The Hallifordian - 2016-2017

44 The German Exchange Trip to Neumünster Thomas Yacoot, Year 7 The German Exchange in late June was great fun with activates such as water skiing and a “Go Ape”– or Kletterwald as the Germans say – be- ing the highlight of the trip. When we got there it was nerve racking to meet our exchange families but they all welcomed us with good will. My exchange partner Erik was very warm and I am looking for- ward to him coming over in October. During the first weekend I went with Erik to a beach football tournament – we had a good time, but it was very tiring. It can be exhausting having to speak in another language all the time but some- how the more you do it the easier it becomes. Erik’s house was very comfortable and I soon settled in. At first I missed home but I’s amazing how soon you get used to a completely different life! Mr Sweeting kept us occupied during the German school times with daily activities. We often used public transport to get around which helped us get used to orientate ourselves. Would I recommend the German exchange? Definitely! Overall the Exchange was a great experience and I have many happy memories of my time in Neumunster. Jethro Knight Thompson, Year 8 The German exchange was an exciting trip to Germany that lasted a whole ten days. My experi- ence with my German partner (Jonas) was positive but a little awkward. I felt uncomfortable staying with a family of strangers, but overtime i settled in and I enjoyed their company. Over the weekends I visited many museums and shops with them and got a taste of German culture. Jonas, my exchange part- ner, spoke good English, and I didn’t need to speak much German to him or his family. As I settled in we spent more time together and I played video games with him frequently. During the time I spent with the other ex- change pupils, we went water skiing, climbing, and visiting different towns and museums such as Ham- burg, Neumunster and others. For me, the highlight of the trip was the water skiing. When I got the hang of sliding across the water, I got a great sense of sat- isfaction as I rode over the waves. The lake was sur- prisingly nice to swim in and I actually enjoyed fall- ing off. There was a large circuit running around the lake on which the rope we held was pulled around the length of the lake. It was impressive. I thoroughly enjoyed the German exchange, it was great fun and a good break from school with your friends. We had countless good times in Ger- many and I definitely recommend it to anyone think- ing of going. Spencer Bateman, Year 8 My time in Germany was amazing, apart from feeling homesick at first. It was initially hard Beach football at Weißenhäuserstrand on the Baltic sea