I think, at first we (30 students / tenth grade) all thought it was going to be your ordinary class trip, but we couldn’t have been more wrong. First of all, we didn’t stay in a dingy hostel, but spent the nights and evenings in host families.
This seemed frightening of course, staying with strangers for a whole week, especially because most of us were placed with classmates we didn’t know that well, however the host parents were super sweet, and we soon became good friends with them, their children and pets and the overall experience of staying there.
I think this was one of the best parts of the trip since we got an exclusive insight into the life of a British family. We got to experience typical British food, British traditions, the beautiful landscape of the South of England and even a pagan festival on May 2nd, called Jack in the Green, which Hastings hosts once a year to celebrate the upcoming summer.
Another thing that made this trip so special were the two trips to London, where we had complete freedom to explore the city in small groups. Some of us went sightseeing, others went shopping, just sat in a nice cafe or park or spent their time at the M&M’s-World. Opportunities were endless, and so was the fun.
But in the end the most important part of this trip were the new friendships that developed. With our host families and people we met, but also within our own grade, with people we had already known for ages but had never really talked to before.
So, future tenth graders: Go for it! This trip is totally worth the 15 hours we spent on the bus to get there 🙂
Oh, and did I mention the theatre workshop at the world-famous Globe Theatre with a real Shakespeare actor, the most delicious Tea Time at the British Tea Museum, the visit to medieval Canterbury, the sea side…
I think, at first we (30 students / tenth grade) all thought it was going to be your ordinary class trip, but we couldn’t have been more wrong. First of all, we didn’t stay in a dingy hostel, but spent the nights and evenings in host families.
This seemed frightening of course, staying with strangers for a whole week, especially because most of us were placed with classmates we didn’t know that well, however the host parents were super sweet, and we soon became good friends with them, their children and pets and the overall experience of staying there.
I think this was one of the best parts of the trip since we got an exclusive insight into the life of a British family. We got to experience typical British food, British traditions, the beautiful landscape of the South of England and even a pagan festival on May 2nd, called Jack in the Green, which Hastings hosts once a year to celebrate the upcoming summer.
Another thing that made this trip so special were the two trips to London, where we had complete freedom to explore the city in small groups. Some of us went sightseeing, others went shopping, just sat in a nice cafe or park or spent their time at the M&M’s-World. Opportunities were endless, and so was the fun.
But in the end the most important part of this trip were the new friendships that developed. With our host families and people we met, but also within our own grade, with people we had already known for ages but had never really talked to before.
So, future tenth graders: Go for it! This trip is totally worth the 15 hours we spent on the bus to get there 🙂
Oh, and did I mention the theatre workshop at the world-famous Globe Theatre with a real Shakespeare actor, the most delicious Tea Time at the British Tea Museum, the visit to medieval Canterbury, the sea side…
Text: Alma Bahr, 10