LTTA2 - The Netherlands

On Monday 20th May, pupils from Poland, Belgium and Portugal arrived at Lentiz Dalton MAVO & Het Groene Lyceum. Their host families gave them a warm welcome and off they went to the Dutch family homes.

Tuesday they went for a trip to Volendam and Zaanse Schans, two typically Dutch locations where the pupils learnt about Holland in the past and what is needed to cope with difficulties and differences.

On Wednesday the pupils visited the Anne Frank exhibition at school. Dutch pupils were the guides and they did a great job in bringing the story of Anne Frank to everyone's attention. The exhibition was the starting point for a discussion about prejudice, anti-bullying and discrimination. Furthermore the pupils made and choose the best "rules" to prevent bullying: the anti-bullying pact and in small groups they presented a "anti-bullying" pitch.

After lunch they learnt more about our region called Westland by doing the "bakkie fietsen" tour. The pupils and teachers visited several greenhouses and collected the products which are produced there. Everybody went home with a full stomach since after the tour we had a nice cup of tomato soup, from the local De Bakker Greenhouse, of course.

On Thursday they visited Rotterdam. They started with the "Orgelzolders", a hiding place for Jews in a church during WOII. This impressive story made them once more be aware of the need to share these stories with the younger generations. After this visit they went to the centre of Rotterdam, where they interviewed people by showing them 4 pictures of Dutch teachers. One of the questions was: Could you become friends with this person and explain why (not)? Some answers were quite remarkable.

Friday they visited Amsterdam. First they went to the Portuguese synagoge. After this visit they went to the Anne Frank huis and  made 2 fotos: one with a situation that showed discrimination, bullying or prejudice. Another foto showed the desired situation, without bullying or prejudice. The results were really impressive. Finally, the team visited a nice pancake bakery where all pupils and teachers could enjoy a nice Dutch pancake.

During the weekend there was time to spend with the families. And on Monday morning everyone received their certificates and it was time to say goodbye to each other.

By Maurice Schouten, The Netherlands