September, 27th – October, 2nd 2015

We set off on an early flight to London on Sunday, knowing we would be able to take a nap on the bus to Canterbury (if we ever found the bus…). In Canterbury we were well prepared for sight-seeing, the annual „food & drink -festival“ and a boat-trip on the River Stour (where we encountered the rare species of pigeonspiders). Armed with Harry Potter jelly beans in a myriad of astounding flavours we settled in at the Youth Hostel, had a huge dinner and tried to wake up at 3 a.m. for the lunar eclipse (most of the kids did, actually).

On Monday morning we went to Tollesbury and had a colourful and diverse week’s programme at and around the lightvessel „Trinity“. It focussed on team-building, water- related activities, a number of challenges, the ecosystem of the marshlands and Benthos organisms. Very much appreciated and liked best by the students were high ropes, kayaking, powerboating and, of course, sailing, but there was also an outstanding experience of being part of a group („go, 4A, go …“) and part of various teams. The students were highly motivated in whatever the activity was, showed great team spirit and even enjoyed „teacher’s time“ (knowing there would be hot chocolate and another cake for their sugar rush).
Also to be mentioned are:

• Beautiful surroundings, nice autumn weather, exceptionally high tides and good wind for sailing
• 4A – students chatting, communicating, eager to learn and talk, best language skills ever
• Great contributions to the concert on the last evening, it was hard to say good-bye, but we’ve all made nice and lasting memories

Our trip ended with a visit to London, where we had a packed lunch on the lawn at Westminster Abbey, a walk along the River Thames with Mr. Whippy soft ice-cream and a flea market full of books – and still high spirits on the way back to Vienna.

Thanks to everybody who took part for this remarkable experience („4A be good …“)!

Mag. Beatrix Buchner
Mr. Daniel Jordan