Ehrenamt UkraineFirst week (18th – 23rd June)
The group from Cali and their supervisors reached us on Tuesday and shortly after got to know their accommodations. After the exhausting journey, everyone first strengthened themselves with tasty pizza. On Wednesday the journey really started. The students got to know the program better and had their first German lessons. They also learned their first new words. For lunch the children got to know the „Rote Grütze”, a sweet german dish made of red berrys they had never eaten before. Delicious! In the afternoon everyone wanted to get to know Hamburg better. The students admired the big harbour and of course the main attraction in the city centre: the Elbphilharmonie. New funny word stuck in the minds: „Sehenswürdigkeiten“ (sights).
On Thursday we prepared ourselves for the first visit of a German school in Bad Oldesloe. The students were very excited to see what it would look like in the German classes. In their German course they learned by playing and made posters of Hamburg in German. In the afternoon they took the train to Hamburg again, where they explored the city centre of Hamburg together. The children found the Hamburg Town Hall particularly beautiful. The experiences of the day were enough to pack a lot into the daily diary entry.
On Friday the time had come: The students from Cali visited a German school in Bad Oldesloe and spoke a lot of German with the German students, took part in the lessons, did sports together and painted and learned together. Afterwards the students had a lot of fun to discover Bad Oldesoloe in a city rally with their German teacher Gosia. Back at the accommodation they had a big BBQ.
On Saturday we went to Lüneburg directly after breakfast. There the group not only discovered the beautiful old town but also learned German in a playful way. Everyone enjoyed some ice cream in the perfect sunny weather and had a lot of fun together.
Sunday was all about fairy tales and castles. Together the group travelled to Ahrensburg to visit Ahrensburg Castle and dream of fairy tale princes and princesses. In sunny weather in Ahrensburg there was of course enough time to discover the German language playfully in the park. Also on the weekend the kids could note many experiences into the diaries. In the evening there was a reunion with the parents via Skype.
Second week (24th – 30th June)
Monday, 24th June
The German course on Monday started with preparation for the trip to Bremen on the weekend. The kids learned about different sights “Sehenswürdigkeiten” and the funny story of the Bremer Stadtmusikanten “Bremen city musicians” which are a donkey (Esel), Hund (Dog), Cat (Katze) and a Chicken (Huhn In addition, they learned about farmers (Bauern) and the role of the townhall (Rathaus) in Bremen ). They were really excited in advance to get to Bremen the following Saturday.
On Monday afternoon the group made a trip to Bad Segeberg to start the new weeks adventures. Here everyone could visit the Fledermaushöhle (bat cave). It was quite cold with 10 degrees, but the temperatures were secondary due to the many exciting sculptures of dwarves (Zwerge), dragons (Drachen) and rabbits (Hasen). But there were also wild animals to admire. The children discovered wild snakes and of course the highlight: Many bats. For sure an unforgettable experience!
Tuesday, 24th June
On Tuesday the German Course was all about regional studies (Landeskunde) of Germany. The kids where really curious to get new information about Germany’s federal states (Bundesländer) and about its neighbours (Nachbarländer).
The trip to the Miniaturwunderland on Tuesday was a lot of fun for the children. Here you can discover Hamburg, the rest of Germany, Scandinavia or America in toy format in many different model building worlds. For the kids it was especially impressive when the rooms were darkened and all worlds were illuminated.
Wednesday, 25th June
In the German course on Wednesday the group learned about wild animals like lions (Löwen) and polar bears (Eisbären). This would come in handy on Sunday when the group went to the Zoo together. On Wednesday afternoon, the children were able to try out various sports on the sports facilities of the accommodation and really let off steam in the sunny and warm temperatures. In the evening everyone visited the musical Mary Poppins in Hamburg harbour. To understand everything the students learned German words like “Kindermädchen” (Nanny) and “Regenschirm” (Um-brella). The students dressed accordingly and also the journey by ferry made the trip a magical experience. Really „Supercalifragilisticexpialigetisch“!
Thursday, 26th June
On Thursday morning the pupils visited a traditional festival in Bad Oldesloe with parade, the so called „Vogelschießen“. Most important word to know for the day: “Festival”. After all, it is the most important festival for the whole city! Here the group also happened to meet the students they met last week. The reunion was a lot of fun for everyone, after all there were some new experiences to share. Afterwards the group went to the Chocoversum in Hamburg, where they learned a lot about chocolate and cocoa, especially that cocoa comes from Colombia. The students also learned everything about the production of chocolate, but above all they made chocolate themselves and of course they tried it themselves. Delicious!
