MY PILGRIMS DIARY 11th - 31st August 1997



Monday, 11th August 1997
ARRIVAL TO PILGRIMS

I stood up at 5 o'clock, took a shower, had breakfast and went with my father to airport Frankfurt/Main. From there I flew to London Gatwick North at 7.25 CET. Because of my being late I had to hurry up in FFM. In the plane I had a nice con-versation with a woman working in the London theatre office.
After arriving in Gatwick (the plane was 10 minutes too late) I waited for my lug-gage for 20 minutes and went trough customs and met Alice, a Pilgrim's teacher. We went to a restaurant, had some drinks and waited for another boy arriving by plane. He comes from Italy; his name is Gaetano. He is very sympathy.
We all three went to Pilgrims centre in Canterbury and were very nice welcome by the teachers and the other students. Gaetano is now second time here, because of this he knows some teachers and children. Arriving time at the centre: about 12.00p.m. We had some food (lunch) and the rooms were showed to us. I am in one room with Gaetano. Great!!
In the afternoon there arrived many other students, whose I welcomed, some lovely girls. From Germany there are about 2 girls and 3 boys (one from DA-Eber-stadt!!) and 3 boys from Austria. After lunch I felt bad because of the heat all the day, so that I went to bed early and slept until next morning.


Tuesday, 12th August
First Day

This morning I got up at 7.30a.m. and took a shower. Then I had to wait until breakfast and after it we met in chapel for a conversation with Jon (course director) about the rules of Pilgrims. After lunch we had an English test for to see how good is someone's English. I got 32 of 55 points (like at home...) In the evening we played a game: there are three teams (red: me, green, blue: Gaetano). At one time two teams played against each other. The rules are that there is a big field. In two diagonal corners there are many boxes who have to be taken to the other corner. On one's side someone can be touched and is sent to prison. He may be touched free by someone who is not captured. we won and lost one time. After it everybody had to take his left shoe to the other corner of the field. Then everybody had to collect both shoes and wear it. I WON!!! After this we had a cocktail (Coke with apples, orange-juice and bitter lemon).
Finally there was a staff show: every teacher wore something so that he was not able to be recognised and the students had to guess who is who. Most were wrong. Then we went to bed and I talked to Gaetano.


Wednesday, 13th August
Second Day

Same like yesterday in the morning, then we had English classes. I am in Alice's class. In my class there are: Daniel (from Israel), Claudio (Italy), Hannah (England), Ferdinand (France), his sister Clementine (too), Inês (Portugal), Antonio (too), Helena (also), Hazim (Saudi-Arabia), Firas A. (also), Jasmina, Allessandra (both from Italy).
We spoke about what we like and not like: there were in every corner of the room a sheet with the text: agree, strongly agree, disagree, strongly disagree. Then she asked us questions like: "Should Charles be allowed to marry again?"-"Are men better than women?"-"Do you agree with capital punishment?" Next we spoke about the capital punishment and collected the pros and cons.
After the break we had lessons with Dennis, our second Teacher. With him we spoke about politics: He gave us a sheet with many questions and had to tic if we agree/neutral or uncertain/disagree. Then we built political parties by comparing our sheets. I am in one party with Clementine, Ferdinand and Inês. Our name was 'The International Party'. We wrote slogans for propaganda and then was lunch.
In workshop (it is every day after lunch, there are five groups (A-E) everybody is in) we made a film: there was a girl sitting under a tree and loving a boy. The boy was killed by another boy (ME!!) and when this boy run to the girl, the girl embraced the tree. Next everybody runs to the boy and wanted to beat him up because the girl wanted help, but the boy stopped running away and killed everybody. Last the boy stood in front of the camera and said "This is my tree. I've come back." and the girl takes a knife and kills the boy and embraced the tree.
Later we had options (every day, you can choose a sport or something like this you want to do), I played badminton, first with some small, badly playing girls, after with some nice French girls.
After lunch we had Slazenger Hunt: There were message-sheets with riddles on it and we had to find the next sheet and after this we had a quiz about England. Our team won!! (Because of Hannah, she is (the only one) from England). Then was bedtime.


