Work in the school garden and the birth of a lamb
On Monday we had breakfast at 8:30, where we also met the Spanish (Joan, Laura, Raquel, Maria and Victoria). They were all very nice. At 9.30 am we were picked up by the English host teacher Mr. Macintosh and went to Birmingham City Hall. There we also met the mayor during our visit. Then we took the bus to Tile Cross Academy and worked on various projects in the school garden. There were groups that were responsible for painting birdhouses, building greenhouses and chicken houses, and replanting plants. The groups were mixed so that one person from each country was present in each group. When we were done, we travelled to the city centre. There we had 2 hours of free time in the Bullring, one of the largest shopping centres in England. In the evening we had dinner with the whole group in a typical British pie restaurant.
On the second day breakfast was at 7.30, since we were already picked up at 8.30. Then we went 2 hours by bus to the "Cotswold Farm Park". On this farm we could watch the birth of a lamb. That was very impressive for all of us. Then we were allowed to pet and feed animals such as chickens, sheep, rabbits and hamsters. After the long drive back we had free time and arranged to eat together with the other groups at 18.30.

Streichelzoo und gemeinsames Kochen
Am Mittwoch fuhren wir zum „Hunters-Hill-College“ und haben erfahren, dass ein Schaf dem Menschen mehr als nur Fleisch bringt, z.B. hält es den Grasschnitt tief. Danach durften wir Tiere wie Schlangen, Leguane, Ratten und Meerschweinchen auf den Arm nehmen. Anschließend gingen wir raus, um Schweine, Hühner und Ziegen zu füttern und zu streicheln. Alle hatten Spaß dabei, die Hühner einzufangen. Dann verkosteten wir ach verschiedene Sorten englischen Käse. Am Abend waren wir nochmal im Restaurant, um uns den Valentinstag schmecken zu lassen.
Der vierte Tag fand wieder in der „Tile-Cross-Academy“ statt. Dieses Mal haben wir gemeinsam gekocht. Als Vorspeise gab es Bruschetta Brot mit „Cranberry sauce“ und Ziegenkäse mit speziellen Kräutern. Die Hauptspeise war ein Lamm-Curry mit „Noon-Bread“. Zum Nachtisch haben wir eine zweistöckige Torte mit Schokoladenfüllung hergestellt (alles selbst gemacht). All diese Gerichte waren ein Gaumenschmaus! Am Abend haben wir mit den spanischen Lehrern (Kiko und Carlos) ein Omelett auf typisch spanische Art gemacht. Es sehr lecker und hat mega Spaß gemacht!

Die Woche verging viel zu schnell, schon war Freitag und wir sind in den botanischen Garten gefahren. Dort haben wir eine Art Schnitzeljagd gemacht. Aus Gegenständen, die wir auf dem Boden fanden, haben wir Bilder angefertigt. Dann hatten wir noch eine halbe Stunde Freizeit. Wir spielten mit den Französinnen und den Spaniern Fangen und sind leider ziemlich oft in den Schlamm gefallen. Trotzdem war es ein lustiger Nachmittag.

Petting zoo and cooking together
On Wednesday we went to "Hunters Hill College" and learned that a sheep provides more than meat to humans, e.g. it keeps the lawns cropped. Then we were allowed to hold animals such as snakes, iguanas, rats and guinea pigs. Then we went out to feed and pet pigs, chickens and goats. Everyone had fun catching the chickens. Then we tasted different kinds of English cheese. In the evening we were again at Jimmy Spices, to celebrate Valentine's Day.

The fourth day took place again in "Tile Cross Academy". This time we cooked together. For starters there was bruschetta bread with cranberry sauce and goat's cheese with special herbs. The main course was a lamb curry with "noon bread". For dessert, we made a two-story cake with chocolate filling (all home made). All these dishes were a culinary delight! In the evening we made an omelette in a typically Spanish way with the Spanish teachers (Kiko and Carlos). It was delicious and cooking great fun!

The week passed much too quickly, it was already Friday and we went to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. There we had a kind of scavenger hunt. We took photos of objects which we found on the ground and which we rearranged into pictures. Then we had half an hour of free time. We played with the French and Spanish and unfortunately we fell into the mud pretty often. Still, it was a fun afternoon.

Abschied von unseren neuen Freunden
Am Abend aßen wir in einem traditionellen Fish&Chips Restaurant. Um 22 Uhr verabschiedeten wir uns schweren Herzens von den Spaniern. In dieser Nacht gingen alle sehr traurig schlafen. Da die Spanier am Abreisetag bereits um 5 Uhr geweckt wurden, sind wir ebenfalls freiwillig aufgestanden, damit wir sie noch zum letzten Mal in den Armen halten konnten. Der Abschied fiel uns allen sehr schwer. Am Vormittag begleiteten wir die Französinnen zum S-Bahnhof, um auch sie zu verabschieden. Wir waren alle sehr traurig und wollten es nicht wahrhaben, dass es schon vorbei sein sollte, jedoch mussten wir wieder ins Hostel zurück, um unsere Koffer abzuholen. Nun fuhren auch wir mit der S-Bahn nach London zum Flughafen. Um 20.30 Uhr sind wir in Berlin gelandet und haben unsere Familien herzlich begrüßt.
Es war eine sehr schöne Reise und wir hoffen uns alle bald wieder zu sehen, weil wir in dieser einen Woche sehr tiefe Freundschaften geschlossen haben. Wir denken noch heute oft an alle anderen und vermissen die gemeinsame Zeit mit ihnen.

Farewell to our new friends
In the evening we ate at a traditional Fish & Chips restaurant. At 10 o'clock pm we said goodbye to the Spanish group with a heavy heart. Everyone went to sleep very sadly that night. Since the Spanish got up at 5 o'clock am on the day of departure, we also got up voluntarily so that we could hug them one more time. The farewell was very difficult for us all. In the morning we accompanied the French to the train station to say goodbye to them. We were all very sad and did not want to believe that it was over already, but we had to go back to the hostel to pick up our bags. Now we took a train to London to the airport. At 8.30 pm we landed in Berlin and welcomed our families.    It was a very nice trip and we all hope to see each other again soon, because we made very good friends in this one week. We still think of everyone else today and miss the time together with them.