Exchanges and Visits

Rietberg 2009 – Deutsch lernen in Deutschland

A group of nine  Henley College first year students took part in the German exchange 2009 and spent a week in Rietberg, staying with students from the Gymnasium Nepomucenum. During their week in Germany the participants of the exchange saw a lot of Northern Germany and experienced daily life in German families.

The first full day in Germany saw the students attend lessons at the Gymnasium Nepomucenum with their hosts. The Headmaster of the school also welcomed the group and spent an hour with them, telling them about German customs, especially the annual carnival which takes place in the six days before Ash Wednesday and is a big event in the town of Rietberg. One of the German students from the Nepomucenum then showed the visitors round the old town of Rietberg and impressed with his detailed local knowledge.

Saturday was the day of a visit to Cologne. The students enjoyed the bustle of the impressive cathedral which attracts hundreds if not thousands of visitors each day and is also a major centre of Roman Catholic Christianity, having been a destination for pilgrimages for many centuries. Cologne is also a vibrant modern city and the students also enjoyed shopping in the pedestrian precinct.

Sunday was the day which the students spent totally with their host families and it provided a good opportunity for using their German in real life situations and applying what had been learned in the classroom. A modern foreign language is a living thing and the best way to learn (and reinforce learning) is by actually staying in the country and speaking the language although it may be difficult at first to understand all that is said.

On Monday, the group joined two year five classes and travelled with them to the medieval city of Münster. There they learned about how the city had developed out of the positive rivalry between the bishop and the secular citizens. Münster also played an important part in the reformation and is steeped in history.

Tuesday’s visit to Berlin began with an early start, meeting at the train station at six o’clock in the morning. After a comfortable journey on board of the very fast inter-city trains the group arrived in the German capital shortly after nine. The whole city was covered in 20 cm of fresh snow, but the dark blue sky and bright sunshine made the whole place look magical and everyone enjoyed walking around the vast open spaces. The students had a full day, packed with seeing the sights of old and new Berlin. Not only did they visit Brandenburg Gate but also had a guided tour around the plenary chamber of the German federal parliament and got a quick lesson in how the political system works.

This was followed by a visit to the Holocaust Memorial and a stop for a late lunch in the modern splendour of the Sony Centre at the Potsdamer Platz. The next item on the itinerary was the Alexander Platz, the heart of the former East Berlin. Having seen the film “Good bye, Lenin” in their lessons at college, the students had the chance of experiencing life in the communist East during a visit to the GDR museum. The day finished with a bus ride to former centre of West Berlin, the Kurfürstendamm, and they got the chance of seeing the octagonal structure of the modern Gedächtniskirche in splendid evening illuminations. It was a long day, but definitely worth it.

The final day in Germany was a chance to go shopping in the regional centre of Bielefeld. Whilst the girls headed for the shops, the boys of the group went to the Isharah, a most unusual indoor swimming pool complex. Much fun was had by both. In  the evening the students went out with their German hosts and then got ready for an early departure.

The whole visit to Germany went extremely well, no problems or hitches, all the transport was on time and everyone enjoyed themselves. Now the students are looking forward to welcoming the German group to Henley and hope that they, too, will have an excellent time.