1) Ankitha Mahendran participated in a German exchange program from July 14-27, 2014 where she visited several places in Germany including Hannover, Stadthagen, Harz National Park, Heide Park, Steinhuder Meer bird sanctuary, Hamburg, and Bremen. 2) During the program, Ankitha and other Indian students learned about German culture and biodiversity through presentations and activities with their German partner students. They also participated in cultural exchange events. 3) The exchange program provided Ankitha with many cherished experiences and memories, and she was thankful for the opportunity.

1. GERMAN EXCHANGE PROGRAM– 2014
MY DEFININGMOMENTSANKITHA
MAHENDRAN, XI A/D

2. THANK YOU FOR THE WHOLE TEAM
CHERISHING MOMENTS THROUGHOUT MY
LIFE. THANKS A TON TO MY BELOVED SRIDEVI
MAM, RAMANI SIR, GERMAN EXCHANGE
PROGRAM CO-ORDINATORS, KRMM
TEACHERS, WILHELM BUSCH GYMNASIUM FOR
GIVING ME THIS WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY

3. FRANKFURT AIRPORT
THE EXCITEMENT WHICH BEGAN IN CHENNAI AIRPORT
CONTINUED EVEN IN THE FRANKFURT AIRPORT

4. FRANKFURT AIRPORT

5. DAY-1, 14th JULY
HANNOVER
INSIDE THE FLIGHT
FROM FRANKFURT TO
HANNOVER, THE
AIRHOSTESS WAS SO
HAPPY TO SEE US, SHE
ALSO GREETED US
WITH “NAMASTE”

6. Mrs. Padmavathi Mahendran
Mrs. Sudha Thiagarajan
Our beloved teachers who were our
mothers during the entire exchange
program

7. DAY -2, 15TH JULY 2014
BREAKING THE ICE SESSION
INTRODUCTION OF EACH ONE OF
US & MADE OUR OWN ID CARDS

8. GETTING READY FOR THE CULTURAL EXCHANGE
PROGRAM
GERMAN PUPILS
&
INDIAN PUPILS

9. EXCITEMENT, BEGINNING OF A NEW
EXPERIENCE
GERMAN PUPILS , TEACHERS AND INDIAN PUPILS AND
TEACHERS WERE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE WHOLE
PROGRAM

10. WILHELM BUSCH GYMNASIUM
CLASS ROOM

11. A RED CARPET WELCOME BY THE SCHOOL BAND
& PERCUSSION GROUP
HEADED BY THE DANCE TEACHER Frau. BIRGIT
KOCH

12. WELCOME SPEECH BY Mr. HOLGER WIRTZ
At the school we all met and we were given an
official welcome by the Headmaster, Mr.Holger
Wirtz

13. PATTA CHITRA PAINTING FROM ODISHA
ON BEHALF OF OUR PRINCIPAL SRIDEVI MAM,
OUR TEACHERS GAVE THE PAINTING AS A
SOVENIR TO Mr. HOLGER WIRTZ

14. WELCOME BY THE DEPUTY MAYOR
ANNA LENA TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN TO
ENGLISH FOR THE INDIAN PUPILS & TEACHERS

15. SOVENIRS WERE GIVEN BY THE MAYOR TO
THE INDIAN CO-ORDINATORS
THE MAYOR’S SPEECH WAS TRANSLATED FROM
GERMAN TO ENGLISH BY ONE OF OUR STUDENT
PARTNER THE LOVING ANNA LENA

16. FREE ICECREAM COUPONS WERE GIVEN TO
US BY THE MAYOR.
RELISHED THE ICECREAMS

17. THE WHOLE TEAM WITH THE
DEPUTY MAYOR
VENUE: MARKTPLATZ, STADTHAGEN, OUTSIDE
THE MAYOR’S OFFICE

18. DAY-3, 16TH JULY
PRESENTATION OF OUR BIODIVERSITY PROJECT
• THE GERMAN
STUDENTS SPOKE
ABOUT THE BIO-
DIVERSITY IN
GERMANY (LOWER
SAXONY) WITH A
POWER POINT
PRESENTATION.

19. DIFFERENT GROUPS
PRESENTED THEIR TOPICS
ON BIODIERSITY
They spoke about
the dangers and
threats that are
being created by
mankind to the
ecosystem,
biodiversity and
tourism. Then, the
Indian students
spoke about Bio-
diversity in Tamil
Nadu.
It was interesting to
share each other’s
ideas.

