Torben:
Our great trip began on Tuesday. We took the train via Cologne to Brussels. We arrived in the afternoon so we had the afternoon for checking in in the hotel and going into a restaurant with the teachers.
Brussels is an amazing city with an high rate of chocolate shops and places where you can buy french fries. Our second day in Brussels was also interesting because we saw some sights of the Belgian capital like the Atomium.Later we went via Liège to Aywaille to meet our host students. This was the decisive moment, my first contact to the Belgian students.
First the circumstances were confusing because Lisa's host student was ill and Sophie had already two students. So Sophie and her family had to share their house with three guest students. But everybody was nice, a good premise for getting along with each other. The communication was no problem because everybody was able to speak English only to start a conversation was a thing we had to come across. Sophie's family was very nice. She has a German step mother that made the interactions way easier. Her father is in his free time a clown for ill children in the hospital. Sophie's sisters were also very nice but I didn`t talk a lot to them because they spent most of the time during our visit at the home of their mother.
My time in Belgium was coined by great conversations with great people. I never made a bad experience with Belgian people and I was impressed by the politeness of them. Talking to Belgian people gives you the feeling of being an interesting person, I like that.
Torben
Hendrik:
Tuesday, the 20th of October our Comenius team took a train to Brussels and we arrived there in the evening. Our Comenius team had the following participants: The 4 students Olesja, Lisa,Torben and me and also the 4 teachers Mrs Holzinger, Mrs. Janoschek, Mrs. Spielhoff and Mr. Braun. Mr.Braun has the intention to move to Brussels soon and therefore he was able to show us the most important sights of this town. On Tuesday evening we took a walk to the Grand Place which used to be a place for market traders to sell their wares. Today there a lot of restaurants, pubs and the town hall, which is like the others a magnificent building on this square. Close to this place is also the Manneken Pis, which is also an attraction, but I still don’t understand why. Everywhere in this town are chocolate stores where we bought pralines, which is a speciality of Belgium. Later we went to a pub called “mort surbite”. There we drank the Belgium beer, which is also famous and we got to know that they produce in Belgium fruit beers.
On the next day we visited the Atomium which is a monument built for Expo 1958, visited some European institutions and on the same day we took a train to Aywaille where we met finally our host families. Florence , my hostsister and her dad picked me up there. Florence has got three brothers and one brother who still lives at home. His name is Benoit and he was very nice. Unfortunately her parents and Benoit were not able to speak English and so we had to communicate in French, which was kind of hard. I was only able to understand them when they spoke slowly. Florence was already in Bremen and she stayed at my house and so we already knew each other.
On Thursday we went to school with a bus and it took one hour to get to school, because my host family lives in Tilf which is about 7 km away from Liege. When we arrived at school in Aywaille, we studied the first two hours English with the other host students from Spain and France. Later we had a little ceremony at the town hall. The director of the school welcomed us there. After a mime show the boys played soccer at school and in the afternoon I went with Benoit through the town in Tilf. It’s a little town with a lot of nice stores. In the evening we met Clara in Liege and there we went to a Belgium pub, where they had over 2000 different types of beer. On Friday we met the other participants of the project at the movie theatre and we watched the movie Looking for Eric by Ken Loach. In the afternoon the Belgium teachers and students showed us a folk dance, which is in my point of view kind of funny, but still interesting. In the evening we had a barbecue with our host families and the teachers. The food was very good and despite that it was quite interesting to speak with the other students about their life.
The last day, the dad of Clara took us for a ride on a boat in Liege and later I went with my family to the fair of Liege.
All in all I can say that my family was communicative, open-minded and interested about my life in Germany. The exchange was a good experience.
Hendrik
11/15/09
One week in Belgium – a multicultural experience
The first day in Belgium we spent in Brussels. It was very impressive to walk through the old part of the town and its streets. It was quite hard for me to walk so much, because it was very exhausting after spending half of the day in the train. But I enjoyed the good atmosphere between teachers and students.
Late in the evening we got to the hostel and I was very happy to fall on my bed and to just sleep.
The next morning we had get to up early, because there was another day filled with activities and visits. (Sorry to the teachers, that we were a little bit too late)
It was interesting when we were in the ‘Atomium’ but it was more interesting being in the European Commission.
It was great to hear about the activities the men told us about. But at the end of our visit it was too much information, so that I couldn’t keep it all. Fortunately we had the possibility to take some magazines and papers, which gives us much information, too.
But the whole day I was looking forward to the moment I would meet my host student and her family. I am very happy, that I could spend my time with THIS family. They were all very lovely and we talked a lot, so that I felt, that I really belong to this family.
It was truly a multicultural experience, because first I had the feeling being in France because of the language, second it was the fact that I had the possibility to talk to the host father in German or English, third we had at one evening Chinese food for dinner.
It was a lot of fun, talking during the dinner with the whole family. The father often spoke to me in German and then went on talking with his daughters in German as well. And the same situation was when he talked to the girls in French and than started to talk to me in the same language.
I enjoyed all activities we did in school, like learning the folkloric dance or just joining in the tournament, which I won together with a French teacher (the funniest thing at all was to play with and against him). But the best was being in my host family and talking with Clara and her sister. I was surprised, that we got so close to each other. We (Clara’s family and me) did a walk through a part of the Ardennes and visited the castle of Hazer.
