Our Transition Year Students studying German enjoyed a fantastic week in Germany on their German Exhange Programme from Monday the 19th of September until Friday the 23rd of September. One of our own Transition Year students, Beth Reilly, who took part in the exchange, wrote the following article highlighting some of the amazing experiences they had while in Germany.

Day 1
Travelling to Germany
To start off our travels to Germany, we unfortunately all woke up around 6am, exhausted but jumping with excitement as we drove to the school. Suitcases were tossed in the boot of the bus and goodbyes said before we left at 7am sharp and we arrived at Kerry airport with plenty of time for our flight.
Students relaxed in the airport lounge before boarding our flight from Kerry to Frankfurt-Hahn. The flight felt very short as students slept, read and ate.
We arrived in Frankfurt-Hahn airport and most students grabbed some McDonald's before climbing into mini buses and driving to Karlsruhe.
After hours of travelling we arrived at Goethe Gymnasium and finally met our exchange partners. They then took us to their homes, where we were very welcomed. Some students, myself included even got to see a light show at the palace before heading to bed after an exhausting day.

Day 2
A Warm Welcome
On our second day, we had an early start again and made our way to Goethe Gymnasium. We got to speak with our friends and meet new people before being welcomed by the school’s Principal. He told us about the school before we took our leave and explored Karlsruhe. We walked to Karlsruhe palace and took photos before walking around the outside of the building. After learning a few facts about the palace from both the German exchange students and the teachers, we left for the town hall where we were taught about the inventions of Karlsruhe. After being filled with knowledge most students decided to go shopping before meeting up for a game of bowling in the evening.

Day 3
The Best Of Karlsruhe
By the third morning we'd gotten used to the early mornings and were up and out soon enough. We took a tram to Turmberg mountain and looked out on the stunning views. We had a bite to eat before heading off to the playground. We ran around like 5-year-olds and loved every moment of it. Although most begged to stay a little longer on the swings we left and headed back down the mountain. We arrived at the school, greeting our partners who had spent the day working hard. Our partners then brought us to the zoo filled with beautiful creatures. Once we'd finished walking around most groups left for home. With plenty of time still left in the evening most of the exchange decided to go swimming in Karlsruhe Europabad (swimming pool). Being able to swim and splash was the highlight for some students on the exchange.

Day 4

Heidelberg

On Wednesday we travelled to Heidelberg on the train with our German exchange partners and teachers, so 53 of us altogether. We arrived at 10am and took a cable car up to the castle. We took a tour of the castle and also caught some amazing views of Heidelberg. We then had some free time to grab some lunch and shop some more!! We were so tired after our trip that most of us relaxed in our exchange partner's houses for the evening.

Day 5

Goethe Gymnasium

Our final day of the exchange was spent observing classes in Goethe Gymnasium. Most of us tagged along with our partners to their classes where we experienced physics, biology and even Latin through German. It was tough but it was also really interesting to see how classes are taught in Germany. We then met up on Thursday evening in the school yard for a pizza party. We chatted, sang and danced the evening away with the German students before heading back to pack our bags ready for our flight on Friday morning.

Day 6

Auf Wiedersehen

On Friday morning our alarms started ringing bright and early at 5:30am. Our host families and exchange partners travelled with us to the school where we said our final goodbyes. There were buckets of tears shed but knowing we will see our partners again in 2 weeks when they visit us in Kinsale eased the pain somewhat. - Beth Reilly