20. DAY-4, 17TH JULY
VISIT TO THE HARZ
NATIONAL PARK.
A BRIEF
INTRODUCTION
ABOUT THE PARK &
ITS BIODIVERSITY
WAS GIVEN BY Mr.
FRIEDHART KNOLLE, A
GEOLOGIST,
WORKING IN THE
PARK FROM THE DAY
IT STARTED

21. ATTENTION STUDENTS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

22. VERY ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THE HARZ NATIONAL
PARK AND THE 5KMS TREKKING TO THE PARK

23. 1 KM BY CABLE CAR, 4 KMS HIKING THROUGH THE
DENSE DECIDOUS & CONIFEROUS FORESTS

24. MOUNTAIN STREAM WATER WAS COLD AND RICH IN
OXYGEN, WHICH MADE US TO WALK
WITH REFRESHING ENERGY

25. A CAVE
OFCOURSE THE EARLY
INHABITANTS INSIDE

26. THE ENDANGERED SPECIES LYNX
FINALLY WE REACHED OUR DESTINATION TO SEE
THE 4 LYNXES WHICH BELONGS TO THE CAT
FAMILY, ALSO AN ENDANGERED SPECIES, BUT
NOW THEY HAVE ABOUT 50 LYNXES IN THE PARK

27. DAY-5, 18TH JULY
VISIT TO HANNOVER ZOO
HANNOVER TOWN HALL

28. HANNOVER ZOO
PELICANS, GIRAFFES

29. CUTE POLAR BEARS, CUTE PENGUINS

30. DAY 6 & 7, 19TH & 20TH JULY
WENT TO HEIDE PARK WITH OUR HOST PARTNERS

31. DAY-8 21ST JULY
WORKING ON THE PROJECT IN 6 GROUPS

32. POSTERS ON BIODIVERSITY

35. VISIT TO THE BUCKEBURG CASTLE & ITS
HISTORY

36. DAY-9, 22ND JULY
VISIT TO STEINHUDER MEER(LAKE) & BIRD
SANCTUARY

37. THIS LAKE IS A PROTECTED AREA BY GOVT FOR BREEDING
BIRDS AND RESTING PLACE FOR OTHER BIRDS

38. BEAUTIFUL LAKE, SWANS, GERMAN & INDIAN
PUPILS

39. DAY-10, 23RD JULY
VISIT TO HAMBURG
A SHORT CRUISE AROUND THE HARBOUR
2ND LARGEST HARBOUR IN EUROPE

40. DAY-11, 24TH JULY
BUILDING BEE HOTELS, ONE GROUP RENOVATING THE EXISTING BEE HIVE
NICOLAS, PRAVEEN, IRFAN, JONAS

41. REST OF THE PUPILS IN SMALL GROUPS AND
CONSTRUCTED NEW BEE HOTELS

42. THE SMALL GROUPS
ENJOYED TEAM WORK & INDEPENDENT IDEAS

43. NEWLY CONSTRUCTED BEE HOTELS

44. DAY-12, 25TH JULY
CULTURAL PROGRAM, FAREWELL PARTY

45. INDIAN PUPILS SPOKE ABOUT FESTIVALS OF INDIA
FAREWELL SPEECH BY Mr. HOLGER WIRTZ

46. THE WHOLE TEAM OF THE INDO-GERMAN CULTURAL
EXCHANGE PROGRAM

47. MY GERMAN MOM, DAD, MY LOVING SISTER

48. DAY-13, 26TH JULY
VISIT TO BREMEN WITH ALL OUR PARTNERS
3HRS JOURNEY BY TRAIN FROM
HANNOVER
SIGHTSEEING IN BREMEN
SHOPPING

49. DAY-14, 27TH JULY
BACK TO CHENNAI
• BID FAREWELL TO MY FRIEND SISTER MAREN
WITH A HEAVY HEART AND TEARS IN MY
EYES
• FLIGHT TO HANNOVER, HANNOVER TO
FRANKFURT, FRANKFURT TO CHENNAI
• I STILL MISS MY DAYS WITH MAREN AND
AUNTY

50. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH
DANKE !!!!!!