A cultural Exchange

Welcome to the cultural Exchange between our school and the Parkstone Grammar school. The
Parkstone grammar school is a girls only grammar school located in Poole, England which is
known for its academical excellence and its Qualitive education. We had a period of 3 days
together for which we had to prepare flawlessly. In aftermath of weeks of preparation we were
ready to Welcome the students and ensure that they enjoy their time.
Firstly the group of students from Park Stone Grammar School from Great Britain was welcomed
on Thursday the 14th of December by some of our students. For the last 2 weeks some of the
students of our advanced English course of the 11th grade have been preparing different games
to welcome the guests. They planned to start with a paper chase to show the british pupils around
our school building. Our guests started on the ground floor and worked their way up. After round
about one hour of solving riddles, they found their final stop. Here they found some typical german
candy they got to try. During the time of trying the sweets the next group started with their
prepared quiz about Berlin and our school. Afterwards the last group of the day took over and
ended the meet and greet at our school with their game called “Who am I”. You might think that it
is just the English version of the german game “Wer bin ich?”, but they made a whole new game.
After our little school adventure, we met up at the staircase to walk together to an Italien
restaurant. The restaurant Albergo. On the way there the walk was rather silent. Everyone was
still a bit shy. Except for the teachers. They were talking like there was no tomorrow. When we
got to the restaurant we got led to our tables. Our main priority was that every table had a German
student sitting there. Six teachers were there with us, three of our school (Ms. Günther, Mr. Klatt
and Mr. Walther) and three of the Parkstone Grammar School. After some time the ice broke
between the students and the restaurant became very loud. The only sounds you could hear were
the sounds of laughter, disagreeing in English and some German slip ups. The dinner was very
delicious even though it took a lot of time till it came out. We stayed at the restaurant till 8:40 p.m.
and started parting after we said our goodbyes. All in all we had a lot of fun and got to know each
other the best we could. The Meet and Greet was a good idea to be more comfortable around each
other.
On Friday the 15th of December 2023 we got into the role of tour guides. We kicked things off by
splitting into groups. Each group had a mission to be the best tour guides ever! We showed the
Parkstone Grammar crew around Berlin, pointing out all the cool sights. But, there's a twist we
threw in quiz questions about the city to make things more interesting. It was like a fun learning
adventure! As we strolled through the city, we didn't just stick to the tour script. Nope, we took
breaks to chill and chat. That's when things got really interesting! We chatted, swapped stories,
and got to know our new friends. It turns out, they're pretty awesome. The highlight of the day
was hitting up Alexanderplatz for the Christmas market. Picture this: twinkling lights, festive
vibes, and tons of cool stuff to check out. Since the market was crowded with people, we split into
smaller groups. It was like a mini tour within our big tour!First, we guided our new friends
through the market, showing them the market itself and how they find the way out. Then, we let
them loose to explore on their own – in groups of at least three, because safety first, right? As the
day wrapped up, we said our goodbyes.
On Monday the December 18th, we had a mission: introducing our guests to the wonders of
German Christmas traditions. The day kicked off with a cookie decorating party, where our
newfound friends had the chance to get to know “Plätzchen”. We spared no expense, providing
icing and toppings for the ultimate experience. As the sweet sugar of the cookies went into our
blood stream, we hosted an exhibition of customs, practices, and interesting German Christmas
facts. Think of it as a crash course in all things Germans do on Christmas. But hold on, the fun
didn’t stop there. We threw in a Kahoot game, injecting an element of engagement and
amusement. Oh, and did I mention the tiny Christmas tree? A tiny adorable tree we had to
decorate. Once our German Christmas spectacular concluded, it was time for friends. They
presented British Christmas traditions, seamlessly switching between English and German.
Frankly, some of them spoke unexpectedly good German. In essence, the day wasn’t just a cultural
exchange; it was a symphony of tasty cookies, fun and information.