Brochure II

Open publication - Free publishing - More alternative

Brochure I

Open publication - Free publishing - More alterative

Trip to Norway

My trip to Norway

On Tuesday, the 10th of May, we started our trip to Norway. We went there from Tallinn by plane. The flight lasted for an hour.

After the flight we went to Oslo. We stayed there for 2 days. I like Oslo very much. This is a really beautiful city. In Oslo we went on a trip and see the sights.

At three o'clock we started to drive to Stryn. We arrived in Stryn at 23.30.Then we met our host families. When we arrived at the house ,we went to bed because it was too late.

The next day we went on a trip. We saw there a beautiful sea and an interesting city. And of course we ate a fishsoup.

On the third day, we went to a Norwegian school. Everybody there was very friendly and wanted to talk. After school we went bowling.

The next day we went to see the glaciers. This was amazing. Later that day we just met some of the other people and went out.

I like Norway very much. The nature was so lovely. I found here some new friends, too. I hope to visit Norway again soon.




Kristina Muri

Comenius meeting in Norway

We arrived in Oslo on Tuesday. We stayed the night at the hotel in Oslo. Next day we went shopping and went to a park. The park was really beautiful. In the afternoon we started to drive to Stryn. We arrived in Stryn 12 o'clock at night. On Thursday we had an excursion. We visited several places and then returned to Stryn. In the evening me and Camilla visited Astrid and Tuule.
We watched Eurovision and then we went to Camilla's home. On Friday we all went to school. It was very interesting and fun. It started at 9 o'clock and ended at half past two. Then we went home. In the evening we went out. On Saturday we had an exursion ,too. In the evening we watched Eurovision and went to bed early. On Sunday I was at my teacher's house and at 11 o'clock we started to drive back to Oslo. I arrived back home at 5 o'clock on Monday

Maris

Guests in Estonia

Norwegians in Estonia

Trip to Norway

I’m slowly trying to get back to reality after arriving home three days ago from our trip to Norway. The trip itself was phenomenal. Norway is a beautiful country - far more so than I have even anticipated.
We stayed in Oslo for one night. Before we left, we had time to walk around Oslo. We saw very beautiful and interesting sights. At 3 o’clock we started our journey to Stryn which was very tiring because it took 8 hours to finally get there. We reached Stryn at midnight. Everyone started to look for their host family and when we all had happily found them, we left.
My host family lived 20 minutes away from Stryn. We had to get up a little bit earlier than the others because we didn’t want to miss the bus. The whole family were so sweet and kind to me and they treated me as part of the family which was why I didn’t even want to leave. I think I’m very lucky because I got to meet Kristi and her amazing family.
Our days were full of activities. We had so many fun things to do and so many beautiful things to see. The program was very interesting and we got to see those huge mountains that we unfortunately don’t see in Estonia.
On Friday, we had to spend the whole day at school with our hosts and we visited the lessons with them. The school was so different from our school because it was quite small and there weren't very many students. Their schoolday starts at 9.00 and ends at 14.30 every day.
All the people were very kind and friendly and I really enjoyed the time we got to spend together. I’m so glad that I got to meet those amazing people from Stryn. The atmosphere of Norway is absolutely different from the atmosphere of Estonia. The whole trip was so unreal for me and I’m so thankful for this opportunity. I really wish I could visit Stryn once more in my lifetime.

Maarit Rei (Estonia)

A trip to Norway

On the 10th of May, Estonian students and teachers took a plane to Norway from Tallinn.
When we got to Norway, the first thing we noticed in shops were the prices, because they were very high compared to Estonia.

We stayed the first night in a hotel in Oslo, which is a very beautiful city with many different people. People are very friendly in Norway, so it was a pleasure to be there.

The next day we drove eight hours with a bus to Stryn – the place our hosts live. The bus trip was very exhausting but actually not very horrible because the nature is so beautiful in Norway, so we just stared out of the windows and admired the mountains.
When we arrived in Stryn, our hosts were already waiting for us, so then we met them and went to their houses.

On the third day we drove around in Norway, near the Stryn, with a bus with all of the Comenius people. It was quite interesting, because we got to see more of the picturesque scenery.

