At the age of twelve, I graduated from eighth grade two years early. My mother felt that I was too young for high school. When she met Richard Unsworth, chaplain at Smith College, who was involved with the American Friends of the Collège Cévenol, an international school in the Cevennes mountains of France, she thought that perhaps this would be a good place for me for a "gap year" (we didn't call it a gap year then -- that's a recent expression). My father was very reluctant to have me go away at such a young age, but in the end he gave his ok to the prospect. I arrived at the Collège in the fall of 1964 at the age of twelve, and spent the next 8 months there.
The school was in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, a small town on the Vivarais-Lignon plateau in the Massif Central, the central mountains (Cevennes) in southeastern France.
Click here for map of Le Chambon.
Last Wednesday, I returned to Le Chambon after fifty-five years. We parked in town and walked about 1.5 kilometers up a steep winding road to the campus. (The school is now closed.)
This building was the Bâtiment Scholaire (School building) where we had classes.
Many times I walked in those doors (behind where I'm standing) and up the stairs to my classroom.
Diary entry, 1 October 1964:
Alors, mes classes sont changé [sic]. Je ne prend pas le Latin. Le prendrai les leçons français speciales, avec M. Galland. [Bernard Galland, my favorite teacher.]
Unfortunately, now the building is locked. The whole place was bought by Chinese artists several years ago, and it is supposedly being turned into artist studios and exhibit and workshop spaces — although we saw little evidence of that.
The school library and lunch room has been turned into a Chinese restaurant but this trunk of books displayed shows a few of the books from the old school library.
Another bookcase displaying old library books. As a former librarian, I'm glad they saved a few.
A bit strangely, this old butter mold was displayed with the books. These butter molds weren't used when I was in school there -- they are older than that.
Here's Le Luquet, where we ate lunch au Collège (i.e. in 1964–65).
September 1964 diary excerpt:
Today at lunch, at the Luquet where we eat, we had this stuff: mashed potatoes with sort of meat-looking things in it. I started eating it and it was very good — I asked [a girl] what it was. She said that: (1) they take pig intestines (2) they fill them with blood (3) cook the whole thing until the blood is almost burnt (firm and brown). However, I liked it very much.
Later I found out this is blood sausage, called boudin in French.
There were neither patio nor wooden decks when I was there. Note the thick stone slate roof tiles. Typical of the old buildings in the area.
Next post: more about my experience at the school.
The school was in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, a small town on the Vivarais-Lignon plateau in the Massif Central, the central mountains (Cevennes) in southeastern France.
Click here for map of Le Chambon.
Last Wednesday, I returned to Le Chambon after fifty-five years. We parked in town and walked about 1.5 kilometers up a steep winding road to the campus. (The school is now closed.)
This building was the Bâtiment Scholaire (School building) where we had classes.
 |
| Bâtiment Scholaire, former Collège Cévenol, Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, Haute-Loire, France |
Many times I walked in those doors (behind where I'm standing) and up the stairs to my classroom.
Diary entry, 1 October 1964:
Alors, mes classes sont changé [sic]. Je ne prend pas le Latin. Le prendrai les leçons français speciales, avec M. Galland. [Bernard Galland, my favorite teacher.]
Unfortunately, now the building is locked. The whole place was bought by Chinese artists several years ago, and it is supposedly being turned into artist studios and exhibit and workshop spaces — although we saw little evidence of that.
The school library and lunch room has been turned into a Chinese restaurant but this trunk of books displayed shows a few of the books from the old school library.
Another bookcase displaying old library books. As a former librarian, I'm glad they saved a few.
 |
| Library books from Le Collège Cévenol |
A bit strangely, this old butter mold was displayed with the books. These butter molds weren't used when I was in school there -- they are older than that.
 |
| Old wooden butter mold |
Here's Le Luquet, where we ate lunch au Collège (i.e. in 1964–65).
September 1964 diary excerpt:
Today at lunch, at the Luquet where we eat, we had this stuff: mashed potatoes with sort of meat-looking things in it. I started eating it and it was very good — I asked [a girl] what it was. She said that: (1) they take pig intestines (2) they fill them with blood (3) cook the whole thing until the blood is almost burnt (firm and brown). However, I liked it very much.
Later I found out this is blood sausage, called boudin in French.
 |
| Le Luquet, former Collège Cévenol |
There were neither patio nor wooden decks when I was there. Note the thick stone slate roof tiles. Typical of the old buildings in the area.
Next post: more about my experience at the school.
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