Pupils from Leiria bid farewell to friends in Rheine
Rheine. After 18 students from the Gymnasium Dionysianum and the Kaufmännische Schulen were able to experience the summer of Portugal once again in October, the Portuguese also visited Rheine and gained new experiences during the week from November 27 to December 4. Dio student Maria Davydova has written the following report:
During this time, Christmas feelings already came up, because many host families decorate their houses during this time and also the city center Rheine was already shining in Christmas lights. Similar to our time in Leiria, their stay began with a visit to our schools and an exploration of our town, Rheine, including the town hall, salt works and zoo. We took a whole day on Friday to show them the history as well as the many inviting Christmas markets and stores of Münster. At the weekend, the Portuguese were able to experience our everyday life. While some went on a trip to the surrounding cities, such as Cologne, others visited our concerts or relatives.
Afterwards, everyone met up again on Monday for the EUROPI game at Kopernikus-Gymnasium and saw Rheine from a different perspective: everyone enjoyed the city rally and baking cookies. The following day, everyone was able to compare the castle in Bad Bentheim with the one in Leiria.
We went to the Pop-Rock Museum and even took part in a hip-hop course. After all that, it was sadly time for the farewell party at Centro San Antonio. Everyone really enjoyed the buffet and the barbecue. On Wednesday, the Portuguese made their way to Amsterdam airport with their suitcases. However, they were still able to spend half the day in the city and some of the German hosts came along to experience the canal cruise and accompany their guests for the last time. Then it was time to say goodbye and our exchange partners boarded the plane with many new impressions, cold feet and lots of souvenirs for their families.
We would like to thank the Verein zur Förderung der Städtepartnerschaften der Stadt Rheine e.V. for the great cooperation between the schools and the cities of Leiria and Rheine!