Ice hockey, Angela Merkel’s office, cake, bullet holes, hats, caves and the Berlin Wall, 69 year old Russian graffiti, chocolate and the home of perfume. Our German Exchange was a week full of exciting experiences, new friends and personal triumphs that included living with another family, speaking a different language and trying new foods. Meeting new people can be very daunting, however all our girls showed themselves to be of immense character and should be proud of how they coped with the challenge. Our host families were extremely kind and caring, although we did have problems fitting all the presents they gave us into our suitcases. Our partner school, Märkisches Gymnasium Iserloh, gave us a very warm welcome, and we are indebted to all the German teachers who worked so hard to look after us. We also enjoyed making new friends from Reed’s School and Epsom College.
We have definitely learnt a lot about the German way of life, some of which we didn’t like so much (the incredibly early start to the school day), and some of which we liked a lot (no school uniform!). The big highlights were our day trips to Berlin and Köln, and also the visit to watch the Iserlohn Roosters ice hockey team. Thanks to the extra Manor House School support they won the game!
We hope to keep in touch with our exchange partners and some of us will be returning to Iserlohn, perhaps even with our families. It is good to have friends in different parts of the world.