Thursday, 14th August
Third Day

In lessons with Alice we spoke about how to start a conversation with a girl. It was very funny: first every group (boys-girls) collected some sentences (e.g. "your body is like ice-cream, I want to lick it all the day"). One by one boy went to a girl, all were bad.
At Dennis we spoke again about the political parties and about idioms (=idiomatic expressions). The example we had was: "That gets my goose" It means: anything you don't like gets your goose.
After lunch at workshop my group (D) had Art. I draw a picture with skyscrapers and painted around the sky blue because it was night. For options I chose swimming but we swam only ten or twenty minutes, then everybody laid in the sun for the last little bit of the time (about one hour).
In the evening we played some crazy games: we went to the large field behind the girl hose (Wesley) and played the following games:
  1. There was for each team one stick in the bottom and everybody had to run to it, ten times around and back to the team for clapping the next one's hand. Blue team won.
  2. There were 4 volunteers from every team who had to throw an egg as often as possible into the air and catch it. Red team won.
  3. There were three volunteers from every team (me), who had to take a piece of apple with their mouth out of a dish full of water, then they had to take a sweet out of a hill of flour, with the mouth, too. In was very funny (for everybody else).
  4. Every team had five volunteers who had to pick as many backed beans as possible on one toothpick. Blue team won (14; red:13; green: 10).
--Break--
  1. We went into chapel for the last games. One volunteer of each team had to put as many marshmallows as possible in his mouth without eating it. Green team (Claudio) won.
  2. Again three volunteers of every team. Now they had to eat a banana and drink a coke. Blue won.
  3. The three volunteers had to eat a Mars without using hands. Green (Daniel) won.
That was all. In total the blue team won, then was bedtime.


Friday, 15th August
Fourth Day

In lessons with Alice we spoke about our fate (palm reading). I have not a long life, I will marry late and the luck will come in the middle of my life. I am very clever but not successful. After this we collected themes we could write about in the newspaper for Pilgrims. We will write about food. At Dennis' lesson we spoke about politicians again and about idioms, too (I have to bring one at Tuesday).
In Workshop I had drama. It was very funny: we had some (imagined) clay. With it we formed some things like a T-shirt, a piano, a window, an apple. After we had to think about a story with a chewing-gum (small groups) and then we had to play it. Later we got a dialogue and had to write some comments and sounds to it. We had to play it, too, but I didn't want to.
At options I played volleyball. It was great, I had much fun. There were three teams, we won two times and lost one time.
Instead of dinner there was a BBQ (barbecue, later barbe-queue) and after a DISCO! It was very good. I danced alone and later with some (2) Italian girls. Everybody looked at me because I danced very good (alone). Bedtime was like normal, that was bad. But remember: DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY!!! (DIEGO)


Saturday, 16th August
Fifth Day

Today was the big trip to Thorpe-Park. We went by two coaches. On the way I slept one hour. In the park I first bought a new film for my camera because there were only four pictures left. Then we went to a roller-coaster "X:\ no way out": There were long corridors without lights where we had to go trough, then there was the train. It was without any light, only darkness, and we went backward.
After we went to 'Punching Man'. We put £1 into and Hazim bate him for many times and got many, many tickets (what for the tickets are knew nobody). The next was again a roller-coaster called 'The Flying Fish'. Then we met on beach in the centre of the park for tick off and went to some other attractions, e.g. a raft-coaster. Last we went home (I slept in the coach again - it was a very strenuous and exciting day) and in the evening we played some crazy games.


