“30 degrees: sunny” it said on the internet weather for the Alsace – I even checked for the town itself, just in case it was a cold spot in an otherwise warm region. “Won't need a jumper then, just a light coat to cover my arms against a chilly breeze”. You have probably guessed the rest? It seems that we British like to take everything, just in case, even the weather!
So it was, on a cold rainy day in May that our small but happy band of exchange visitors: Revd Ron Forster, Carol and Donald Dixon and I arrived at Basle airport, to be met by the welcoming party from Reidesheim telling us how unusual it was for the weather to change so quickly!
This was my first visit overseas since the age of 12 and even the rain couldn't dampen my enthusiasm. Ron had asked whether I was afraid of flying, I told him truthfully that I didn't know and I wasn't going to think about it – if I didn't think about it then surely I would be fine – though that didn't stop me having a small alcoholic beverage before the flight to calm my nerves. In the event, I was fine – I have discovered that, while I don't much enjoy the take-off and landing bits, most of flying is fine.
My host was a wonderful lovely lady called Monica, who, luckily enough, was tri-lingual; Ron stayed with the Pasteur and his family; while Carol and Donald were with a lovely couple called Jackie and Helene. Their hospitality knew no bounds – all our hosts were so warm and friendly that we couldn't fail to feel welcome.
There were so many interesting things to see in the region; the Albert Schweitzer museum; works of art – some in churches, some in art galleries; beautiful cathedrals each telling its own story about the development of Christianity in that particular area.
For the first day of our busy schedule we were escorted everywhere by our hosts so it wasn't until le weekend that we needed to use what we remembered of the French lessons we had at school. Carol was a natural, having holidayed previously in France (this, of course meant that Donald didn't need to remember his French!). Ron seemed to manage (though modestly denying it!). As for me? - well my first attempt at actually using the language went very well. I had to find somewhere to buy a jumper or a cardigan as it was so cold and wet, but for the life of me could not remember the French word for them – luckily I found something the French call a Gilet which served the purpose nicely.
Here's a handy tip for those of you going abroad this summer – I find that shopping is the new universal language! All you need to know are “yes”, “no” and “thank you” – with those and judicious use of a well practised “Gallic shrug” (see footnote) – everyone can understand your requirements. I even managed to use my debit card to buy said Gilet by dint of holding it up, shrugging and saying “oui?” – of course you will understand the question mark is the most important point here.
Our itinerary was so full it would be difficult to tell you everything we did within the confines of this piece, one afternoon we visited three countries, but for me the best bits were when we came together with our different cultures and languages and managed to communicate with and learn from each other. We had a meeting after the church service on Sunday with some of the church members discussing the place of the church in the community and where they thought the church should move in the future. It was very interesting to hear that the church there has many of the same problems we have!
On one occasion we had no translators with us and a party of ten visited the J F Oberlin Museum. This was a remarkable visit, I had not heard of Oberlin before but he seems to have been a community worker way ahead of his time (late 18th century). He became pastor of a remote village rife with sickness and unable to communicate even with neighbouring towns because of language barriers (the village appears to have created its own obscure dialect) – by way of his skills with herbal medicine pastor Oberlin was able to help them with their medical needs. The village came to respect him so much that he was able to empower them to solve their other problems too; education being his greatest contribution, he is credited with the invention of the kindergarten (which we call a kindergarten) – I have always upheld that what young people learn in their early years forms their life journey.
After the museum our party found a café ( that's French for café) where we could sit together over a glass of wine (vin) – it was quite amazing, though most of us spoke only a few words of each others language we were able to understand each other and even made jokes! It crossed my mind that here was the Pentecostal spirit – not exactly speaking in tongues, but making ourselves understood and enjoying each others company. I have to tell you that at one point during our visit to the café (café) everything turned quite surreal when I found that Ron and I were talking to each other in broken English, under the mistaken impression that we were speaking French!!!
All too soon our visit came to an end. By this time three quarters of us were suffering from the cold which Carol had brought with her and generously shared (she had remembered that in French it is called a rhuum – but did not want to tell anyone because it reminded her too much of Peter Sellers in the pink panther films!). In spite of feeling ill I was quite sad to leave, it had been a whirlwind tour of a fascinating region and I wished I could have taken more time to become acquainted with it. I would certainly recommend an exchange visit to anyone considering one – a memorable experience.
Top of pageFootnote: Gallic shrug – raise shoulders towards ears, turn palms face up and use a facial expression similar to that used when discussing the latest fashions with your closest teenager!