Leaving early took on a whole new meaning when we received the news of our actual departure time: 4 a.m. on Sunday morning… or rather night! But despite the severe lack of sleep, eager students and parents were already waiting outside the school when 3:30 rolled around. We quickly loaded up the bus, checked passports, and waved goodbye to Hausach.

It didn’t take long for us to notice a small issue: our bus seemed to be heading for Hastings and not Brighton! Fortunately, our bus driver quickly sorted out the paperwork, adjusted his route, and set us on the correct course. With plenty of breaks, good conversations, and many hours on the road, we eventually made our way to England.

As always, we teachers had the pleasure of scanning more than 40 passports in order to check in for the ferry. Despite our best efforts, however, Frau Wernet still ended up manually typing in 45 passport details. Give that woman a raise! The ferry crossing went smoothly, though, and our second bus driver, Jozsef, safely brought us to the lovely town of Seaford.

The closer we got to our destination, the more restless the students became. Although everyone was still buzzing from Germany’s impressive World Cup performance, another feeling was beginning to take over: nervousness.

Who would be my host family? Would the rumours about terrible food and unfriendly host families, who barely cared about their guests, actually be true?

When we finally arrived in the charming seaside town of Seaford, and host parents gradually began to appear, the relief was written pretty much on everyone’s faces. Every host seemed genuinely excited to meet their new visitors and was incredibly kind and welcoming, much to the students‘ delight. As is tradition, the students immediately started playing the classic guessing game: Whose host will this be!?

With big smiles (maybe still some nervousness), our students headed off with their hosts for the evening, while we teachers, together with Jozsef, made our way to the guesthouse.

And it wasn’t only the students who felt a wave of relief. We, too, were overcome with joy when Stuart – an old, eccentric, and wonderfully charming host, very British – opened the doors to his lovely guesthouse, which was filled with antiques and unique items. Quite the stark contrast to our accommodations in Eastbourne: no bed bugs, no noise, no sewage smell, clean rooms, breakfast always on time, with views out to the lovely fields, hills and coast of Seaford. Happy students, happy teachers! 😉

Day 1 – Brighton: Guided Tour and Cricket

Brighton, a vibrant and diverse seaside city, welcomed us with its charming alleys, countless little shops, and rich history. We started the day with a guided tour through the city streets, which was interesting but at times difficult to listen to, considering everyone was eager to explore Brighton by themselves! And everyone was still soo tired from the long bus journey…

After the tour, the students were given an hour of free time to explore Brighton in small groups. While they set off on their adventures, we teachers grabbed a quick snack to prepare ourselves for the upcoming cricket training session.

Since the city tour and the cricket grounds were much too far apart to walk between, we arranged a pick-up and drop-off service with our bus driver, Jozsef, who happily agreed. By this point, Jozsef had .Since the city tour and the cricket grounds were much too far apart to walk between, we arranged a pick-up and drop-off service with our bus driver, Jozsef, who happily agreed. By this point, Jozsef had already become the students’ favorite bus driver and was always received with a round of applause, most likely because he never seemed to mind cleaning up after their mess. A true hero.

The cricket practice itself turned out to be quite an experience. We were assigned two coaches, both from India, who each had their own very different set of rules and teaching styles… As a result, the level of excitement varied between the groups: While one group had high engagement, the other group spent most of their time observing. Nevertheless, any initial worries or scepticism quickly disappeared, and everyone gave it their best shot! We might even have managed to grasp around 40% of the game by then, which, considering the complexity of cricket, felt like quite an achievement.

And while my team (1, 2, 3… Battlecats!) lost by one lousy point, I remain firmly convinced that we were the real winners. Maybe not on the scoreboard, but certainly in terms of team spirit – and that’s what truly matters anyway! Despite the fun, there was one thing we all underestimated: the English sun. Even though I regularly reminded the students to apply sunscreen throughout the day, nearly everyone returned home with the same souvenir from Brighton: a respectable sunburn – especially Ms. Haug! Yikes.

Day 2 – Seven Sisters Coastal Hike

Armed with generous amounts of sunscreen, fully packed backpacks, and plenty of motivation, we set off early on Tuesday morning to hike the Seven Sisters. Unlike the „lazy“ Hastings groups, we had ambitious plans: hiking all the way to Eastbourne, a journey of roughly 17 kilometers and well over 20,000 steps.