Sunday, 17th August
Sixth Day

In the morning we were allowed to sleep as long as we wanted (maximal until 12 o'clock) but I stood up at 9 o'clock. After breakfast (I ate original English scrambled egg with toast) I went to Canterbury with the Austrians. I bought some postcards and stamps and two exercise-books for diary.
In the afternoon we played some games ('Pilgrims-it's a knockout'): We were on the large field and played the following crazy games: e.g. we transported in two minutes as many Marshmallows or as much water with the mouth as possible or rope-pulling or transport water-filled balloons over the head and between the legs etc. Blue team won, Red team was second, Green lost.
In the evening there was Horror-Night: Everybody went into the chapel and watched a horror-film ('Candyman'). Then one by one line was brought to Jon's office (I've been in the first group). In his room Jon told us the story of a man who had no money and owing to this he went to a house for ill, poor and disabled people. Because of being a very good looking young man, ten or twelve men one night burned his face and killed him in this way. Now his ghost is in some rooms of Kent College. Jon told that when he was a school-pupil (ten years ago) a friend of his went into a part of the school where the ghost is said to be, but it was strictly forbidden to enter this part. In the next morning he was found dead with a burned face.
After this Jon snapped his fingers and the ghost of his classmate came out and put a blindfold on everybody's eyes and leaded us to a forbidden part of the school (Wesley House); there were many ghosts. After it we watched the end of the film and went to the dining-room. I sat down with Katja from Munich/Germany. Then we solved some stories Joe told us and went to bed.


Monday, 18th August 1997
Seventh Day

:-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)  
THE BEST DAY !!!
Today I met my girlfriend Katja!!! She is nice, great, lovely, wonderful, beautiful…
First I sat down next to her at breakfast. We told about everything. Then were lessons and I didn't see her. With Alice we spoke about what we will do in class-project (cooking). Alice brought some cookbooks. I will cook with Ferdinand. We decided on something like porridge, 'Frumentry'. The second part we have to do is to write an article about the British pub culture and food. In break I met Katja and talked to her.
With Dennis we played a game: David said a letter and we had to write as fast as possible a word beginning with this letter into the following columns: Property, Opportunity, Land, Part of the body, Capital city. We were on the second place with 20 points (1st: 21 Pt.) Then we spoke again about idioms and wrote our Pilgrims diary and went to lunch. I sat, of course, next to Katja.
At Workshop I had music. It was the most boring workshop I ever had: Keith plugged-in his guitar and played some Beatles-songs and we had to sing. I slept. At the end of workshop I played the piano and Katja came in and watched me playing. She was very impressed by it, but I only played some easy songs and etudes.
After, at options I had chosen badminton but because of Katja I changed to volleyball. We played some games, my team lost two and won two. Then, after lunch, we played some games and then there was the big BLIND DATE: I entered my name for it and I got a sheet with the questions the girl will ask. The first who had to ask questions was Roman. He met a nice 'girl' (Luke), then Katja went on stage and on the other side of the curtain there sat Firas, Ferdinand and me. Katja asked, who would be the ideal partner for me, I answered, a lovely one. Next question: What animal would you be. Katja wanted to be a dolphin and swim, so I said, that I want to be a whale and swim with her trough the ocean. The last question was, what the ideal place to stay together would be. Katja said that she wants to be in a cinema only with the boy. I said that I would sit on a large field only with her and talk to her. Then came the big choice: She chose ME!!! J J J (Everybody said her that I was number one she told me later). Then I had to kiss her (with pleasures) and then we chose a card with an option we had to do. Ours: We had to take a coin between the tooth and give it to the partner without using hands! It was great. We got a bar of chocolate and went to a pew at the back of the chapel and watched to the other couples. I sat very closed to Katja and put my arm round her, also she did. Diana always came and asked us how we were (terrible!!).
After the game was snack and I sat next to Katja very closed and we talked. At bedtime she kissed me! and went away to the girls house. I hope to dream well this night!