The fourth day was very interesting because we got to see the school where our hosts go to. It is quite different from our school because there are fewer pupils, they have to bring their own lunch to school and in the breaks they have to go outdoors.
In the evening we all went out to the bowling alley and later to a place where teenagers get together and have fun. That day was very cool because we got to meet many new people.

The next day we went up in the mountains where we saw the glacier and when we came out of the car we could see an avalanche high in the mountains.
Later that day we just met some of the other people and went out.

On the last day we went to the guesthouse where our teachers were staying. We spent time in that house for a whole day until we had to go on a bus, which took us to Oslo again. This time the bus trip was kind of terrible, because everything was so uncomfortable and everyone except me were sleeping.

All in all, the trip was awesome because we had a lot of fun and it was very sad to leave. I already miss Norway, so I hope that one day I can visit this country again.

Tuule Põldsaar (Estonia)

Norwegians in Estonia

Our trip to Viljandi, Estonia March 11-March 15

Our trip started March 10, were we took the night bus from Stryn. The airplane left to Riga when we came to Gardermoen. When we arrived Riga the luggage waited for us all by it self, and we took a luxury bus past the border to Estonia, then an old buss to Viljandi. Our host families waited for us at the bus stop.

The next day we had some spare time. Some of us spent their money on shopping, and some of us went to a water world. Later that day we met and ate pizza.

Sunday all of the German guests and the Norwegian guests went skating with our host families. Some of us had awesome skills in skating, and others were pretty bad. After a tasty lunch we got a guided trip into old Viljandi, and after that we went to a concert at St. Pauls church. Later that day we went to an observatory near by, and learned about the universe and did some experiments that impressed us all. We got nails in our hands, and the teachers got new hairstyles.

On Monday we went to see Keila-Joa, a waterfall, where we learned about alternative energy sources in Estonia. But since we got ten times bigger waterfalls in Norway, we didn’t get so impressed by this waterfall, although it was pretty there. Later that day we took the bus to Tallinn, where we went to see the Tallinn Science Centre of Energy. After a long presentation, we were allowed to walk around and take a close look at all the exciting experiments. On our way back home to Viljandi, we stopped at a big shopping centre where we could spend some of our money. After a couple of hours with shopping, we decided that it was time get home because we were about to get poor. On the bus ride we had a lot of fun, and we all got to know each other pretty well.
On Tuesday we met on school. We joined the lessons before we had presentations. We were all nervous, but the presentations went well. The teachers had a meeting about comenius, while the students learned to test how clean different water samples was. Tuesday was the last day in Estonia, and we went bowling together.

On Wednesday we left Estonia. This was very sad, but we knew it wasn’t the last meeting with them. They were coming to us in May.

Presentation by Jürgo

A trip to Norway- May 2011 - Friederike

Comenius in Estonia March 2011

Report about the student exchange

The journey began on Tuesday, 10^th May 2011.

All students and the teachers (Frau Breder, Frau Strerath and Herr Kortmann) met at the entrance of Düsseldorf Airport. We flew to Berlin Tegel and from there to Oslo. During the flight I noticed that the landscape changed because we didn't really see mountains but there were a lot of forests and fields and not so many towns as in Germany. Later I learnt that the population of Norway is only about four millions. In the afternoon we arrived at the Hilton-Hotel in Oslo and from 4 to 9 pm it we were allowed to explore the town and we took many pictures. We saw the Parliament, the Opera, many old houses, the building, where the royal family lives etc.

Wednesday, 11^th May 2011:

We got up, had breakfast, we checked out and we walked through the town to the bus station. The bus ride to Stryn took 7 hours during which we saw how the landscape changed. First, in the area around Oslo, we saw nothing special, but then we saw a lot of small hills. It looked as if we were in the middle of Germany. At last we drove through high mountains and we had snow and degrees of about 9 to 11. Then we arrived at 7 pm. I met my exchange partner Jenny for the first time.

