exchange visits

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.

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 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

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 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?

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

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...

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.