Besuch aus NL-Terneuzen 

Monday, 19.02.2024: Arrival and Visiting the Mayor

The Dutch students arrived at the school at around 2:30 pm and we first had a quick lunch and then a tour around the school. After about an hour, we went into the city center of Melle. We went to the city hall and met with the Lady Mayor. We sat down in the great hall.

Mrs Dettmann, the mayor, told us a bit about herself and her job as mayor. After that, she talked about the history of Melle and the city hall and the two churches next to it. She told us the city hall has special bells that are rare in Germany, even though they are common in the Netherlands. She also told us how the crest of Melle had changed during the Second World War, because it looked too much like a Christian cross. It was pretty cool and we learned more about Melle. In the end, we wrote our names in the book for visitors and we got a small package with information about Melle and we went back to the school. We spent the rest of the night with our families.

Tuesday, 20.02.2024: Artmuseum Bielefeld

After the journey on the train from Melle to Bielefeld, visiting the Kunsthalle Bielefeld, an art museum, was a nice change of pace. The group gained a different perspective. The guide encouraged the forming of interpretations among the group, as abstract art is meant to be interpreted. A process explained throughout the exhibition.

We were taught that the meaning of an abstract piece, or any art piece for that matter, is influenced by factors such as the warmth of the colours, the size of the canvas, the context in which it was made and even the materials and techniques used to develop the piece.

The final paintings discussed were nice for the members of the group that are not as interested in abstract art as those were paintings that could be appreciated by the rendering of the subject alone. And even those images were explained thoroughly. In the end, the trip to the museum was an insight into the world of art and a demonstration of just how meaningful it can be.

The visit required a lot of mental energy leaving some a bit drained, however, right after the activity we got the chance to sort our thoughts by walking to our next destination.

Written by Frederic, Jelco, Nasser & Tim

Sparrenburg

On the second day of the exchange, after visiting the art museum “Kunsthalle Bielefeld“, we went up to the Sparrenburg.

Sparrenburg is a castle which was first mentioned in 1256. Since it was on our way to the “Dr. Oetker Welt” and because we wanted to have a great view, we went to the castle. When we arrived, we did not have that much time to look around, but enough to take some pictures and enjoy the view over Bielefeld and the Teutoburger Wald. To get up to the castle, we had to walk up a hill, which was quite exhausting for everybody. Therefore, we were relieved when we finally got up the hill. The view of the city was amazing. We think that it is the best place to look at the city. Climbing up the hill was definitely worth it.

Although the view was marvelous, there were also some other impressive things. There was this huge hole in the ground, some other spots were very small and dark and the walls were very high. The overall feeling of the castle was a bit scary. However, the view of the city was absolutely beautiful and we all enjoyed it.

Written by Amy, Isis, Julia

Dr. Oetker Welt

At the „Dr. Oetker Welt“, we spent an afternoon getting to know everything about the world-famous enterprise.

First, we had a guided tour around the building. The tour was given in English. The tour guide started talking about the history of Dr. Oetker and he showed us examples of what the machines used to look like back in the early days of Dr. Oetker. We also were told where the story of great success began when the baking powder was invented in a pharmacy in Bielefeld.

When the first part of the tour was done, we were able to try the Dr. Oetker pudding, which was made by a pudding machine. The pudding was made very fast and tasted delicious.

When the second part of the tour started, the guide showed us the kitchen where they do all the test-baking. This is located on the second floor. After that, we went to the third floor and our guide showed us a little exhibition of Dr. Oetker products which were made back in the day. There were also some original cards that they used to use.

After that we were allowed to taste some of their famous pizza and some of their tasty desserts; for example “Paula Pudding“.

At the end of the tour, we stopped by the gift shop that is located in the building and this shop offers a wide range of Dr. Oetker products. Afterwards, each of us got a bag with gifts for free. It was filled with a magazine, baking products and a fancy tin box. We really enjoyed the tour and the food at Dr. Oetker.

written by Hanna, Sherin & Victoria

Wednesday, 21.02.2024: Berlin

On Wednesday our trip to Berlin took place. The first thing we did after a three-hour train ride was to walk around the city, like a self-guided tour, to hear some information and take pictures of different sights and monuments like the Tiergarten, the Berlin Wall or the Holocaust memorial.

