EXCHANGE WITH GERMANY
ALFELD + BERLIN + WOLFSBURG + HARZ
ALFELD / POCKLINGTON EXCHANGE RETURN VISIT
FEBRUARY HALF TERM 2020
After a great deal of preparation and anticipation , our intrepid Germanists departed for their return leg to Alfeld . A break with tradition saw us heading for the more northerly destination of Hamburg which meant a long coach ride into Lower Saxony and the chance to sing together on the bus when we became ‘ stuck ’ in the rush hour traffic ! We arrived in Alfeld at 8.30pm . No fears or nerves this time round as everyone was happy to see their exchange friends again , and no sooner had we arrived outside school , and all our Pocklingtonians were scooped up and taken ‘ home .’
The programme is always packed full , and this year was no exception ! We celebrated Charlotte ’ s birthday the first morning in school - complete with the school brass band and a superbly gooey Geburtstagstorte ! Herr Rudiger took us on a well-informed tour of Alfeld and then the weekend began . It can be quite a daunting experience to stay with another family by yourself where the main language spoken is not your own -but , our students managed excellently -enjoying a wide range of family activities from shopping , restaurant eating , ten-pin , ice skating , museum visiting , parties and trips to the cinema . Their faces were alight with bright smiles when we met up again early on Monday morning .
Monday took us to Wolfsburg and AUTOSTADT on the train – the home of Volkswagen . After a gripping tour around the various exhibition spaces , there was the opportunity for some real collaborative work as our partnerteams firstly dis-assembled and then re-assembled a combustion engine !
Autostadt pizzas were also devoured very happily and the gift shops did very well that afternoon , thanks to our guys desperate to part company with their Euros !
What would constitute an early start ? 7am ? 7.30am ? Well , at 5.45am the next morning , we all met – sleepily – at Alfeld station from where we caught the train firstly to Hannover and then further to Berlin … and , as ever , this was an exceptionally inspiring , thought-provoking and memorable trip . Our thanks go to Herr Galloway – tour guide extraordinaire – what our esteemed colleague doesn ’ t know about Berlin simply is not worth mentioning ! He expertly and movingly shared his knowledge with us and helped all the students , whether German or British , understand a little bit more about the huge significance of this city on so many nations and races . We spent some time inside the Reichstag building and climbed up the magnificent glass dome , designed by Norman Foster , and which has become such an icon for regeneration , progress and reconciliation . We saw the Brandenburger Tor , the Monument to the Fallen Jews of Europe , remaining
90 THE POCKLINGTONIAN