My experiences in the Basque Country
I really loved the exange between Gernika and Koenigswinter this year. I enjoyed the whole time and defenetly want to do this exchange agian. All our partners were really likable and we had a wonderful time together.
I personally was very happy with my family because they offered me a brilliant time here. ¡¡Thank you Ane, Zara, Aranja and Alberto!!
I enjoyed the evenings in “the party room” and our footballmatch. I liked our trips to Bilbao and Bermeo and our little sports tournament at school the first day.
¡I will keep the Rihanna concert in mind and I won't ever forget you! ¡None of you! And I won't give up hope to see you all again as one group. :D
Sophie
What I felt in the Basque Country
The Exchange between Gernika and Koenigswinter was a very nice experience. I had a lot of fun here. The activities were fun the most time. But sometimes the activities were a bit boring. For example the museums were a bit boring but it was okay. Furthermore the bus ride to the museum was a bit too long. But when we had our own time in the cities like Bilbao or Bermeo it was very funny and nice. All the people here were nice to me and the others. Most time the communicating was good but sometimes a bit hard. In the afternoon we went often to the party room or to other places where we met the others. It was always funny with the exchange partner of me and the others. Every day here wads good and was funny. The parents of my exchange partner were always nice to me.
Cederic M.
My experience in the Basque Country
For me this week was very good and I had a lot of fun. Everybody was nice to me and I found many new friends, even though sometimes it was a bit hard to communicate.
But there were things I didn’t like that much. For example the museums were for me boring, but that’s no difference to every other museum I never like them. But the afternoons were all the time very good and it was great fun in the partyroom and every other place. I would have really loved it if we had had more free time in the cities like Bilbao or Bermeo, but I liked it anyway.
I don’t have a special day, which was the best, because as I already mentioned every day was so nice. My exchange family was very friendly too. And I liked the time with them too, even though I was a bit shy.
So all in all it was really such a great time and I would love it to come back.
Joshi
My stay in Gernika
First of all, I think my host-family was the best of all. Everyone was friendly and my host-dad made delicious sandwiches. During this week I often thought about the school and my normal life in Germany, but I wish we would have another week in Gernika, because of the friendly atmosphere and the nice people. On the one hand we did many amazing activities, which I all liked much. But on the other hand it was exhausting for me and, as I felt in Germany, especially for my host-family and my exchangepartner.
All in all I really enjoyed my stay in Gernika and I hope we will meet again. Thank you!
Johannes
That was my first exchange and at first I was a little bit nervous, but then, when I wrote with a lot of pupil from the exchange I knew it would be a great time. And it was.
It was a wonderful exchange and it was really interesting to see the
different between Spain and Germany. My host family and everyone
from the exchange are so nice and I am happy to have met them.
Thank you for all the awesome moments and the amazing time we had with you!!! Special thanks to my host family and my exchange friend, who were really nice to me.
Muchas Gracias
Stina
My experience in Gernika
The week here in Gernika was one of the best weeks I’ve ever had. When I arrived here, I was very excited, because I haven’t been in Spain before. But when I saw Cristina I was very happy to see her, because I missed her so much. I was also excited to meet the parents and the sister. I didn’t know, if I would understand them. But when I was at their home, they were so nice to me and I thought: You are so lucky with this family! I was very happy with the activities, because in our free time, we did something with all the other people, so I could talk also with the german people. Cristina was so nice and friendly, I am very glad that I was her exchange partner. The first day was so long and I thought the other days would also be like this, but now the week was too fast. I think one week more would be great. The Spanish people were so nice, I felt very home here.
Now I’m sitting here in front of the Computer and I really don’t want to go home. I want to stay here in Gernika with the others. But later I have to go to the airport to go back to Germany. I’m so happy that I decided to do this exchange, because it was an amazing and great week. I want to thank Cristina and her parents for living at their home and the opportunity to be here. Maybe I will see her again in the holidays, when my parents allow me to come back to Spain again!
