Thirty years ago how was I to know that I would travel to France (with only 10 weeks of classroom French at Dartmouth, quel dommage), landing in the small southern town of Arles (where my host family spoke no English, “Lentement si’l vous plait”), to hang for a term with a group of incredibly cool and diverse people (including my future husband, Derek Chow, bonne chance, no?).


Recently we caught up with some of those who joined us on our journey abroad.


Sam Weiner writes from southern California, where he solves intricate puzzles while practicing transactional tax law for Latham and Watkins. There he lives in Brentwood (three minutes from O.J.’s old house) with his wife and boys Ben (6) and Griffin (4).


His fond memories of Arles include performing “La Danse des Canards” (French version of the chicken dance) for our French families, racing around on Bram Tobin’s Vespa and playing very muddy soccer matches against the locals. (See Dartmouth ’84 Facebook page for photo.)


Reaching out from New England is Peter Gish, who is partner and co-founder of several renewable energy companies doing wind and solar power projects worldwide under the name UPC. Peter is happily married with three kids, the eldest of whom will be attending Dartmouth next year. When Peter isn’t traveling or working he spends most of his free time at 38,000 feet! He became a private pilot 10 years ago and may get the title adrenaline junkie, as he likes to do flight aerobatics (along with motorcycling, rock climbing and extreme skiing). As far as what he learned in Arles: Don’t make monetary bets after drinking a couple of glasses of wine at lunch! (You’ll never win.)


From Iowa Tom McKay shouts out from his doctor’s office where he practices urology and looks after his 13-year-old daughter, 15-year old son and two Bernese mountain dogs. As Tom plans a return to France (with a side trip to Scotland) for his 50th birthday, he says he’s been back to Arles a few times. (The last time there he noticed that our beloved old Cafe La Bourse was turned into a McDonald’s…si triste). But even that sobering development hasn’t dampened his enthusiasm for the area, prompting him to reminisce about weekend bike rides to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and encounters with the mistral (the great wind).


After a stint in the Canadian Arctic, L.A. and Connecticut, geology researcher Dave McCormick settled with his family in Boston. He works for a company that has a strong international presence in France. Dave says, “In my current role I’ve had the good fortune to be able to go over to France a number of times and to use my pathetic French.”


Dave’s strong memories of Arles include its 2,000-plus years of history with its Roman amphitheater and infrastructure, as well as the incredible farmers’ market with all the cheeses and olives. Dave admits his new Parisian religion includes trips to the Holy House of Bertillon, where “the pear sorbet is an out-of-body experience.”


Peter Garfield, perhaps, has the strongest ongoing connection with Arles. Peter writes from his art studio in New York, where he’s been showing internationally for the past 25 years. “I first went back in winter of 1985 and lived with my language study abroad French family while I worked on my portfolio that got me into the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. “I took my wife, O Zhang, to Arles in 2007 and she loved it.” 


For now, au revoir.


—Jan Gordon and Derek Chow, 132 Wildcat Lane, Boulder, CO 80304; (303) 448-1580; janandderek@comcast.net