{"id":39929,"date":"2020-02-07T15:45:21","date_gmt":"2020-02-07T15:45:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=39929"},"modified":"2020-02-07T15:45:21","modified_gmt":"2020-02-07T15:45:21","slug":"penarths-french-twin-town-memories-of-exchange-students-still-in-touch-and-connections-lost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/02\/07\/penarths-french-twin-town-memories-of-exchange-students-still-in-touch-and-connections-lost\/","title":{"rendered":"Penarth\u2019s French twin town: Memories of exchange students still in touch &#8211; and connections lost"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">There are plans to revive Penarth&#8217;s swap deal with Saint-Pol-de-L\u00e9on<\/h2>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/3-Roscoff_-_Santec_-_Pointe_de_Perharidy_-_002-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-39944\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/3-Roscoff_-_Santec_-_Pointe_de_Perharidy_-_002-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-39944\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>The Santec coast, Nicole&#8217;s family lived near artichoke fields in a house on the coast.<br \/>Photo credit: Thesupermat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>IN MAY 1978, Karen Pimbley-Barden went on exchange to Saint-Pol-de-L\u00e9on when she was a pupil at Stanwell School.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<p>She stayed with a girl called Nicole on the coast of Santec but they lost touch in the 1980s. &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Nicole\u2019s family were traditional Breton farmers and lived in a small house on the Santec coast. <\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092047-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-39936\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092047-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092047-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092047-770x578.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092047-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092047-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092047-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092047-293x220.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092047-1400x1050.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092047-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-39936\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092047-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092047-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092047-770x578.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092047-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092047-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092047-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092047-293x220.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092047-1400x1050.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>Nicole in the bedroom where Mrs Pimbley-Barden slept in 1978.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey were a very traditional farming family, and it was a bit like a step back in time,&#8221; said Mrs Pimbley-Barden, 54.<\/p>\n\n\n<p> &#8220;I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere. It really was a culture shock.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/01\/28\/penarth-plan-to-revive-french-twin-town-link\/\">Last week<\/a> it was revealed that Penarth town council want to revive links with Saint-Pol-de-L\u00e9on, a small market town on the coast of Brittany. \u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n<p>Santec is a small village, 4km away from Saint-Pol-de-L\u00e9on, and Mrs Pimbley-Barden\u00a0remembers Nicole&#8217;s home was surrounded by artichoke fields. \u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe ate lots of artichokes, and I\u2019d never seen them before, I was like \u2018okay what do I do with them?\u2019 I didn\u2019t know if I had to eat all of the leaves and there was this buttery stuff that they gave us which I now know is what you\u2019re supposed to eat them with.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey were all new experiences for me, even if they were slightly strange.\u201d &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"397\" height=\"595\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Karen.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-39951\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/Karen.jpg 397w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/Karen-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/Karen-293x439.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 397px) 100vw, 397px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"397\" height=\"595\" src=\"https:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Karen.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-39951\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/Karen.jpg 397w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/Karen-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/Karen-293x439.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 397px) 100vw, 397px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>Karen Pimbley-Barden is a lecturer at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The rural location meant that Nicole had much more freedom that Mrs Pimbley-Barden back in Penarth, she thought. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cShe was a lovely girl, really friendly. She had lots of friends who were boys, they had little scooters and would go through the artichoke fields. I spent most of my time on the on the back of a scooter, whizzing around artichoke fields.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>When Mrs Pimbley-Barden turned 16, her father bought her a moped after her experience in Santec.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<p>When she visited Santec, it was just after the Amoco Cadiz oil spill, which remains the largest oil spill of its kind to date.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<p>In March 1978, the supertanker\u2019s rudder jammed after trying to avoid another ship. The vessel split into three parts and sank.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was really taken aback with how much of an oil slick there was: it was thick along the edge of the beach,\u201d \u00a0said Mrs Pimbley-Barden. <\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was an amazing sight to see, so that was a very poignant time to go there really.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Nicole made the return visit to Penarth shortly after Mrs Pimbley-Barden&#8217;s trip. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"773\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092112-1024x773.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-39939\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092112-1024x773.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092112-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092112-770x581.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092112-1536x1159.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092112-2048x1546.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092112-500x377.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092112-293x221.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092112-1400x1057.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"773\" src=\"https:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092112-1024x773.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-39939\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092112-1024x773.