Where Everybody Knows Your Name
by ANN Correspondent Annette Kurman
Okay, they don’t
really know everyone's name... but for the many hundreds
of international visitors to the world's largest general aviation
bash, the International Visitor's Tent at Wittman Field in many
ways does feel like the bar at "Cheers," where folks from lands
near and far can ask for information and assistance, "hang out" far
from the maddening crowd, post notes for friends on the bulletin
board, and network/socialize with their fellow countrymen (and
women) and other individuals of global ilk.
Closing in on 30 years, the International Visitor's Center has
become a mainstay — and a haven — for the visitors who
travel to Oshkosh from nearly 60 countries. Its mission, in
addition to translation and interpretation, is to provide any type
of assistance the volunteers can, be it finding lodging, a lost
friend, medical assistance, or helping guests make phone calls
home. International guests come both as groups and individuals;
last year 1,600 registered at the tent and more than half arrived
as individuals.
Located just south of the FAA Control Tower, visitors from every
continent save Antarctica (what's up with that, Antarctica?!) bring
with them an international reflection and feel to AirVenture,
particularly on Friday, July 28 at noon, when registered
visitors are grouped (alphabetically) by country and proudly walk
with their nation's flags (as you can see by the picture,
sort-of a mini-Olympic opening ceremony) to the air show
announcer's area, where they are welcomed to AirVenture by EAA
officials.
Michel McDermott has chairing this important component of
AirVenture for three years and has been a volunteer for almost 14.
In many ways, she's almost a "newbie," with some of the translators
having 26, 28, and 31 years of International Visitor's Tent
experience.
During AirVenture we'll get to meet 80+ year-old Sylvia from
Maryland, who not only speaks seven (count 'em!) languages, but has
been is a 30-year international visitor's tent veteran.
Many of the volunteers, said McDermott, are native speakers --
having come from Chile, Panama, or Germany. Others are just fluent
in their second —- or third, or fourth, or fifth —-
language, live locally (or not), and come for the fun of it, often
staying with friends or at the EAA campgrounds if they don't live
nearby.
Is there a volunteer who knows every language? No, laughed
McDermott, but volunteers can usually solve any problem with hand
gestures, drawings, and a sense of humor.
Most of the 30 volunteer interpreters who man the tent have one
thing in common — they don't know a whole lot about aviation.
But they do know how to communicate with people, particularly
people who don't speak English. McDermott estimates that there are
35 languages spoken on the grounds at AirVenture. The top five
international countries in terms of representation? Taking into
account those who register at the tent (and some international
visitors do not), the number one country is Canada, followed by
Australia, South Africa, Germany and Brazil.
"Nothing could possibly convey the feeling of AirVenture than
the international tent," said McDermott. "All cultural and
political differences completely disappear."