With Frau Wernet leading the pack and Herr Beisitzer and Frau Haug bringing up the middle and the rear, we marched up and down the impressive cliffs, enjoying breathtaking views along the way. The weather could not have been much better: a pleasant 22°C and sunshine all day long. Admittedly, our sunburns would probably have preferred a few clouds, but you can’t have everything, can you? 😉 Remarkably, there were hardly any complaints until the very end, which made it an extremely successful day of hiking.

Shoutout to:

… Finn, who set a new world record for running and then sliding down a hill for what felt like     forever. Haha!

… Maxi, for casually doing several backflips in a row and then topping it off with a sweet buzz cut     in Eastbourne.

… Jarno, who did push ups because he dared to walk in front of Frau Wernet.

… Luca, Elias and Niklas, for proudly wearing the most ridiculous hats they could find.

… Levi, who somehow managed to spend more than 20 minutes eating a single ice cream cone.

… Stole, for making Ms. Haug’s day by telling her she looks like she’s still in her twenties. Thanks!

… all the girls, who pranked us teachers by starting out the hike in sandals, haha! (“let’s just say

    Ms Wernet didn’t find it funny at all in the first place.”)

… all the girls, who rolled down the hills simply because they could.

… everyone, for completing such a long hike with us and keeping their spirits high along the way! … everyone, for spending loads of free time in Eastbourne afterwards, despite feeling tired and         probably even more sunburned.

… everyone, who walked roughly 33000 steps and 22 kilometres at the end of that day!

… everyone, who didn’t complain when taking a group photo!!!

Day 3 – London

Finally, the big day that all the students had been looking forward to arrived: London!

But wait – what’s this?

When we, the teachers, checked the schedule the day before our trip, we quickly realized that collecting the students at 8:00 a.m. and making it to our 10:45 a.m. Thames River Cruise would be nearly impossible. So, after crunching the numbers, checking routes, and double-checking times (thank goodness we had two Math teachers in the group!), we contacted the organizers and hoped to negotiate an earlier departure. After a bit of bargaining, we agreed on a 7:15 a.m. departure and thankfully, all host parents delivered our precious cargo, the students, right on time. Thanks to everyone’s punctuality, we arrived in London with perfect timing.

Upon reaching the O2 Arena in North Greenwich, we prepared the students for what was arguably the most challenging part of the day: the famous, and slightly stressful, stuffy and hot Tube ride! Each teacher took responsibility for a group of students, since it’s much easier to count to 13 than to 41. Unless you’re Ms. Haug, of course… but surely 12 is close enough to 13, isn’t it?

Jokes aside, everyone survived the Underground, and we made it to our boat in time for a fantastic cruise along the Thames. The students thoroughly enjoyed seeing London’s landmarks from the water. Next up was the London Eye, which offered spectacular views of the city. The only downside was the rather stuffy and warm air inside the capsules, but fortunately, the views more than made up for it.

However, the highlight of the day for most students was still to come: several hours of free time to explore London independently. Some returned with new clothes, others with souvenirs for friends and family, and quite a few proudly showed off newly purchased football jerseys just in time for the World Cup. If only we could have stayed a little longer to watch England’s exciting match that evening! But perhaps the most impressive achievement of the entire day was the group’s time management (and the fact that Ms. Haug, despite her counting abilities, lost no students). Every single student arrived at Waterloo Station on time for our journey home. Not one was late.

Needless to say, we teachers were impressed – and very proud.

Well done, everyone!

PS: A big thank you to our students for the sweet “Thank you” cards and key chains!

Day 3 – London

Day 4 – Canterbury                 

Waking up to our last full day in England felt bittersweet. We packed our bags in preparation for the long bus ride awaiting us that evening, but saying goodbye was particularly difficult. Over the past few days, we had really grown to appreciate the quiet and beautiful neighborhood of Seaford.

So, when we, the teachers, boarded the bus, fully packed and ready to collect our students, we all took a moment to discuss whether we really wanted to leave. Or, as Jozsef so eloquently put it in his broken German: „Wir können bleiben oder vielleicht Paris? Was machen wir?“ 😉

At our meeting point in Seaford, the students said their farewells to their host families. Hugs were exchanged, photos were taken, and before long, we were on our way to our final destination: Canterbury. The agenda for the day was simple: visit Canterbury Cathedral and complete the England Challenge. While the students spread out across the city, enthusiastically approaching strangers and attempting to record traditional British folk songs, we teachers faced an equally important mission. Armed with determination, we searched every souvenir shop we could find in order to secure suitable prizes and keepsakes.