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092112-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092112-770x581.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092112-1536x1159.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092112-2048x1546.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092112-500x377.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092112-293x221.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/edit-IMG_20200207_092112-1400x1057.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>Nicole, on her wedding day, in front of the beach near her house. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>\u201cShe loved it here, I suppose it felt like a city to her compared to where she came from,\u201d said Mrs Pimbley-Barden.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>The two kept in touch throughout secondary school via letters. In the summer of 1984, Nicole returned to Penarth when she was 18 years old with her new husband on their honeymoon. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Mrs Pimbley-Barden had just started studying the French language at university. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI can remember feeling like \u2018Gosh I\u2019ve just started my life and she\u2019s already settling down\u2019.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<p>At the time, Nicole said her father was building&nbsp;a house on the farm for her and her husband. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>In November of that year, Nicole wrote a letter to Mrs Pimbley-Barden telling her about the rest of her honeymoon in Dorchester and Torquay.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat was the last time I heard from her. I don\u2019t know her surname now, and I\u2019ve never thought about contacting her on Facebook,\u201d said  Mrs Pimbley-Barden. <\/p>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ceri &amp; Florence <\/h2>\n\n\n<p>Penarth resident and photographer Ceri Burrows did a similar exchange in 1996 when she was 12 years old. <\/p>\n\n\n<p>She stayed with a girl named Florence in a town called Plougoulm, which is just outside Saint-Pol-de-Leon<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"638\" height=\"960\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/17457619_10158339753090621_3017132612371459438_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-39958\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/17457619_10158339753090621_3017132612371459438_n.jpg 638w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/17457619_10158339753090621_3017132612371459438_n-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/17457619_10158339753090621_3017132612371459438_n-500x752.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/17457619_10158339753090621_3017132612371459438_n-293x441.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 638px) 100vw, 638px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"638\" height=\"960\" src=\"https:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/17457619_10158339753090621_3017132612371459438_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-39958\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/17457619_10158339753090621_3017132612371459438_n.jpg 638w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/17457619_10158339753090621_3017132612371459438_n-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/17457619_10158339753090621_3017132612371459438_n-500x752.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/17457619_10158339753090621_3017132612371459438_n-293x441.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 638px) 100vw, 638px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>Ceri Burrows first did an exchange in 1996 when she was 12 and currently uses google translate to communicate with her exchange friend, Florence.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI tried lots of different foods and enjoyed exploring and going to the local beaches.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Her family came to visit Ms Burrows in Penarth and they stayed with her Nan throughout the visit. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy French is very poor and Florence says her English isn&#8217;t very good so we&#8217;re grateful that Google Translate exists as although it&#8217;s not perfect, it allows us to communicate and talk about what is happening in our lives&nbsp;in far more detail than we could using minimal English or French.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy nan didn&#8217;t speak French and they had little English, but they got on well and found their own ways to communicate.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Ms Burrows thinks reconnecting the two towns is a great opportunity.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI met so many people, was welcomed into a family and got to see a part of France I may have never explored if it hadn&#8217;t have been for the French exchange.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>The last time the two saw each other was when Ms Burrows was at university in Portsmouth but have stayed in touch over the internet, using Google Translate. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Mrs Pimbley-Barden agrees that social media and the internet is a new way schools can champion exchanges and improve language learning.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe world is very small these days and that would encourage children to speak those languages, and keep those connections going,\u201d she said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf my exchange had been 15 years later, I might still be in touch with Nicole. But I\u2019ve never tried to trace her and I never really thought about it until I saw the connection might be revived.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are plans to revive Penarth&#8217;s swap deal with Saint-Pol-de-L\u00e9on IN MAY 1978, Karen Pimbley-Barden went on exchange to Saint-Pol-de-L\u00e9on when she was a pupil at Stanwell School.\u00a0 She stayed with a girl called Nicole on the coast of Santec but they lost touch in the 1980s. &nbsp;&nbsp; Nicole\u2019s family were traditional Breton farmers and lived in a small house on the Santec coast. \u201cThey were a very traditional farming family, and it was a bit like a step back [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":151,"featured_media":39950,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[180,181,468,184,469],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-39929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-penarth-g-q","tag-france","tag-penarth","tag-saint-pol-de-leon","tag-school-exchange","tag-stanwell-school"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Penarth\u2019s French twin town: Memories of exchange students still in touch - and connections lost - The Cardiffian<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/02\/07\/penarths-french-twin-town-memories-of-exchange-students-still-in-touch-and-connections-lost\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Penarth\u2019s French twin town: Memories of exchange students still in touch - and connections lost - The Cardiffian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There are plans to revive Penarth&#8217;s swap deal with Saint-Pol-de-L\u00e9on IN MAY 1978, Karen Pimbley-Barden went on exchange to Saint-Pol-de-L\u00e9on when she was a pupil at Stanwell School.