The international exchange program with Goethe-Gymnasium, which is one of the oldest educational institutes in Frankfurt, Germany, was held from September 4th to 16th; Goethe-Gymnasium and Tamagawa Academy have had a relationship since 1989.
The six participating Tamagawa students (three 9th graders, two 10th graders and one 11th grader), stayed with host students and their families. They attended classes with host students and walked around Frankfurt, where they got to fully experience German culture.
The students first arrived in Paris, France, which they found to be environmentally friendly, and were especially impressed with the bottles-only recycling boxes that were uniquely shape.
The visited the Palace of Versailles and were impressed to learn that they were standing at the site of the Paris Peace Conference. Being there in person improved their understanding about “diplomacy”.
They went to Germany next, and took part in homestays. The students spent the weekend with their host family, and on Monday, the 8th, they went to school with the host students.
In the afternoon they visited a factory that generates electricity heat from incinerated refuse. The students found it interesting, informative, and recognized Germany as an environmentally-advanced country.
At Goethe-Gymnasium, the students attended German classes every day. By using the German phrases that the students had learned that day, they tried communicating with their hosts. One student said he felt motivated to learn German. “I want to study German a lot and talk to my partner more”!
On the third school day, the students delivered presentations in English in front of the Goethe-Gymnasium students. Their topic themes included, the environment, human rights, and diplomacy. Then, the students from Goethe-Gymnasium, who were studying Japanese, gave presentations about the environment, in Japanese. By sharing about the problems that each county has, students from both schools had a good chance to think about what is needed for international cooperation.
In visiting Frankfurt, the students found new discoveries.
They saw that battery charger stations for electric vehicles (EV) were along general roads, unlike in Japan, where they are found only at gas stations. This was proof that EVs are also popular in Germany.
The students also enjoyed walking around the Rüdesheim neighborhood of Frankfurt. They observed that there was no trash in the forest. This made them realize that Germany maintained a high standard toward protecting its environment and are able to enjoy fresh air.
On the last school day (12th), all the students received a certificate from Eit, the vice-principal at Goethe-Gymnasium. The students had good things to say about their host school and country. “By experiencing another culture, I’ve learned the importance of respecting others’ ideas.” “I was very happy that all students of Goethe-Gymnasium welcomed us warmly. I’ve realized that the relationship with each other is very important, not only in Japan, but also in Germany and in the global society.” They learned a lot and were very appreciative from this experience.
On the last day in Germany, the students spent the whole day with their host families, and deepened their relationships.
On the next day, the students said farewell to their host families and returned to Japan.Overall, it was a twelve-day journey, during which they met many people, experienced and learned many things that they could never learn from books or pictures.
Later, when Goethe-Gymnasium students came to Japan, and stayed with Tamagawa Academy students, they became even better friends.
