Saturday, 24th of January 2026
Maja D., Marie L., Katherina P., Pauline G.

Today we flew to Manchester. The day started with everyone arriving at the airport. After we went through security check, we had a little time to shop and chill. Then we got our passports checked and boarded our plane. We didn‘t have to wait long until our plane took off. We had a good flight. When we landed, we got our luggage and had to rush to get our train to the hostel. We missed it, but we took a different one.
We had to hurry to get to our hostel, so we would be on time for the rugby game that was planned for today. After we put away our luggage, we went to the rugby game. Before we watched the game, we had lunch at a rugby club. We had chicken with mashed potatoes, but only one of us tried haggis. Not much time passed until the Rugby Game started. We even ran out with the players, which was really cool. Then the Game started, after a few minutes the first goal was already scored. During halftime we also got to kick a Rugby on the field. The game ended 57-0.
After the match, we got to take pictures with the players. Then we went back to the hostel and had free time for about 2 hours. We used the time to go to the supermarket to get water and snacks. At 7:30pm we went out to get dinner. The food at the Indian restaurant we went to was delicious but a bit spicy. After our dinner, we took a train back to our hostel. We spent the rest of our evening playing games and talking in our room.

Sunday, 25th of January 2026
Emily K., Paula G., Niklas T., Niklas K., Eric C.

Today we went to a training with the trainers of the rugby team called Sale FC. As we arrived, some people changed into sports clothes. We had two trainers that day. One was a team trainer and the other one was a player. The trainers did two teams: one was the boys with two or three girls and the other ones was all girls. They taught us how to tackle someone, kick balls and to get the ball from your enemies. After the training the people at the field gave us hotdogs and cupcakes! That was yummy! After lunch Emily and Niklas didn’t feel good and they went back to the hostel with Mrs. Melters. The rest went with Mr. McHugh to the old Trafford cricket stadium which was our first podcast stop! We learned from the podcast about the history and some players. We walked to the Manchester United stadium where we bought merchandise. Mr. McHugh told us something about the airplane crash where some players died. After the Manchester United stadium, we all had free time until it was time for bed. In small groups we walked through the city. Some of us got something to eat. We also all took many pictures. Did you know that the bee is an symbol in Manchester? We had a challenge – take as many pictures of bees around the city until the end of our stay.
That was our Sunday in Manchester!

Monday, 26th of January 2026
Mathilda F., Alayn V., Dana A., Paulina K.

Today, We visited the Mossley Hollins Highschool.
First, we met at the cafeteria to got paired up with our pen pals then, We went to their classes and experienced what the Lessons were like at their school. First me and my friends all had English and then Math. Then me and Mathilda had dance while Dana and Aylan were in
Music class. After that we went to get lunch at the cafeteria, the food wasn’t that good but it was free for us :). After lunch we all got in pairs for our PowerPoint presentations in the library.

Me and my group almost finished it within the first day. When time was up, students from both UK and Germany went to go change into some PE clothes, because both school still had to play football against each other. We lost :( Anyways, after that we drove back home and all immediately went to bed. We think it was an amazing experience to finally know what school’s like at the Mossley Hollins High School and we all had a lot of fun.

Tuesday, 27th of January 2026
Marie M., Laura G., Emanuela O.

Dear diary,
Today we woke up at 7o clock. We had 30 min to get ready, because at 7:30 breakfast was ready. After breakfast we had to be downstairs at 9 am. Then we walk to the tram, to drive to Manchester City Stadium for our tour. We did the tour with our pan pals. We separated into two big groups. First a nice lady gave a presentation about the jobs you can do for Manchester City FC. After that we got a big tour inside the stadium. There was a lot of special thinks we saw. We also saw the VIP lounge, the changing room with all the jerseys of the players. and the players tunnel from the changing room to the pitch. Also we saw the trophies Manchester City won and we saw some pictures about the history from Manchester City FC. Then we got quickly into the City store. Some of us bought something, like a jersey or stickers. After that we got some fish & chips, but the most just got some chips. Then we had to hear a podcast about the national cycling centre. For that we walked to the centre and asked if we could see the inside. When we are allowed to go inside, we saw a man who was driving a bike. It looked special. After that we had free time. We went to different shops and ate something at Taco Bell. When we were at home, we played the Michael Mayors game and Laura hurt her toe while playing the game. After that, we locked our door without the card, so we were locked out. The strong hero Emanuela opened the door with her arm. It was clear that the door didn’t lock. That’s why we changed rooms, now we have a bigger one. So we had to transfer our things to our new room. It was already late so it was bedtime for everyone, but Laura and I (Emanuela) played UNO. Then we went to sleep.

Wednesday 28th of January 2026
Linus C., Maddox M. and Malik G.

Today we woke up at 6:50 am we were very sleepy we got ready, after we got ready, we went to get breakfast we ate chocolate breads and some croissants. At 8 am our buses arrived, we drove about 1 hour to the school and had a 5-minute break and met our pen pals. We went to the mayor’s building, the building was huge and we went to a conference room to ask the mayor some questions about her job. It was pretty cool to meet her. Then we ate some cake and drank some juice, it was very delicious. We were allowed to take a picture with the mayor’s chain and sceptre. They were made out of gold, it was very heavy. After that we went back to the school where we worked on our presentations
about football. We talked much about the presentation with the exchange students. After an hour we had lunch time and we had mash potatoes with turkey and vegetables. It was good. I think we should have lunch at our school too. We worked half an hour on our presentations again. It worked very well with the communication. After we worked on the presentations we said goodbye to our pen pals. It was very sad. The teacher from the school drove us back home, it was very nice of her. In the evening, we all went out todinner and tried different things.

Thursday, 29th of January 2026
everyone

Dear diary,
Today is our last day. We are already at the airport, but let us tell you what we did today before we all board the plane to fly back home. As everyday, we started our day with breakfast in the hostel. One last time we had baked beans, hashbrowns and lots of pastries. Then, we all went back to our rooms to pack our suitcases. Some of us bought so much that it was difficult to close them. We were also a bit afraid that the suitcases were too heavy, but luckily that was not the case in the end. Once the luggage was done and we had checked out of the hostel, we all walked into the city centre. We made three stops to listen to the last podcasts about Bridgewater Canal, Albert Square and the parades and the Piccadilly Gardens. All of the podcasts were very interesting and it was nice to see the places in real life. The last stop was a typical pub.
We all went inside and had something to drink. The food was also good. We spent the last hours in Manchester in small groups and discovered more parts of the city. Because Emanuela, Marie and Laura won the bee challenge, they got to experience a fancy mocktail and the view from one of the skyscrapers in Manchester.
In the end, we got our luggage and took the train to the airport. Now we just hope that the plane is on time while playing card games at the gate.
It was an amazing week and we had a lot of fun!