Es geht los!

Wir sind alle sehr aufgeregt. Die Reise beginnt.

Wir werden versuchen, unsere Eindrücke aufzuschreiben, die dann im Blog veröffentlicht werden. Die Berichte werden auf Deutsch und Englisch sein, so dass auch die amerikanischen Gastfamilien und Mitschüler einen guten Einblick in den Austausch bekommen können. Selbstverständlich werden wir auch zahlreiche Fotos hochladen. Wir würden uns freuen, wenn unsere Familien und Freunde unsere Reise verfolgen

Why are trips like this so extremely important?

Here are some reasons I came up with: 

Being an English teacher, I obviously love to see how the students start to communicate in English and put their knowledge into practice. By the end of their stay they are much more confident talking to the Americans and really enlarge their vocabulary.

Secondly, living in a host family and going to Ben Davis helps the German students to see their home, their school and their country with new eyes, which is undoubtedly a good thing.

And thirdly it is amazing how some students manage to become a family member within only three weeks.

Fourthly, the students often cut the cord: Usually they become much more autonomous because they are forced to make decisions without their parents and close friends.

I guess that there are many more reasons, but I would like to finish with a couple of points why I personally like this exchange so much:

First of all, I have made friends, and the trip to the States gives me the opportunity to see them again. It is especially the two American German teachers and their families that I have grown fond of. Thank you for your great hospitality!

And of course the three weeks here give me the opportunity to brush up my (American) English and to get a deeper insight into the American way of live, too. 

Last but not least I like travelling with students because you have the chance to get to know them much better, and it is always nice to meet great people, isn`t it? So I thank Cati for her contagious laughter, Kati for her positive personality, Sascha for always being fun, Paula for being so sociable, Jonas for his strength, Max for behaving well, Lulu for being the perfect fourth daughter in her host family, Sophie for being so enthusiastic about America, Jennifer for being extremely well-mannered, and Anna for learning how to overcome her shyness. It was a great pleasure to be on tour with you. Thank you!

 

Now it is time for the results of my little survey. Little survey? Well, I asked the 10 German students what they will miss once we are back in Germany and what they are looking forward to. Here are their answers (Note: there is absolutely NO ranking at all, and some of the points were mentioned more than once): I will miss…

  • the freedom I had here
  • my new friends
  • my host family
  • the skyscrapers
  • the city
  • the good weather
  • living in a huge city
  • super nice people
  • the burgers 
  • some American meals

I look forward to: 

  • meeting my family again  
  • meeting my friends again
  • a clean bathroom
  • speaking German
  • the German food
  • less fast food
  • my bed

(Kathrin Hennemann)

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