“Schade, dass die vier Wochen in Deutschland schon vorbei sind”, mit dieser Bemerkung fasst Vicente, Student aus Chile, zusammen, was alle Beteiligten empfinden, die sich in den letzten Wochen im Rahmen der aim-Juniorakademie auf die unterschiedlichsten Arten mit Fragen der Nachhaltigkeit beschäftigt haben.

Zum ersten Mal hat die aim (Akademie für Innovative Bildung und Management Heilbronn-Franken) ausländische Schülerinnen und Schüler aus Brasilien, Chile, Thailand, Malaysia und Neuseeland eingeladen, gemeinsam mit den Juniorstudentinnen  in Workshops und an Projekten zu arbeiten. Unterstützt wird dieses Programm von der gemeinnützigen Jugendaustauschorganisation AFS Interkulturelle Begegnungen e.V., die über 60 Jahre Erfahrung im internationalen Schüleraustausch hat. Viele ehrenamtliche Kräfte des AFS standen jederzeit mit Rat und Tat zur Seite.

Dr. Katharina Schaefer, stellvertretende Geschäftsführerin von AFS, ist sich sicher: “Interkulturalität und Nachhaltigkeit sind Zukunftsthemen. Es ist toll zu sehen, dass in dem Projekt Green-Academy bereits Jugendliche in interkulturellen Teams zusammen arbeiten und Impulse für nachhaltiges Handeln gewinnen können.“”

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Heidelberg and Ice Disco on Saturday was amazing. Heidelberg is a very beautiful city, a great place for tourists like us and definitely worth the visit, and probably……another visit After I came back from Heidelberg with my host family, me and my host sister, Marie, went to ice disco. At first, I was really bad at it, actually bad is not the word to use, I was TERRIBLE at it, I probably fell like….. 5 times? HOW GREAT IS THAT!!! Fortunately, there were a couple of nice stranger guys that helped me to get up…….well actually it’s because they were the ones who knocked me down first, LOLZZZ. But after a while, it went better, and I had a lot of fun, but now I won’t have the chance to do it again L

I can’t believe it’s the last week we get to spend here. It’s so sad, very sad. I’m gonna miss here so much, all my friends, my host family, and everything single thing. It’s just like what they say ‘it takes seconds to say hello but forever to say goodbye‘.

Today, we’re gonna go to aqua toll for Britt’s birthday, I’m really looking forward to that, but at the same time, I don’t want it to come, cause after aqua toll, the LAST DAY will come. I don’t wanna feel this way, I don’t wanna be moody all the time, it’s just not the right thing to do. I should spend it happily, cheerfully, and cherish the last moments and keep them in my memory forever. Weiterlesen »

And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln

From the snowy mountains of  the Black Forest in Schluchsee, to the various types car museums in Stuttgart, to the magnificent St. Kilians church in Heilbronn, the life of an exchange student in this completely different and wonderous land, Germany is really amazing. The only complaint about this programme is, 1 month in this wonderous land definitely isnt enough.

13 of us Malaysians first set foot in Stuttgart airport with mixed feelings, the feeling of leaving their family for the first time in their lives. But soon after the students from Chile, New Zealand, Brazil and Thailand joined in, the feelings of being a stranger in this country totally disappeared. I was amazed by the way how all 19 of us bonded so quickly and soon all of us became brothers and sisters. The barriers of family backgrounds, different cultures, languages soon of course disappeared. Weiterlesen »

Guten Tag! It has been 4 weeks since I set foot here in Deutschland. Since then, I have had many amazing, interesting, fun, exciting and hilarious moments. From Black Forest to Heilbronn and now to Ludwigsburg, many good memories have been shared throughout my stay here. I have had the opportunity to experience a new and different lifestyle as well as daily routine that is definitely different from my usual routine in Malaysia.

I also had the chance to meet new people from around the world and understand their cultures and traditions. Every day I had German language class in the morning and different workshops, company visits and sight-seeing tours in the afternoon. During German class, I learnt a lot of new things and the classes were really fun. In the afternoon, we really have fun with the workshops planned for us as well. Know that I know more about the environment and ways to curb the issues faced by Mother Earth, I will definitely apply them in my daily life as much as possible.

Moreover, I really enjoyed my stay in my host family’s house as well. They were very friendly, warm and hospitable people and I really felt at home.  Thank you to my host family for hosting me for a month. The people in Germany were friendly and helpful at times in need; at least for what I encountered! Germany is such a beautiful country and the cities are very historic. I visited a lot of places in Germany and I really enjoyed it. Weiterlesen »

I never knew this day would arrive so quickly. It seems like it was only yesterday that I arrived in my host family’s house and tomorrow, we will have our Farewell Ceremony.  The past month has been a great journey, here in the beautiful land of Germany. The experience and knowledge I have gained are priceless; something that will be etched in my memory forever.

Last Saturday, we went to Heidelberg for a ‘Climate Change’ course where we did geocaching. It was so fun and exciting! We got to see for ourselves the narrowest street and house in the town, as well as the beautiful castle on top of the hill. Heidelberg is a beautiful medieval town with gorgeous historical buildings. I will definitely return there one day!  Not only that, we also visited DLR, the German Aerospace Centre and the AUDI factory. The machineries and equipments in the AUDI factory were phenomenal! So advanced and modern; German technology at its best!

My host family has been so hospitable and accommodating to me and I cannot thank them enough for hosting me. They have taught how to cook so many German food which are EXTREMELY delicious. To name some, the knödel, spätzle and maultaschen. I will definitely ask for the recipes so that I could make them back home in Malaysia! Weiterlesen »