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From Our Own Correspondent

Jan 1, 2011

From Our Own Correspondent

BBC

News, News Commentary

4.41.3K Ratings

🗓️ 1 January 2011

⏱️ 28 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Nineteen correspondents from around the world join Kate Adie in this special New Year edition of the programme. They consider such matters as the 'park and pray' facilities on German's motorways, a reporter's dilemma on encountering a baby close to death in Pakistan; a cinema in Kabul where people gather to try to forget their troubles, a club in Baghdad where time seems to stand still, a school in Kenya where the alphabet is spelled out in goat droppings, several harrowing episodes at our correspondents' dining tables, an eventful rail journey in Zimbabwe and another on an Indian train with a strange choice of name, buying a drink in an iconic Irish pub and whether French can ever be the language of rock.

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is a happy new year BBC Download of From Our Own Correspondent.

0:04.6

We make two editions of the programme, Alan Johnston presents the one aired on the BBC World Service,

0:10.3

and you can hear that by going to the From our own correspondent website or to the BBC I player.

0:15.6

This week we've made two special editions and this is the version broadcast on BBC Radio

0:20.3

4.

0:21.3

Here to present it, Kate Adi.

0:23.0

Welcome to this special New Year's Day edition, looking at our past year of extraordinary

0:27.6

events, people and places around the world.

0:31.2

There's some spiritual reflection too. In our service station we offer a

0:35.3

comprehensive package, Manuela told me. We service cars in the garage, bodies in

0:40.5

the restaurants, and people's souls in the church.

0:44.0

In Germany we learned you can park and pray.

0:47.0

Steve Rosenberg says there are 36 official motorway churches or Outoburn Kirchhen.

0:52.0

Germany is the only country in Europe to have... Motorway churches or Outawaan Kiachm.

0:52.7

Germany is the only country in Europe to have such a network of rest stops for the soul.

0:58.2

Many of the motorists who stop by often have very personal reasons for doing so, and some of them record those reasons in the

1:05.8

visitors books.

1:07.3

At one motorway church on the A13 near Berlin, one driver recently left this message. I'm here because I've just come so

1:15.5

close to having an accident. I'm so grateful I didn't crash. The next page

1:20.4

contains this plea to the heavens from another motorist.

1:24.0

Dear God, please let my wife become the woman she used to be.

1:28.9

Meanwhile at St. Christopher's Motorway Church on the A-9 in Bavaria. I found this comment in their book.

...

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