Tuesday, 19th August
Eighths Day

Today I stood up at 7.20 o'clock, met with Katja, had breakfast. At the warming up we played 'Cat and Mouse': one person is the cat, another the mouse who has to be cached by the cat. Everybody else stands in lines with straight arms, so that the two can only run in one direction. Sometimes there were a change, then the people turned and hold their arms in another direction.
In class with Alice we went to Canterbury to collect some information about our topic (pub culture) and bought the ingredients for the meals we will cook tomorrow. I didn't buy, we collected some more information and I looked for a jeweller who could cut the coin from the blind date yesterday into two parts (one for me and one for Katja), but they didn't because it was against the law.
We wanted to meet Alice in a café at a quarter to twelve, but she came 25 minutes late (not a good pattern). Then we went back to school and had lunch. After it I sat down with Katja in the quart and talked to her. She plays golf, too and played tennis, like me! (Funny)
At workshop I had scavenger hunt: Dennis gave a sheet to us with every letter of the alphabet and some special things and we had to collect every thing on it and we put it into a bag and bring it back to Dennis. I won (46 of 52 points).
In break I met Katja and sat down with her in the quart and we talked (like every time), then we played badminton in options. Later we went to swimming (=sun-lying) and after I played a little bit the piano and Katja listened.
After lunch we went to QUAZER-LAZER! That is a very big Laser-centre where you shoot with laserguns on someone and get points therefor: everybody wore a waistcoat with four sensors on it (front, back, shoulders). If you hit somebody, he is KO for ten seconds. During this time he can't shoot or be hit again. Then he can shoot or be hit again. With 20 KOs you are dead. If you hit one of your team, you will get minus-points, from your own team plus-points (me: red; other: blue). I was the 16th of about 30 players. Katja played in the second game, she became 5th!
On the way back we stopped in front of McDonald's, Pizza Hat, Uncle Sam's frightened chicken and sang "A Pizza Hat" (like "A-Ram-Sam-Sam"). I went together with Katja, holding her hand, back to the college, where we had snack. I sat down with her and put my arm round her, also she did. We took each other's hands and stroked them. It was great!! Then Banana-Joe came and brought a banana to us. We alternated ate a piece of the banana, the last one I took in my mouth and gave it to Katja's mouth. We touched each others lips! We played a little bit with our hands. Last Katja had to go to the girls-house. She kissed me, then I went to bed, too.


Wednesday, 20th August
Ninth Day

With Alice we cooked today the meals we decided on. Me: frumentry with Ferdinand. We went to the kitchen of Wesley House (GIRLS HOUSE ONLY!!) Owing to the short time our meal will take we first wrote about our topic and later we cooked: we put the wheat into water and heated it for 15 minutes. After this time there was a fire alert! We went out to quart and met there, after five minutes we returned to Wesley. There we saw that there is a smoke-alarm over the stove. We continued cooking until one group opened the stove and took out their cake with much smoke, enough for another fire alert. Same procedure like first time. Then Jon told us to cook in the main kitchen. Ferdinand and I took our porridge there and Sylvia and Mac (kitchen-staff) cooked it for us. After we presented it and our topic to Dennis' class, Luke filmed all.
In workshop I had face-painting. If was very funny: at the beginning I didn't liked it because I didn't know what to paint but then I had a very good idea: BANANAS! Antonio painted one on each cheek, I painted on each arm one and on my right leg, Hanna painted one big on my left leg. I think, I looked very crazy. All the Japanese and Katja took photos of me.
At options I made a balloon-papier-mâché-pig: we took balloons and put a cup for the mouth and
egg-boxes for legs on it and glued very much newspapers on it. I popped my balloon two times (at the beginning), so that I had to start again. On Friday we are going to finish and paint them.
In the free-time I went only with Katja to the field and laid down with her and took her hands and embraced her…
After Dinner we had CASINO-NIGHT! We had to dress ourselves very smart. At the beginning everybody got £50 and was allowed to play: Black-Jack, The Human Fruit Machine, Roulette, Horse-Race (video)… I played roulette all the time. I won £300 total. I gave my money to Bernd, together we had £1210. The best two had £1250! They won a meal at McDonald's each. (I don't know the name - sorry) Katja lost everything (poor girl…). After this we had snack and went to bed.


