The week beginning 19th February, thirty-four GCSE and four A Level students took part in an exchange with Gymnasium Salvatorkolleg. Over to Alyssa and Emma:
We travelled to Wallingford’s twin town of Bad Wurzach to meet with students from the Salvatorkolleg. Whilst there we spent time getting to know German culture and practising speaking the language. We spent a morning attending the partner school with our exchange partners and had an afternoon speaking to the Mayoress.
We also visited the Bodensee (Lake Constance), the Zeppelin Museum, the Thermalbad Aulendorf, the Allianz-Arena, Munich City Centre and Neuschwanstein Castle.
Our last day was spent with our host families, all doing different activities to enjoy the final day in Germany.
The trip was an amazing experience, meeting new people and learning about a new culture. The best part for me was the tour of the Allianz-Arena as I found it very interesting to go behind the scenes. I would really recommend this trip to anyone considering it as it is a great opportunity to further your language skills and experience a new place.
- Alyssa Reeves, Year 12
Over the course of this week, we took part in several fascinating and exciting activities, including tours of Bayer Munich’s stadium (Allianz Arena) and Schloss Neuschwanstein, as well as visiting Lake Constance and the nearby Zeppelin Museum.
We spent a half-day in lessons with our exchange partners, where I found the structure of both lessons and timetables very different to the UK.
The time spent with the family was equally interesting due to our differences – my partner’s family was much bigger than mine which led to a lot of chaotic fun on our trip to visit Ulm.
The exchange has taught me several things – I learned a lot about the differences between colloquial and spoken German, as well as the southern dialects. Just as importantly, the similarities and differences between British and German society, particularly in education and home-life.
I am glad to say that I took part in this exchange and would thoroughly recommend the visit to anyone considering taking part in future years!
- Emma Carr, Year 12