Molière Alumni Network [RAM].: María Pilar Alonso - Class of ’86
After work and on her way to pick up her children from extracurricular activities, María Pilar Alonso (‘86) stopped at the Lycée. At the present one, because she and her two older brothers were one of the first pupils at Ramdeviu Street and later, when that small chalet became too small, at that Molière ‘on the road to Logroño’ in front of the Pikolin tower, as everyone knows it.
Now María Pilar works as
area manager of Fersa Bearings, a multinational company with headquarters in the Zaragoza logistics platform, and factories here, in China and Austria, as well as branches in Ohio (USA) and Sao Paulo (Brazil).
This week he is in Zaragoza, but next week he will be travelling for work. His studies after the Molière were oriented precisely in this direction: a diploma in international studies, a year of commercial management and marketing, and a Master's degree in international business management.
Between work, family and travel, she takes a few minutes to reflect on the years she spent at the Molière to recall a few memories.
Throughout your studies and your current professional career, what has studying at the Lycée français Molière given you?
It opened doors for me towards languages, towards directing my career towards the international world, because it was much easier in French and English. I reinforced this after school with courses at the language school to obtain official qualifications. I even started to study German.
Has being bilingual helped you to learn the other languages?
I'll never know what it's like not to know a language from a young age, but I think that having it opens your mind.
What personal learning did you take away from school?
It transmitted values to me. It was a more secular version of what was perceived at the time. I think it was a more realistic view of the world around me. And all this despite the fact that my parents were quite Catholic. I think that here the human aspect is very much taken care of and from there the knowledge is introduced. It tries to bring out the best in us.
Do you appreciate your parents' choice for you and your siblings?
Yes, very much so, because at that time it was really a big effort for them. All three siblings have university degrees. My sister works in Toulouse for the aeronautics world and my brother studied higher engineering and works as a consultant.
What memories do you have of your time at the Molière?
I will remember Madame Oger (or ‘la ogeras’ as the pupils called her by her surname) and Madame Valls for the rest of my life. The latter was a very good language teacher. She taught us English and German and I remember perfectly well that she used to show us films in the original language and she would work out all the dialogues so that we could follow them by hand so that we could follow them without any problems. I will remember for the rest of my life the E.T. film that we watched for 20 minutes at a time, analysing the dialogues class after class.
I remember Madame Garcia and her husky voice, always kind. And Monsieur Guireaud (Physics and Chemistry teacher), who gave us practical classes showing us how an engine worked with his own motorbike, which he opened so that we could see its guts. I remember Madame Viviente as a Spanish teacher and Monsieur Chopin as a French teacher with whom many of us debuted as actors in the Troupe du Moliére (a small theatre company in which we performed plays by Moliére above all, and with which we sometimes travelled to perform in local villages). And, above all, I remember Mr. Echegoyen ‘the director’, who would call us into his office when we had to be told off... He was like a father... But of course we were like a family then: in the last year of my promotion we were five pupils in class. In other words, a family.
Any amusing anecdotes?
At that time, José, the cook at the Moliére, had the adults' table next to the kitchen. He got up very early in the morning to make everything himself, almost by hand, even the pastries. Every year, the seniors (those in the final year) had the privilege of repeating the leftover desserts. It was like a special prize that we all longed for. And he even gave us talks, together with other professionals who did the same, about being a cook, about everything you had to do with
tour and a practical demonstration, with a tasting afterwards. Professionals from all sectors came to these talks: doctors, lawyers, secretaries, engineers... Almost all of them were parents of students who told us about their experiences. I even remember that Jose Antonio Corbalán came and made a basket from the other side of the court after the talk. We were amazed!