Thursday, 21st August
Tenth Day

In Alice's lesson we spoke about the Pilgrims Magazine. Everybody had to decide on a theme he want to work out. I chose that I will ask people about a thing or a word they think of if they hear a country's name. I asked seven or eight persons. It was terrible: everybody said either "don't know" or "beautiful, nice, great…", but some answers were very good. After this, with Dennis we wrote our diary, answered questionnaires (about: best person, best smiling, best couple…) I wrote nearly everywhere Katja!
In workshop I played 'Rounder': it is like Baseball; one person throws a ball, another person had to hit it and run until the ball will be caught by one team and brought to a base.
In options we prepared the 'International Night' tonight: we painted the flag and a map of Germany. It was much work because nobody knew really the outline of Germany and everybody wanted to know it, so we went into the office and looked on a map. Now we drew our country on a huge paper, also the biggest cities.
In freetime I sat down with Katja and talked to her, same after dinner. Between talking we prepared what we want to say in the show with the other Germans. We wrote it down: about food, landscape, sports…
Then began the International Night. Everyone from the countries presented something like a dance or a song or food and talked about the countries (like us). In the break during the presentation (the Italian cooked pasta for everybody), we decided to sing "An der Nordseeküste", and we did it. Our presentation was very bad (!?!). After we went to dining hall. I drank a cup of milk and sat down next to ???, of course (tip: the person is very nice). At saying good-night Katja and me kissed on the mouth (I think, we need more practise). It was a very good day. (Every day is a good day!!)


Friday, 22nd August
Eleventh Day

Today we had some practise! But one by one: in Alice's lesson we made a four point basket, it is a box out of paper which is very complicated to build. In the third step Alice made a mistake by explaining, so that everybody was wrong and gave up. She offered the instruction to us and I tried it and made (the only) one! After we talked about the video we will make with class: I made with Hazim a report about the warming-up and the sports in POAP (Pilgrims Open Air Prison). We waited for Luke, the Pilgrims cameraman, and made some other scenes and ours: we went to the field and everybody stood in a line ("May I have a line please, a very long line!" JON). Hazim said into the camera that we are at the warming-up. I told everybody to bend his right hand's little finger and the same to do with the left hand's one. Next we were in sports hall and played all sports together in chaos, I said that in POAP is the most sports facility. After we went to the tennis-courts and filmed Hazim saying: "We have nice courts, but we can't use it!", then he tried to open the gate. With Dennis we finished the film and got a questionnaire (always questionnaires…), about what we will do in some problematic situations in a big city like: "You missed your train, what will you do?" 1: "Call the police"; 2: "Shout all swearwords you know"; 3: "Catch the next train" and so on…Then was lunch.
After lunch I went to finishing my presentation for the magazine and then to the workshop "Problem solving": first everybody got a number (1-11), then we stood on a field with twelve boxes and we had to move into the right order with only moving straight from one box to the next one, without moving diagonal. It was funny. The next problem: we had to cross the grass in the quad without touching it, only with chairs. There were as many chairs as persons. We put one chair on the grass and the first person stand on it, got the next chair and put it in front of himself, went on it, the next person went on the first chair etc. When every chair was on the grass, on one chair stood two persons and the last chair was picked up and given to the first person and so on, until we reached the other side and the problem was solved. For the third one we stood an a wall and we had to sort ourselves by the height. I was the tallest. Then we had to do the same with our age. Last problem: our group had a plane accident and half of them lost their eyes, half their arms. I was together with Daniel. I was blind and he without arms. I bound his arms with a blind-folder onto his back and put another one on my eyes. It was terrible: Daniel made me bumped into every tree that appeared and he removed his blind-folder. Then we changed, he cheated again: he looked trough his blind-folder.
In options I continued problem-solving: I finished my balloon-papier-mâché-pig by painting it pink. During the colour dried I completed the magazine-article and painted the pig a second time and made nostrils for it out of dawning-pins, then I tried to make also eyes in the balloon in the same way, but the balloon popped and the pig's half back broke.
I spend my freetime with Katja and with playing the piano and after dinner there was a fair with three stalls: one to hit tins with tennis-balls another to hit coconuts with sand-sacks, the last one to hit rings with sand-sacks. The best was a very big jumping-castle. The fair was until 9 o'clock, then there was a band with Keith and his friends, who all played the guitar. They played only Beatles-songs (Katja's favourite band). I sat closed next to her and embraced her and we kissed each other. Then we listened to the band and after this we had snack and after was bedtime. A very exciting and experience day!