Lena Hupperich
My Feelings:
I learned very much about the Basque culture.
The activities were mostly fun.
The landscape in this country is very beautiful.
The best things are the big rocks at the beach.
We also learned several words in Euskiera.
What a pity that this is not enough to communicate with this language. ;)
The basque pupils were all very friendly and helpful.
They always tried to explain what they were talking.
(It wasn’t necessary that often)
The basque people are very happy people who always like to party.
We also played football or basketball very often in this week.
The mostly used meeting point for the adolescents was the “party room”.
There we met several other basque pupils that were friends of our exchange partners.
Sometimes there were some difficulties due to the difference between our ages. But these could be solved properly.
The best time was in Bilbao were we had enough free time to go shopping and as always to go to McDonalds which is quite a ritual when German pupils are in big cities.
Pete Bar
When I entered the plane I was unsure how the week would develop I had no idea what to expcet.
Then, arriving in Bilbao I got to know the mother of my exchange partner
On the way home we didn´t talk a lot , some smalltalk ( how was youre flight?-It was comfortable...)Then suddenly the car stopped we got out.but we didnt go to her flat as I thought we would,we went to the Loncha (A room her and her friends had rented for half a year).They all were very proud of it and they can be!
In Spain most of the young people prefer spending as much time as possible with their friends.That´s what I admire a lot, they can go out whenever they want to, if they don´t come home too late. It´s a great way of living , I really enjoyed this evening there!Already on the first day I gained lots of new experiences.
Thank´s for everything you did for me!
My experience in Gernika
My time in Gernika was really good, all the people were nice and we had a lot of fun all together.
My exchange partner was so nice and now we are good friends.
I’ll never forget this week because the time here was so good, because we made interesting, funny and new things.
Here in Spain the daily grind is so different then in Germany but I like both. Here it’s better that all the friends live near and so all can meet every time.
Also I like it that the school begins at 8:30 and so we could sleep longer.
We made a lot of trips in different towns and all looked good but in my mind it would be better if we had more free time in the towns which we visited.
Unfortunately the whether wasn’t so good but nevertheless the time was good.
I hope really that I will see the people from here again because I love their all and I know that I will miss them.
I’m so happy that I’ve done this exchange because it was a new experience and I learned a lot!
Sophia Katzek
El intercambio en Gernika
En Gernika todos los días estuvieron muy divertidos y muy largos, e hicimos muchas cosas interesantes. Hemos conocido muchos nuevos deportes y hemos visto varias ciudades interesantes por ejemplo, Bermeo o Bilbao. También visitamos varios museos y el Árbol de Gernika. Mi familia de intercambio se portó muy bien conmigo y espero volver algún día. Gracias por todo.
Intercambio Gernika - Koenigswinter
El miércoles, 22.05., comenzió una semana inolvidable con muchos vivencias bonitas para mí. Era el día cuando nosotros, el grupo de Koenigswinter, fuimos en avión a Gernika para visitar nuestros amigos de intercambio. Cuando llegamos al aeropuerto de Bilbao después de un viaje de 2 horas, las familias ya nos estaban esperando y fuimos en coche a Gernika, todos muy agetados porque fue la primera vez que los vimos. Entonces, después de una comida rica en las casas de nuestras familias, nos encontramos todos juntos en una pequeña sala que los españoles habían alquilado.
Y así, el día de nuestra llegado terminó, y yo me fui a dormir la primera vez en la cama en España, cansada, pero feliz y nerviosa por los días siguientes.
Y ahora, el miércoles, 29.05., algunas horas antes de que nos vamos a ir en coche con nuestras familias, la última viaje con ellos, y después en avión a Frankfurt, pienso a la semana pasada y estoy tan feliz como al principio, porque era todavía mas bien que me imaginaba, aúnque el tiempo no era el mejor algunas días. Y también estoy casi tan nerviosa como la primera noche, porque ya tengo ganas de ver a mis padres y amigos, a contarles del viaje y a mostrarles las fotos que he tocado durante la semana: del árbol viejo que es el símbolo de Gernika, del museo Guggenheim y la Universidad de Bilbao, de Bermeo, para mí el sitio más bonito que visitabamos...
