Czech people are the nicest people you will ever meet. They are really warm and helpful. Although their English is not always fluent, they will still try their very best to communicate with you. On several occasions, we got the chance to meet some Czech secondary students. It was really special to share stories and learn about each other’s culture. The students we met were extremely down to earth, despite the fact that they looked a bit intimidating at first. Once you got to know them, they were the warmest and some of the funniest people ever!

When we were in Poland, we got the chance to visit Auschwitz, the death camp where Adolf Hitler murdered more than a million innocent people. I wouldn’t say that this was the highlight of the trip, but it is definitely something we really have to see when visiting Poland. We learned a lot from our tour guides, and it was really disturbing to see some of the personal items belonging to the victims. When we were touring the camp, we could still feel the heaviness in the air, like a tension that has never been truly broken.

The trip to the Czech Republic and Poland was really worth experiencing, especially because I got to go with my friends. Furthermore, I got to meet so many new and amazing people and experience a totally different culture outside the safety bubble I have at home. It was really special to experience the Central European culture, and it was also a chance for us to do some community service, by helping the children at the SOS village near Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic who are far less fortunate than we are. There were so many things that happened in our two short weeks abroad, and it was definitely an experience of a lifetime.

Celine, Year 9