On September 28, the day finally arrived. Accompanied by our French teachers, Ms. Lohoff and Ms. Jürgens, as well as our principal, Mr. Uhlenbrock, 20 students set off on their journey. The 5-hour bus ride to our partner school went smoothly, and then we moved on to an exciting and extensive program. On Wednesday came the long-awaited highlight: a day in Paris (see photo). From Montmartre to the observation deck at Galeries Lafayette, a boat tour on the Seine, and, to top it all off, the glittering Eiffel Tower lit up in pink—we experienced it all.
And how did the communication go?“Très bien,”as the French would say. The German and French students did all the activities together, and the atmosphere on the bus was great, too: the music brought the cultures together; there was singing, laughter, and games. They put what they had learned in class into practice and refined it.
What began as a successful application through the Ministry of Schools and Education of North Rhine-Westphalia is set to continue next year with a visit by the French delegation to Gronau.
For our students, this is a wonderful experience that, above all, helps illustrate the value of (language) learning. For us, it’s a major step toward international understanding and becoming a European School.
Photo and text: A. Lohoff
