day 1 - Sun
had a pleasant flight covering a long day with getting up at 3am, staying awake in the end to around 9pm (Chicago time) which means we had a more than 24hour-shift that day. Except a temporarily lost passport and problems with a fingerprint, we got easy access to the United States with an overwhelming welcome from the host families. Later the day, some even make it to the beach or follow their partners ´ weekend activities.

day 2 - Mon
Monday morning starts with a sunny day at school with a welcome breakfast at WJHS cafeteria, organized by the host parents. Welcoming words spoken by organizer Erin Kaminsky and principal Dr. Cremascoli opened the week. The group brought a telge sculpture as a present for the principal, then students joined classes with their partners. The Schooldays ends at 3:15pm. Various activities in the afternoon like hanging out at the beach or joining the partners activities complete the day.
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day 3 - Tue
Bad and cold weather with prospects of rain. All meet at WJHS with rainjackets and lunchboxes for the day.
The bike tour of Wilmette starts at the City Hall where the group is welcomed by village president Plunkett. She explains the history of Wilmette and the roots back to the German settlement. We also learn about the plans to reshape the city into a more modern place facing future demands. The village president receives a Telgte stepstone that presents the telge/the oaktree. Fun fact: the Wilmette coat of arms also presents an oak tree;)
Next stop: Wilmette fire station. We get an exclusive tour through all the rooms in the fire station and learn about the engines, trucks and ambulance in hands on experiences like wearing a fire fighter´s uniform and learning about the risks when rescuing people from burning houses.
Last stop: Mitchell Museum of the Native Americans. The resumée at first: boring but interesting.
That´s sort of a compliment for a visit at a museum, isn´t it?;) In fact we learned a lot about the life of Native Americans several hundred years ago and how they made a living under different regional conditions of land, food available and transportation options in those days. The visit ends with a workshop in which everyone can design an own keychain Native American style.
Back at school the partners meet at the end of the schoolday- some take a chance of going bowling, others just hang out and relax or plan common activities with combined German-American partners.

updates follow…