Thursday, 12^th May 2011:

On Thursday the Comenius programme started. We went by bus (together with the students from Estonia) to a little village, where we saw a historical fish farm, called Vågsberget. We visited the area and had a traditional lunch (fish soup with bread and tap water). After that we wanted to see the wind mill park at Kvalheim, but it was too foggy to see it properly. Then we saw the light house of Kråkenes, where some German settlers lived in earlier times. I climbed onto some rocks with MC and Jörn and we had a beautiful view. At the end we visited a little beach called Refviksanden and two crazy girls swam in the cold sea. The way back (the road is called Panoramavegen) was really nice because you could see a lot of lakes and mountains. And I was really lucky to see four reindeers.:-) When Jenny and I were back in Stryn, we ate something and went to a youth club to meet nice people.

Friday, 13^th May 2011:

On that day we went to school. At the beginning the students were told in which subject they are going to write their main exam; it was Maths. And a lot of students were not happy about it. Then lessons started. First we had mathematics (two lessons), then it was Norwegian and at last German. It was really funny to hear grammar mistakes on a CD. At 12 o'clock all people met in the assembly-room. A few younger students gave presentations about natural accidents in Norway, like avalanches, a few sang, and at last the teachers from Norway danced. After school Jenny, MC, her host student Marlin and I went shopping. But at 6 pm we all met and played Bowling together.

Saturday, 14^th May of ' 11:

I made a German breakfast together with Jenny for my host family (pancakes with jam). Then we drove to Kjenndalven and walked to a glacier. I was really impressed by it because we saw an avalanche. The water of the glacier was so clean that you could drink it. When we were back from the walk, we had a barbecue at a lake and the two crazy girls swam again. In the afternoon all students came and we watched Jack Ass in the school.

Sunday, 15^th May, and Monday, 16^th May:

The last day Annika, MC, Frau Breder, Frau Strerath and a German teacher from Norway climbed a mountain near Oppstryn. Either the other students wanted to sleep longer or they wanted to spend their last time with their exchange partner and do a different activity. So we were only six persons. No matter, this trip was really good, we had a beautiful view and saw a waterfall. Then it was time to say 'goodbye' and that was really hard. But we drove back to the airport by bus again and arrived in Oslo at about 11 pm. There we tried to sleep for a short time but it didn't work. :)

I think the Comenius project is great because I have met a lot of new people, seen new places and -of course- I have got to know a new country. I hadn’t been to Norway before and it was a great experience.

Friederike

A trip to Norway- May 2011 - Marie-Christine

Report about our Comeniustrip to Norway from 8th May 2011 to 16th May 2011

1^st day (10^thMay) The journey begins

Our journey started at Düsseldorf Airport on Monday morning at 7 o’ clock. From there we went to Berlin Tegel at 8:20am, where we had a three-hour stay. Punctually at 12.45 pm we took off with the airplane and flew to Oslo. Having gone to Oslo by taxi, we deposited our luggage at the Hilton Hotel. After a short rest we started our excursions through Osloin little groups. Our Comenius group saw the Opera, the Royal Residence, the Old Town and the harbor of Oslo till late in the evening.

2ndday (11^th May) Bus trip to Stryn

At our hotel we had breakfast and then we went to the bus stationwith our luggage. At 9:30 am we boarded the bus and drove to Stryn. We drove through the mountains and saw Fjords, forests and some isolated houses. We had a break and after 8 hours we were in Stryn, where we met our exchange students again.

3^rd day (12^th May) Trip to Vagsberget

Our Comenius group met at the “Ungdomskule” in Stryn at 9 o’ clock. From there we drove to Vagsberget. We made an excursion on the Fjord. After having eaten a fish soup, we visited a lighthouse at the North Sea. On the way back we made a stop at a beach. There we went for a walk and two Norwegian girls went swimming. We drove back to Stryn via the Panoramavegen. On the way we saw the deepest lake in Europe and the wonderful landscape.

4^th day (13^th May) School

School started at 9 o’clock. Some of our group didn’t have a typical German subject, they had cooking. They made a soup for the teachers and traditional Norwegian food for themselves. Then we listened to the presentations about water of the Norwegian pupil. After school we had free time and in the evening we went to the “Telegraphen”, a club for teenagers, where we played singstar and had fun.