Saturday, 23rd August
Twelfth Day

Today we went to London! First we got pocket money from Melinda and had breakfast, then we went by two coaches to London. There were four places where we were able to go (we had to choose the day before):
  1. Buckingham Palace
  2. Madame Tussard's
  3. Rock Circus
  4. Museum of Moving Image
I went with Katja to number three: it was a museum with very famous musicians made out of wax like the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley… There were also the hand-printings of many musicians and groups in iron. Last we went into a show where the story of pop-music from the 50th until now was told.
After the museum we went to a shopping-street, the shopping-street in the centre of London, Covent Garden, and had about one hour to shop, then we had to come back to the meeting-point, say "Hello" and had another two hours. I went with Katja to some shops and watched some actors and I bought a T-shirt with the print on it: "I think, I'll have another beer". It cost £5, and it is a very bad quality. Katja bought a small chicken-puppet and I ate sausage with onions. We went to the meeting-point and waited for the whole group and were driven home by coach.
At home we had dinner and in the evening "Free Evening" (not very free): we were allowed to choose between three things: 1. Go to bed; 2. Watch "Mars Attacks"; 3. Sit in quad. I choose together with Katja no. 2. The film was very funny, it was a good choice, but maybe, that "sit together" would have been very good, too…
But it we sat together in the music-room and I showed Katja how to play the "Flohwalzer" (beginning). After snack (cookies and lemonade) everybody went to bed.


Sunday, 24th August
Thirteenth Day

Today we had another trip to London, to Lake-Side-Shopping-Centre. It is the largest shopping centre in the UK. We had one hour to shop, then we had to meet and then another 2 ½ hours. First we brought our films to a photo-shop, then Hazim and Firas B. (we were together for this day) went to a hairdresser and got their hair cut. During this time I looked for a gag T-shirt shop, but there was only one which prints T-shirts and they hadn't good saying. After the meeting at one o'clock p.m. we went to a music-shop where I bought a double CD box (pure Hits 97) and a single-record (Sash!, Equator). We walked from one shop to another and went sometimes into one. We fetched our photos and ate at McDonald's. After lunch we continued shopping and went to a stationer's shop, where Hazim bought a present for his mother (a notebook). At the end I bought a mini FM receiver, the smallest radio in the world. Altogether I spent £26.28.
We went home and had freetime until dinner. I thought Katja how to play the "Flohwalzer". For reward I got a big kiss. After dinner we played "Man-o-Man": there were 10 volunteers (me, of course, too), who had to solve some tasks. First everybody had to walk very "cool" for impressing the girls. Next the boys had to go out and wait for the girls' decision, all boys went in and stood in a line on the stage, faced to a girl. Every girl had some strawberry-creme in her hand. Then was one by one number called and the girl either kissed the boy or put the creme into his face, the sign that he was dropped. In the second round we had to say a cool saying in the disco for meeting a girl. My one was very bad, I lost: Katja threw the strawberry-creme into my face, therefor I embraced her, so that she got some creme in her face, too. I was out. The next duty for the others was to dance, the fourth singing and the last one to show and present the muscles. In generally all won Firas B., a free McDonald's meal (delicious). Today bedtime was very late owing to the show took very long time.


