During February half term, eight students from Third to Fifth Year, accompanied by Modern Foreign Language teachers, Mr Galloway and Mrs Wright, made the return visit to Alfeld, Germany, to stay with their partners who had visited Pocklington in October 2018.

The exchange trip with partner school, Gymnasium Alfeld, first began in 2001 and over the years several hundred of our pupils have taken advantage of the learning opportunities the experience offers. It is a chance for pupils to practise speaking German and hear it spoken in a local dialect, with plenty of visits and activities thrown in! 

After the official welcome to the school by the Gynasium Alfeld school band and some time spent in lessons, our linguists spent a full weekend, getting to know their host families before embarking on a week of trips to Autostadt in Wolfsberg, Berlin, the Harz Mountains and a day trip to the beautiful university town of Göttingen.

Here are a few quotes from the students involved, taken from the reports they wrote before leaving Alfed….

Anna: “My favourite trip has to be the trip to Berlin despite having to wake up at 5am and getting to the station at 6:30am.  The Bundestag was amazing and learning about the German government and the history of the building was definitely interesting. The food was very different to English food, for example for breakfast instead of cereal we had warm fresh bread. Speaking in German to order food was a challenge but I managed to do it and get what I ordered!" 

Charlie: "My host family were lovely.  I was very sad to leave them and I hope to visit Germany again soon!"

Dylan: "On the first day we had two lessons with our partners and then we were greeted by the school’s Headmaster, and school band which was fabulous.  They played one of my favourite songs from Mama Mia, which couldn’t have been played any better."

Ethan: "On Saturday, we took the train up to Hannover for the day. On our return I changed into my suit to get ready for the ‘Prom’ (Party), that some of us went to. It was great fun and we did lots of dancing!”

Ewan: "On Saturday we went to Laser Quest with my host family which was great fun. Later, we went to the fire station to help my host partner's brother prepare for his firefighter exam later in the week. His Dad volunteers as a firefighter in his spare time so showed us some drills like rolling a hose and tying knots. On Wednesday we went to the Harz Mountains and visited a silver mine and learnt all about the miners and different metal ores. We took a cable-car up the mountain and walked down in the snow. We threw lots of snowballs and had great fun! In the evening, we went to Marie´s grandma's house and ate bregenwurst with braunkohl (smoked sausage and potatoes). It was very tasty and it is traditional to have this dish in winter in northern Germany."

Thomas: "When I met my German exchange partner's family, they produced a positive, warm atmosphere when the first question they asked me “Was möchtest du trinken?” (What would you like to drink), I could confidently answer by saying "Nur wasser." However my partner's Oma und Opa (grandparents) don’t speak English so if I wanted anything I had to speak in German which was a great learning opportunity for me."

Thomas: "Overall I am very happy I came on the exchange as it has not only given me the chance to improve my German but also to make new friends and have amazing experiences that I otherwise wouldn’t have had. Many people helped to make my stay pleasant and enjoyable and I am thankful to everyone who helped make this trip possible, especially Tanja, my host mother who not only took care of me but also provided me with sandwiches, which, just makes it all worth it!

Phoebe:  “When my family picked me up from the airport they were so inviting and we talked about my hobbies and music. Diane, my German exchange partner, introduced me to German rock music which is so cool! Their home is so nice and I met Diane’s Grandmas and they both gave me a hug and a lovely introduction. 

We had so many trips, but my favourite was to the mountain where we jumped and ran around in the snow. On the last night all the German and English partners played Kegeln which is like skittles in England. After we played and the Germans won, we went to McDonalds and talked for hours!

I had so much fun in Germany and I would 100% recommend it to everyone even if your German is not the best. I went on the trip not knowing that much German and by the time we left I knew so much more! I had so much fun and I have made the most incredible friends who I hope to keep in touch with for the rest of my life! Thank you so much Mr Galloway and Mrs Wright for the best experience ever! My host family was so nice and I can’t have imagined a better half term!"

Mr. Galloway, Head of Modern Lanuguages at Pocklington School said: "When I arrived at Pocklington in September 1999, I really wanted to set up a German Exchange, as I had taken part in three as a school pupil myself and had organised one for eight years at my previous school. I have seen how much benefit students gain from exchanges, both in terms of language skills, and knowledge of other cultures and countries, not to mention having lots of fun along the way making memories and friendships which can last a lifetime - I am still in touch with partners from my school time, and that is a long, long time ago!

The link with Alfeld has been going 19 years and many exchange participants are still in touch with partners, and even family holidays have been undertaken with partners and their families! I hope the exchange will continue for another 19 years at least, and know that both Pocklington School and Gymnasium Alfeld are 100% committed to more exchanges and links in the future.

Talk to your language teacher about it and see if you can get involved - it's well worth it!!"

To view photographs from the Exchange, please click here.