Before boarding the bus for Frankfurt airport, the bunch of students was quite distraught at the thought of leaving their newfound home behind.
Such was the old-world charm of the village of Beilstein in Heilbronn district of Germany where 11 students, accompanied by two teachers, of Trivandrum International School (TRINS) recently spent two weeks as part of an annual student exchange programme.
DifferencesThe differences between the two countries are stark and yet at no point did they feel any sense of discomfort or alienation in a land so far away, the students who were part of the experience told The Hindu .
“We felt at home,” was the unanimous sentiment among the class 12 students, each of whom lived with a ‘host family’ of their German exchange partner student.
The partner school is called the Herzog-Christoph Gymnasium.
The visiting were also pleasantly surprised by how green the country was when they expected large concrete structures and glitzy malls. “Even travelling from one place to another was wonderful because all the routes were so scenic,” M.G. Manju, who cycled along with her partner to the Herzog school and back everyday, said.
Fairy tale stuffSeparate cycle tracks and significantly less traffic as compared to the roads here made it a pleasant activity. Every building, from the outside, seemed straight out of a Grimms’ fairytale, but the inside was equipped with the most modern appliances, observed Rahul Rajendran, another student.
Cleanliness“They are very conscious about cleanliness; for instance, when we buy water or fizzy drinks we get some money back if we return the bottle. That carefulness is ingrained in them,” Rahul said. Since the trip was between June 28 and July 11, they were also able to attend public viewings of World Cup football matches featuring Germany.
They interacted with Beilstein Mayor Patrick Holl one day, and their day-long excursions included a visit to a castle where there was a demonstration of birds of prey. Other highlights of the trip included visits to electronics company Bosch, the Ludwigsburg Castle, near Stuttgart, and the clear favourites – the Mercedes Benz Museum and the Porsche factory.
They were also taken on a tour of a winery and sprawling vineyards that represented both rustic charm as well as state-of-the-art equipment that produced some of the finest wines in the world.
The students from here made presentations about Kerala and India, and even performed a traditional dance and song for them.
Rahul Raveendran, another student, recalled how curious the Germans were about the Indian way of life, with their questions ranging from the smallest mannerisms to food and traditions.
The German students will be coming to India in October.