Friday, 27th June
On Friday our group explored the forests and meadows of Germany and enjoyed the excursion into the green nature with summery temperatures. Before that they had learned about different types of trees in German (Eiche, Fichte; Nadelbaum, Laubbaum) and what to find in the wild meadows of Germany (Blume, Zapfen, Löwenzahn, Maus).
For almost 3 hours the students made a hike through the forest, during which there was a lot to discover along the way. In the end, everyone was exhausted by the hot temperatures, but the reward wasn’t long in coming: Delicious cold ice cream!
Saturday, 28th June
The weekend started with a trip to Bremen on Saturday. The students discovered the beautiful old city trough a city-rally. Of course everybody made a photo in front of the famous monument of the „Bremer Stadtmusikanten“ (Bremen Town Musicians). Within the rallye erverybody learnt a lot. The winners of the rally were able to take home some great prizes. But for the effort everyone got an ice cream at the end.
Sunday, 29th June
The kids then spent Sunday at the Hamburg Zoo „Hagenbecks Tierpark“. Of course, the children had a lot of fun discovering the animals of the world. As it was one of the hottest days of the year, the whole group went swimming in Reinfeld in the afternoon. This cooling down was a great end to the eventful and very nice second week in Hamburg!
Everybody in the course is in a really good mood and looks forward for the next adventures and experiences in the coming week!
Third week (01st – 07th July)
Monday, 01st July
The German course on Monday started with preparation for the trip to Bremen on the weekend. The kids learned about different sights “Sehenswürdigkeiten” and the funny story of the Bremer Stadtmusikanten “Bremen city musicians” which are a donkey (Esel), Hund (Dog), Cat (Katze) and a Chicken (Huhn In addition, they learned about farmers (Bauern) and the role of the townhall (Rathaus) in Bremen ). They were really excited in advance to get to Bremen the following Saturday.
On Monday afternoon the group made a trip to Bad Segeberg to start the new weeks adventures. Here everyone could visit the Fledermaushöhle (bat cave). It was quite cold with 10 degrees, but the temperatures were secondary due to the many exciting sculptures of dwarves (Zwerge), dragons (Drachen) and rabbits (Hasen). But there were also wild animals to admire. The children discovered wild snakes and of course the highlight: Many bats. For sure an unforgettable experience!
Tuesday, 24th June
On Tuesday the German Course was all about regional studies (Landeskunde) of Germany. The kids where really curious to get new information about Germany’s federal states (Bundesländer) and about its neighbours (Nachbarländer).
The trip to the Miniaturwunderland on Tuesday was a lot of fun for the children. Here you can discover Hamburg, the rest of Germany, Scandinavia or America in toy format in many different model building worlds. For the kids it was especially impressive when the rooms were darkened and all worlds were illuminated.
Wednesday, 25th June
In the German course on Wednesday the group learned about wild animals like lions (Löwen) and polar bears (Eisbären). This would come in handy on Sunday when the group went to the Zoo together. On Wednesday afternoon, the children were able to try out various sports on the sports facilities of the accommodation and really let off steam in the sunny and warm temperatures. In the evening everyone visited the musical Mary Poppins in Hamburg harbour. To understand everything the students learned German words like “Kindermädchen” (Nanny) and “Regenschirm” (Um-brella). The students dressed accordingly and also the journey by ferry made the trip a magical experience. Really „Supercalifragilisticexpialigetisch“!
Thursday, 26th June
On Thursday morning the pupils visited a traditional festival in Bad Oldesloe with parade, the so called „Vogelschießen“. Most important word to know for the day: “Festival”. After all, it is the most important festival for the whole city! Here the group also happened to meet the students they met last week. The reunion was a lot of fun for everyone, after all there were some new experiences to share. Afterwards the group went to the Chocoversum in Hamburg, where they learned a lot about chocolate and cocoa, especially that cocoa comes from Colombia. The students also learned everything about the production of chocolate, but above all they made chocolate themselves and of course they tried it themselves. Delicious!
Friday, 27th June
On Friday our group explored the forests and meadows of Germany and enjoyed the excursion into the green nature with summery temperatures. Before that they had learned about different types of trees in German (Eiche, Fichte; Nadelbaum, Laubbaum) and what to find in the wild meadows of Germany (Blume, Zapfen, Löwenzahn, Maus).