Muchos saludos y gracias para la hospitalidad,
Marie
My experience in Gernika
I loved my stay in Gernika, because it was something new for me. I didn’t know, what to expect. I wasn’t scared or anything like that, but I couldn’t imagine, how it would be like. But as I arrived, I was first happy to see Janire again, I really missed her. I was a bit nervious about her parents, but as soon as I met them, those feelings directly went away. I really felt home in their house. All the people from Gernika where very nice to me and also my school group got even familiar for me. I think, we all got closer in this time, because we did a lot of stuff together and really enjoyed every single day. Just like it was supposed to be. We really did everything, we could do. We were up all day (and night) and laughed all the time. Here in Spain I suddenly realized, that life can be so happy. Well, for this opinion I need to explain something. In Germany it’s difficult to meet each other, because we live so far from each other. After school we usually lay on the sofa or something like that, watch TV and eat sweet stuff. That’s all. But here in Spain I felt more alive like anywhere in Germany. I asked some of my friends here and we all agreed, that in Germany it will get kinda boring. In this case I want to thank all the people, who helped to arrange this exchange. First of all Janire, for her beautiful way of caring for me and for all the things, we did together. Then her parents, for there worry about me and all the things they did for me. My whole exchange group for all this fun, we had together and for those great experiences, we had together. You guyes are awesome! And at last our teachers, the German and Spanish ones. Thank you, that we had the chance to make all those great things, because of you this awesome exchange were possible.
Linda
An unforgettable week
It may sound weird, but first of all I have to add, that this week not only had been an exchange, how everbody says who hadn't been there.
My host family welcomed me that nice, that I felt accepted from the first moment.
After these days she's grown my second family and I'm so happy, that I could have done all this and, of course, so sad that I have to leave today. What I like most here is, that everyone is openminded and cordially! I met so many persons which I never want to forget and I'd like to stay here. At least, every day I experienced so much and the whole week felt like one long day. Too short. Too fast. Todos los excursiones eran divertidos y reiamos muchísmo juntos.
Gracias a todos, ¡Sobre todo para mañana! ¡Que majo de todos que me dijeron “Felicidades”!
Quería escribir más, pero no sé que decir..
I had a great week, we are a (sorry) horny group and I love you all! :)
I'm going to miss you so much...
Bye bye Gernika.. bye bye Euskadi..
Rebecca
My week in Gernika After these few days in Gernika I learned that the people here live in a completely different lifestyle. I like it, for example the atmosphere at school: Relaxed, it is like a big family and you stay in school almost all the day with your friends. I also liked the cities,Gernika, Bilbao and Bermeo. I really could imagine living here because the people here are so nice, like my exchange-family. But the important thing: I love being with the people form the exchange, they all are so nice. I had a really a great time and I hope in the future I will have the possibility to come here again and repeat this time.
Lisa H.
Dear Marta,
thank tou for every thing!
greetings from Donata!
Una semana en Gernika
I think we all enjoyed the kindness of the basque people a lot, because in my host family I really felt like at home. Thank you Reyes-Family!
Gernika es una ciudad con mucha cultura y habemos aprendido mucho sobre su historia. Por supuesto pudimos mejorar nuestro español.
In Gernika every day seemed to be very long because we did a lot of different and exciting things, but actually they were still too short!!
I really hope that I can come back again to enjoy another week here, thank you so much, muchísimas gracias!!
Un cordial saludo,
Yours,
Donata!!
My experiences in the exchange
I liked the spanish people who came with us to the different activities. I liked the trips we did with our penfriends, they sometimes were very interesting. The best time was the time without the teachers. I had much fun with the group. I also like the spanish way of life. They are much more relaxed then german people and they do much more together in a group.
My family was very likable – it really felt like home there! Thank you for this unforgettable week!
Niklas
