LITTLE TREASURES TO BE CHERISHED

Ever thought of a trip to the countryside, laying down in the fields or long walks in the woods? Breathing in fresh air all day long, while still having all the infrastructure and comfort you need? Well, jump in your car and go to Schoppen. Surf to Mapquest, Routeplanner or any travel aid on the web. If you look for Schoppen (pronounce shoppen), you probably will end up being routed to a click-through of a random shopping centre, instead of the little town in the Eastern part of Belgium. Schoppen Amel should work fine though, for those that dont want to use those good old maps Dont get me wrong, this little village of 300 inhabitants has a shopping centre. At least, thats what the tag of my Christmas present taught me. In fact, it is just the new name of the local drugstore. But that is just a detail. You will still find everything you need. Cookies, sweets and pastry, fresh fruit and meat, even a nice chat and a natural smile. If you want something extra, the closest town is on a ten minutes drive. Dont feel like driving anymore? Just relax and make your special bread or pastry orders once a week. The bakery van drives by every single house of this charming place He is not the only one though. The postman, for example. Give him your packages and your mail. No worries about stamps, size or weight. He will take care of everything himself. No need to say that he is known, loved and appreciated by everyone. Irreplaceable, actually, since this village has no street names, nor a logical order of house numbers However, just write the name of the village and the number on the envelope, and it will always work out fine Another example. Did you ever believe your bank offers tailor-made home banking? Dont get fooled. Schoppen offers the crme de la crme. The banker knows the village inside out. Regularly, he drives around with his car filled with money, parks on the driveway of Mister X or Misses Y, and simply delivers the amount of money the inhabitants want. Obviously, thats only possible because everyone knows everyone. You walk around in the street, some say hi, others smile and are probably thinking how much you look after your aunts and uncles, even if none of your close family ever found a resemblance between you and them. Nevertheless, family is key. Just mention your last name, and everything is allowed. On the other hand, if something happens, you can bet everyone knows about it within the next 48 hours, not including Sundays On the day of God, one has to go to mass. Be it out of respect, or out of belief. One just goes. The strong and sturdy old people walk down. Talking about this, that and the other. Smiling at the sight of grandchildren that are running down to church. The closer one gets, the more, mostly German, cars are lined up. Makes the people between 20 and 50 save five minutes, you know. The little church is beautiful, the interior warm and welcoming. When people come in, they stick very much to their habits. Automatically, women go left, men right, young people in front, retired in the back. None wonders anymore where this tradition comes from. It is how it is. Once the ceremony starts, the unity of this little town becomes very apparent and contagious. Every single person sings. All together, full of warmth and passion. Afterwards, a second ceremony starts. Not as holy, but at least as sacred as the first one People leave the church. Men crowd together, have their men-talk, either outside or in the village pub across the street. Everyone is welcome. If youre not a regular yet, dont worry. You will feel like one after your first visit. One may wonder what women do in the meantime. We just say hi to friends and go home, is the most heard answer. Probably, there is some truth in those words. However for them, Sunday mornings are the best moments to catch up on every little thing that happened in the past week. Someones cat got kittens, someones son got a new car, the daughter of X is dating the cousin of the brother of Y. You name it. Voice mail is irreplaceable However, a Sunday in Schoppen is more than ever a good occasion to go for a walk, on your own or with friends. Smelling the pine trees in the woods, enjoying the crunchy snow, staring at the cows in the flowery fields or dreaming away at colourful views in the fall. Oh, dont forget to have your cup of coffee afterwards. Coffee, milk, bread, cake, pastry, sandwiches You will get it all, hospitality on its best. It is probably one of the many keys to the long and healthy life in this village, where most of the inhabitants will live at least till the age of 80. People on a bike at the age of 90 are not exceptional anymore. Thanks to the fresh air? Maybe it is the nature or the physical exercise, their belief in God, their social contacts or, why not, thanks to a pastry every once in a while? Who knows? Who cares? People are happy there, and thats what matters.

Jrgen Janssens | 2004

janssensjurgen@gmail.com