5^th day (14^th May) Glacier tour

The trip to the glacier Kjenndal began at 12 o’clock. We stopped before the glacier and saw a big avalanche. Having walked to Kjenndal we took photos and drank the water from the glacier. At a beautiful lake we grilled marshmallows and sausages. After that we drove to ruins, which were a result of a dramatic natural disaster. Back inStryn we were allowed to be at school to chill, watch videos and eat popcorn.

6^th day (15^th May) Hiking tour and saying goodbye

On the last day we made a hiking tour on the Segestad. We saw the Fjord of Stryn and the wonderful landscape. After having hiked down, we took photos of a big waterfall. Our bus drove back to Oslo at 12 o’clock. We had to say goodbye with tears in our eyes. At 11 o’clock at night we were at Oslo Airport and had to stay there for one night. In the morning we then flew back to Düsseldorf.

That was our wonderful Comenius trip!

From Marie-Christine Kaffanke, 9c

Presentation by Laura, Johanna, Ave-Ly, Olari-Jaanus

Comenius meeting in Viljandi

The meeting of the Norwegian, German and Estonian partners of the Comenius Project took place in Viljandi on March 11 -  March 15. We had very busy days.

Our Norwegian guests arrived in Viljandi on March 11 and on Saturday they spent time with their host families. Our German guests spent the day in Tallinn where they had a guided tour of the town.

On Sunday we went skating and after lunch our guests had a sigtseeing tour of Viljandi. After that we went to the concert in St Paul’s Church where two orchestras, from Viljandi Music School and Lasnamäe Music School, performed. After the concert we went to Olustevere to visit the local observatory. We could watch the stars and the Moon and follow physics experiments, some of which were very amusing.

On Monday we had a long trip to Keila-Joa and Tallinn. At Keila-Joa we visited a small hydropower plant where we were told about the use of alternative energy sources in Estonia. In Tallinn we visited the Tallinn Science Centre of Energy. First we listened to a talk on sustainable energy sources including nuclear power. Then evrybody could look round in the centre and make experiments on their own. The most popular attractions were those of  sound and  soap bubbles.

On Tuesday  everybody was at school. Our guests could visit the lessons together with their hosts. The teachers had a meeting where they discussed how to continue the Comenius project. Then students’  presentations and the performance of  the science theatre followed. After lunch students tested different samples of water to find out how clean the water sample was.

Our guests left on Wednesday morning. We all met new friends and now everybody is looking forward to the next meeting in Norway in May. 

Presentation by Lina, Paul and Celine

Presentation by Marko, Jonas and Tanja

A trip to Estonia - Celine

My Comenius trip to Estonia in March 2011

Before I started my trip to Estonia, I had many questions in my head and some mixed feelings. Is my guest family nice? How do the people in Estonia live? Are there a lot of differences? How much will I miss my family and friends? But I was happy that I was allowed to go to Estonia and I knew it would be a good experience for me and my future. I hoped that we will all have fun together.

First I want to say that the trip to Estonia was a great experience in my life and I learned so many things. It was a lot of fun to do things like shopping, talking or visiting special buildings with Estonian and Norwegian kids. All the kids were open-minded and very friendly, but for me, it was a little bit difficult to use English as the language for communication, however we understood each other very well. Now I can speak English a bit better.

For me, the best event was the trip to Tallinn on Monday. It was a little bit exhausting, but very nice. All in all, I liked all the trips and all the kids knew each other better and better.

I learned so much about Estonia. I learned something about history at school, I got to know special Estonian food, for example the chocolate“ Kalev”, I learned a lot about water energy, I noticed that food and sweets are cheaper than in Germany and so on. I learned a lot, but it’s too much to write this down, but I can say that I was very shocked I as I saw all the snow! I hadn’t seen so much snow before .It was so cold, colder than in Germany. This was a big difference! The school in Estonia is different, too. I think the teachers are stricter and I noticed that a lot of Estonian people are very intelligent.

My guest family was very lovely. They helped me all the time with everything and were very open-minded and friendly. They gave me some gifts and cooked yummy food for me. Often we compared Germany and Estonia and they showed or told me, what is traditional for Estonia. I keep in contact with my exchange student Ave-Ly and her sister, too. Now, my student is a friend to me, not “a girl from Estonia”. She and some other kids from Estonia and Norway started crying at the departure. I will never forget this. It was so sad.

