18 students from the Portuguese twin town visit the city for a week. Rheine
Rheine. Thanks to storm “Telse”, it was a stormy welcome in the truest sense of the word that the German hosts gave the 18 young people from Leiria and their chaperones when they arrived by bus on Wednesday afternoon on the grounds of the commercial schools. For one week, the exchange students are guests in families in Rheine and the surrounding area. Ildefons Kirfel from the board of the town twinning association Rheine met the students at the airport in Amsterdam and accompanied them to Rheine.
After the first evening with their families, it was time to get up early on Thursday, as the Portuguese and the young people from the host families attended lessons at the Dionysianum grammar school and the commercial schools. The reception at the city of Rheine was on the agenda at 11 am. Deputy Mayor Birgitt Overesch warmly welcomed the guests from southern Europe to Rheine and introduced them to the city of Rheine and current projects in the council chamber. “We are delighted about our active town twinning partnerships,” she said, emphasizing the importance of such exchange projects. She thanked the many active members of the town twinning association who make these encounters possible in the first place. The group had to climb a lot of stairs to take the obligatory group photo on the roof of the town hall. But their efforts were rewarded with a magnificent view of the surrounding area.
On Thursday afternoon, a visit to the zoo and then salt boiling in Bentlage were on the agenda. On the following days, an introduction to the game “Europi”, which was developed by pupils from Kopernikus-Gymnasium, and a city rally are planned. The guests from Portugal will spend the weekend with their host families.
The tour continues on Monday with a trip to Münster. The history of the 30-year war and architectural monuments in Münster are on the agenda there. A visit to the Christmas market rounds off the excursion program. The guests from the Portuguese twin city will spend the weekend doing something together with their host families.
Tuesday begins with a trip to Bad Bentheim, where the castle is the first point of interest. This will be followed by a trip to the Rock and Pop Museum in Bad Bentheim, before taking part in a short Hipp-Hopp course at TV Jahn Rheine. The big farewell evening will take place on Tuesday at the Centro S. Antonio. Together, the young people, the hosts and the supervisors will review the time spent together in Leiria and Rheine. And plans will certainly be made for one or two reunions before the departure on Wednesday.www.friendsineurope.com