Today we met at Celle train station at 9:30 a.m. and said goodbye to our parents before starting our journey. First, we took the train to Hannover main station, where we arrived at around 10:30 a.m. We spent some time in the shops at the station until our next train left at 10:56 a.m. to Berlin main station. From there we travelled one more stop and then took our last train to Gliwice at 1:00 p.m. The last part of the journey took about four hours.
When we arrived in Gliwice, the Polish students welcomed us very warmly with posters and Polish and German flags. After that, we met our host families and went home with them. At home we got to know each other better. I gave my host family the gifts I brought from Germany, and they were very happy. My exchange partner also gave me a present. She showed me her home, her room, and her pets. We talked, laughed a lot, showed each other sweets from Poland Germany, and had a very nice first evening together. At around 10 p.m. we went to sleep after a very nice first evening together.

Dardo Jallow

I woke up at 7:30 and got ready for school. At school, we met at 9:00. Then the deputy headteacher gave a short presentation about the school. After that Emma and Giuliana shared some information about our school. We all introduced ourselves to the group and received gifts from the Polish students.

At 9:40, we ate snacks. We were put into four groups for the week. The first task for each group was to create its own group name and group logo. After that, the teachers showed us around the school and some places in it, like the gym, the art room, or the teachers’ room. At 11:50, we all played a game together and presented our logos. At 12:30, we had a workshop about clickbait and fake news. We did many different things, like a quest about the topic.
Then, at 13:45, we went into the city and had some quests to complete in our groups. For example, we went to a park and listened to what we could hear, then wrote something in Polish, English, and German. At 15:20, we had pizza. We did some more quests, and at 16:35, we had to interview some random person about what they like in the city. After that, we went back to the school and were able to go home at 17:00 to spend the rest of the day with our host family.

Leona Felda

First, we had a workshop about the Earth and how we can help to keep it healthy. We started with a game where we had to sort words in Polish, English, and German.

After that, we watched a movie about the Earth. Then we got some questions to answer, for example: What is smog? What are the main sources? What effects does it have on humans? What can we do to stop it? We also talked about the consequences if people continue to harm the environment. This can lead to serious health problems.

Next, we did an experiment to show how smog forms. First, we made the inside of a jar a little wet. Then we lit a piece of paper and quickly put it into the jar and closed it.

The smoke mixed with the humid air and stayed inside, which created a smog-like cloud.

After that, we watched more videos about the Earth and its problems. Then we did another experiment where we built a simple machine to collect rubbish from the ocean. We used bottles so it could float, added a cardboard base, and built a movable arm with sticks and rubber bands. We also attached a net to collect the rubbish. In the end, we designed and decorated our machine and tested it. We had to collect three cork lids from the water, which represented plastic waste. Our group did very well and got second place.

Later, we took the train to Katowice. There, we visited the Silesian Museum. We saw many pictures of people, old instruments, and learned about life in underground coal mines. After the museum, we went to a shopping center and spent a long time there. We visited many stores like MR. DIY, Bershka, and others. Finally, we went back to school by bus. Then we went to Karolina’s house, where all the girls met to get to know each other better. After that, we went  home with our host students.

Giuliana Stratmann

Today was a very nice and interesting day. In the morning, we were given the chance to participate in a meeting with several school council’s from Gliwice. The topic of the gathering was social media and AI. The mayor of Gliwice was also present at this event. It was special to see her. She talked about her job. I was a little nervous, but also happy.

The meeting started with a debate where students discussed if the use of social media should be forbidden for teens under 15. The students presented arguments for and against this claim. After that the plenary was asked to vote for the group of students whose arguments were most convincing and we were given the task to create a video with our statement about social media.

Next we heard a presentation about AI held by a university professor. At our table, we talked about the pros and cons of AI. I learned new things, and I think AI is important for the future.

Later, we went to the Palm House. It was really warm inside. There were many plants from other countries. We also saw several exotic animals. Everything looked very different and interesting. My favorite part was the butterflies. They were very colorful and beautiful. They were flying around us, and it was fun to watch them.
At the end of the day, I was tired but happy. It was a great day, and I liked it a lot.

