The exchange program between students from the Gymnasium am Fredenberg (GAF) and the Imatran yhteislukio upper secondary school in Salzgitter's Finnish twin town Imatra has now been running for 25 years. Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the associated restrictions and uncertainties, the exchange could not take place for four years. This tradition was resumed at the beginning of November: Ten Year 10 students made their way north. The host families awaited the guests from Salzgitter outside the school in Imatra early in the morning. The visit began with a free weekend, which the group spent with their host families.
On Sunday, many of the exchange partners and the four supervising teachers went on an extended hike at Lake Saimasee, followed by a barbecue. Kristina Gerdesmann, one of the supervising teachers from GAF, summarized: "The beautiful nature and the hospitality of the people were overwhelming. The pupils didn't want to go home again."
On Monday, lessons began in Finland's largest and most modern wooden school. To the surprise of the German guests: shoes off! The school is a sock school - that was the Finnish pupils' wish during the planning phase of the school. After a welcome from the principal Johanna Ovaska, who speaks perfect German, it was time for the lessons. The guest students from Year 10 took part in the lessons of the local Year 11 and 12 classes. This went without a hitch as the subject matter is similar and was an exciting experience for everyone.
Cross-country skiing, swimming, bowling, baking Finnish cakes, a visit to a Finnish-Russian border post and to Storaenso, one of Finland's largest paper mills, were some of the highlights of the varied program during the stay.
Kristina Gerdesmann sums up: "We made new friends and got to know a great country with very friendly people. Our pupils have become a little more independent as a result and we were finally able to continue the tradition of regular exchanges. I would like to thank everyone involved for this. Special thanks go to the city of Salzgitter, which supported our trip to the Finnish twin city. We are already looking forward to the return visit from our friends from Imatra next spring."
Rüdiger Skopek, who is responsible for town twinning on behalf of the city administration, is delighted: "It is precisely these lively contacts between schools and clubs that make town twinning so special. The aim is to get to know each other, exchange ideas and make friends across regional and national borders. We were happy to support this great project and look forward to continuing it."