We talked about dreams and plans for the future, about boys, families and great
experiences we had in the past.
from the left: Sara Line, Clara, me and Zoe (my host sisters)
Time passed too fast, so I was very sad about the fact that I had to leave the family. I got a present from the little sister of Clara and I was tearful because she showed with this attention that she liked me a lot.
I also got close to Clara’s friends and it was a lot of fun, spending the time with them in school and at the funfair. We laughed a lot and I was VERY HAPPY, that we had no problems with communicating.
To sum up, I would like to say, that I will never regret to join in the COMENIUS Project and I’m very happy that the choices of the families for us students were made so well. (Thanks to Mrs Holzinger and of course to the Belgium coordination!)
Olesja
Late in the evening we got to the hostel and I was very happy to fall on my bed and to just sleep.
The next morning we had get to up early, because there was another day filled with activities and visits. (Sorry to the teachers, that we were a little bit too late)
It was interesting when we were in the ‘Atomium’ but it was more interesting being in the European Commission.
It was great to hear about the activities the men told us about. But at the end of our visit it was too much information, so that I couldn’t keep it all. Fortunately we had the possibility to take some magazines and papers, which gives us much information, too.
But the whole day I was looking forward to the moment I would meet my host student and her family. I am very happy, that I could spend my time with THIS family. They were all very lovely and we talked a lot, so that I felt, that I really belong to this family.
It was truly a multicultural experience, because first I had the feeling being in France because of the language, second it was the fact that I had the possibility to talk to the host father in German or English, third we had at one evening Chinese food for dinner.
It was a lot of fun, talking during the dinner with the whole family. The father often spoke to me in German and then went on talking with his daughters in German as well. And the same situation was when he talked to the girls in French and than started to talk to me in the same language.
I enjoyed all activities we did in school, like learning the folkloric dance or just joining in the tournament, which I won together with a French teacher (the funniest thing at all was to play with and against him). But the best was being in my host family and talking with Clara and her sister. I was surprised, that we got so close to each other. We (Clara’s family and me) did a walk through a part of the Ardennes and visited the castle of Hazer.
We talked about dreams and plans for the future, about boys, families and great
experiences we had in the past.
from the left: Sara Line, Clara, me and Zoe (my host sisters)Time passed too fast, so I was very sad about the fact that I had to leave the family. I got a present from the little sister of Clara and I was tearful because she showed with this attention that she liked me a lot.
I also got close to Clara’s friends and it was a lot of fun, spending the time with them in school and at the funfair. We laughed a lot and I was VERY HAPPY, that we had no problems with communicating.
To sum up, I would like to say, that I will never regret to join in the COMENIUS Project and I’m very happy that the choices of the families for us students were made so well. (Thanks to Mrs Holzinger and of course to the Belgium coordination!)
Olesja
Belgium in October
The exchange started on 20th October 2009, we took the train, that means 7hours till we arrived in Brussels.
Torben, Hendrik, Olesja, Mrs. Holzinger, Mrs. Janoschek, Mrs. Spiehlhoff and Mr. Braun went to a nice cafe in the Belgium capital. It´s called “ Mort Subite” ( in Englisch that means sudden death).
We saw there a lot of the nightlife of Brussels and the Belgian people e.g in the cafe. the way they talk, they often use their hands and speak really loud.
Wednesday 21st October 2009 we met our host families. But to be honest I was a bit confused on this day because a girl called Sophie told me that I´m staying at her house and not at Lara’s house .
When we arrived at Sophie’s house, Torben also stayed there, Sophie asked us if we are hungry: Of course we were hungry!
All the time during this project Sophie was really caring and asked us if we were hungry, thirsty or something else to make us feel comfortable.
My opinion is that Belgian people are really openminded and really friendly, they like to talk and are really interested in you as a person.
My host was first a bit shy, because she had to talk English but after two days we talked about almost everything.
Furthermore Belgium people are really polite. I made the experience that people like to know new things about different cultures.
Sophie’s dad has a big social engagement, on few evenings in the week he works as a volunteer in a hospital as clown. Usually he is a realtor.
Now I want to use the chance and say again thank you for the great time and the experience we shared.
Lisa Katrin
Torben, Hendrik, Olesja, Mrs. Holzinger, Mrs. Janoschek, Mrs. Spiehlhoff and Mr. Braun went to a nice cafe in the Belgium capital. It´s called “ Mort Subite” ( in Englisch that means sudden death).
We saw there a lot of the nightlife of Brussels and the Belgian people e.g in the cafe. the way they talk, they often use their hands and speak really loud.
Wednesday 21st October 2009 we met our host families. But to be honest I was a bit confused on this day because a girl called Sophie told me that I´m staying at her house and not at Lara’s house .
When we arrived at Sophie’s house, Torben also stayed there, Sophie asked us if we are hungry: Of course we were hungry!
All the time during this project Sophie was really caring and asked us if we were hungry, thirsty or something else to make us feel comfortable.
My opinion is that Belgian people are really openminded and really friendly, they like to talk and are really interested in you as a person.
My host was first a bit shy, because she had to talk English but after two days we talked about almost everything.
Furthermore Belgium people are really polite. I made the experience that people like to know new things about different cultures.
Sophie’s dad has a big social engagement, on few evenings in the week he works as a volunteer in a hospital as clown. Usually he is a realtor.
Now I want to use the chance and say again thank you for the great time and the experience we shared.
Lisa Katrin
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