exchange visits

In the 1980s I was posted to Germany to act as a liaison between my employers and the company we were about to do >£2m worth of business with. The original posting was for 4 months but for various reasons it dragged on to nearly 18 months.

The working days were easy as the company although based in Germany, was US-owned and therefore English was the standard language in the office. But the evenings and weekends were a different matter. They put me up in a little one-bedroom flat in Poing (a western suburb of Munich) and left me to it! So I learned to speak German. I had no choice. And 30 years on I still remember enough of it to get by on holiday.

I agree with you, chrissyh, which to choose? Non English speakers don't have that problem. I got a bit cross with a sister - we were at a relation's wedding in the Czech Republic since he was marrying a Czech girl. My sister kept saying how awful it was that none of us spoke Czech, when so many of the Czech guests spoke English. Even if you did, where on earth would it be useful outside the CR? (if you were actually living there that would of course be a different matter)
As it happens I did study it for a year, as a side subject to Russian at university and they are similar, but by then it had largely disappeared from what passes for my memory these days.

As a family we have a reasonable knowledge of several languages between us, but there are times when none of them is any use.

My elder dd is a linguist and while a student she got lost in a city in Estonia, not too long after it won its freedom from the USSR. She didn't know any Estonian, but thought they'd all understand Russian. Which they did, but the person she first spoke to replied pleasantly enough, in English, 'We don't choose to speak that language here any more.' (!). Understandable in the circs...

I totally agree, GJ and think it would be fun anyway!

chrissyh- you went for a short holiday to Germany and it gave you the incentive to learn German- and that is wonderful. I know Brits and Americans here in Switzerland and France, and Brits in Spain- who have been there for years, decades even- and can barely put 2 words together and still think that shouting louder and louder in English will do. A group of expats is even calling for English to become the 5th Swiss National language!

Anyone who goes to live in a country for more than a few weeks, here, there or anywhere, should take the trouble to learn the local language to be able to cummunicate at least at basic level (and never mind if the grammar is a bit wobbly- who cares)- it's just basic respect. And it does tranform the relationship you have with locals, forever. The only exam DH ever failed was French 0'level- as he studied mainly sciences- but when he came to live here, aged 63- he made sure he learnt and learnt quickly- and won the respect and affection of all.

I was a forces child, at school in Germany (with BAOR) between 1959 and 63, aged 12 to 16. Despite excellent schooling in a number of locations (due to HMG opening some schools and closing others), I was very homesick for England so I didn't enjoy it as much as I would now, unfortunately.

Though I did pick up some German, all the forces schools were English and there wasn't much mixing with local people unless you sought them out. When we did, they were delightful and as a family we found many German friends.

I think the very young pick up languages easily and with no embarrassment. I'm in favour of learning other languages as early as possible. Though the question nowadays might be which languages to learn - one of the Chinese languages? Russian? Arabic, even?

I loved my 2 French exchanges and would have liked to have done more but money was a bit tight. I agree the move nowadays is to group immersion holidays, which I suppose are considered safer. Pity, as you don't get the benefit of local life. It's surprising how many countries, or parts of countries, don't speak English and it comes as a bit of a shock when you find yourself in one! I live in one such as in Franco's time French, not English, was taught in schools. Everyone is now desperate to learn English, which is good for our so 's business. Lucky 3 year old grandson who is fluent in English, Portuguese and Spanish.

I loved the school French Exchanges and am still in touch with one of the girls I met. My parents were fantastic at welcoming people into our home even though they never learned a foreign language themselves. As well as French exchange from school we had a German speaking Swiss Scout who had been linked up with my brother, my brother hardly spoke English at the time never mind any other language, I was the only one in the family who could speak any German, had been learning for 1 year so that was fun. A French girl from a ballet school near Paris, a 17 year old German boy who I met whilst on holiday in Austria with school and 2 Algerian lads who were travelling and decided to drop in on their penfriend, unfortunately she was on holiday and as the lads spoke French they ended up at our house, I had just completed my A levels, one being French. Fantastic memories, my youngest daughter went on French exchange, the girl was lovely and we had great fun whilst she was here, my daughter had enjoyed her stay in France, sadly they only stayed in touch for a couple of years. Now my grandaughter is learning Spanish and French but they don't do exchanges at their school

No exchange visits for me, I was told there was no money for that sort of thing. However I had two penfriends and during last years back packing extravaganza around USA and Canada ( over 8000 miles) met them both. One for the first time ever in person. All flights arranged by Trailfinders for those following another thread!!

I get quite cross when people say the English are lazy and don't bother to learn a language. You tell me what language to learn so I can communicate with people from different countries and I will learn it. Most people's second language is English so they learn it from primary school. DH & I went to Germany in the early 70s without knowing a word so, when we came home, we went to German classes for 2 years. We didn't go back to Germany until last year and, as we hadn't had a chance to use it, had forgotten most of it.

At the school I attended it was mandatory to take Latin and a modern language. Most opted for French and we were encouraged to have a French penpal but exchange visits were never an option. We were introduced to French language in primary school and continued through to Higher Level (Scottish equivalent to A Level) I still try to communicate in French whenever we holiday there and it's often appreciated by the locals (accompanied by the occasional giggle!)

To be fair, it can be quite hard as an English speaker, to practise other languages, when just about everywhere you go, so many people do speak English. If you are say Dutch or Swedish, and want to travel abroad, or do business outside your own country, you pretty much have to speak English. Also, if you are going to learn just one foreign language, you don't have to wonder which to choose.

Many years ago when living in Cyprus I made great efforts to learn Greek, but almost every time I tried to speak it, the person would answer in English. It didn't stop me persevering with the language (I can still read and speak it to some extent) but it did bring home to me that I would not have had that problem had my mother tongue been Finnish or Spanish or Japanese.

