It’s not a trip or vacation, it’s a second life!
That pretty much sums up how I would describe my time in South Africa. It wasn’t a vacation - it was an exchange. And yes - there is a difference. If there’s one thing, I’ve always known, it’s that I love travelling, but not chilling or tanning in the sun, but exploring, meeting the local people and getting to know their culture. And if there’s one way to truly do that, it’s through an exchange.
That’s what I did: in 2023, I spent one week in France and one week in Northern Ireland, and in 2024, I took part in a one-week exchange to Poland. It was all a wonderful time and I could experience and learn so much, for example that one week ist way to short! One week is way to short to really get to know and learn about the country, the culture – and, for me, most
importantly, the people! And suddenly, I ended up in South Africa! My 13-hour flight, I was very nervous and afraid - not because I was worried about missing my family or feeling homesick, but because I just didn't know how to greet my new host family:
shaking hands or hugging? After all, first impressions matter. But that fear turned out to be completely unnecessary. Because the moment I saw the family members, I didn’t even have time to think about what to do – they had already pulled me into a big, warm hug. And just like that, I had taken them straight into my heart. And that already brings me to my absolute highlight of my
entire exchange experience: The family and friends! They didn’t just take away my fear of the first greeting – without even realizing it – and make that moment unforgettable, but from the very first second of the very first day, I felt truly at home and comfortable as much as I did on the very last and that I found truly special. For real, every single person I had the pleasure of meeting – and
there were many – was incredibly warm, kind-hearted, funny, and full of joy. It’s almost impossible to put into words, but the atmosphere they created around me was simply wonderful! It just felt like home! The people in South Africa are just incredibly kind. It’s simply part of their culture. It starts with the way they greet you – no matter if you’re a friend or a stranger. They don’t just say
‘hello’ like we do in Germany, they say: ‘Hi, how are you?’ And you’re not supposed to just reply with a quick ‘Good!’ – which was the mistake I kept making at first – but instead you answer with: ‘I’m good, thank you, how are you?’ And this happens all the time, even when people are in a rush. Even if you’re just picking up lunch from the schoolkiosk. Which leads me to the wonderful
Bridge House School!
I think if our two schools were humans, they could be really good friends. Both of our schools place great value on open-mindedness, which is reflected in the various exchange programs they offer. At the same time, music plays a major role as well – so during my time there, I never missed out on musicals, concerts, or talent shows. And what both schools have in common is a strong
sense of community, a real school family, which is brought to life through things like sports activities and shared events. Besides all the friendly and good-natured students and teachers, my second absolut highlight was the Assembly. Imagine: a hall filled with hundreds of students in uniform, all standing and singing the emotional school song. That`s what I had every single Friday
in the third lesson. Besides the school song, the Assembly is also a time when students are informed about everything currently happening at school. There are motivational speeches, jokes, and even inspiring sports reports – like one from the coach of the school’s hockey team, who took part in the Olympic Games in Paris 2024. Other beautiful things at school were getting out of my
comfort zone, learning a new language and speaking in front of the class, trying a new sport with a (very) strict teacher, and just being part of it all. Living in a room with three other girls in the boarding house for more than two months was also a really special experience. Sure, I didn’t have as much privacy as I usually do, but it felt like having 40 sweet sisters around you all day – and I
honestly really enjoyed that. As the two and a half months slowly neared their end, and just when I thought the adventure was
about to finish, it actually only really began — when I missed my return flight! The only way I came into contact with my flight back was by watching it fly away without me. But all roads lead to Rome — or in my case, to the beautiful Ries — and so I got to spend extra three wonderful days there before I finally arrived home with the experience of flying alone around the world.
During this exchange, I really got to know and learn about the country, the culture, and most importantly, the strangers who have now become my family—because it was not just a trip or a vacation. It was a second life.

Magdalena, 11d

Visiting Bavaria
I always knew that I wanted to experience a culture and lifestyle outside of that of my own; to learn from someone so different from myself and completely immerse myself in a new world. This exchange was exactly that - a chance to get to know a new culture, lifestyle and most importantly, to gain a new friend. The fact that this exchange was not only a week or 6 weeks long, but a 10
week exchange further motivated me to participate in this exchange.
I, for one, had so much fun experience the differences between Bavaria and the Western Cape (South Africa) while simultaneously noting the (unexpected) similarities. The first new thing I experienced was eating a Breze and the Maibaumfest, where I had my first Bratwurst. The food was a spectatcular introduction to what Germany had to offer. One of my favourite occasions was the Stabenfest where I had the chance to wear a Dirndl; the traditional clothes of Bavaria. Of course, I can‘t talk about Bavaria without talking about München. The inner city was a stark reminder of the tourist attraction in the Western Cape: the Waterfront. The city was lively, with good food on offer and amazing stores to shop from and breath-taking architectural structures, just like the Waterfront. It is truly amazing to witness how similar, yet different the 2 cities are. Besides the similarities mentioned above, München was lacking a harbor and a phenomenal view of the ocean. That does not mean that München was any less the beauty that the Waterfront is.
Other than the festivals, sight-seeing and shopping, I had the wonderful chance of getting to participate in another educational system and curriculum. I do not know what I was expecting, but everything is completely different from South Africa. Despite all of that, Albrecht-Ernst-Gymnasium has some very friendly teachers and a wonderful student body. It was fun participating in the
classes I was able to understand (art and business was my favourite). It was quite interesting to see how the grading system differs, because 1 is the best note in Bavaria, but the worst note in South Africa. The school is also significantly bigger, with over 100 students in almost every grade.
In my school (Bridge House School), there is up to 70 people in one grade. Another completely new experience was also wearing my own clothes. At my own school, there we wear a uniform and only wear your own clothes on your birthday and Valentines Day. In all honestly, getting to be a part of a different school curriculum was fun and refreshing and I‘m glad to have been able to
experience it.
I truly do believe that if you want to try and intergrate into a new lifestyle and really get the full experience of a new culture, you can‘t accomplish that in a mere week. After my time here, I fully back that statement. I don‘t believe that I would’ve been able to experience half of the things I did if I was only on exchange for a week. For that reason I am grateful to have been part in this 10
week exchange.

Maritia