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10 MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES
U4 German Exchange to Hassfurt
Emilia Hitching, 5W& Rohan Barodia, 5N
The German exchange to
Regiomontanus Gymnasium
in Hassfurt, Bavaria, has been
running for over thirty years now,
and is a highly anticipated part
of the GCSE course. While we
are well prepared in class and
have lunchtimes with a language
assistant, we found that nothing
benefits your German as much as
talking with native speakers.
Our first day was especially full on, going
straight from the airport into lessons
with our exchange partners. In some
lessons, like
Wirtschaft
(a kind of law/PPE
lesson), with native Germans speaking at
their natural pace about complex topics,
it seemed like we’d never understand
enough German to keep up with them!
However, as the week progressed, we
found ourselves being able to follow our
exchange families’ conversations and take
part in them. All the vocabulary we learn in
class about train stations and how to order
a meal seemed much more useful, too!
Our exchange partners had already come
over in March, and while we’d enjoyed
having them to stay, they came at one
of the busiest times of our school year.
With homework before end-of-year
exams, rehearsals and sports practices,
we never got to hang out as one big group
very much. The best thing about going
to Germany in the summer was that the
German school was in its last week of
term. Their school day also finishes after
lunch, so most afternoons and evenings
were spent in larger groups, doing things
we can rarely do in school time, such as
spending hours at the water park or visiting
a zoo. This meant we all got the chance to
meet each other’s exchange partners and
make a wider circle of friends amongst the
German pupils. It was also interesting for
us to experience small-town German life
outside the big cities. Where London had
been a brand new experience for some of
our partners, we had the chance to relax
somewhere much calmer and more idyllic
than where we live.
We traveled into Würzburg, which contains
many historical churches, going back to pre-
1000 AD. We explored the churches
and the city as a whole, as well as viewing
the main river and the stunning Würzburg
cathedral. The more thrill-seeking of us
ventured into the local amusement park.
Although many of us felt nauseated after
the first few rides, it was nonetheless a
great day out. Arguably the best day was
Sunday, when we went to the second
largest lake in Lower Franconia. We hired
pedalos, played volleyball and relaxed:
really bonding together as a group.
Another great day was the penultimate
one, when we took a tour around the
surrounding area of Franconia. We visited
a watchtower that was once used to
keep tabs on East Germany and watch for
desperate Germans attempting to flee to
the West. As it was our last evening with
our partners, one pair decided to host
a barbecue where we all had a splendid
time. On the last day, we reluctantly
packed our suitcases and headed for
Nuremberg, the site of both Hitler’s rise
to power and the denazification efforts
of the war trials. In the afternoon, we
rather emotionally parted with our
exchange partners before taking a guided
tour through the labyrinth that was
the Nuremberg beer cellars, which had
doubled as air raid shelters.
The trip was exceptionally insightful and
entertaining. We would like to thank the
pupils on the exchange for helping create
such great group camaraderie, as well as
Mrs Abbott and Mr Munch-Petersen who
organised the trip. We would advocate
this trip to any German student at
Bancroft's; regardless of skill level, you
will improve!