Year 10 Hamburg Exchange London Leg

On Thursday 28^th September, our exchange partners came to England to stay with us for the week. We were all incredibly excited about seeing each other because our last trip to Germany (when we were supposed to meet for the first time) was postponed due to a flight cancellation. Our week was full of exciting activities for us all to do together.

On the first day, the Germans came to lessons with us. They all found it very strange to see how everything works, and it was very interesting to discuss the differences between our two schools. On the second day, we went on a trip to London. All of us went to St. James' Park to walk around, and later we went to the Houses of Parliament. Not only was it intriguing for our visitors to learn about how our government is run, but it was fascinating for me to hear about it too! On Sunday we had a free day, where we could do anything we liked with our partners. My partner and I went to Bluewater with my friend and her exchange visitor. My partner said that there weren't many shopping centres as big as Bluewater in Germany, which isn't surprising, because there aren't many in England! On Monday, the Germans had the day to themselves. They went on a trip again, this time to go on the London Eye. On Tuesday all of us went to Shakespeare's Globe theatre, which I found very engaging. We also went on an Uber boat to get to the Cutty Sark, where my partner and I went to a souvenir shop and then got ice cream. After we came home from the trip, my partner and I ate some fish and chips as a treat for the last day. On Wednesday, our partners left to go back to Germany. I was sad to see my exchange friend leave, especially after we'd had so much fun together.

All in all, this trip was very enjoyable, and I'd love to do it all again. It's a good thing we get to see our exchange partners in Germany next May!

Sofie Rygielska, Year 10

After our flight cancellation due to thunderstorms in the Gatwick area, we had to postpone our trip out to Hamburg in June. Both BGS teachers and those in Germany worked quickly to rearrange our trip out to Hamburg for next year. The summer term dragged on, and summer holidays flew by. It was time to get to meet my exchange partner before I knew it. My whole family was excited about his arrival and I think our mothers communicated more with each other than we did!

The week was filled with a range of activities organised by the school and by me and my family. School arranged for us to take them sightseeing. One of the days, we took our exchange partners to see Westminster, Horse Guards Parade and Buckingham Palace before enjoying our lunch in St James' Park. Another day we walked through Borough Market and did a workshop and tour of the Globe Theatre. We took the Thames Clipper to Greenwich after lunch on the South Bank.

On weekdays, we spent our evenings painting, playing a card game Skyjo that my exchange partner had brought for us, visiting local attractions and going for meals out to our favourite restaurants. We even fitted in a trip to the cinema. He tried several new cuisines and enjoyed going on the ICloud cable car across the Thames at sunset. This was one of his favourites as he loved photography and was able to capture some amazing pictures of the London skyline at sunset.

On Sunday we went on the zip line. It was a first time experience for both of us and we were absolutely thrilled. Afterwards, we enjoyed lunch in Bluewater, which is his family's favourite shopping centre, and went boating to relax until sunset.

Both of us share an interest in Pokémon, gaming and photography and had loads to talk about. On his final night before he had to travel back, we stayed up a bit longer than bedtime as we still had so much to talk about and did not want his visit to end.

I will be going for my thwarted exchange trip in May next year, and we are both counting down until we meet again. He's told me so much about Hamburg, his family, friends and school. I can't wait to meet them and experience the culture and the city.

Karan Abrol, Year 10