Back from the Lost

In 1979 we saw an ad in the Bakersfield Californian for families interested in taking exchange students. We thought that it might give our family a little more diverse life by taking an exchange student and so we started a long friendship with Nellie Ballew and the students she brought into our lives.

Our first student was on a summer program, Pascaline Henrard. The summer programs ran for a month or two and the program actually took the kids to places like Disneyland. We were to give the kids a home stay experience. We enlisted many of our friends to become involved with each student, thus expanding the experiences of our student and friends as well.

We were part of this program for several years and in about 1981 a girl, Sylvia, stayed with us. Sylvia was from Switzerland and a wonderful person to have, the boys loved her. She was late high school I think, very pretty, incredibly smart and easy to like. Dolly and Pete Hei took Sylvia to a country square dance and several other places but I’m not sure which other friends may have taken her out.

Sylvia came to visit another time or two. She had landed a job as a stewardess for Lufthansa and once I went to pick her up at LAX. (She said 1983). She had gotten lucky and had obtained a seat in 1st class that trip. She exited the plane with a rose that she was given on her flight. We were so proud of her and her accomplishments.

Then after that visit we lost track of Sylvia. We sent some letters but they came back and Dale and I had always wondered thru the years what had happened to her.

Today I got a message on my Face book site from a Sylvia looking for a Christine Siemens who lived in Shafter during 1983, who had 3 boys and so forth. It was our Sylvia returned from the lost.

It turns out that she was working in Frankfurt at the airport when I passed thru on a couple of occasions and then Dale and I had passed thru together. What a shock, we may have walked right by her but never knew she was right there all along.

I let Dale and then Dolly know right away. I think that Dolly has packed her bags already and is ready for us to leave.

So the computer has brought us together again. This is truly amazing and so exciting.