All in all, this was a great exchange between Germany, Estonia and Norway. I gained so much experience and learned many expressions from Estonia. I found a lot of new friends, and we are in contact now. All the people there were absolutely lovely and I was sad to leave Estonia, but I missed my family and friends a lot. I think more than the other kids! I advised people do to this, because now I have become a more independent person. To conclude, you can say that Estonia is often similar to Germany and often very different! I want to say thank you to all the people from Comenius 2011!

Celine Maaß

A trip to Estonia - March 2011 - Lina

I liked our trip to Estonia. It was very funny and interesting because I came to a country which I really didn’t know. It was very exciting because you didn`t know which family you were going to stay with??? How are the people there?? What does it look like there?? Will I miss my family?? These were the questions I asked myself very often before we started our trip.

But when we arrived in Tallinn, I was very impressed by the city and our hotel. Tallinn is very pretty and there are lots of interesting things to see and a very big shopping centre to go to. I loved it. Our Hotel Barons was great, too. The bed was so soft and everything was so…noble. The food was very good, too...and, all in all, I liked our short time in Tallinn.

When we arrived in Viljandi, I was very excited. I knew my host student, but I didn`t know the family!! And I didn`t know in which kind of house they live. But when I arrived and Getter and her father fetched me from the bus station, I was lucky…her father was very nice. After Getter had showed me their apartment and after I had got to know her mother and her little brother, everything was ok. All of them were very nice to me and I could ask for everything! That was great. I enjoyed my time in their family.

All the Norwegian students and the other Estonian students were very nice, too. I liked all of them. It was no problem to speak English and I think now my English is a bit better than before the trip. The programme we did all together was ok, too, but sometimes it was a bit much. I liked the trip to Tallinn most, because the museum was very interesting and there were the big shopping centres.

All in all, I really enjoyed the trip and now I know Estonia and I like it because there`s so much nature and there aren’t many people. It was soooooooooooooooo sad when we had to go! Lots of the Estonian and Norwegian people are some kind of friends now. I want to go to Estonia again...and I want to see all these people again..!!! I hope we`ll meet sometime, somewhere!!

Lina Schardey

A trip to Estonia - March 2011 - Paul

On our trip to Estonia I experienced a lot of nice things. There were interesting and funny events during our trips.

The day we visited the old town of Tallinn with our tour guide was very interesting, because I learned lots of things about the history of Tallinn. On the trip to Viljandi I got many impressions of the landscape. And it was a lot of fun to go shopping in one of the big shopping centers with the others. We had the chance to talk to each other.

For me, it wasn´t hard to use English for communication with the others. Sometimes I didn´t know a word. Then I looked it up in my dictionary. So it was easy and fun and I learned to use many new words.

During the time in Estonia I connected with many new people and I think, we´ll keep in touch (for example on Facebook) .In my opinion an exchange between students is always good for connecting with new people.

I´ll visit Estonia in summer again. I´m on holiday in Tallinn for 12 days. I really look forward to discovering Tallinn and other cities in Estonia a little bit longer. Maybe I´ll go to Viljandi, too.

All in all, this exchange was a great experience. Everyone who likes to speak English should apply for an exchange.