For almost 3 hours the students made a hike through the forest, during which there was a lot to discover along the way. In the end, everyone was exhausted by the hot temperatures, but the reward wasn’t long in coming: Delicious cold ice cream!
Saturday, 28th June
The weekend started with a trip to Bremen on Saturday. The students discovered the beautiful old city trough a city-rally. Of course everybody made a photo in front of the famous monument of the „Bremer Stadtmusikanten“ (Bremen Town Musicians). Within the rallye erverybody learnt a lot. The winners of the rally were able to take home some great prizes. But for the effort everyone got an ice cream at the end.
Sunday, 29th June
The kids then spent Sunday at the Hamburg Zoo „Hagenbecks Tierpark“. Of course, the children had a lot of fun discovering the animals of the world. As it was one of the hottest days of the year, the whole group went swimming in Reinfeld in the afternoon. This cooling down was a great end to the eventful and very nice second week in Hamburg!
Everybody in the course is in a really good mood and looks forward for the next adventures and experiences in the coming week!
4th week: Monday (8th July – Sunday 14th July)
Monday 8th July
The German course on Monday started with preparation for the trip to the Dinosaur park on the weekend. The kids have learned about different types of dinosaurs. Together we collected important words in the dinosaur world such as “langer Hals” (long neck), “kräftiger Schwanz” (strong tail), “scharfe Krallen” (sharp claws). We also collected the most important information about the dinosaurs, e.g. what they ate “Fleischfresser” (carnivores), “Pflanzenfresser” (herbivores), where they lived (“im Wasser” (in the water), “auf dem Land” (on land)), etc.
Finally, the children wrote a riddle about a dinosaur. They had to describe a dinosaur in detail so that their fellow students could guess which dinosaur it was. It was so funny! The kids did a great job!
On Monday afternoon we changed the plans because of the bad weather. The group made a trip to Hamburg and could visit the symbol of the city, the St. Michael’s Church. The children reached the church tower on foot via 452 steps and enjoyed the beautiful view. Then they crossed the old Elbe tunnel (Alter Elbtunnel). to reach the viewpoint on the other side. It was so nice that we forgot the bad weather. The kids could see every sightseeing attraction of Hamburg.
Tuesday 9th July
The last lesson in Bad Oldesloe on Tuesday was about the beach, the kids were prepared for the excursion to St. Peter-Ording. They learned vocabulary from the beach world, such as Strandkorb (beach basket), Liegestuhl (beach chair) or Sonnenschirm (parasol). The children have consolidated the learned vocabulary in a playful way, they have played domino and memory. At the end we awarded a prize to the best group in the German course. Everyone worked very hard. All groups were very strong, but one group overtook the others.
In the afternoon the kids went to the emigration museum in Hamburg. They learned about the BallinStadt (memorial park and former emigration station in the Port of Hamburg). They also learned why it was so important to offer an accommodation to the emigrants. The group found out that most emigrants found a safe place to stay in the USA (80%), the others went to South America and Canada (20%). The Highlight was an interactive emigrant game at the machine. The children should choose an emigrant and decide on his route to his or her new home. In this way they could put themselves in the position of an emigrant in the 19th century. For sure an unforgettable experience!
The struggle was rewarded with fries. On the way to Bad Oldesloe the kids were already really excited to go to St. Peter-Ording next morning.
Wednesday 10th July
After breakfast in Bad Oldesloe the group went to St. Peter-Ording. The bus ride was long but still fun. The time passes much faster with singing and playing!
The weather wasn’t so nice but at the same time it was not so important. After the arrival everyone went to the sea. There the group repeated the vocabulary about the beach and the ocean. We were able to find some beach baskets and no parasols but umbrellas. It was also very funny to see how summer without sun feels like and what the people do when the weather is so rainy.
In St. Peter-Ording the kids went to the West Coast Park. There they saw the sea dogs. It was really great to see them so close! The group also went for a walk along the promenade and enjoyed the beautiful view.
The children especially liked the youth hostels because they were allowed to help with the preparation and distribution of the meals. It was a great experience!
Thursday 11th July
On Thursday the kids spent the day outside. First, the group had an interactive lesson. They had to look for things they had learned in the course in Bad Oldesloe e. g. “Sand” (sand) or “Qualle” (jellyfish). They were very successful and proud of themselves.
