Blogs from Guebwiller, Alsace, France, Europe - page 2

After church on Sunday, at 14:00, the teachers and staff of Establissement College Daniel met up for an afternoon stroll (so typical of the French), despite the threat of rain and the fact it was a Sunday afternoon after all. It was good to find everyone together again and before heading into the formal setting of school. I managed to fill in various teachers on my trip home, which of course they were eager to hear all about. As we headed up into the vineyards, Lydie came up panting behind me and I asked her if she'd be able to talk and walk at the same time. Out of all the teachers, I was particularly pleased to see her and fill her in on my trip home. In response to my question, she said that she'd ... read more

Last Tuesday Rachel invited me to another women's Bible group that she goes to every other week. She had warned me that it was mostly old women but I didn't mind. I like spending time with and finding out about French Christians, no matter how old they are. At 1:45 sharp Josephine (our middle-aged perfectionist neighbour who isn't one for being late) drove us down to Guebwiller, picking up an elderly woman on the way, who shared with us her dentist experiences and other such news along the journey. When we arrived Josephine handed me a coat-hanger to put my coat on - I kind of got the impression that she doesn't much approve of slinging it over the back of a chair. I was then introduced to the group who smiled and cooed at me, ... read more

On Saturday I was invited by Aida to help out at a charity concert in the town where she lives. I had nothing better to do so I accepted the invitation gladly. I was going to put myself forward to help waitress but when I got to the event and saw how big and chic it was I decided against it, and plus waitressing can be stressful enough when you understand the language everyone else is speaking but with my basic french skills I thought I would be better helping behind the scenes. In the end my appointed role was helping Aida and her husband, Smiley make tarte flambee - an Alscacian speciality which is a bit like pizza but healthier. We had a huge stove, which took us a while to figure out - I ... read more

So my first weekend with the Fau family has been a busy one...I could very easily drop off to sleep as I write this...yesterday we visited a forest high up in the Alscacian mountains on the border between France and Germany where the two countries had fought between WW1 - the trenches are still there! It was amazing to walk through them and to be in the same place that so many men lost their lives...if I hadn't been helping to supervise the kids, making sure they didn't fall into any of the old hideouts I might have had more time to reflect on where I was, the history of the place. It is always a strange yet exciting experience to step foot on a place that one reads and learns so much about. But it ... read more

6/9/11 Arrived in Bale-Muhlouse airport yesterday afternoon at 15:10 (20 minutes later than expected). Cecile drove me to the airport – it was another rush to get there but we made it in plenty of time. I had a much smoother ride through security. Cedric and Laetitia were waiting with their two youngest, Raphael (4) and Gabriel (17 months) as I trundled through with my 20 kg bag. I’m glad I had seen the photos beforehand or I think I would have been in for a bit of a shock –like I said, Cedric especially wasn’t how I imagined him. Their English is OK – perhaps just as good as my French but that’s good because it means I won’t be able to rely on my English and will be forced to use my French. On ... read more