Jul 1st, 2007
The village and school's history played a large role as well in our day to day activities. Thought on the history of the town was jumpstarted by the Church service we attended the first day of the camp. I remember feeling a sense of pride afterwards (after Tito and Kirk had translated the sermon) in the work that we were about to do. It was as if we were upholding the values and beliefs of the Chambonnaise of WWII and Pastor Trocmé. And I felt this way when I worked alongside the refugees digging the parking lot. We, together, were upholding the belief that refugees who were forced out of their own country due to political or social reasons had the right to live somewhere safe until they found a permanent residence.
The history of the town and school helped me remember how unfortunate the refugees' condition was, although, they were not being sought after for extermination, they and the Jews had the commonality of not being able to safely live in their homes. In fact, I had a basis for relating with what the refugees had gone through. In Sri Lanka, my country of origin, there is a civil war that is ongoing even today, between the Tamil Tigers, who want their own Tamil state, and the Sri Lankan government. My parents left their home in Sri Lanka for the United States in the 1980s to avoid this conflict.
The campers left the camp with nine really good friends. And for me,I also became really good friends with Salman, Narek, and Edgar (the three refugees), and I plan on staying in regular correspondence with them.
If you are a camp alumnus/alumnae and would like to post your photos on our website, please contact us!We appreciate your interest in the College Cevenol and wish for you to enjoy the French culture experience, interacting with local villagers, and developing friendships with asylum-seeking families.
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Over the years many of our camp visitors and camp directors have taken photos of their stay.
We like to share our memories with you and your families. Please take a moment and view the rich history of le College Cevenol and many of our alumni. View Our Photos