sekretariat@cpg-gilching.de 
Right now, I am in France and I will stay a month. I left Munich with another student from my school on Thursday, January 15th by train, shortly after 7 a.m. . We went to Stuttgart, where we had a short stopover, and then to Paris where we arrived at around 2:15 p.m. There, we were picked up by the host parents of one of our exchange partners. We went directly to the host school and I had an hour of math class. School in France is a little different from the one in Germany, but more about it later.
On Friday, I went to class as usual and saw how tests were written in France. In the evening, we went to my exchange partner’s grandparents‘ house, where we also met her aunt, uncle, and cousin. First, we had dinner together and then celebrated the tradition of „Galette des Rois.“ This involves a „galette“, which is usually filled with almonds. The youngest person hides under the table while the „galette“ is being cut. Now, one piece after another is distributed. Without seeing the pieces, the person under the table decides who should get which piece. After that the pieces are eaten. A small porcelain figurine called a „fève“ is hidden in one of them. It is hidden in the cake before baking. The person who finds the „fève“ is then either the king or queen, depending on their gender. Then,this person gets to choose the other king or queen, so that there is one of each. These two get a crown. My host mother told me that there was usually a „galette“ every weekend in January. Many French people collect these „fèves.“ My exchange partner’s grandmother collects them too, but she asked me if I wanted to choose one for myself. Now I have a little figurine holding a croissant.
I’m sitting in the „foyer“ right now, writing this blog (see picture below). School normally starts at 8 a.m., unless there are no classes scheduled in your timetable. That’s why I start at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays. Every pupil also has a notebook that they have to show when entering and leaving the school. Classes here last 55 minutes, and there is a 5-minute break in-between. And, of course, there are also normal breaks. At my school, you are allowed to use your phone when you don’t have class or during breaks. Students have to put their cell phones in a box when they enter the classroom, and when they leave or during breaks, they are allowed to take them. However, they have to put them back after the break. In general, school here lasts longer than in Germany. For example, I don’t finish before 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays. There are also a few other subjects that I don’t know from Germany. For example, there is a subject here in which the class is divided into two groups and talks to the class teacher about problems and conflicts in class, but also about their future at the „lycée“.
We relaxed a bit over the weekend and I caught up on some sleep. My exchange partner had to study a lot, but, nevertheless, we went shopping one day. Not much else happened during the rest of the week, and now the first week is already over!
Annika
