Experience in Germany before Easter holidays
Four Year 9 pupils (Kaiden, Oscar, Daniel and Leo) had been preparing for the school’s second touring experience since joining the Academy Trust, and what an experience it was!!! Following the extremely early collection (3am), we had a long drive to Heathrow where we navigated Terminal 5 and an extremely prolonged (and difficult) check-in process which subsequently resulted in Kaiden having to show real resilience and trust in an unfamiliar member of staff while he waited for the next available flight to Berlin (an error on British Airways part). This then sparked that very famous scene in Home Alone where staff and pupils were running at high speed to ensure they got on the plane in time (very much a moment we could all laugh about once we returned home). It was then Daniel who had to show patience and acceptance when he realised that his luggage wasn’t on the carousel at Berlin airport – the thought of not having any clean clothes or belongings didn’t faze him at all.
Once we arrived at our hostel for the week, the pupils had to navigate not only being in a different country, but also their culture and cuisine (it was a good job that we found our daily Lidl shop, which provided a real sense of consistency and independence as pupils had to navigate how best to spend their 5 Euros. Leo soon realised the difficulties of having a whole melon for your lunch wasn’t to be repeated on day 2!!!
The pupils fully immersed themselves in the local museums – with the following highlights: Deutschland Museum – specifically the understanding of how Germany grew and developed through the years and a very emotive curation of Nazi Germany. Navigating the train journeys to many locations in and around Berlin – this provided valuable moments to rest and recover as all boys found the 18,000 – 25,000 steps per day a little overwhelming (but I have evidence that they can do it!). The panoramic view of Berlin (and the super-fast lift) also provided some great photo opportunities. Daniel (and myself) particularly enjoyed the Olympic Stadium and the impact that a young Jesse Owens would have on young black men in our lifetime. The audio tour of Sachsenhause Concentration Camp was detailed and evoking, which I believe provided real opportunities to think and reflect on how privileged we and our families are at this time. The light hearted entertainment of bowling provided an opportunity for Kaiden to show his “Sporting Super Power” – maybe we need to add this to the PE curriculum next year, Mr Hawkes and Mr Murcott? The walk along the length of the Berlin Wall also showcased the artistic licence available to those within Berlin – and for any budding GCSE artists will naturally inspire you for your options this term! Berlin Zoo brought out the inner child in us all, especially seeing Jiao Qing – Panda which resulted in us all geeking out about Kung Fu Panda.
This experience will ignite a passion for travel as well as providing essential skills to support the pupils well beyond Elmwood. You can all start creating (and hopefully ticking off) your very own “bucket list”.
