TWENTY two high school pupils from St Benedict School recently returned from an exchange programme in Germany.
The pupils were accompanied by two teachers from the school.
Barbara van Rensburg, St Benedict School teacher and tour organiser said from the moment of their arrival in Dusseldorf, an exciting two week schedule was put together giving pupils an opportunity to visit the cities of Cologne, Munster, Bad Bentheim and Osnabruck in Germany for day visits and to travel across the border to the Netherlands for a day trip to Amsterdam.
“A weekend in Berlin and the nearby city of Potsdam was most definitely a highlight of the trip. During the two week exchange programme, the St Benedict pupils were hosted by families from Missions gymnasium St Antonius, a school in Bardel, near the town of Gronau.
“The extensive touring and the experience of a different language and lifestyle in the host homes, as well as spending a number of days in the German school, was an opportunity for the St Benedict pupils to understand that, while there are many similarities and common trends among all teenagers, there are so many different and interesting aspects of life in other countries to appreciate,” said van Rensburg.
This trip was the third such tour organised by St Benedict School, the first being in 2008, then again in 2011. Staff and families of St Benedict School welcomed a group of the Bardel exchange partners to Durban in 2012 and it is planned that another group from Germany will be hosted in 2015.
