Our Trip to Nottingham 2018

Our journey started when we met at the station, where everyone was excited and ready to start the adventure.  On the train to Paris, all of us were in a good mood and were doing well, playing cards, sleeping, singing, listening to music, talking and so on. It was fun, so the first part of the trip was no problem for us on this long trip. In Paris we needed to rush to another station, where a long line of people was waiting to get on the train. When Mrs.  Echte asked one of the employees where we should go, the woman explained that because of a bomb alarm the terminal had been evacuated and that was why so many people were waiting there. Great start, don´t you think? We waited but when we were all through the security check, we realized that we had missed our train. In the waiting hall we killed two solid hours going to the toilet, eating lunch, looking around the shops and other things, and finally we got on the next train to London. We went through the Eurotunnel in just a short time. When we arrived in London, it was again time to rush to another train but because of our delay we didn`t catch our next train either. But we could take another train that was already waiting at the station, so in the end we arrived in Nottingham two hours late. We left the station and made our way to our hostel.  When everyone had seen their rooms, some of us went to a diner and others bought some food at the local supermarket.

Änderungsdatum: 17.12.2018

Sightseeing with the whole group, learning a bit more about Nottingham, seeing a little bit of the town, that's how the day started. Walking around, seeing prison life of the old times and taking selfies with the Mayor of Nottingham, that was how it went on. It was so beautiful. Our teachers, Mrs. Echte, Mr. Sternagel and Mrs Zimmermann, took us on a tour to see a little bit more of Nottingham. Our first destination was the National Justice Museum of Nottingham.  At first the guide told us about the early times when people were hanged on the front stairs. Then he took us to the historic courtroom where he told us about the trials that had taken place in there, who the people in the trial were and what a trial looked like.  And then we had a trial ourselves!  One of us played the judge leading the trial. Some played reporters who were asking questions.  Others, too, played nobles because normal people weren`t allowed to watch the trial. And some played the jury, who gave the final verdict.  After our trial we made our way to the punishment tools. It was really scary to see how cruel some of them were. Then we saw a real cell, in which all of us were jailed for a few seconds. That was frightening!  After that we talked to a nurse in the jail, who had fought to get in there, because they wouldn't let her treat sick prisoners.  Then we went to the women's jail. At the end we came to the last stop, the backyard. The guide told us that in the last years the prison was used, people were hanged in the backyard and buried there. After this adventurous tour we had some free time, during which we could eat something, walk around and also go to the market near our house. In the afternoon we went to the meeting with the Mayor of Nottingham. When we arrived at the Council House, we were invited to a tea and coffee ceremony with the Mayor, where we could ask questions and learn something about his job. Later we were shown around the Council House.  And after the tour we could make selfies with the Mayor. So another long but cool day ended. 

Änderungsdatum: 17.12.2018

Today we were going to meet our partners! We got up at 7 o'clock and had breakfast. An hour later we went to school by bus. First we met our partners and were welcomed by the deputy headteacher of Trinity Catholic School, Mr Brennan, and the head of the language department, Mrs Rogers. Two girls from our group gave a short speech as well. Before lessons started, our partners showed us the whole area inside and outside the school building. After that I went to a French class with my partner. We had to complete two worksheets in teamwork and it was really easy compared to our school. Next we had Physics, whereby we learned something about Newton. Afterwards it was lunch break for about two hours. Our partners took us to the assembly hall because the director gave a speech. It seemed he was angry with his students, because of their behaviour and their clothes. Ten minutes later the sponsored walk started and we just had to walk through the school grounds for two hours. In the evening we had a get-together with some of our partners at a bowling centre. We had a lot of fun bowling and also had some dinner there. Afterwards we were all very tired and walked back to our hostel.

Änderungsdatum: 17.12.2018

This time, we got up very early, at 6:30 a.m., had our breakfast and got ready for school. This morning there was an unplanned assembly, because the day before there had been a fight between students. The police were also there. It was really exciting. Later we taught younger pupils German in small groups, because this was the "European Day of Languages" at Trinity School. Mrs Rogers, who is also a German teacher, helped us. The pupils made profiles of themselves in German and had to do some worksheets. It was fun to teach them. After that we again joined the lessons of our partners. I had French again. An hour later only we, the German group, had a special Design Technology workshop with Mr Stevens. We made our own picture holders and little flashlights. It was a nice project. The next lesson after lunch was Biology and we watched a film. Finally we had Sports in two groups; one did yoga, the other played basketball. After school we had some free time and went shopping in the city centre. In the evening we gathered again at the Corner House, to play adventure golf. When we arrived there, we saw a lot of people in fancy clothes, and the Mayor of Nottingham arrived in a white limousine. We found out that there was a film premiere and the protagonist abseiled down the side of the building from the roof. Then we played mini golf at the Indoor Adventure Golf place inside the Corner House. The whole area looked like a jungle. The day finished with dinner, which we organised individually.

Änderungsdatum: 17.12.2018

We grabbed our stuff, ate breakfast and said goodbye to Nottingham. Everyone was sad to leave, but also looking forward to seeing their families. On this day everything went well, we caught all our trains and had no problems. We arrived late at the station of Karlsruhe, where our families were waiting for us. It was a cool, funny and interesting adventure and a beautiful trip to Nottingham.

LeAnn, 9a and Juliane, 9b

Änderungsdatum: 17.12.2018