>Three Wallace High School Sixth Years have recently returned form a two week trip to Schweinfurt in Germany as part of their AS studies.The girls, Nicki Martin, Carly Bustard and Vicky Hanna, felt they truly experienced German life as they lived with host families for the duration of their stay.
The Lisburn girls also gained a great deal from their week’s work experience in a German kindergarten. Vicky Hanna commented, “Whilst we taught the German children English songs and games, most of our tome was spent speaking German, so my confidence in the language has improved dramatically.”
Carly Bustard added, “The families we stayed with were very hospitable and we learnt a great deal about daily life in Germany. Their grasp of English was amazing and I was also very impressed by how environmentally aware everyone in Germany is. We in Northern Irealnd could learn a lot from them about being eco friendly.
The three locals also had the opportunity of spending a day in German High School with their exchange partners. Nicki Martin noticed many differences between Northern Irish schools and their German counterparts. She explained, “I was delighted when I first heard that the German school day ended at 1 pm, however I wasn’t too pleased when I realised that they had a 7 am start.
Classes in Germany are very relaxed with pupils eating and drinking during lessons. There’s no unifrom either and teachers generally wear jeans.Whilst I enjoyed seeing the German Education system first hand , I think I prefer the it here in Northern Ireland.”
An active social life was also part of the Wallace pupils experience in Schweinfurt. Vicky said, ” We did lots of shopping and sightseeing in Nuremburg as well as enjoying cinema and restaurant visits with our exchange families.” Carly added, “Our understanding of German culture has been expanded and this will undoubtedly help us in our forthcoming AS exams.” The girls’ exchange partners, Kathy Wolf, Christine Roder and Sandra Scholer are currentl in Northern Ireland on the second leg of the exchange programme.
They will be spending a week’s work experience in Harmony Hill, St Colman’s and St Joseph’s Primary schools as well as spending a day in Sixth Form classes in Wallace High. Trips to local tourist attractions such as the Giant’s Causeway have been planned.
The German teenagers’ initial impressions of Lisburn have been very favourable. Kathy commented, “Lisburn people are very friendly and we can’t believe how green your landscape is. We’re hoping to improve our English and learn about your everyday life here during our stay. ”
Last modified: February 24, 2016
