The night "Je ne comprends pas" was entirely acceptable

Just when I thought my dose of renseignement cultural was sufficient for one week, I recieved an invitation this weekend to attend an evening that put ‘trying something new’ on a whole new level: Issenheim’s very own “Soirée Alsacienne”.  An annual event in my locality, this Alsatian affair comprised of 200 French people, some interesting traditional costumes, and an evening of entertainment all held in a dialect described fondly to me by Monsieur Amm as like German, but deformed. The evening got off to a flying start when I managed to get in without a ticket, it seems being the new fille anglaise in town has its perks (confirmed when a glass of wine and dessert followed). Free refreshment aside, the evening was enjoyable, if in a slightly unusual way. During the comedy sketches I encountered the amusing experience of sitting amidst almost raucous laughter and not having any idea what on earth was so funny. And during the songs I watched bemused as the audience sang along with clearly well known folk numbers and joined in with the swaying and clapping as luckily this didn’t require translation. Although it was considered a great shame by those I spoke to that I couldn’t converse in the language of the evening, my lack of comprehension didn’t bother me that much. Though I did feel for a moment a strange sense of relief when there was a brief interlude of songs in French. It was slightly surreal but enjoyable realising my second language (the one that leaves me with a blank face when someone tells a joke) was for one evening instead the one that put me at ease. It also made me realise what a good experience it is to participate in the sharing of a language and culture, whether it is one we understand or not. As jokes went over my head, and I failed to grasp fully the significance of wearing clogs and hanging storks from the ceiling, I was content to watch the people of Issenheim preserve something so fundamental to the history of their region and in doing so foster a sense of commonality and community that it was a privilege share in.