Once in a lifetime you will gain unforgettable impressions. You will make new experiences and attribute a new meaning of friendship. Maybe your world view will be changed.
Teenager from Nothern Ireland and Germany will go on this experience. 2008 started the Youth Exchange Northern Ireland – Germany. Different, even opposed characters got together and became acquainted with each other. This summer – 2009 – the exchange will go on.
Although we have all seen each other a few times and have kept in touch since the exchange, all 10 of the Northern Ireland group met up together a few weeks ago to evaluate and reflect on the exchange!
We lit a campfire on the beach and had a “Blossin lunch” with crusty rolls, German meats, fruit and German biscuits! Michael had made the dough the previous day for the wine-bread and we did attempt to make the bread again, but this part needs some work for next time!
We finished off the day by going to a play, “Bonkerz” in Belfast which Caoimhe took part in…it was great to all be back together again-sadly there was no McLovin though!
Lass Uns Feiern!
I think Teddy hates flying. He was very pale in the face but fortunately he did not need his airsick bag. After the 11 hour fly he was very happy to see the sky of Beijing – the rainy sky. The weather was not that what Teddy expected. Despite the cold temperature a vaste number of people crowded together to all sights Teddy visited. We had to save Teddy from a nasty murder attempt. On the Great Wall of China a careless tourist bumped our poor little friend. Just because Teddy wanted to take a picture from the Great Wall. After all the stress, Teddy spent some time in Xian and Guilin and enjoyed the awesome landscape. The weather got better and he got his first sunburn. In Shanghai he marveled at all the huge buildings. All in all Teddy was a pleasant partner in China and we are looking forward to the next trip together with our friend from Nothern Ireland.
Hey folks,
here (schwindelFREI – Sophia’s Blog) you can find the press handout about our exchange. In German, of course 
Maybe I will translate it later 
First we got up in the morning and all had breakfast together as usual. We all hen got onto the bus and drove to Königs Wusterhausen where we were able to see the youth club where Mandy works.
Mitchell gave a presentation on Archery, showing us his bow and arrow showing his love and interests for the sport.
We then split into the groups of the Berlin Ralley and had an Archery competition, with the Dream Team including Michael, Mandy, Emma and Thommy becoming victorious. At lunch he group interacted well when we met the Deputy mayor of Königs Wusterhausen. During this lunch the Northern Irish people presented the deputy mayor with gifts from Ireland for himself and the mayor. When we arrived back in Blossin we had some spare time to refresh. At 4 o’clock we began trust games were people had to fall back into other peoples arms, this showed that we trust them enough and know that they are here to support us. Some people found it difficult and there were a few tears now and again but we pulled each other through it and became stronger.
After dinner we had some more spare time to relax and prepare for the percussion workshop led by Michael. We found sticks from the forest and household objects to do this. During the workshop everyone came together and formed well, producing excellent music.
“Mc lovin” even showed his face a few times …… And he posed for pictures with the group; he is now famous in Northern Ireland!!!!
Overall was a brilliant day.
When we awoke, we all knew we had a hard day of us because we were in a street football tournament and had a climbing course.
The climbing course came first, with everyone taking part in it. Teams of 3 would take it in turns to climb both top as a team. I myself was part of a team of 3 people who had to do it blind folded. This took a lot of nerve and team work as we had to relay on each other more.
The street soccer was next and the group split in to 3 teams. Everyone played well and had a good time and the team showed good team work after we had a great barbecue. The Irish night followed with the Northern Irish group giving the German group wealth of information about our country. This was followed by games and dancing. After we had a group meeting and sorted out a lot of problems within the group and shared a lot of thoughts and feelings. This helped the group to grow closer.
Wednesday began with an usual start. Everyone was given the opportunity to either wake as normal or to sleep in. As expected most people availed of a lye in as they needed to recharge their batteries after a few days of intense activities.
We began by making team T-shirts for the International Street Soccer Competition. This was a great deal of fun as people got the opportunity to get in touch with their creative sides. After discussing and hearing feedback after, one thing was velar that everyone enjoying designing and creating their own personalised shirts.
After lunch we then went rowing in a two eight man boats. We rowed to a small river where we stopped for a few activities and games. After returning to the harbour, everyone, went to the beach. Everyone went swimming and was having great fun. The atmosphere was great. The sun was shining. The cool water of the lake was glistening. Everyone was smiling. It was great.
The night continued with a camp fire on the shore of the harbour. We all baked native German breads and roasted marshmallows on the fire. Everyone had a great deal of fun and I personally feel that today, everyone really had the opportunity to connect and bond.
After breakfast we left for Sachsenhausen concentration camp and when we arrived we were greeted by an english speaking tour guide. During the guided tour we learned a lot about the dark side of Germany’s history and it was a very emotional trip for everyone, yet very powerful and educational and something the entire group will never forget.
In the afternoon we had free time where some people went swimming in the lake while others just relaxed to get their head around the morning’s event.
In the evening the german group members held their German Culture Evening. We played games, unique to germany and it was a fun learning experience bringing us all closer together, which is exactly what the group needed.
Overall, the day was filled with a lot and had a lot of fun while becoming closer as a group.
After an early start, we boarded the bus and then took a train to Berlin. Here our first stop would be the parliament building- the Reichstag. We were given a guided tour of the buildings, gaining an insight into the history and current day events which took/take place there.
As the temperature began to rise, we took a rest outside the Reichstag to have lunch and were given a presentation by Toby about one of Berlin’s war memorials before setting out on a treasure hunt with a difference, “The Berlin Rally.” This involved us splitting up into 4 teams and exploring Berlin in order to find the answers to questions relating to the city, with fun twists such as ‘exchange the apple’ and ‘Berlin Slang.’
Although the Rally was tiring as it was extremely warm and involved a lot of walking, it was enjoyable as it gave us a chance to explore Berlin in a different way, have fun and get to know one another better as we worked together as a team to complete the task.
Not surprisingly, everyone still found enough energy to spend a couple of hours shopping in the Alexia centre following the Berlin Rally! Having bought our presents, we headed back to Blossin where, after some free time, we had a BBQ. This BBQ was a good opportunity to talk with everyone and share our thoughts on the experience so far. Having eaten, Benny and Toby gave an informative presentation about Berlin, the Berlin Wall and a brief history of the city, which was followed by a discussion around these topics.
The perfect ending to a very enjoyable day came after the BBQ- we were each presented with an ‘inernational’ exchange hoody and spent some time together discussing the events of the day, tomorrow’s activities and our thoughts on the exchange so far.
One year on and links between the German and Northern Irish group of 2008 are still strong. Although some changes have been made to the groups, with absences and additions, the exchange will now continue- 8 teenagers from Northern Ireland will travel to Berlin where they will spend a week with 8 German young people at Blossin Residential Centre.
Both groups have been exploring their own culture in preparation for the exchange and are looking forward to sharing this with the others. Those involved in the exchange are:
Northern Irish: Hugh, Caoimhe, Roisin, Chrissie, Laura, Ryan, Phil and Pod.
German: Sophia, Anne, Tobias, Benni, Julia, Mitchell, Chris and Annika. They will be accompanied by Mandy, Michael and Emma, the youth leaders.
 | Roisin on guestbook |
| Roisin on Northern Irish meet-up, German… |
| Roisin on Northern Irish meet-up, German… |
 | chrissie on guestbook |
 | Laura on guestbook |
