Head's Newsletter 2 February 2018

BERLIN TRIP

had been captured trying to escape the iron curtain and as punishment incarcerated at Hohenschönhausen in 1987. He vividly brought to life the psychological strain the prisoners were put under, the dehumanising rules and the constant control. He was later expelled from East Germany to the West. This was a harrowing tale and really unique experience. We spent the 3 rd day on the Museuminsel of Berlin, exploring the cultural and historical variety that this capital has to offer. Not forgetting our enjoyment of the sizeable portions at the restaurants we ate at - portions in Germany are BIG. Despite the cold we were able to glimpse the versatile nature of Berlin, which has enriched our cultural knowledge and will surely give us food for thought beyond the A - Level Exams.

After the October Y13 trip to Berlin was very disappointingly cancelled due to a French air controllers strike, we were very lucky the 2 nd time around. Six A-level Germanists plus 2 teachers landed in very cold, snowy Berlin on 17 January.

After checking into our hostel in the multicultural district “Kreuzberg”, we explored the city, first visiting the Historical Museum of Berlin and the monument dedicated to the local resistance movement against Nazi Germany. The highlight of the day was a visit to the German “Reichstag”, the German parliament with its famous Sir Norman Foster glass dome, where our Sixth formers were sitting in the press gallery overlooking the German parliament and a historian explained the key political structures of the German government to us. The interplay of the talk and the material covered in lessons encouraged us to use the opportunity to ask questions – gaining knowledge that will surely be useful in the A- level exam. We all agreed that that the trip to the former East German secret police prison at Hohenschönhausen on Thursday was our absolute highlight. This year's group was very fortunate to learn about the grim reality from somebody with first hand experience. Our tour guide, Mario Röllig,