\u00a0 She stayed with a girl called Nicole on the coast of Santec but they lost touch in the 1980s. &nbsp;&nbsp; Nicole\u2019s family were traditional Breton farmers and lived in a small house on the Santec coast. \u201cThey were a very traditional farming family, and it was a bit like a step back [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/02\/07\/penarths-french-twin-town-memories-of-exchange-students-still-in-touch-and-connections-lost\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Cardiffian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-02-07T15:45:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/feature-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"854\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"641\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Megan Stanley\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Megan Stanley\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/02\/07\/penarths-french-twin-town-memories-of-exchange-students-still-in-touch-and-connections-lost\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/02\/07\/penarths-french-twin-town-memories-of-exchange-students-still-in-touch-and-connections-lost\/\",\"name\":\"Penarth\u2019s French twin town: Memories of exchange students still in touch - and connections lost - The Cardiffian\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/02\/07\/penarths-french-twin-town-memories-of-exchange-students-still-in-touch-and-connections-lost\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/02\/07\/penarths-french-twin-town-memories-of-exchange-students-still-in-touch-and-connections-lost\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/feature-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-02-07T15:45:21+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#\/schema\/person\/481c92320ec15cd64b3532afbc5f4f10\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/02\/07\/penarths-french-twin-town-memories-of-exchange-students-still-in-touch-and-connections-lost\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/02\/07\/penarths-french-twin-town-memories-of-exchange-students-still-in-touch-and-connections-lost\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/02\/07\/penarths-french-twin-town-memories-of-exchange-students-still-in-touch-and-connections-lost\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/feature-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/feature-1.jpg\",\"width\":854,\"height\":641},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/02\/07\/penarths-french-twin-town-memories-of-exchange-students-still-in-touch-and-connections-lost\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Penarth\u2019s French twin town: Memories of exchange students still in touch &#8211; and connections lost\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/\",\"name\":\"The Cardiffian\",\"description\":\"Just another JOMEC Sites Network site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#\/schema\/person\/481c92320ec15cd64b3532afbc5f4f10\",\"name\":\"Megan Stanley\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/0027270710c183fb09ea95a0e6fb84e9\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/01ce36f2f76ac33f318ed40540820029551b45cb2e0359fd7b5211f590008f3b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/01ce36f2f76ac33f318ed40540820029551b45cb2e0359fd7b5211f590008f3b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Megan Stanley\"},\"description\":\"Trainee journalist covering Penarth.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/author\/stanley\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Penarth\u2019s French twin town: Memories of exchange students still in touch - and connections lost - The Cardiffian","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/02\/07\/penarths-french-twin-town-memories-of-exchange-students-still-in-touch-and-connections-lost\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Penarth\u2019s French twin town: Memories of exchange students still in touch - and connections lost - The Cardiffian","og_description":"There are plans to revive Penarth&#8217;s swap deal with Saint-Pol-de-L\u00e9on IN MAY 1978, Karen Pimbley-Barden went on exchange to Saint-Pol-de-L\u00e9on when she was a pupil at Stanwell School.\u00a0 She stayed with a girl called Nicole on the coast of Santec but they lost touch in the 1980s. &nbsp;&nbsp; Nicole\u2019s family were traditional Breton farmers and lived in a small house on the Santec coast. \u201cThey were a very traditional farming family, and it was a bit like a step back [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/02\/07\/penarths-french-twin-town-memories-of-exchange-students-still-in-touch-and-connections-lost\/","og_site_name":"The Cardiffian","article_published_time":"2020-02-07T15:45:21+00:00","og_image":[{"width":854,"height":641,"url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/feature-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Megan Stanley","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Megan Stanley","Estimated reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/02\/07\/penarths-french-twin-town-memories-of-exchange-students-still-in-touch-and-connections-lost\/","url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/02\/07\/penarths-french-twin-town-memories-of-exchange-students-still-in-touch-and-connections-lost\/","name":"Penarth\u2019s French twin town: Memories of exchange students still in touch - and connections lost - The Cardiffian","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/02\/07\/penarths-french-twin-town-memories-of-exchange-students-still-in-touch-and-connections-lost\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/02\/07\/penarths-french-twin-town-memories-of-exchange-students-still-in-touch-and-connections-lost\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/feature-1.jpg","datePublished":"2020-02-07T15:45:21+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#\/schema\/person\/481c92320ec15cd64b3532afbc5f4f10"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/02\/07\/penarths-french-twin-town-memories-of-exchange-students-still-in-touch-and-connections-lost\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/02\/07\/penarths-french-twin-town-memories-of-exchange-students-still-in-touch-and-connections-lost\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/02\/07\/penarths-french-twin-town-memories-of-exchange-students-still-in-touch-and-connections-lost\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/feature-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/feature-1.jpg","width":854,"height":641},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/02\/07\/penarths-french-twin-town-memories-of-exchange-students-still-in-touch-and-connections-lost\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Penarth\u2019s French twin town: Memories of exchange students still in touch &#8211; and connections lost"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/","name":"The Cardiffian","description":"Just another JOMEC Sites Network site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#\/schema\/person\/481c92320ec15cd64b3532afbc5f4f10","name":"Megan Stanley","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/0027270710c183fb09ea95a0e6fb84e9","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/01ce36f2f76ac33f318ed40540820029551b45cb2e0359fd7b5211f590008f3b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/01ce36f2f76ac33f318ed40540820029551b45cb2e0359fd7b5211f590008f3b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Megan Stanley"},"description":"Trainee journalist covering Penarth.","url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/author\/stanley\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/151"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39929"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39929\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39929"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=39929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}