 Tom Trümper

On Thursday we went to Krakow and saw many things, but let me start from the beginning. First, we met at the train station in Gliwice at 8:50 a.m. Then we took the train to Krakow.

When we arrived in Krakow, we ate pretzels at the train station. After that, we went to the Old Town of Krakow. In the Old Town, we first learned about St. Mary's Basilica. Then we went on to the Cloth Hall, which is now a souvenir shop. After that, we went to the University Carillon and looked at the beautiful carillon.

Then we had free time in the Old Town, and most of us went shopping. We ate at KFC. After that, we went to Wawel Royal Castle and were in the inner courtyard. Then we went down to the dragon and took a break there. During the break, Robin and I went to a souvenir stand and bought some stuff. After the break, we walked through the beautiful park to the train station. We went back and did some more shopping at the local shopping centre, then took the train back to Gliwice. That was our exciting Thursday in Krakow.

Kingston Oberzier

School started at 8:00 a.m. In the first lesson, we learned about different countries and their stereotypes. There was a presentation about typical clichés in various countries, and we also watched a video about it. Afterwards, we had to complete a task: we were asked to draw a “monster” where each body part represented a stereotype about Polish or German people. Green meant the stereotype is true, red meant it is not true, and yellow meant it is sometimes true. Each lesson here lasts 45 minutes.

In the second lesson, we answered questions like “What did you like most this week?” or “Which color describes your week?”. Then we listened to music with our eyes closed and had to say which color we associated with it. Many different colors were mentioned, such as green, red, or yellow. Afterwards, threads were passed around, which together formed a colorful spider web. Then we had something to eat. In the third lesson, Mr. Kruse and Ms. Lohpens presented a gift to the headmistress. After that, we split into four groups and created bookmarks expressing our feelings about Erasmus. We had about an hour for this. Then, in our groups, we had to make a video using the photos we had taken during the week. Together, we discussed what we had learned, how we felt, and what we would take away from this trip.

Later, another class came to visit us. We presented what we had done throughout the week and showed them our presentations about the Palm House (butterfly house). We also gave them our bookmarks and small notes with kind messages.
After school, Giuliana and her exchange student, as well as Dardo and her exchange student, came to our place. At first, we stayed inside and played “Truth or Dare.” Then we went to the park because we got bored. There was a playground there where we spent time talking together. At 7:30 p.m., we left the park and went home. We had dinner there — we ate pierogi, a traditional Polish dish. After that, I unfortunately had to pack my suitcase.

Emma Matzeit

We met at the train station in Gliwice at 9:00 a.m. today and said goodbye to our host families. Then we went to the platform and waited five minutes for the train to Frankfurt (Oder). We quickly boarded and were assigned our seats.

A few hours later, we arrived at Berlin Central Station and checked the train schedules. We chose the train with reserved seats and had to wait 20 minutes. During this time, we had some free time. We went shopping in the station shop and bought a Berlin magnet. Then it was time for us to catch up, and we went to the train together.
We quickly boarded and found our seats. We finally arrived in Celle at 7:27 p.m., said goodbye to Ms. Lohpens and Mr. Kruse, and met up with our parents who took us home after our amazing journey to Gliwice.

Robin Glinz

Ich fand den Polen-Austausch sehr schön, da ich es sehr genossen habe, andere Kulturen und neue Leute kennenzulernen. Ich habe neue Freundschaften geschlossen. Am besten fand ich den Ausflug nach Krakau, weil wir viel über die Geschichte Polens erfahren haben und auch Freizeit hatten. Insgesamt war die Woche sehr schön, hat sehr viel Spaß gemacht und mir viele neue Erinnerungen geschaffen. Ich würde immer wieder gerne an einem Austausch teilnehmen und würde ihn auch weiterempfehlen, da man viele andere Kulturen kennenlernen und viel über andere Länder lernen kann.

