. But what´s the use of having obedient and punctual pupils if  the other group from Austria who the bus had brought into London with us as well keeps you waiting for as much as an hour because they forget about the time at Madame Tussaud´s.

Another highlight of the week was a visit to the War and Aviation Musuem at Duxford near Cambridge. Those interested in old and new airplanes and all kinds of vehicles and weapons got their money´s worth.

On behalf of the students, I would like to give special thanks to

1)   Raiffeisen Landesbank Wien

2)    the Technologenverband, and

3)   the Elternverein

for their generous support, a great incentive for the project work and a welcome reduction of the costs of the trip

and last but not least

4)   to Anna, for being very supportive

5)   to Charlie (the campus cat), for offering good distraction to the students during lunchtime and breaks.

The first step towards becoming a film star...

Life is fun, ain´t it?

We even had a coach of our own. It was flown over to England

to give the group maximum comfort.

Charlie, the campus cat, and his special friend, Anna

Mia bella Venezia...o sole mio!

Above the entrance it says “The Institution of Mechanical Engineering”. So the TGM has a branch in London!

Even the Queen came to Cambridge to meet the students

from Austria – thanks a lot, Your Highness!

(c) hubert t.