My name is Alexis and I am 15.
I made an Erasmus exchange in Germany for 2 months. I was in Kiel, a big city in the north of Germany.
There are so many differences with France.
My experience at Ricarda-Huch-Schule
Ricarda-Huch-Schule is a gymnasium, an academic secondary school that prepares pupils for a university education. First, I was in the 10th class and then in the 9th class. The school system is not like in France: the first year of primary school is called 1st class.
We worked a little bit but not during every lesson, we worked during the French, English, Physics and sometimes Biology classes.
The German school system is very different from the French one. One class lasts 45 minutes but in France it lasts 55 minutes. And there is no midday break. They start at 8 a.m and they leave the school one or twice per week at 3 pm and 3 or 4 times at 01.30 pm. It is not like in France: they have fewer lessons, but it is more intensive. The school is a small one with one classroom for 1 class, and there are also Biology, Computer science, Physics classrooms and a gymnasium. The school is in front of the main Kiel’s street. The German students don’t take so many tests as in France, they just had 2 weeks with tests twice a year, and these tests decide whether you will move up to a higher class: this is very stressful.
Stress at school
The German students manage their stress with their friends or teachers: the link student-teacher is very strong; they can rely on one another.
Unfortunately, because of the Coronavirus we didn’t have time to work on stress. Except for the exams, the German school is not very stressful, the teachers are very friendly. The extra school activities are the same as in France: singing, dancing, art, sport. But in Germany, 85 % of the students play an instrument, much more than in France. The handball team of Kiel is very popular: so many children play handball in Kiel.
The meals are not like in France, breakfast is more salty. Lunch is very fast, most of the time it is just a sandwich. At the beginning I was a bit lost, but my German family was super with me. The students were cool with me too.
This experience was fantastic. Thanks to it I am more autonomous, organized and mature. This exchange was fabulous.
Alexis