On 3 October 2007 we flew from Manchester to Salzburg and then caught a train to Boheimkirchen which is a small town about forty-five minutes away from Vienna. When we arrived at the station, the girls’ host families were waiting for us and the girls were taken to their host families’ homes. We all met up in the evening at the school where there was a welcome party for us. Teachers and parents from the school had made delicious local food including homemade cakes. The girls met pupils from the other partner schools (from Italy and Slovenia). The girls got on extremely well with the other pupils and it wasn’t long before they were chatting and discussing things they had in common as well as cultural differences. Throughout the day the girls had plenty of chances to practise their German as well.
On Thursday the girls travelled with their host pupils to school; their school day began at 7.20am! The teachers also went to the school. Miss Balley led a drama and dance workshop involving all the visiting students and host students; the workshop involved learning a dance routine on the theme of water and a drama presentation, working in mixed groups, based on the stories that were developed in the drama workshop in Slovenia. The local press visited the workshop. The students then performed their dance and drama presentations to the other teachers. This was highly successful and thoroughly enjoyed by all students involved. It seemed incredible that the students had never worked with each other before and had only a few hours to prepare for this performance.
The teachers in the meantime met to discuss the plans for the following 2 years; Ms Skyner presented ideas and resources for a series of very creative lessons on Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
In the afternoon the whole group went to St Polten where we had a beautiful lunch, courtesy of the government of Lower Austria. We then visited the purpose built government and cultural centre and were actually invited into the viewing gallery during a parliamentary session. We then visited a museum where we had a guided tour, focusing on the animals and water life indigenous to Austria. We then went around the old town of St Polten, where the girls had a chance to do a bit of shopping!
In the evening we had dinner with the mayor and were entertained by a brass band, which the girls especially enjoyed.
On Friday we spent a full day in Vienna. We had a boat ride along part of the River Danube to a nature reserve where a local guide talked about the wildlife found near the River Danube including beavers.
We then looked around the sights of Vienna and had lunch there. In the afternoon we visited a palace where the Habsburg royal family lived. In the evening we all went to the theatre to watch a musical adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca. Although the play was in German it was a spectacular show. The show starred some of Austria’s most famous stage actors and the costumes, music and settings were world class.
What we saw
On Saturday we all went on a coach trip firstly to Tulln where we visited the 18th Century Baroque Minoriten church; the Danube Quay; the Roman Salt Tower and the Roman museum which showcased a remarkable collection of Roman artefacts. Each school is organising Roman studies of their locality and examining how Romans used water so this was a perfect starting point for this investigation.
Overall, the trip was a great success. The girls had the opportunity to be totally submerged in the Austrian culture: they experienced home life, school life and cultural life in Boheimkirchen and its surrounding areas. The girls made lifelong friends and have kept in touch by MSN, text and e-mail with friends that they met from not only Austria, but Italy and Slovenia. They learnt about the history of Austria as well as the current political structure. They also learnt about the natural environment.
They significantly improved their German speaking and listening skills and leant some basic Slovenian and Italian as well. They also greatly enjoyed working in teams during the drama and dance workshop. Similarly the teachers enjoyed a rich cultural experience and have cemented friendships with teachers from Austria, Italy and Slovenia.
