German Exchange
28 March – 03 April 2009

This year’s German exchange was a joint venture between JAGS and the BRIT school in Croydon. Our partner school is called Nicolaus-Cusanus-Gymnasium and is located in Bergisch-Gladbach bordering the city of Cologne

Seven JAGS girls and their families hosted German exchange students this January and during the first week of the Easter holidays our return visit took place.

We arrived on Saturday 28 March at the airport Cologne-Bonn where the German students and their parents gave us a great welcome. Our students were then taken to their home for the week and the rest of the day and Sunday were organised by the German family.

On Monday the English students came along to school and sampled a typical day in a German grammar school. They had the opportunity actively to take part in some English lessons and teach Year 7 German students.

On Tuesday all British students went to Cologne. We first visited the imposing Gothic Cathedral and every student climbed up the 509 steps leading to the tower to enjoy a spectacular view over Cologne.

Afterwards we went along the river Rhine and to the Chocolate museum where we enjoyed a guided tour and could sample some freshly made chocolate.

The afternoon was spent at Cologne zoo. After a day of serious shopping in Europe’s biggest shopping centre we embarked on a joint trip with the German partners  on Thursday. The weather was beautiful and temperatures soared up to an impressive 27 degree celcius!
We went to Bonn and visited the Beethoven-Haus followed by a picnic on the grounds of Bonn university.

The afternoon was spent in Linz am Rhein, a picturesque little town not far from Bonn.
In the evening we had our farewell meal in an Italian restaurant back in Bergisch-Gladbach and the next day the English group sampled some modern art in Cologne’s Ludwig Museum. In the afternoon our host families dropped us at the airport and we arrived one hour later in Gatwick with lots of souvenirs, chocolates and photos from a very enjoyable week.