My understanding is that any exchange families have to be CRB checked (or whatever the recent term for it is) which may make it difficult for some schools to get enough families (who are willing to do this.). It is a shame I agree.

Living in an Indian Ocean island, exchanges were things one read about in magazines and books!
I am bi-lingual in French/English but have been learning Spanish recently. It is atrocious, but I can make myself understood and launch myself into complicated conversations, armed with my little dictionary. It has come in very useful when travelling in S. America [though they thought my accent was very funny/precious as it is Castilian] and on mainland Spain and Portugal. DH is terribly proud of me, for once
It is a shame that the British don't learn other languages or if they do, don't have the confidence to speak it.
DS1 "inhales" languages, DD is a little less fluent, and DS2 being dyslexic is finding English hard enough!

I didnt have any school exchage but I enjoyed my "pen pals" experience in my early teenage years. A boy in Italy, a girl in USA and a girl in Malaya. We wrote for years and regretably lost touch when I got married at 20 and my parents moved to Cornwall.

I went to Sweden when I was 16 in 1969 for a month and my pen friend Gerd came to the UK also for a month. We are still close friends. As a result my son went to a Swedish University for a year and met his Finnish wife they now have three kids. Fantastic links and memories.

Oh witzend you did make me laugh! I hated French at school but was rather taken with Oliver a French boy I met in the local rec when I was about 14, ooh la la!

That's a shame gj. Sounds a bit like a lazy way out. The accompanying French teachers would have dealt with the joint issue, I'm sure, and it just sounds as tho the new HoD wanted an easier option. Dommage, as the children get a lot out of it. Both of my girls are in Facebook touch with their own exchangees when they were all 13.

That's wonderful to know. As said, I don't know any school that still does.

The French exchange at my last but one school had been running so successfully for over 20 years- with so many families staying in touch, visiting each other, going to weddings, etc- but one year after the 'old team' left- the new HoD used the fact one French kids had smoked a joint when over- to cancel the whole thing and switch to trips with a Holiday company - and all she had to do was collect the money and go! Same with all the other schools around.

Oh I don't know, gj, my daughter still organises them with the same school in France. Always very successful.

Sadly those fabulous foreing exchanges (of which I've organised so many) are more or less a thing of the past. Just too much responsibility and very hard work to organise and run, risk assessment and the fear of peodophilia, etc, etc. I don't know a single school in the area where I used to teach that still run exchanges.

So much easier- but 1000x less educational- to go on a field or sport's trip staying in a Hôtel or Hostel- as a group, with the teachers. Just pick a trip out of the catalogue or internet- collect the money and go. Very sad I think. Schools here are desperate to do exchanges, but just can't find any schools agreed to do so.

In Leics we had a dedicated team who worked 100% to facilitate and help organise exchanges- all gone now apparently.

Had first German exchange on my own at 14 and still in touch with my friend who is also now a Gran and our children also keep in touch. FIRMLY believe in exchanges especially to Germany due to some people's historical "baggage". Now chairman of local twinning association and we have the youngest German/British exchange in the UK I believe (9 yr olds) who stay in youth hostel due to child protection legislation for minors and spend a week in school together. This is the 10th anniversary and it goes just great-children that age aren't shy if they can't always understand everything at first. Shows what can be done with minimal language skills and the kids keep in touch by mail afterwards we hope. People here are too hung up on lack of language - of course it helps but the thing is to be friends and do your best.

That was a shame mrsmopp.
I realize today there are subjects that are more important, but to learn, from a young age, that foreign families live similar lives as us in the Uk gave me more confidence and also learning to take control of what I can or cannot spend from an early age.

In the 60s I did a French exchange at 14 and a German one at 16. My French came on enormously during those 3 weeks but the trip had its awkward moments. The family had a small square bath which nobody ever seemed to use - it was apparently used for storage, and there was no,lock on the door! I was permanently petrified that Monsieur would barge in in his Y fronts, as he did once when thankfully I was dressed.
We had all been v worried on the boat over that we would have 'bucket and chuck it' loos. Consequently after about 10 days I had a postcard from a friend staying elsewhere that ended, PS, we haven't got Turkish toilets!

German exchange had none of those pitfalls, and again my German came on a lot. But I was also hideously embarrassed after a minor leak in the bed when my period started. The Mutti didn't mention it as such, but later when I wanted a bath she said anxiously, 'KANNST du baden ?' - since she thought it was verboten when you were On, as we used to say. And I well remember her daughter, my exchange, lamenting bitterly that she was not allowed to wash her hair while on. 'Ich kann es nicht mehr leiden!' (I can't bear it any more!). Such expressions still stay with me.

Daughter did both Spanish and German exchange and the German one produced an interesting little snippet. Daughter was wriggling around and trying to explain to German counterpart, 'My pants are up my crack!'
Eventually the penny dropped. 'Ah!' said the girl. 'Meine Unterhose klampft im Arsch!' ?
(mein Gott, the iPad autocorrect is even more annoying when you're trying to type in another lingo!'

I am still in touch with the German penfriend I was first introduced to when I was 13 (1959).
We both went on to marry in the same year and have children at roughly the same time. Now we are both grandparents! We last met up when we were on holiday in Heidelberg.
I also had a Spanish penfriend and a French-speaking Belgian one but we have lost touch over the years.
I have always loved languages and finally qualified as a Member of the Institute of Linguists in French and Spanish and became a translator - another lifetime ago!

Oh Mrs Mopp how sad.
I had my name down to go on a grammar school trip to Germany but had to withdraw as my parents couldn't afford to pay.