A group of students recently took part in the annual German Exchange trip. This is the 15th exchange trip the College has run over the last 14 years!
The trip is very special to our students as it not only means working with our twinning town of Oberursel, but it also enables our students to gain a first-hand insight into the life of a German student. For one week, our students are paired up with their German counter-part, joining them on their daily routine, as well as taking part in cultural excursions.
The students arrived in Oberursel in early June and were met by their host families. This is the first time the students had met their hosts, having only communicated with them a few times in the weeks running up to the trip.
Students went to Mainz for a historical and cultural tour, where they visited many sites including the Gutenberg museum and the ZDF (equivalent to the BBC). During their tour of the ZDF, students watched the programme “Hallo Deutschland” being recorded.
The next day started with a joint breakfast prepared by the host students at their school, followed by a visit to the town hall. Afterwards they visited Schloss Bad Homburg and, to the surprise of many, discovered that it has strong links to our English heritage. William I stayed at the castle several times, as did his son and successor Frederick III and Frederick's wife Victoria (the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert).
The following day, the students visited Frankfurt, a central German city on the river Main. The students attended a lecture on the financial importance of Frankfurt, followed by a museum visit and guided tour led by the German students. They also had some free time to explore before watching a film at the end of the day.
The students spent the next day attending the first two lessons at the Gymnasium Oberursel school, then gathered at the local youth club to discuss the work. At the same time, the annual fountain festival, Brunnenfest, took place which fed in nicely to their first year topic of 'traditions'.
On the final day, the students met at Rushmoor Park and enjoyed a picnic together in the sunshine.
Stamatia Mukherjee, Curriculum Manager of German said, “Our students were a credit to us, a credit to the College and, most importantly, a credit to themselves. Their behaviour contributed to the overall success of the trip. We had so many positive comments on our students from both the host families and the German teachers. Another fantastic trip to Oberursel!”