Paul Maluck

A trip to Estonia - March 2011 - Tanja

My experiences: Estonia 2011

It was cold and started to snow. And we quickly realized that Estonia was completely different from Germany when we jumped out of the plane. We were thrown into a new culture - the Estonian culture. Exploring Tallinn on our own showed us how impressive the capital was. A nice event on that trip was visiting the ,,Güümnasium” in Viljandi. It was nice to compare everything. The school is smaller than ours in Neukirchen-Vluyn, but that’s what makes it so interesting. Thanks to the film we watched during the history lesson, I know much more about the Estonian history than before. It was really nice to watch the film, but it felt quite strange to sit next to Estonians while watching a history film about their terrible past with Adolf Hitler, even though I always felt very welcome among the Estonians. I am glad I learned so much about this new culture, history and way of life. Staying with the host family had always been something I was looking forward to. I really felt well and everyone got along with the others. Of course it was hard for them to share their house with a strange person. But the host family was so nice all the time and we couldn’t even imagine having trouble with each other. The food was really enjoyable. There were some things I already knew from Poland, but it’s best to be open for everything. When I looked out of the window at night, I always felt like in deep winter although it was spring, because the house was surrounded by snow. I was surprised we had no problems becoming friends. It didn’t take long until we found some really friendly people who accepted us the way we are. The atmosphere among our whole group was really nice. We got along very well. Using English for communication didn’t pose any problems. We understood each other and it was a good practice and much fun. Now back in Germany I feel that I have improved my speaking skills a bit. But I’m sure I will miss everything in Estonia. I can’t stop thinking about this wonderful time. Everything was so exciting every day. That’s what I will always remember: Visiting hydro plant Keila Joa, talking about regenerative sources, trying to understand the Norwegian and Estonian’s perspectives and enjoying the long bus rides together in a magical country, where I was able to make many new friends. Of course I want to stay in touch with the others. There are so many heart-warming memories that we share. I’m happy someone invented the Internet, but I’m even happier I had the chance to be part of this phenomenal project.

Tanja Berg

A Trip to Germany

On Saturday, the 13th of November, we set off to on an adventure. This adventure would take us to a magical and awesome land called Germany. We went there from Tallinn by plane.

First we flew to Copenhagen, where we waited for 3 hours. After that we wiped Denmark’s dust from our feet and stepped onto the second airplane which  took us to Düsseldorf.

It was already dark when we arrived in Germany and met our host families. We greeted each other and then drove to Neukirchen-Vluyn. When we arrived, we ate lunch and got to know each other.

The next day we went on a field trip to a museum. We saw a collection of old toys and farm buildings, then we ate traditional German pancakes.  After that we went ice-skating for a bit. Our host families fetched us from the ice-skating rink to go home for dinner.

On the third day, we went to a German school. I visited a music lesson, a chemistry lesson, and a French lesson. Everybody was very friendly and wanted to talk to me, so I spoke a lot.  After that we went back home, had lunch and played some games with other children. Then we ate dinner and went to bed shortly after that.

On the next day we went on a long field trip to different places that use renewable energy sources. Like solar energy and biomass. We were shown and explained how the renewable energy is produced in Germany. We could also see a PowerPoint presentation about the building with the roof covered with solar panels. There are some solar panels on the roof of the schoolhouse as well. 

I quite liked the trip and hope to visit the country again. I liked it because the people were so friendly and the sights were interesting. I found out about alternative energy and recycling. I also got to know the local culture a bit. I found some new friends and  hope to keep on touch with them. The lessons were quite different. First of all they were all in German and I didn’t understand anything except chemistry. They have a different grading system where 1 is the best grade and 6 is the worst. Almost all the students go to school with bikes.

I hope to meet my German friends here in Estonia.

Andres Anissimov

School in Germany

I was in Germany for five days and saw the school system and the school traditions.

In Germany school starts at 7.55. Before the lessons the students wait in the hall. There is no wardrobe in the school, so pupils wear outdoor shoes and they put their overcoats on the backs of their chairs in the classroom. Also, the students do not have to wear a uniform.

They have few lessons a day because one lesson lasts for seventy minutes. Earlier the lessons lasted for forty five minutes but it was changed because the schoolbags were too heavy.

When lessons begin students do not stand up but they greet their teachers by saying „Good morning“ in German. The difference from our school is that pupils talk a lot and when the noise becomes too loud the teacher asks the pupils to be quiet. In Germany the grading system starts with 1 which is the best and 6 is the lowest.When they have a language lesson everybody speaks in this language. When a student wants to answer he raises his finger instead of a hand.

There is no canteen because they do not get free food from school. If they are hungry, they can buy something at the cafe´.Some students have lunchboxes with them which they have packed at home. Students and teachers eat also during the lessons.

In music lessons students can play different musical instruments.

It was very interesting to see the differences between Estonian and German school system.

Ave-Ly Toom

 

Estonian in Germany