After that, we visited the chocolate museum of Ritter Sport and some of us bought some chocolate to take home. After some (very short) free time in Berlin, we then walked to the famous Brandenburger Tor and took some pictures together as a group.

We had our lunch at the canteen of the Reichstag building and enjoyed some conversations as a group. Next, we went inside the parliament and watched some debates among the members of the German Bundestag.

Afterwards, we had a conversation with a member of Parliament, Mrs Anke Hennig, where we learned some interesting facts about her profession. We also went to the top of the building which had a beautiful view of the city. As a memory of our time together, we took some pictures with the politician and also alone as a group.

At the end of the day, we were all exhausted from the long but fun and beautiful trip.

written by Henriette, Jed, Leonie

Tuesday, 22.02.2024: Noller Schlucht

On Thursday we visited the Noller Schlucht.  We went there to learn more about the climate change and the nature in the surrounding area. A first, we climbed up a hill into the forest and split up into four groups. The first group looked for insects on the ground, for example beetles, worms, spiders and other species. The second group learned how to recognize traces from animals, such as scratch marks, footprints, sleeping spots and other ways to see which animals are around. The third group learned about the differences in the ground composition and the importance of nutrient rich soil for certain types of plants to grow. This was done by hammering two pipes into the ground, one in a natural part of the forest and another in the artificial part of the forest. The fourth group learned about the effects of invasive species on a forest. This was shown to us by climbing up another part of the hill where all the trees had died. We also learned about the ways farmers are adapting to climate change, for example by planting trees which are better adapted to any heat and drought that might come in the future. For the farmers it is (from an economical point of view) not reasonable to plant new trees, but in an ecological sense it will be really important.

After the first part of the day, we had time for lunch. After lunch, we had three more groups that we could work in. In the first group, we could create our own paper and decorate it with leafs or flowers. In the second group, we could do a kind of printing. There we had to paint something on paper and afterwards on an  old milk carton with a needle. After that, we had to paint it with blue paint and wipe it with a rag, than we could print it on colored paper. The third group could paint with things from nature, for example coal or eggs. We were able to choose where we want to go and could do two or all three things. It was very interesting and fun.

In the end, we played Jenga and then took the bus to Melle again. Afterwards, we could go home and had free time. Some students and their exchange partners went  swimming and others stayed in Melle in the city.

Friday, 23.02.2024 : Farewell – Breakfast

The exchange students came together for the last time. Everyone found their way to the cafeteria at 8 am and contributed something to the breakfast. We had finger food like cookies but also healthy snacks like cucumber, paprika or apples. For our bread rolls we had jam, salami, cheese and much more.

Eating healthy is important because it gives our bodies the nutrients they need to work properly and helps us to stay at a good weight. It also keeps us feeling good and can prevent diseases. Starting healthy habits early can help us to stay healthy for a long time.

 

Op naar Terneuzen! Tot ziens Terneuzen!

Henriette Kammeyer, Kl. 11b berichtet

Die IGS Melle hat mit dem Lodewijk College in  NL-Terneuzen eine neue Partnerschaft für einen Schüleraustausch für die Jahrgänge 10 und 11 gestartet. Der erste Besuch fand mit 15 IGSlern in Begleitung der Lehrkräfte Diana Westerheide und Deborah Zaus vom 02.10.2023-06.10.2023 in NL-Terneuzen statt.

Am Montag, 02.10.23, morgens um 7.30 Uhr trafen wir uns an der IGS zur Abfahrt. Nach kurzer Verabschiedung von den Eltern, dem Einräumen des Gepäcks und der Vorstellung des äußerst sympathischen Busfahrers ging‘s dann auch schon los.
Rund 6 Stunden und einige Pausen später kamen wir in der Stadt Terneuzen, im Südwesten der Niederlande kurz vor der belgischen Grenze, an. Zuerst sind wir jedoch bei der falschen Schule gelandet, was kurz zur Verwirrung bei uns und den niederländischen Schülern führte.
Nachdem wir dann bei der richtigen Schule, dem Lodewijk College, angekommen sind, wurden wir mit Snacks und Getränken begrüßt und lernten die Niederländer und Finnen kennen. Letztere nahmen parallel ebenfalls an dem Austauschprogramm teil.
Anschließend folgte ein kurzer Rundgang durch die Schule und das Verteilen von Leih-Fahrrädern, welche das College für Gäste zur Verfügung stellt.
Dann ging’s auch schon zu den jeweiligen Gastfamilien nach Hause und den Rest des Tages hatten wir Freizeit, wobei es zu individuellen Abendplanungen in den Gastfamilien kam.

