German A Level Study Visit, 19th to 23rd October 2023

We are studying German A Level and have recently returned from an amazing trip to Düsseldorf in the Rhineland. Mrs Yates promised us an experience of daily life and a snapshot of Germany’s rich, diverse culture as well as the opportunity to interact with German people of all ages and to hear, see and speak the language we are learning in the classroom. That is exactly what we got and much, much more. We hope this write up and the photos will give you a flavour of some of what we experienced.

One of the most interesting and beneficial parts of the trip was definitely having the opportunity to visit our two German partner schools. On our first day, we had to negotiate the transport system and set off early to visit the Heinrich Heine Gesamtschule as first lessons in German schools begin at 8 o’clock! We were welcomed by the Deputy Head Teacher, Frau Tascan-Pelligrino, in the Conference room with ‘Butterbrote’ and felt like very important visitors. Then followed a tour by sixth form students, who were very friendly and enthusiastic. It was very interesting to speak to students of similar ages and hear their opinions on the differences in the school systems, and how they find life in Düsseldorf! The biggest difference we noticed was that the school in Germany seemed quite relaxed with more responsibility on the student to self-motivate and get on with work, students did not have to wear uniforms and teachers still use blackboards and chalk! Our second school visit was to our other partner school the Gymnasiam am Neandertal school in Erkrath (near Düsseldorf). Here we were able to take part in one of their English lessons. The German student’s level of English was very impressive and gave rise to a discussion about when they begin learning English in the German School system. They begin in Year 2 of Primary School and have 4 hours per week in Secondary School. The school visits were a great opportunity for us, and were very relevant to the content on our German course.

We were lucky enough to be invited to dinner in a German home. We took the tram to Frau Schorn’s lovely home and spent an amazing evening with her. She cooked us some delicious German food, including Kartoffelklöße (Potato dumplings), made with potato starch, and Rinnderrouladen (Beef Rouladen). Her house was decorated so nicely and we were delighted that she had invited us there. We ate all of the food and went home happily with full stomachs and full hearts! However, when we arrived back at the hostel, we were met with a shock. The whole hostel had been evacuated and there were fire trucks and ambulances! We were all a bit confused and worried, but luckily, it had been a small incident and quickly dealt with by staff at the hostel before the fire trucks had even arrived. We were able to go back to our hostel room very quickly, knowing that all the safety systems were working. Another experience of daily life!

We spent some time doing some German language work together in the lounge of the hostel, even on a Sunday morning but it didn’t seem like work ! We had many opportunities to choose and organise activities we were interested in. We chose to go to the K21 art gallery, where we were able to experience the exhibition “In Orbit” by Tomas Saraceno. This allows guests to walk on nets 25 metres off the ground over the art gallery. We had to wear uninspiring jumpsuits and special climbing shoes, but it was a fun experience. Mrs Yates was a keen participant and liked it the most out of all of us!

One of the highlights of our visit was to get the chance to meet Carl Philipp, the sixth form pen friend from our partner School who Amelie and Evie had been writing to during Year 12. He met us outside an ice cream shop in Carlspaltz. He introduced us to a German speciality, ‘Spagettieis’ which is an ice cream dish made to resemble a plate of spaghetti. Vanilla ice cream is squeezed into the shape of spaghetti is place over whipped cream. It is then covered in strawberry sauce, made to look like tomato sauce, and then topped with coconut flakes or white chocolate, to represent parmesan cheese! Really delicious!! Carl Phlilip showed us another part of the city Oberkassel, a modern new development with shops and restaurants, where we drank coffee and chatted about our life in England, and his experience when completing his GCSEs in Manchester for a year abroad. He said he liked the English school system better than the German one, which we were all a bit surprised about! Overall, it was so cool to finally meet him and to have the experience of meeting a young German person and to have him show us around his city. We were lucky enough to be invited to dinner in a German home. We took the tram to Frau Schorn’s lovely home and spent an amazing evening with her. She cooked us some delicious German food, including Kartoffelklöße (Potato dumplings), made with potato starch, and Rinnderrouladen (Beef Rouladen). Her house was decorated so nicely and we were delighted that she had invited us there. We ate all of the food and went home happily with full stomachs and full hearts! However, when we arrived back at the hostel, we were met with a shock. The whole hostel had been evacuated and there were fire trucks and ambulances! We were all a bit confused and worried, but luckily, it had been a small incident and quickly dealt with by staff at the hostel before the fire trucks had even arrived. We were able to go back to our hostel room very quickly, knowing that all the safety systems were working. Another experience of daily life!

We spent some time doing some German language work together in the lounge of the hostel, even on a Sunday morning but it didn’t seem like work ! We had many opportunities to choose and organise activities we were interested in. We chose to go to the K21 art gallery, where we were able to experience the exhibition “In Orbit” by Tomas Saraceno. This allows guests to walk on nets 25 metres off the ground over the art gallery. We had to wear uninspiring jumpsuits and special climbing shoes, but it was a fun experience. Mrs Yates was a keen participant and liked it the most out of all of us!

We were all very sad to have to come home, but we are very grateful that we had the amazing opportunity to take part in such a memorable, exciting and educational trip.

Our reflections:

“I think that the trip was great, because not only did it really help to improve my confidence in speaking and accuracy in listening, but it was also really fun! It was very interesting to be surrounded by German culture and I felt that it really helped to develop my understanding of the culture and language. In particular, I really enjoyed having dinner at Frau Schorn’s house. It was very cool to see what a German household looks like and to taste some traditional German food! I also feel that as a class, it was a great bonding experience and I always look forward to my German lessons with my classmates! I really loved making memories with everyone and I am really glad I was able to be a part of this trip.” – Jess

“Being constantly surrounded by the German language meant that I picked up on new vocab, as well as the rhythm of the language. The trip also allowed me to be more independent and motivated me to further develop my German skills. It was an amazing experience which I am grateful to have been offered. For me I found visiting not one, but two schools fascinating, as I saw how their education system worked, and the differences between the two countries.” – Maja

“The German A-Level trip was great, we all had such an amazing time and learnt so much about the culture and everyday life in Düsseldorf. We all became really good friends and made lots of memories. Despite having a lot of fun, the trip has also benefited me in a number of academic ways, including improving my German speaking and listening skills. I think hearing the language intensely for 5 days will really improve my understanding moving forward. Thank you to Mrs Yates and Mr Baldwin for making this trip possible and for making it such an exciting and memorable experience for us all!” – Evie

“I really enjoyed the A level trip to Düsseldorf and I think it was really beneficial to experience everyday life in Germany and I have gained a new appreciation for German culture. We have all learnt new skills we can take forward with us and we have especially improved our German skills! I would like to thank Mrs Yates and Mr Baldwin for making the trip possible, and I am very grateful for the amazing memories I have made.” – Amelie

“I found it really enjoyable to go on the German trip, it was great fun to go interrailing as it was something I’ve never done before. Additionally, it was really good to hear the language in an actual city environment rather than just a classroom – I’ve found that this has really helped my German. Overall, I believe it has been an incredible experience for my learning and I really enjoyed it.” – Luca