When we moved to Chalabre in France, we enrolled Abi in the local school. At the end of the summer term, we felt that the school wasn’t working out for her, so we looked elsewhere. I had heard good reports about St. Maurice in Mirepoix and decided to investigate.
As I arrived on that August day, the main gates and the side door were locked, with a notice saying the school would be open at the end of the week. I was just about to leave when I spotted the local baker making a delivery at the side door, so I followed him through before the gate could shut. I walked into reception and was confronted with Caroline, the formidable secretary. When I asked her about the possibility of Abi joining, she picked up the phone and spoke to someone called Helene. After a couple of minutes, she took me through to a large office to meet Helene LeRasle, the school principal.
Madame LeRasle explained that she couldn’t fit Abi in, as this year was full. When she saw how disappointed I was, she asked me if I would like some coffee and whilst we were waiting, she would double check the intake of pupils. As we drank the coffee, Helene said although she couldn’t fit Abi in to her correct age group, she could place her in the year below, starting immediately, adding that Abi would soon catch up. In the French school system, if a child does well, they go up a year. If a child is struggling, they stay down and repeat the year.
I was delighted to accept, so I signed the papers and gave Helene a cheque for the first term. Private school fees in France are incredibly low compared to the UK. A year’s education in France costs about a tenth of the fees at a private school in England.
So, two days later, we arrived at St. Maurice and stood waiting as the names were called out. As Abi stood in line, waiting to go in, Helene LeRasle took her hand and led her into the school. One of the mothers asked me if it was Abigail’s first day and that was Benedicte.
Normally, at lunchtime, the children are taken by bus to a central canteen for lunch but that wasn’t opening for a week, so at midday I returned to collect Abi. She came out beaming and said that the morning had been fine. We decided to eat lunch at Llobets and when we walked in, Benedicte was standing by the bar dressed in Chef’s attire. She and her husband Olivier, owned the place and their two children also attended St. Maurice. We have been friends ever since.
After that first week, Abi settled in well and had lunch in the Mirepoix canteen every day. She sat near the bus driver (Jean) who looked like Prince Charles and made all the children laugh. Also, if you sat near Jean, he was always served first. Meals are generally three courses and that first day’s menu was a salad starter, a big dish of pasta and a chocolate pudding. On the main table was a pile of baguettes to accompany the meal. A great start to a new adventure.
Stories from my typewriter 