An exchange is about learning and getting to know new people, that's exactly what we did. The topic of our exchange was “What comes after war?”, but we also learned a lot about what actually happened during WWI and WWII. Going into this busy week, we didn't really know what to expect.
Liebigschule in Gistel (03rd – 6th March 2024)
Firstly, the Germans came by train to Ostend, where they were welcomed by the Belgian host families. In the following two and a half days the exchange program included a lot of activities. For example, we visited the graves of German and Belgian soldiers who died during the First World War. We also learned a lot about the German occupation of Belgium, especially the impact Germans had on Belgium. In the evenings, we visited Bruges and Ypres. During these evenings, the whole group got to know each other better and better.
Merten (Liebigschule student)
Sigo in Frankfurt (06th – 09th March 2024)
On Wednesday, we all took off together to Frankfurt. Everything went smoothly, from the train ride, to the welcoming in the German families. The Belgians were really impressed by the big city, “It gave us New York vibes”, they said. We found it integruing to see how the Germans cope with accepting the fact that they started the Second World War. That actually made a huge impact on us. We learned that it is important to accept and acknowledge the mistakes that you made.
Manoe (Sigo student)
In general, it was amazing to learn new people and get to know the difference between two cultures.
Lastly, we want to thank our teachers (Mr Classen, Mr Löffler, Mr Parreyn & Mrs Verhelst) for giving us this great opportunity. We are all super thankful that we got the chance to come on this exchange.
So once again,
Thank you! Danku! Danke!
The teachers’ perspective
From the initial planning in summer to saying goodbye at the train station in March - a lot happens before and during an exchange week: promoting the exchange, getting to know each other in video conferences, working together on presentations through eTwinning, planning how to spend the time off together, travelling, doing activities, creating videos that look back on the exchange, and so much more. And of course, us teachers are just as nervous about the exchange as the students: Will everyone get along well? Will the weather be fine? Will there be any problems while travelling?
We are all the happier that everything went smoothly, that the two groups got along beautifully, that the students (and teachers) could make great experiences and good friends.
A big “thank you” to all who made this exchange a success: our principals and colleagues, the parents, and most importantly the students who filled this week with life and a lot of enthusiasm!