ERASMUS+ exchange in Bielefeld: 26^th January –  1^st  February 2020

Diary entry

Sunday, 26^th January

• Arrival of our guests in Bielefeld

Monday, 27^th January

• At 8.30 am our deputy headmaster officially welcomed our guestsArrival of our guests in Bielefeld before they were given the opportunity to tour the building and school grounds       
• From 9.30 am various fun contests based on sports, knowledge and art took place in the school`s indoor gym.
• Teachers and students ate lunch together in the school canteen
• In the early afternoon each country gave a power point presentation based on information about their school, hometown and country.
• The rest of the afternoon was spent at the students´ own disposal
• In the evening the teachers had a typical German dinner at a traditional brewery restaurant in Bielefeld

Tuesday, 28^th January

• The 2^nd day was themed by a charity project for children suffering from cancer: Together with staff members of the “Fruit alarm” project, the students learnt how to mix delicious cocktails
• The cocktails were then sold at school and all profits were passed on to the “Fruit alarm” charity project
• Once again teachers and students ate lunch together in the school canteen
• In the afternoon there was a rally through the town centre of Bielefeld, including a visit to the Sparrenburg Castle, in which each stop-off point was documented by photos

Wednesday, 29^th January

• We left school at 7a.m. to do a one day trip to Hamburg by coach. After 3 hours we arrived in Hamburg.
• First we went to see the new and famous concert hall “Elbphilharmonie” situated next to the harbour. We used a huge and very long escalator to get up to the viewing platform. Despite stormy weather and heavy rain we enjoyed an awesome view over the harbour and Hamburg and took some lovely group pictures on the terrace.
• We hurried to our next meeting point: Hamburg harbour to do a one hour boat trip. We crossed the world famous warehouse city “Speicherstadt” with many historic buildings and bridges on narrow canals. In 2015, the ensemble was added to the UNESCO world Cultural Heritage. Then the boat trip took us through one of the biggest ports of the world. We were very impressed by small and big terminals of many traditional companies.
• Unfortunately, the chilly winds and heavy rain continued, so there was no point in visiting St. Michael’s Church (impressive tower view). That’s why we walked to the coach passing the famous Landungsbrücken.
• The coach took us to the city center where the pupils had some free time in international groups of four or more. Some of us went shopping, others had lunch or enjoyed some hot drinks in one of the many cafés or restaurants of this fascinating town in the North of Germany.
• At 5 p.m. we left Hamburg and at about 8:30 p.m. we arrived back at school.

Thursday, 29^th January

• The international group was divided into smaller teams. Whilst one group prepared lunch for all participants, the majority of the other students were engaged in the topic of “Human Rights” and achieved remarkable results.
• In the “Wordle” workshop the students created word clouds consisting of significant terms related to the Bill of Human Rights
• The online quiz “Kaboot” then offered the students of each group a playful approach to showing off newly acquired knowledge
• A monumental work showing the participating countries combined with the Human Rights` peace symbol was painted on the wall bringing artistic embellishment to the school.
• The New Year`s Resolutions posters were completed and given the final touch
• After a joint lunch it was time to set off to the ice-rink
• The students demonstrated a lot of enthusiasm and talent on the unknown icy terrain!
• The eventful and exciting day concluded with a big party to which everyone involved in the project, students, teachers, parents and family members, as well as local government and media representatives, were invited
• A delicious mixed buffet, including grilled sausages and French fries, invited to a lively exchange of experiences and ideas around the campfire in a relaxed and happy atmosphere

Friday, 30^th January

• Whilst the teachers involved in the project started the day with evaluations on the exchange week and the making of agreements on future cooperations, our international guests were given the opportunity to attend lessons with their hosts and gain an insight in everyday school life.
• Lunch was provided by the host families
• In the afternoon everyone met up in the assembly hall to recall impressions and results of the project
• The videos made by the students on the subject “Mother Tongue” were eagerly awaited and delighted the audience with a great sense of humour and creativity
• The winner’s ceremony of the Bielefeld-rally took place awarding the 3 best teams (with the funniest pictures and most points)
• The students had the evening at their disposal to get together, have a meal, play billiard, go bowling or just relax

Despite the early envisaged departure of some of our guests, no one overslept and everybody arrived back home safe and sound – and happy!