The hours flew by, and before we knew it, it was time for one final pilgrimage: Sainsbury’s. There, students stocked up on snacks, sweets, and enough British treats to survive the journey home, or at least the first few hours of it. With shopping bags full and the England Challenge completed, we

The hours flew by, and before we knew it, it was time for one final pilgrimage: Sainsbury’s. There, students stocked up on snacks, sweets, and enough British treats to survive the journey home, or at least the first few hours of it. With shopping bags full and the England Challenge completed, we boarded the bus one last time and began the long journey back to Germany, carrying with us plenty of memories, a few sunburns, and perhaps just a little sadness that the adventure had come to an end.

Day 5 – The journey home

After a quick change of clothes, the students settled into their seats and prepared for the long journey ahead. Except for one quick detour, because Baila thought she forgot her phone in the local Sainsbury’s – but it was quickly found in the bus, haha! We reached Dover in no time and quickly boarded the ferry.

The crossing proved exhausting for everyone. The students were visibly tired, and we teachers could certainly feel the accumulated exhaustion of a long day – and an even longer week. Most noticeable, however, was our rapidly diminishing tolerance for loud noises… The screams and shrieks of children and teenagers, which might have seemed perfectly normal a few days earlier, suddenly became unbearable. That’s when we knew we were ready to go home.

After the ferry ride, everyone hurried back onto the bus, and Jozsef once again took his place behind the wheel. To Ms. Haug’s great delight, Frau Wernet treated the bus to a personalized lullaby over the speaker system: “Schlaf, Schülis, Schaf. Beisitzer hüt’ die Schaf. Faru Haug schüttelt’s Bäumelein, herab fällt ein Träumelein. Schlaf, Schülis, schlaf.”

Not long afterwards, students and teachers alike began to doze off.

Then…

BANG! CRASH! SHATTER!

There goes the driver’s window.

Without warning, the driver’s side window suddenly shattered into thousands of pieces. Startled by the loud explosion, Jozsef immediately pulled over onto the side. For a brief moment, panic began to creep in as we realized that we might end up stranded somewhere in the middle of the night. But this was Jozsef we were dealing with.

He quickly concluded that waiting for a replacement bus would likely take all night. So, despite the obvious shock of the incident, he quickly removed the remaining glass with a bit of violence and a hand broom, and carefully drove us to the next gas station.

What happened next can only be described as a masterclass in improvisation.

Armed with duct tape, a cardboard box, and a remarkable amount of determination, Jozsef (with assistance from the other bus driver, Frau Wernet, and Herr Beisitzer), constructed a brand-new bus window.

The repair worked surprisingly well… for about twenty minutes. Then gravity, wind, and common sense finally caught up with the cardboard. Another stop followed, more tape was applied, and eventually we continued our journey through the night.

Sleep, however, remained in short supply.

To make matters worse, not only was our bus falling apart, but some students in the back seemed to have forgotten the basic safety rule of remaining seated and buckled up, despite countless reminders. The state of the bus also left much to be desired: trash was pilling up, chips were scattered across the floor. It wasn’t until Frau Wernet threatened detention that everyone finally stayed in their seats and fastened their seatbelts. (Thanks Judith: and give that woman her raise!).

Somewhere in Luxembourg, Jozsef said his goodbyes (we will miss him!), and we welcomed our final bus driver for the last stretch to Hausach. By this point, the cardboard window had been replaced with a sheet of plexiglass and, naturally, even more tape. Unfortunately, this solution suffered from many of the same problems as the first one, resulting in several additional stops along the way.

By now,everyone was exhausted, tired, stressed, overheated, and more than ready to arrive home. Coming from a pleasant 20°C in England to 37°C in Germany felt like walking straight through the gates of hell. As we approached Hausach, Frau Wernet made one final announcement: nobody was to leave the bus until every last piece of trash had been collected. Moments later, the doors opened, parents appeared, and students were reunited with their families. <3 Relief. Happiness. Gratitude. Exhaustion. We felt it all.

Despite the challenges on the journey home, everyone genuinely enjoyed the trip.

We teachers certainly did! We had a fantastic week in England and greatly enjoyed spending time with our students, sharing conversations, experiences, many laughs and more than a few adventures.

Fun Facts and Final Shoutouts

Shoutout to all the students that partook in the England challenge!! You guys are awesome: Mind the Gap, Tea-Rex, The Touchies, and many more!

Ms. Haug made it her personal mission to find delicious fish and chips every single day, and she completed that mission with remarkable dedication. Fish and chips with mash, fish and chips with mash and mushy peas, normal fish and chips. After four consecutive evenings of fish and chips, she could finally declare her mission accomplished.

Finn and his sister have promised to provide Ms Haug with a

proper strawberry matcha latte! Looking forward to it! 😉