• Participating schools

  
  
  •  SOU Emilyan Stanev
  •  L'institut Saint-Dominique
  •  Mallinckrodt-Gymnasium
  •  Wellington School
  •  Zavod sv. Stanislava
  •  Colegiul National
                 „Constantin Cantacuzino“
  
  

  • Mobilities

  • Mobility Ayr, Scotland
  • Mobility Târgovişte, Romania
  • Mobility Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • Mobility Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria
  • Mobility Mortefontaine, France
  • Mobility Dortmund, Germany
  
  
  • Towntrails
  • E-Books
  • Gallery
  • Conclusion
  
  
  • Home

Mobility 6 in Dortmund: Blog

Blog in German

Monday

On Monday, we got a glimpse into German life as we travelled to school in many different ways, including bus, underground, train, and walking. We arrived at school for 0800, as they begin school an hour earlier than us. We were greeted by the Headmaster and were impressed with the standard of English we had encountered thus far. The German pupils had prepared a presentation about their country, which fascinated us as we learned about German history, landmarks and stereotypes - beer. The pupils then told us more about Dortmund, the sights we could see, the architecture, the football team and of course - exciting all of the girls from Scotland - the shopping malls and streets.
Being the last week of school for the year 12 pupils, we experienced muck up week - far more intense than muck up week at Wellington. Following the presentations we saw the year 12 pupils dressed outrageously, with the theme of childhood heroes, chanting and dancing. We were equally amused and confused as we did not understand a word of their chants! After our break, we had a tour of the school, which again was very different, being large and modern. We later enjoyed singing a classic Scottish song for the concert on Thursday, Auld Lang Syne, as a four part arrangement - sung in 3 languages... Good luck to the teacher arranging this
We ate chicken wings or pasta in the canteen for lunch, which we agreed was delicious, while chatting to the Romanian and Slovenian pupils and discovering the differences between our countries also. In the afternoon, we walked around Dortmund observing Art Nouveau buildings, and sketching the patterns from different periods of the Art Nouveau movement. Again, we all took this opportunity to make new friends with other European pupils. In the evening, we spent time with our host families, some of us dining in a local shopping mall, or some in a sunny park.
We ended our day with growing excitement for the week ahead - the workshops we could enjoy, the lovely people we were forging friendships with and the fun experiences we were having in a new country where we could feel so welcome.

Tuesday

Tuesday was a very busy day with our workshops starting. Architecture was very interesting and fun, although tiring due to all the sawing! Stained glass, marbling and the fashion show were also very interesting and the Scottish group all enjoyed their morning workshops. We had a break at 10am, which gave us the opportunity to talk to people from other countries.
After our break we continued our workshops and then had lunch - enjoying baked potatoes and curry or pasta. We then met in the magnificent forum to go on the bus in order to see the Zeche Zollern colliery. The trip was fascinating and we enjoyed our tour of the picturesque coal mine's buildings which were in the style of medieval fortresses with an art nouveau gate. We were able to climb the very high towers and, although some Scottish people did not climb the tower, it was a thrill for those who did.
After the tour we went back to school by bus and then went out with our host families. Personally, I was taken to a beautiful park and had time to bond with interesting German and Slovenian students - with a lot of laughing and dancing involved. Other families attended a football match, supporting Dortmund's team, which they also enjoyed. Our day was fun, funny and interesting as we made more friends, and learned so much about the other countries.

Wednesday

Wednesday was another fun filled day, with ourcompleting two workshops. In the morning we did architecture, fashion, light painting or stained glass painting. In the afternoon we took part in different workshops, I chose etching. The morning workshops were funny and interesting as we rushed to finish our projects, and the workshops in the afternoon were also a good time to bond. We enjoyed pasta, vegetable balls and German cuisine for lunch, as well as the company of French and Slovene pupils.
We also had a choir rehearsal before lunch, which many pupils enjoyed, especially the Scottish as we found the German words very difficult and sometimes hilarious to pronounce.
After school, we went into Dortmund city centre, and we shopped in the German shops and ate American food. We then went bowling which was so much fun! Laughing, chatting, and mostly failing with our bowling games helped us get closer to the other pupils and we quickly realised we would find it very difficult to say goodbye.

Thursday

On Thursday, the German television channel WDR attended our workshops and took a few pupils into Dortmund to visit the U Tower.
After another early morning, we met at school and began workshops like photo design, stained glass, light painting and etching. The pieces we created made us very proud!
After we had eaten lunch, a large group of us walked to the U Tower, being recorded by the television channel. Many of us had never experienced anything like this and found it very nerve-wracking. On the U Tower we had a lot of fun, laughing with our German friends. Although we had a few problems reaching the top of the tower, the view was spectacular and we enjoyed the breathtaking sight. After descending from the U Tower, we either went home or into the city. Ayesha, Grania, Jacqui and I went into Dortmund with many pupils from other countries and tried the German Currywurst. It was delicious!
After going home to get ready, we met at a stunning German church for a presentation of the art we had made and to listen to the talented choir and orchestra. We found the service very interesting, and thought it was quite like Speech Day. After the church service, we went into a community hall and viewed the exhibition of our art. We were mainly proud of our creations, but a few of us were very embarrassed (Matthew and I). We were exhausted due to all the activities we had been doing, so after the exhibition we headed home. It was beginning to sink in that we only had one more day to spend with our new friends, whom we had grown so close to, so it was a night of mixed emotions - happiness and excitement as we were bonding with these friends but also sadness that we would only have one more day together.

Friday

Friday was an interesting and emotional day. We visited "Hohenhof" in the nearby town Hagen, an Art Nouveau-style house, in the morning, and enjoyed the stunning architecture and took many beautiful photos (a few hilarious ones too!).
Afterwards, we went to a German restaurant and enjoyed a two course meal - alphabet soup followed by a delicious main course. Ayesha and I sat with French girls and we could barely eat as we laughed so much!
After returning to the school, we went home to get ready for our party in the evening. The girls were all dolled up, and Matthew too, and we came to the party in high spirits. We ate delicious food that our host families had prepared, and danced all night with our friends whom we had become so close to. At the end of the night, we hugged each other goodbye, some sweaty, some tearful, but everyone happy to be with the other amazing people - although only a few moments were left together. Returning home, we were all so upset to be leaving Dortmund, not only a beautiful city but a city with character and beautiful, kind, funny and wonderful people. We all agree that we had an unforgettable week, and made unbreakable bonds.

Amy-Edith Barbour

Blog in German