The Leek Smugglers
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"I never thought I'd find myself carrying leeks through customs." Helen's story of an exchange between woman from Slovakia, Poland and Wales.
Transcript
"I never thought I'd find myself carrying leeks through customs at Prague airport - but then it was April the 1st.
Five of us were en-route to Lubawka on the Polish/Czech border.
Our suitcases were crammed to bursting point with Welsh food and artefacts. Barabrith, cheeses, laver bread, love spoons, a Welsh blanket, Welsh doll, flags, badges and brochures, plus a stuffed toy sheep and dragon purchased at the eleventh hour from a motorway service station near the Severn Bridge - but not before checking that they'd actually been made in Wales!
We were on the second phase of a three-way exchange between women from rural communities in Slovakia, Poland and Pembrokeshire and had been asked to provide a 'Welsh Table' for the 'Little Easter celebrations' at the Cultural Centre.
The following day we arrived at the hall to see hundreds of locals dressed in their full traditional costume, manning tables groaning under the weight of the most elaborate home made dishes!
We hastily dressed our rather sparse table, then ate our way around the hall, painted eggs and listened to the musicians and village choirs.
Then shock! Horror! JUDGING TIME.
One of our girls had opened a tin of laverbread and slopped its contents on to a plate where it looked exactly like a cow pat!I tried to whisk it away, but too late, the judge already had his fork poised. In frantic German I explained to him that it should have been cooked. He smiled sweetly and our gracious hosts awarded us a diploma.
Fortunately our East European friends had not been deterred from visiting us in Pembrokeshire two months later, when 27 year old Darina from Slovakia saw the sea for the very first time and said, 'Nothing has prepared me for this moment' - reminding us all that this is what Wales is really about."
An interview with the author
Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I'm a festival organiser, an amateur actress and also a bit of an eco-warrior.
What is your story about?
It's about the British Council's Socrates Grunduig Project which I was invited to take part in through PLANED (a Local Action Network for Enterprise and Development in Narberth, Pembrokeshire). The day of the little Easter was the day the pope John Paul died - but I didn't mention this in my story.
This story was a comical incident but I also wanted to highlight our pride in Wales and particularly Pembrokeshire.
What did you find most rewarding about the workshop?
Learning new skills - particularly getting creative with technology.
