Neumarkt

MEETING IN VYSOKÉ MÝTO

In October 2012 (7/10/2012 – 12/10/2012) the second project meeting took place – this time a group of German students came to see their Czech partners in Vysoké Mýto.

During the five days spent together the German and Czech students not only attended some classes together (the students best enjoyed one of the music lessons where they learned to sing an English and then a Czech song), but they were also admitted by the Mayor of Vysoké Mýto, Mr. M. Soušek, in the Town hall , they visited Prague, went on a trip to Litomyšl and Nové Hrady mansion and went for a hike in the Toulovcovy maštale (Toulovec Stables) rock formation. In the end of the meeting all the participants including the Czech parents at whom the German girls found temporary home, got together in the school and spent a wonderful evening – the headmaster Mr. M. Valášek had a oration, the parents brought amounts of wonderful home-made dishes, the guests showed a presentation about their school and sang two German songs .... – it was a very pleasant evening and at the same time an amazing full stop at the end of our meeting and our eTwinning project.

Visiting our eTwinning partners in Bavaria

        On Sunday 22/4,  fourteen students from Gymnázium Vysoké Mýto went to visit their German friends in Neumarkt, with whom they have been  working on an eTwinning project "An Old Friend and New Neighbour" since September 2011. The language of communication of the project and also of the meeting was English and in the past five days we had a lot of opportunities to practise it. As for a foreign language, sometimes during one week out of school you can learn more than during a few weeks of regular classes.
         After a nine-hour train journey we got off at the station in Neumarkt, where we were expected by our partners and their parents, with whom we stayed the whole week. Mrs. Nina Sklenar, who is the German project coordinator, together  with her students prepared an eventful programme for the whole week. On Monday, we were warmly welcomed by the headteacher of the Mädchen Realschule and then also officially accepted by the mayor at the City Hall in Neumarkt. On Tuesday, there was a trip to Nuremberg and a visit to the National Museum. In the evening our German partners prepared a film projection for us – it took place in the school but it was like in the real cinema with freshly fried chips and  popcorn. We spent the Wednesday morning at school and in several classes we showed our presentations to introduce our school and city. Then together with our project partners, we headed for a wonderful indoor playground Wölpiland with large trampolines and other attractions. In the afternoon we were invited by "our German parents” into a Bowling Alley and then into a pizzeria. On Thursday morning we climbed to the ruin of the castle Wolfstein, which offered an amazing view of the city. At the end of the day and of our entire project meeting there was a gala social event for us, our partners and their parents held in the atrium of the school - it was amazing that all the parents came together with their other children, brought with them a number of excellent Bavarian specialities (e.g. Bavarian pretzels,  typical local lunch meat, various salads and cakes). There was also a cultural programme – a performance of the school choir and then a short programme prepared by the Czech students, in which we introduced our school and city, offered a funny quiz to the German parents and sang three Czech folk songs. We returned home on Friday 27/4 full of impressions and new experiences. Our first project meeting was really great and we look forward to meeting our partners from Neumarkt again in the autumn, in Vysoké Mýto.
        I would like to convey a praise from the school headteacher and German parents  - they appreciated the discipline, courtesy and pleasant mannors of the Czech students. I think we represented our school and the Czech Republic in Bavaria very well.

        Finally we would like to thank very much to Mrs Nina Sklenar and our German partners for organizing the amazing meeting in Neumarkt and to the German parents for their hospitality.