 

Am Dienstag begann unser Programm um 9.00 Uhr an der Schule, wobei ein Großteil von uns natürlich mit dem Fahrrad angeradelt kam.
Geplant war ein Ausflug nach Aardenburg, welcher mit einer Stadtführung durch die schöne Altstadt begann. Anschließend sind wir an den Strand gefahren und haben eine 5km lange Wanderung durch das Naturschutzgebiet „t‘Zwin“ unternommen, welches von einer wunderschönen Landschaft geprägt ist.
Zurück in Terneuzen hatten wir am Nachmittag Freizeit, bevor wir uns am Abend zu einem gemeinsamen Spieleabend in der Schule trafen.
Zur späterer Stunde unternahmen einige von uns beispielsweise noch einen Strandspaziergang, da der Strand von der Stadtmitte aus schnell mit dem Fahrrad zu erreichen ist.

 

Am Tag darauf, Mittwoch, wurden wir im Stadthaus von Terneuzen empfangen und herzlich durch den Bürgermeister begrüßt.
Nachdem wir einem Vortrag über das Thema Nachhaltigkeit angehört hatten, gab es eine kurze Führung durch das Stadthaus, zwischendurch wurden wir mit Essen und Getränken versorgt.
Zur Mittagszeit holte uns der Bus ab und fuhr uns nach Middelburg, der Hauptstadt der niederländischen Provinz Zeeland.
Nach einer kurzen geführten Tour, die über die historischen Hintergründe aufklärte, hatten wir Zeit zur freien Verfügung, in der wir beispielsweise Essen gehen, Souvenirs kaufen oder Shoppen gehen konnten.
Den Abend konnten wir erneut individuell gestalten, wobei wir uns in größeren Gruppen in der Stadt trafen.

 

Donnerstag, unseren letzten Tag, verbrachten wir in der Schule mit einer Projektarbeit zum Thema „The Problem of Plastic Soup in the Ocean and how to solve it“, wobei wir tiefer in die Materie zu diesem Thema eintauchten und spannende Hintergrund-informationen erhielten. Anschließend fand eine gemeinsame Müllsammelaktion in Kleingruppen am Deich bzw. Strand statt.
Die Zeit am Nachmittag hatten wir erneut zur freien Verfügung, in dieser waren wir beispielsweise in der Stadt unterwegs, Eisessen oder haben eine traditionelle „Appel Taart“ probiert.
Am letzten Abend fand ein gemütliches Essen in der Schule im Beisein der Gastfamilien und Lehrer statt. Dabei stellten einige Schüler die Aktivitäten der Woche, sowie das Nachhaltigkeitsprojekt vor.
Anschließend verbrachten wir noch einige gemeinsame Stunden zusammen, bevor wir zurück zu den Gastfamilien nach Hause fuhren und unsere Taschen für die Rückreise packten.

 

Freitag Morgen trafen wir uns dann pünktlich um 08:15 Uhr an der Schule. Nach einigen Abschiedsfotos und herzlichen
Verabschiedungen ging es eine Viertelstunde später dann wieder in Richtung Melle.
Nach knapp sieben Stunden (inklusive eines kurzen Stopps bei Mc’s) kamen wir wieder in der Heimat an.

Fazit: Während unserer Zeit in den Niederlanden haben wir sehr gastfreundliche Gastfamilien kennengelernt, die aufopferungs-voll und spontan teilweise bis zu vier Austauschschüler gleichzeitig aufnahmen. Darüber hinaus hatten wir viel Zeit, unsere Englisch-Kenntnisse in der Praxis anzuwenden, wobei wir viele neue Kontakte geknüpft und sehr nette Menschen, sowie die schöne Stadt Terneuzen kennengelernt haben.
Die gemeinsame Woche war eine tolle Erfahrung und ist mit vielen lustigen Erinnerungen verbunden.

Der Gegenbesuch in Melle findet vom 19. Februar bis 23. Februar 2024 statt.

-Henriette Kammeyer, 11b-