Thursday, March 22, 2012

First Impressions of Cologne

When we arrived in Cologne, two teachers from our partner school, Matthias and Regina, were waiting for us at the airport to take us all to our residences.  During the drive, we were given our first view of the city where these six students will spend the next nine weeks of their lives.  We all agreed that Cologne looks like a beautiful city and a great place to live.  

Today, we met the same two teachers again at the cathedral and got a special tour from Matthias through the inside of the cathedral and around the old area of Cologne.  Afterward, we went to a typical German restaurant, where the students were given their first taste of the typical beer of Cologne called "Kölsch" as well as some authentic German food. 

Afterwards, the students had some things to do in order to get settled into their apartments.  I, on the other hand, was able to do some more sight-seeing on my own around the city. I took a long walk through the park along the Rhein river, saw a few of the 12 Roman churches scattered throughout the city, and even had the chance to do some shopping along the main shopping street in the center of the city.  


Tomorrow, we'll go to Georg-Simon-Ohm-BerufSkolleg for a welcome meeting, where I'll introduce myself and the students and give a brief oral presentation about our IT vocational program at IES Campanillas.  The rest of my time in Cologne will be spent visiting the companies where the students will be completing their internships and completing important paperwork.  The students will begin working on Monday.  


After spending only about a day and a half in Cologne, I can say that I am entirely enchanted by this city.  The architecture is gorgeous and to me, the location of the Rhein river and grassy parks make the city seem a little less city-like.  Also, it seems like there are plenty of things for the students to do in their free time in the city as well as outside of Cologne.  It almost makes me wish I could stay with the students and live in Cologne for the next nine weeks! 


Sarah Odebralski
IES Campanillas English Language Assistant

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