Vestibule, Oysterville Church

What is the ‘universal language’? Is it love?  Is it music?  Is it Esperanto?  Or maybe English or French?  I’ve heard at one time or another that it’s all those things.  But this morning I think it was Oysterville.

Since sometime last summer I’ve had “Chinese Tour, 9 a.m.” written on my calendar.  Not that I was going to China.  (Unfortunately.)  That was my short-hand way of reminding myself that a Chinese Media Group was coming to Oysterville on November 13^th and I had agreed to give them a walking tour through Oysterville.

But the rain gods had other plans.  And the language gods, too.  Three men and one woman showed up right on time.  With them was the City of Long Beach’s Events Coordinator who had set things up back when days were sunny and bright.  “Only two speak English,” she said as we went into the church.

Map of Historic Oysterville

I had a few handouts – maps of Washington, of the Long Beach Peninsula, of Oysterville ‘then and now.’  I talked briefly about Oysterville’s founding, about oysters (then and now), about the village (also then and now).  There was polite attentiveness from them all and even a few questions from the English speakers.  I wished I could speak Chinese but…

Since it was too drippy to walk through the village, on the spur of the moment, I decided to take the group over to our house.  It turned out to be the perfect rainy day solution. Laughter and delighted questions poured forth – from all four of the group. Cameras clicked and flashed – except mine.  I was having way too much fun to remember such a detail but, fortunately, Nyel came and took a photo of us just before we finished up.

November 13, 2016

As I walked them out to their car, one of the ‘non-English speakers’ said to me, ever so hesitantly, “Thank you Oysterville and tell your husband happy.”  I knew just what he meant and I told him so.  “Your English is much better than my Chinese,” I said.

I also thought of how many people my mother had toured through our house and how she would have enjoyed today’s group.  It was then that I realized this would have been her 105^th birthday.  Happy Birthday, Mom!  From Oysterville.