At the end of September a group of 15 Pocklington School students from 3rd Year to Upper Sixth Form and two teaching staff hosted students and staff from our partner school in Alfeld, Lower Saxony, Germany for the 19th annual German Exchange.
Once again lots of fun was had in another really successful week where both parties were able to practice speaking foreign languages and make new friendships, whilst enjoying time with host families, taking part in plenty of visits and activities and sampling a taste of British school life.
To get a flavour of the experience, here are some comments from the German students:
Jannis - Overall, I really enjoyed the stay in the boarding house. It was really fun to meet all the new people and spending time with them. Speaking English started to become normal for me and I’ve really improved on my English skills. I can now have long conversations with people. I was able to achieve my goal on this trip: Getting in contact with people and improving my English.
Rosalie - Hull was actually really pretty and I enjoyed it there. We went to a big aquarium, The Deep. The penguins were so cute. After that we had some free time. We ate some food and went shopping.
Lara - On Wednesday we were in York. We visited the chocolate Factory and we tasted very much chocolate on this day. It was great because we saw how chocolate is made. After that we went shopping and I bought presents for my family.
Julia - All of us were going to Flamingo Land on the bus. Then, we went on rides on the roller coasters, which was very funny. In Flamingo Land there were also some animals, we could visit. It was great fun.
Jette - I have been living in a boarding house for eight days. There are about ten other girls in the boarding house. Everyone was so friendly to me and I felt really comfortable.
Diane – At Pocklington School, the people are really nice. Everyone talks to each other and the school climate is very good. The relations between students and teachers are good too.
Alizeé - In my opinion the trip to the Allerthope Lake was the best, at first we went on a water park which was the coolest thing ever. But the water was very cold so at first you couldn’t really enjoy it but after a long time you got used to it, then we did some swimming.
Zoe - My exchange family/student they were really nice and friendly. On my first day I went to school with my exchange student. The pupils and staff were very helpful and kind.
Kjell - We got on a steam train to Whitby where I ate for the first time in my life fish and chips and visited the Abbey. To summarise I would really recommend anyone to do this amazing exchange.
Marie - To put it in a nutshell I would say that the exchange was really exciting. I learned much about the country, the language and the culture. I recommend it to everyone.
Lina - The trip to York and the trip to Hull were my favourites, because we saw a lot on both trips and it was really funny! I learned a lot about the country, the language and the English food. The time went by way to fast.
Lisa - My guest family was really nice. My room was beautiful and I had my own bathroom. I lived on a farm with a really cute dog called Ague. Charlotte (my exchange partner) and I had much fun, when we were playing the piano, talking about school and watching some Harry Potter movies. All people here were really friendly and England is really pretty too.
Efecan - I made friends with many people and I hope I will stay in touch with them. All in all I would really recommend doing this trip. Staying in the boarding house was the greatest part of the trip.
Mr Galloway, Head of Modern Languages at Pocklington School, said: “It was another very successful exchange trip which gave students an excellent opportunity to practice speaking a modern language and also experience a different culture. The pupils are looking forward to returning to Alfeld in February 2019!
"Exchanges and trips abroad with school, are a wonderful opportunity for young people to experience the culture, language and life in another country, and it is generally true that students who participate in exchanges have the motivation and encouragement to ensure they will achieve the best results they possibly can!”
To view a Flickr album from the exchange, please click here.