Cesar Ritz Colleges Alumni Gathering

It is always a pleasure to meet up with fellow alumni of Cesar Ritz Colleges. The Malaysian chapter of the alumni asso-ciation, in particular those residing in Kuala Lumpur and its surroundings, get together a couple of times a year, mostly doing what Malaysians love most, over a meal. We have some drinks, enjoy a hearty dinner, share some laughs, get some updates about the colleges and reminisce about our time spent in Switzerland.

Whenever possible, we dine at an alumni member's restaurant as a measure of support. This time round, we gathered at Songket, a fine-dining establishment specialising in traditional Malay cuisine. Despite the evening downpour and traffic, more than twenty of us made it to Tony Wong's restaurant located at Jalan Yap Kwan Seng. Other than our friends, there to greet us was also Quoc Phong Huynh, Regional Manager of Cesar Ritz Colleges Switzerland. We had the pleasure of getting to know Phong's predecessor Viwan Opanukij over the past few years, and this first meeting with our new friend was a pleasant and informative encounter. Pleasant because of Phong's easygoing and personable nature, informative as we were briefed on the goings-on in Switzerland with Cesar Ritz Colleges having been acquired by SEG Swiss Education Group not too long ago. As always, we also ask of Mr Kisseleff's well being, and are happy to hear that he is now enjoying his well-deserved retirement. Our strong bonds with the school are very much a reflection of the strong bonds we have with Mr Kisseleff, nurtured over the years from our college days and his visits to Malaysia from time to time.

Over fine food and drink, we re-lived our time in Lax, Brig and Le Bouveret. Graduates of 1984 through to 2002, although varied in our experiences at Cesar Ritz Colleges, share a commonality, that is an affection for our alma mater. An affection arising from a memorable phase of our lives where we were nurtured in the hospitality trade, where we cultivated our gentlemenly and ladylike ways, where we were instilled a sense of professionalism, where we forged lifelong friendships. Alumni relations and participation require effort and commitment, and as we look forward to the next such gathering, here's hoping more will be on hand to banter the next time round.

Group photo shot at Songket in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.