On 28.10.2023, six first-year students set off by bus for Strasbourg. After spending the whole day on the bus, in the evening we were met by Luc Demissy at the bus stop in France. Luc took us by tram to our house, where we spent the next three weeks. After arriving home, we were able to go to bed in peace. The next day, we met Luc again in the European quarter, where he told us about the history of Strasbourg, the capital of Europe. Afterwards, we strolled around the city centre together and had a bite to eat near the cathedral. The day continued, and of course we couldn’t do without a few souvenirs. Unfortunately, a downpour caught us by surprise and we all came home soaking wet.
On Monday, Luc accompanied us to our six different establishments. Everyone was warmly welcomed to their school and integrated into the groups. In the evening, we shared our impressions of this first day’s work with Luc over the traditional tarte flambée.
Over the next few days we organised our free time in a variety of ways. Among other things, we toured the local bars, tried out the French ‘Lieferando’ service, cooked together, spent money in shopping centres and partied until the early hours in a club. We also explored Strasbourg’s old town, including our favourite district, ‘Petite France’. Our neighbour cat, whom we christened ‘Simba’, also visited us from time to time.
For the second weekend, Mr Huber, Mrs Piehler and Mrs Cipa came to visit us and introduced themselves in some of our establishments. We ended the evening with a pleasant meal in the restaurant and a tasting of “Picon beer” on a boat bar. The next morning, we visited the European Parliament.
After some fun conversations, the weekend unfortunately passed all too quickly and our last week of work began. The language barrier caused a few communication problems at first, but we managed to overcome them and communicate with the children and colleagues.
We also celebrated the ‘lantern festival’ in each school, for which some of the students made the lanterns themselves with the children.
Looking back on the three weeks abroad, it was a very exciting, exciting and interesting time, with lots of experiences and adventures. As a group, we also got to know each other better and grew together. The internship gave us the opportunity to discover a different way of working, and we’re glad we took it.
Lucy Ebneth, Michelle Ebelt, Leonie Kraus, Sina Striegl, Jenny Behrendt, Franziska Völ
