Meet Emilia who is with us for the next few months as part of the Erasmus International Schools project. We managed to catch up with her to answer a few questions about what she is planning to do with her time here.
1. Why are you at The Academy at Shotton Hall?
I’m at The Academy at Shotton Hall doing an Erasmus Plus internship. I chose Shotton Hall because I wanted to learn about project management and gain some experience in an English school to develop my language, communication and intercultural competencies as well as learning about the local culture and habits.
2. When did you arrive and how long are you here for?
I arrived in January and I’m going to stay for about three months.
3. What have you enjoyed the most about being here so far?
I have already enjoyed a lot of things, but one of the most memorable experiences for me was the trip to Mahlam. It was a great school exchange project which integrated Shotton Hall students together with Croatian students. I also enjoy Harry Potter club meetings and Friday breaktime singing performances.
4. What do you do back at home?
When I go back to Germany I’m going to start my teaching training in secondary school. I will be working as a student teacher teaching English as a foreign language and geography. I’m very excited about it!
5. What activities and projects will you be involved with over the coming months?
There are two ongoing projects which I am involved in. The first one is called ‘STARS’ and is about challenging stereotypes. I am helping Mr Kell organise a week of events which will involve schools from Portugal, Malta, Croatia, Finland and some other visitors who are joining us.
Additionally, we are going to carry out ‘The Bridge’ Erasmus project, in which students from different countries are going to participate in performing arts workshops. The ongoing international projects are very interesting and I am learning a lot about project management.
6. What can you tell students about your home country that they would find interesting?
There are plenty of things which Shotton Hall students may find interesting or unusual. Here are some examples:
- Kids in Germany eat a lot of Brezeln as a snack (pretzels).
- Frankfurt am Main, the city where I live, is a huge agglomeration, where a lot of different people from all over the world live.
- All shops are closed on Sundays. It means you must plan your shopping in advance…
- Did you know that in Germany there is Fantakuchen? This is a kind of a cake with addition of Fanta and some cream on the top. It tastes delicious!
- There is a German festival called 'Oktoberfest' – a beer festival in Bavaria. What is interesting is the fact that it is called Oktoberfest but it’s not in October!
- Germans are crazy about football. The local team in Frankfurt is called Eintracht Frankfurt.