German Plaudern with Brigitte Oeschger

Brigitte’s time with Centrepoint dates back roughly seventeen years. At the urging of her then neighbour, Wendy Hugh­son, Brigitte first volunteered as a Friday Morning Coffee hostess. Within less than a year, she had agreed to assume lead­ership of a German conversation Group. Soon, “Plaudern” was born.

When asked what attracts her to Centre­point, Brigitte is quick to explain:

“The opportunity to share aspects about Basel and Switzerland with the many ex­pats who joined the Group was very ap­pealing to me. I especially enjoy passing on insights of Basel history, personalities, places and issues.”

Brigitte’s own story helps shed light on why she especially welcomed the oppor­tunity to help facilitate social integration in this way. Her German mother and Swiss father had actually met at an embassy party in Munich.

While she was born in Berlin, her family subsequently settled in Basel when she was just fourteen months old. From a young age, she understood what it felt like to be an outsider in a foreign coun­try. Given her passion for Ba­sel and its traditions, stories, dialect, and more, she clearly embraced her new home early on. At the same time, today she can still identify with being an immigrant.

Text: Vivian Beetle