The Hallifordian - 2016-2017

45 going because my exchange parents didn’t speak any English but aside from that I found the whole experience great fun! I tried my hardest to speak as much German as I could. It’s amazing how quickly you learn when you have to! My absolute favour- ite parts of the trip was going to Heide Park (theme park) and the water skiing as it was so fun but also challenging. I also enjoyed the mini golf, the Sci- ence Museum, the Zoo/Aquarium and the Miniature Wonderland. George Holmes, Year 8 My experience of going to Germany was even better than last year. My exchange family were very nice and made me feel very welcome even though the first few days were a bit awkward. The activity I enjoyed the most was the water-skiing be- cause it was great fun and the water was refreshing as it was quite a hot day. I would definitely rec- ommend the exchange trip because you get a really good chance to improve your German and you also see another part of Europe. Ben Holmes, Year 8 My time in Germany was amazing. It was the first time I had been there. My family was really kind and treated me well. To my relief they spoke good English which certainly helped in the first days! My partner was called Enno and his brother was called Tamme. We completed so much in the time we had there. It was a really packed schedule. However, my favourite activity was water skiing. I love a physical chal- lenge and it was great learning how to ‘fly’ over the water! Will Ramires, Year 10 I had not studied German much before the trip so I had a feeling I was going to have a tricky time! I was completely wrong. I arrived at the bus stop to meet my German exchange partner and he and his family greeted me warmly. His English was exceptionally good and I grew a solid relationship with him and his family as the week went on. In fact, at the end of my time there I did not want to go back to England! I would have much preferred the ex- change to have lasted longer. It was an amazing experience for me as I learnt a lot of new things and met a lot of new peo- ple. When my exchange partner came over to Eng- land, I wanted to make his time here as good as I could. As the week went on he settled in so well that he too expressed a desire to stay in the UK! We have remained in contact and I also keep in touch with some of his friends too. The German exchange trip really opened my eyes to new experiences. I’m so pleased I decided to go! Year 12 “Slugs” visit to Oxford University Thanks to Mr Slocock’s old school contacts, on Sunday 25th June 2017, he was able to arrange for six of us in the Year 12 “Slugs” group to visit Oxford for two days and to be shown around by his friend, Quentin Parsons, who is currently studying for a PhD. For all of us considering writing an Ox- bridge application in October, this was a great op- portunity to get a proper feel for the city and of what it would be like to work and study there should we be fortunate enough to receive an offer in the com- ing months. Space was limited so there was a tight squeeze in the car on the way up but I think we would all agree that the benefits were worth our temporary discomfort. We arrived at lunch time on Sunday and af- ter enjoying a pub meal which involved a surprising amount of maths as we struggled to make sense of the bill, we headed into the city with Mr Parsons as our guide. Our first stop was to the top of the Sheldo- nian Theatre right in the heart of the city as it offers a great view from its roof of all the surrounding col- leges and historic buildings. It also hosts talks given by guest speakers from all over the world which are supposed to be a great opportunity for Oxford stu- dents to expose themselves to new ideas and sound as though they would be a good form of evening en- tertainment. From there, we quickly moved on to the Bodleian library’s divinity school (AKA the infir- mary in Harry Potter) but since tours for the rest of the library were fully booked for that afternoon, we made plans to return for a full tour the next day. In both of these buildings, having Mr Parsons to show