Bald haben unsere Schülerinnen und Schüler des 9. Jahrgangs wieder die Gelegenheit zu einem interkulturellen Austausch mit unseren niederländischen Partnerschulen in Rotterdam und Ermelo.
Der folgende Artikel eines Teilnehmers aus dem letzten Schuljahr soll als kleiner Vorgeschmack dienen. Er fasst den Besuch unserer Schülerinnen und Schüler in Ermelo zusammen und gibt einen Überblick über ihre Erlebnisse und Eindrücke, die sie gemeinsam mit ihren Austauschpartnern gesammelt haben. Diese Erfahrungen haben nicht nur ihr Verständnis für das Nachbarland vertieft, sondern auch Freundschaften gestärkt, die über Grenzen hinweg bestehen.
Monday:
We arrived at around 10:30 at Christelijk College Groevenbeek in Ermelo and were happily greeted by our exchange partners. This was followed by the first part of our programme, which consisted of discussing some things we were going to do that week and designing posters about traditional Dutch topics. This was all we did at school that day, and at 4 p.m., we had free time. Everyone used this to catch up with their exchange partners and get to know each other once again.
Tuesday:
On Tuesday, we had an excursion to The Hague. The programme there consisted of visiting different museums in groups, and then we went to the beach in Scheveningen. Of course, we also had breaks in between, and the whole trip to Scheveningen was a big break. We German students were not allowed to go into the water, but many of us still went in knee-deep.
Wednesday:
On Wednesday, we had an interculturalisation workshop in groups where we were given topics and had to design posters about the differences between Germany and the Netherlands on that topic. Then we had some free time, after which we had to drive to the nearby Harderwijk. Some of us formed groups as large as twelve people while travelling to Harderwijk. There, we played a game called Crazy 77, where we were presented with a total of 77 tasks, each awarding a different amount of points. Whoever reached 30 points first won. Some of the tasks were easier, and some were more challenging. One task, for example, was to go up to three people riding a bike and tell them that it was actually your bike. In the evening, we had a disco night at our school where many students did karaoke, while others just used the time to get to know some new people.
Thursday:
Thursday was our big day, the trip to Amsterdam. First, we met at the train station and then took the train to Amsterdam. We then split into groups and had a task as a group. Our teachers would text us places to go and take pictures at, but every group had different places, so we were spread out across the city. After finishing the photo assignment, many students went to get food or visit other places they knew of. Then we had the second part of the programme, where we had two possible options: one was a boat tour, and the other was a 5D experience called „This is Holland.“ After these activities, we had free time again and met up with other groups, as many friends had been separated due to the groupings. The third activity was a visit to a pancake restaurant, and then we headed home.
Friday:
On Friday, we spent our time at school preparing our presentations for Parents‘ Day. However, we were only at school until 1 p.m. Many students used the last day to do something significant with their exchange partners because we had a lot of time. One Dutch student invited everyone to his house in the afternoon, and in total, about 20 students were at his place later that day. Some other students met up to watch the Germany football match.
Saturday:
On Saturday, our last day in the Netherlands had come. We met up at the school, and our parents came. There was a big buffet for everyone, and later we all assembled in a hall where our teachers gave a speech about the exchange and then showed us a video some students had created. They were the PR group, and their assignment was to capture the best moments of the exchange and then make a follow-up video of the whole experience. Then we went to our assigned classrooms and showed our parents the presentations we had prepared the day before. After the presentations were finished, everyone was free to go, and the students said their goodbyes to one another.
Tristan Raziel Wiedemann, 10e