In the afternoon we did “Watt-wandern” (mudflat hiking). It is a recreation enjoyed by Germans, so the kids couldn’t miss it. It was a unique experience, they saw that the North Sea retreated at low tide and the seabed was accessible. We walked through the low tide and wet our feet. The water was cold, but it was very funny. Christian, our guide, told us how and why it happened, it was very exciting. The mudflat hike along the coast was an absolute highlight and everyone enjoyed it!
Friday 12th July
After the last night in St. Peter-Ording the children were sad to leave the great city, but they were already looking forward to the next adventures! They came earlier than we thought!
First we should go to Dino Park. Unfortunately there was so much traffic jam that we had to cancel the visit to the dinosaurs at short notice because of the motorway block. But it wasn’t that bad, because we drove to “Karls Erlebnishof” near Berlin instead. It was really fun! There even was a mini coaster and everyone slipped. The day was saved!
In the evening we arrived in Berlin. Everyone was very tired and looking forward to the bed. There the kids were accommodated in another hotel. They were very happy, because they didn’t stay in a youth hostel (as we planned), but in a hotel. Thanks to the water damage in the CVJM youth hostel, the kids could enjoy the great pancake machine in the Meininger Hotel. Could it get even better? Yes, since we got some delicious pizza.
Saturday 13th July
The first night in Berlin was very good. And finally, we had nice weather! Apparently, the kids ate all of their pancakes. (The German grandma always says: „Finish your whole plate and you’ll have good weather tomorrow.“)
On this sunny day we met Margit and made sight-seeing the whole day. We were at the “Brandenburger Tor” (Brandenburg gate) and “Potsdamer Platz” (Potsdam square). After that we saw the Holocaust Memorial and the “Berliner Mauer” (Berlin wall). After the visit at Checkpoint Charly we had a (typical German) lunch break and ate curry sausages with fries. There is even a song about the Currywurst! No wonder, it was very delicious!
We went on to the “Gendarmenmarkt” (Gendarmen square) and to the “Bundestag” (Parliament). Afterwards our feet could recover a little, because we made a long boat trip. We saw all the sights once again from the water. It was so beautiful! At the end of the day we walked to the museum island and looked at the cathedral from the outside. The last stops were Lustgarten and Hackescher Markt.
The day was very intense because we did everything on foot, but it was totally worth it. In total, we did more than 20.000 steps!
Sunday 14th July
On Sunday we enjoyed nice weather again! After the delicious breakfast we made a trip to Potsdam.
We spent the whole day in Potsdam with Margit and Christian and saw a lot. First the kids visited Sanssouci Castle and the new palace with audioguide, there we also had burgers for lunch. We also did some homeworks! After that we went to the Chinese Teahouse, it is a picturesque garden pavilion in the beautiful Sanssouci park – everyone was amazed.
At the end of the day we went for a walk through the old town.
5th week: Monday (15th July – Wednesday 17th July)
Monday 15th July
On Monday the children began to write down their exciting experiences of the past days in their diaries. After so many German lessons, it was easy for the children to express themselves in German. The children spent the rest of the German lesson preparing for their visit to the German parliament, the Bundestag. Before you visit this big building, you should of course know a few words. The children learned words like „parliament“ (Parlament), „politician“ (Politiker) and „dome“ (Kuppel). Afterwards the whole group visited the Bundestag and the famous Brandenburg gate together. Afterwards everyone enjoyed a kebab for lunch, and in the afternoon we went to the famous Alexanderplatz (Alexander square) for shopping. Veeeery delicious! In the evening the group used the opportunity to go up to the nearby TV tower to enjoy a breath-taking view.
Tuesday 16th July
On Tuesday it was already time for the final German lesson. In a test the students were asked about everything they had learned. One or the other noticed how much he or she had learned during the weeks in Germany. In the end there was a certificate from Aubiko for all children as a reward. The last lunch time was at McDonald’s. Of course, everyone liked that very much!
In the afternoon the group visited the Berlin Cathedral, one of the largest and most beautiful churches in Germany. In order to have a personal souvenir of this beautiful and eventful journey, the pupils were all able to take individual pictures in front of the East Side Gallery with motives they had chosen themselves. After everyone had packed their bags in the afternoon, the group played bowling in the evening. The final evening was a lot of fun and very successful.
Wednesday 17th July
On Wednesday it was time to say goodbye. Early in the morning the group drove to the airport and then we went home to Colombia again. Everyone will remember the trip for a long time and thanked the carers for all the great experiences. Take care and come back soon!
