Erasmus exchange in Bielefeld from 29th May to 04th June 2022

Sunday, 29th May

– Arrival of our guests in Bielefeld.

– As the “Leinewebermarkt” was on in Bielefeld, most students used the opportunity to visit the festivities and even see the famous “Shantallica” band on stage in which our teacher Mr Wetzel has been a member of for many years.

– On the way back, the teachers travelled by bus and were dropped half-way-off to do some fitness walking to the hotel.

Monday, 30th May

– At 9.00 am both our headmistresses officially welcomed our guests.

– Next, the foreign students attended two school lessons with their hosts.

During this time the teachers were given the opportunity to tour the building and school grounds, drink coffee and talk about the plans for the day.

– Then two countries gave a power point presentation based on information about their school, hometown and country.

– At 1 pm, teachers and students ate lunch together in the school kitchen. The food was prepared and served by 10th grade students.

– In the early afternoon various fun contests based on sports took place in the school`s indoor gym.

Unfortunately, one of our Turkish colleagues broke his arm while being too sportive and had to be taken to hospital for treatment. With his arm in cast, he was later able to take part in the further activities.

– The rest of the afternoon was spent at the students´ own disposal in their host families.

– In the evening the teachers had dinner together at a restaurant in Bielefeld.

Tuesday, 31st May

– The 2nd day started with the official welcoming and directly afterwards the other two teams did their presentations about their school, hometown and country.

– The morning was themed by different project work based on upcycling.

The topics were:  an “upcycling  fashion show “ with second-hand clothing, necklaces made from tin tabs, printing bags and T-shirts, an art project with corona test strips and decorative lights made from milk cartons.

– 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.

– At the Sparrenburg Castle we visited the underground passages with a guide and climbed the tower.

– In the evening we had a barbecue at the “Villa Shantallica”, the home of the Shantallica band, in the heart of the Teutoburg Forest. The students played billiard, ate chicken and salad, roasted twist bread over the fire listened to music and chatted about the eventful day.

Wednesday, 01st June

– We left school at 7 a.m. on a one-day trip to Hamburg by coach.

– On arrival in Hamburg, 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. We enjoyed an awesome view over the harbour and Hamburg and took some lovely group pictures on the terrace.

– Then we walked past the famous Landungsbrücken to our next meeting point, the Hamburg harbour, to do a one-hour boat trip. 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 and enjoyed the sunny weather on the boat which was manned only by our group.

– Next, 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 6 p.m. we left Hamburg and arrived back at school at approximately 10.00 pm.

Thursday, 2nd June

– Project work was continued and the students had time to prepare for the great “Upcycling Fashion Show” in the late afternoon.

– Lunch was again prepared by 10th grade students and Mr Heidemann and Mr Wetzel who made pancake mix for the waffels and the “Kaiserschmarn”, a traditional Austrian dish which is also very popular in Germany.

– The evening was spent at school with students, parents, teachers and officials.

In this time, everyone first saw a film about the activities during the exchange week, and then enjoyed the upcycling fashion show prepared and led by our art director Kyle Goodall. The show in which the students acted as models in order to show the results of their creative word was enthusiastically embraced by the audience and was a certain highlight of the week.

– The  eventful and exciting day concluded with a big party attended by  everyone involved in the project; Students, teachers, parents and family members.

– 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, 03rd June

– 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 another opportunity to attend lessons with their hosts and gain an insight in everyday school life.

– Lunch was provided by the host families.

– The students had the afternoon and evening at their disposal to get together, have a meal, play billiard, go bowling or just relax.

– The teachers met for a last supper at a traditional German restaurant where they had supper and played a game of skittles.

Saturday 04th June

– On Saturday morning the Dutch team left Bielefeld in their own school bus, while the Portuguese team and the Turkish team took the train to Hannover to catch their flights back home.

– Before leaving all students and parents gathered together for a final group photo.

– All teams arrived back home safe and sound, filled with new impressions – and happy!  

Our special thanks go not only to our great host parents but also to our caretakers Mr and Mrs Prauschke, our secretaries Mrs Kickert and Mrs Rrustemi and to all other German teachers and students who spent their free time supporting our project…

…and of course, to our two wonderful headmistresses Mrs Bödding and Mrs Schrader, who made everything possible.

THANK YOU!!!