As part of our school’s Erasmus+ programme, from the 23rd to the 27th of February, we, the first-year class, had the honour of welcoming two very kind native speakers to our school: Cate from Virginia in the USA and Yoyo from South Africa.
For five days, Yoyo, a very fun person and stand-up comedian, worked with one group of the class, while Cate, a very dedicated and passionate woman, worked with the other. We did different activities together such as games, debates, and presentations, we learned about the protection of the environment as well as Yoyo’s and Cate’s respective home countries. We were also encouraged to gain confidence in performing as part of the “Theatre Experience” module. Under their guidance, we learned how important it is to care for the world and our future. Also, one of our favourite pastimes was Splat – a fun game we quickly grew to love during this short time.
On Friday, the fifth and final day of the English Native Week, we had the opportunity to present in small groups what we had been working on during the week in front of our parents and teachers. For example, we presented Yoyo’s home country, South Africa, in more detail and performed our own modern adaptations of Peter Pan and Robin Hood. We finished off by singing our own interpretation of Taylor Swift’s popular song “The Fate of Ophelia”, incorporating the theme of climate change.
We really enjoyed spending the week with Yoyo and Cate, whose positive personalities and passion motivated us every day. We also became more confident in speaking the vibrant language English. Listening to their unique accents made us realize the various ways a language can be spoken.
A big thank you goes to Professor Kislinger, who hosted Cate and Yoyo at her home for the week. In the afternoons when they had no lessons, the two also had time to explore the “Lipizzanerheimat” a little, for example by visiting the “Hundertwasser Church” in Bärnbach and the “Gestüt Piber” together.
All in all, we had a lot of fun and learned things we hadn’t even accounted for. :)
Lea Edelbacher and Lara Vidalli, I. Jahrgang
Christina Eisl, BEd Med