Ich fand den Austausch nach Polen sehr interessant und schön, da ich viele Leute kennengelernt und Freundschaften geschlossen habe. Mein Favorit war die Stadt Kraków, weil es sehr spannend war, mehr darüber zu erfahren, was dort passiert ist. Ich fand auch allgemein Gliwice schön, da die Stadt wirklich hübsch ist und es viele Läden zum Einkaufen gab. Ich würde Erasmus auf jeden Fall weiterempfehlen, einfach um neue Erfahrungen sammeln zu können. Außerdem habe ich viel über die Kultur gelernt und neue Erfahrungen gesammelt.

Ich fand die Fahrt nach Polen super schön, weil es interessant war zu sehen, wie es in anderen Ländern ist. Mir hat am besten gefallen, dass wir nach Krakau gefahren sind und die Altstadt besichtigt haben. Was auch noch schön war, war, dass wir da noch Freizeit hatten und allein herumlaufen konnten. Ich würde es immer wieder weiterempfehlen, weil es einfach interessant ist, wie es in Polen ist. Mir hat auch gefallen dass in Polen nicht so viel Müll rum liegt und man viel mehr Mülleimer hat als in Deutschland.

Mein Fazit zum Erasmus-Programm in Polen ist insgesamt gut. Die Woche hat mir Spaß gemacht und ich habe viele neue Erfahrungen gesammelt. Besonders gut haben mir die Städte gefallen, weil sie sehr schön und interessant waren. Auch die Schule fand ich schön, weil sie modern war und die Schüler freundlich waren. Das Palm House hat mir auch viel Spaß gemacht, weil es dort viele spannende Pflanzen zu sehen gab. Die Reise war eine tolle Erfahrung, und ich konnte viel Neues über Polen lernen.

Die Erasmus-Woche war für mich eine sehr schöne und neue Erfahrung, weil es mein erster Erasmus-Austausch war. Ich fand es spannend, eine Schule in Polen zu sehen, weil das Schulleben dort schon anders ist als hier in Deutschland. Zum Beispiel sind manche Regeln und der Unterricht etwas unterschiedlich. Auch das Essen war anders als bei uns, aber ich fand es interessant, neue Sachen zu probieren. Außerdem war es cool zu sehen, dass auch das Geld dort anders ist. Das war am Anfang etwas ungewohnt. Die Mitschüler dort waren alle sehr nett und freundlich, deshalb habe ich mich schnell wohlgefühlt. Insgesamt hat mir die Woche sehr gut gefallen und ich würde so einen Austausch auf jeden Fall nochmal machen, weil man viel Neues lernt und viele neue Leute kennenlernt.

Mein Polen Austausch nach Gleiwitz war schön. Wir haben viel unternommen, wir waren zum Beispiel in Katowice und in Krakau. Das sind sehr schöne Städte und man hat viel gelernt. Meine Gastfamilie war sehr nett. Wir waren Go-Kart fahren und bei einem Fußballspiel. Ich habe mir lustige Sachen gekauft und mich viel mit meiner Gastfamilie beschäftigt. Wir waren auch öfter etwas essen, aber haben zu Hause auch Pizza, Piroggen und Schnitzel gegessen. Das war sehr lecker. Aber es war auch etwas anstrengend, weil wir sehr viel gelaufen sind, aber das gehört dazu.

Die Erasmus-Woche war eine richtig coole Erfahrung. Es hat Spaß gemacht, neue Leute aus anderen Ländern kennenzulernen und gemeinsam Zeit zu verbringen. Besonders die Mischung aus Lernen, Ausflügen und Freizeit war perfekt, weil es nie langweilig wurde. Ich fand es spannend zu sehen, wie andere Schüler leben und denken. Dadurch habe ich auch selbst neue Perspektiven bekommen. Am besten waren die gemeinsamen Aktivitäten und die vielen lustigen Momente, die wir zusammen erlebt haben. Insgesamt war die Woche nicht nur interessant, sondern auch unvergesslich – eine Erfahrung, die ich jederzeit wieder machen würde.