Vogelsbergschule Schotten – kooperative Gesamtschule Schotten (Vogelsbergkreis)

Sunday, 11th June 2023

We all met at our school at 10 am. Then we went to the Frankfurt Airport by bus. When we arrived at the airport, we checked in and got through the security check. After that we stayed in the waiting area till our boarding.
We got on the plane and flew to Alicante. The flight took 2 hours.
When we arrived in Alicante, we were really excited to meet our host families.
(Lilly Wichmann & Larissa Föller, 9aG)

Monday, 12th June, 2023

In the first hour we played games to get to know each other. We played Musical Chairs. Afterwards, the Spanish students showed us around the school. The school has its own small church and library. Shortly after, there was a welcome ceremony where the younger students played musical instruments in a little concert. We were greeted and welcomed in a very friendly way. After that, we visited the city in small groups and listened to short reports about the sights. We were also welcomed by the mayor and were given small presents by him.
(Alexander Krumm, Lena Etling & Alberto Avram, 9aG & 9aR)

Tuesday,13th June, 2023

On Tuesday we were all divided into different groups and each one got a different topic about global warming and prepared a presentation on it. Later, when everyone finished, we had to present them to the class.
We worked in the school garden with some smaller kids from primary school. First, we all got a bottom of a plastic bottle that we had to decorate. After that we had to put some soil into it and chose seeds we wanted to plant. We also had to water the plants, which most kids failed to do and instead flooded their plants. After we were done watering the plants, we had to put the plastic bottles with our plants into a wooden sleeve in the school garden.
The plan for the day was to clean up the nature around Monover and get to know something about the water shortage in this part of Spain. At first we took a walk in a canyon and they told us that underneath the surface there‘s a river that flows and gives water to the plants in the canyon.
After that we selected garbage on the side of the road to clean the area.
(Leon Odenweller & Moritz Lang, 9aR & 9aG)

Wednesday, 14th June, 2023

(A day in Alicante)
On Wednesday, we spent the day in Alicante. The first stop was the castle. We walked up and explored the area.
Then a guide talked about the Mediterranean Sea and especially about the plant Posidonia, which grows in it. He highlighted its important role for the environment, e.g. the production of oxygen. Higher water temperatures and rising sea levels support the growth of the plant, but tourism and commerce destroy the habitat of it. The guide lead us to the beach where he explained the negative impact of (micro)plastic pollution in the ocean and its consequences for the sea animals and human nutrition.
(Armin Salavati & Julian Neumann, 9aG & 9aR)

Thursday, 15th June 2023

At first we played some games in the school playground. For the first game, the teacher told us that we had to organise ourselves in a row from the shortest to the longest hair, for example. In the last round we were not allowed to speak to each other. We could only communicate with our hands.
At 9 am we met the owner of „D’Chics“, a shoe production company. He gave a presentation about his company and how every work was influenced by the industrialisation.
After the break (around 11:30 am) we met the PE teacher and played some games like dodgeball and robber and gendarme.
(Lisa Weitz & Lilly Wichmann, 9aR & 9aG)

Friday, 16th June, 2023

We interviewed locals and returned to school between 8:48 am and 11:44 am. As Ms. Werda arrived, we started singing happy birthday, in English, Spanish and German. Next we wrote newspaper articles about the things we did. At the graduation party, the boys wore suits and the girls wore dresses. Hence, the atmosphere of the event was pretty elegant. The ceremony also had a church-like feel because there was a statue of Maria, a priest was present, and music was played by a small band. Graduates gave speeches and received certificates for taking part in the exchange. So the event had a traditional vibe. After receiving our certificates, we listened to music and danced together, and overall just had a great time. Families took photos, and a small buffet was served. We left early for a pool party.
(Lennard Schneider & Lena Etling, 9aG)

Saturday, 17th June, 2023

Day 7: Raffle party
There was a party because the school year ended and the school celebrates this every year. Every class prepared a performance in which they sang and danced. In the end there was something to eat and drink. Also there was a raffle. This is an activity in which people buy tickets with different numbers, some of which are later chosen to win prizes. That event is organized in order to collect money for a social cause.
(Aiyana Rings-Perez & Melina Schnell, 9aG)

Sunday, 18th June, 2023

Day 8: Departure
We spent the last hours with our host families. Then we met at 2:45 pm at the Spanish school and left at 3:10 pm for the airport. It was really hard to say goodbye. Our flight was at 6:10 pm and we landed at 9pm because our flight was late.
(Aiyana Rings-Perez & Melina Schnell)