Over the holidays I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to travel to Frankfurt Am Main, Germany to take part in a youth language course organised by the Goethe Institute.

Along with 54 other students from eight different countries (Nepal, Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, Panama, Colombia, Australia and New Zealand), I participated in different activities around Frankfurt, visited some nearby towns and, of course, learnt more of the language.

During the week we had language lessons during the day where we would cover a range of things from grammar, to different German dialects, to new vocabulary. Then in the afternoons and evenings we could choose from a few different activities that were organised. Some of the highlights included watching an ice hockey game (Löwen Frankfurt vs. Kassel Huskies), going to the top of the Main Tower, playing laser tag, visiting the old city, bowling, visiting a Vincent Van Gogh exhibition, ice skating and going to the Opera Penelope. As well as this they organised many fun activities for us at the youth hostel including making waffles, karaoke and a nation evening where we learnt lots about different cultures.

The weekends were also jam-packed with lots of fun activities, including excursions to the nearby towns of Marburg, Königstein im Taunus and Mainz. In Marburg we got a tour around the old town, which was the home of the Brothers Grimm, and we had free time to try local cuisine before the next day visiting Königstein im Taunus to see the castle there. Then in Mainz we explored the town independently finding out information about the history of the city. Additionally we played the apple, egg game where we were given an apple and a hard boiled egg and traded them with shopkeepers to try and get progressively larger items. This is a game modelled off the story of Kyle MacDonald who began with a red paper clip and bartered until he could swap his last item for a house! We were not quite as successful as MacDonald but finished the day with a rubber duck, small purse, coaster and a magazine, and really enjoyed trying something different.

By the end of this course I had learnt so much more about German culture, gained more language skills and made lifelong friends from around the world. Thank you very much to Mr Moore and Ms Riethmaier for being wonderful German teachers and for all the work put into making Columba College a PASCH school, therefore giving me the opportunity to apply for this amazing scholarship. This was an incredible experience that will stay with me forever.