Monday, 25th August
Fourteenth Day

English weather: today was the first raining day! Everybody was tired this morning. With Alice we first got everybody a paper either with the beginning or with the end of a joke and we had to find the right partner. Then we spoke about the theatre we will go to this evening: we formed some groups and got a scene of the play we practised and acted.
Dennis closed all curtains and told us a story: "You walk alone on the beach, around you is only rain, you walk alone through a dark forest to a stone. Feel, touch the stone. Around you is only rain…" Then we spoke about our feelings when we heard the story and again about idioms and about ourselves: we got a sheet with some psychological questions on it we had to answer. The points I got agreed with myself. After we spoke about our names and got two sheets for it.
In options we didn't play "Ultimate Frisbee" (rain…), therefor we played "indoor-rounders". My team played four times, one time we lost (10:24), the other times we won (27:14, 24:17, 25:13).
In freetime I played the piano and thought Katja another part of the "Flohwalzer". After dinner Alice's class went to the theatre we spoke this morning about, on open-air theatre at St Augustine's Abbey. It was the best play I ever had seen: the story: because of the 1400 years Christianity in England, brought by St Augustine to Canterbury first, they wrote this play. A boy, liked by nobody, saw a priest praying and did it too, without knowing what praying is, because he isn't a Christian. Everybody laughed at him owing to this, so that he killed himself in the end to come to heaven. The plot took part in different places in the ruin of the abbey, so that the spectators had to move with the actors round the ruin.
After the play we spoke a little bit with the actors because Alice knows the chief of the group. Then we went home by bus and arrived very late (a quarter after house-time), but lights out was as normal.


Tuesday, 26th August
Fifteenth Day

Today was the great, fantastic, ultimate "Staff-Student-Show". We practised (nearly) all the day for it. First we spoke with Alice about the theme we want to do. Suggestions: to act teachers, sketches, dance, quiz… We decided on the last: we played the "Family fortune"-quiz: we had two families, the Twigs and the Crawford-Jones-family. The Twigs were a very stupid family, they got only easy questions, the Crawford-Jones-family got very difficult questions. The Twigs won, of course; they won a book, the losers a bar of chocolate, at the end the families changed their prices and everybody was happy. Instead of Dennis' lessons we had another hour with Alice for practising.
In workshop I had cricket (very boring). First we threw a cricket ball and caught it. The difficulty is that the ball is very hard (leather), so your hand hurts, if you catch it in the wrong way. Then we stood around one person, which knees had to be hit (with a tennis-ball, of course). The person had to defend himself with a bat. If he defends himself by hitting the ball and nobody catches it afterwards, he gets a point. If his knees become hit or someone catches the ball he defended, he was out and the next was in. Then we played "Non-stop-cricket": one person was the baller, who tried to hit the sticks behind the batter, who had to defend it (like before the knees). Then, when he hit the ball and it flue far away, he had to run a short distance for one time at least or more; for every run he gets one point. If the sticks were touched, the next person was the batter.
In the break between workshop and options we practised for the "Staff-Student-Show" and instead of workshop I wrote an English examination: first we had to listen to a cassette and answer questions about it, then we had to choose some words to complete a sentence or a text and to sum up a text etc. It took about 1 ½ hours. 20 people took part, Katja too.
In the evening, the "Staff-Student-Show" was 'terrible'! Some classes sang only a song, others danced ("Men in Black"), sometimes someone sang a special song (JOE: "Banana-Song", DAVID: "We will rock you!"). Ours wasn't the worst! Before our appearance Antonio painted my face like an old man (I played the Crawford-Jones-Grandfather) and I work a kilt. That was all.


Wednesday, 27th August
Sixteenth Day

Last day at Kent College!
With Alice we spoke about that the earth bursts (only imagine) by a nuclear explosion and everybody died except our class (13 Persons). We had a rocked to fly away from the earth to a far away planet where we can live, but only 6 persons can go there, all the other 7 have to die. Everybody got a character and had to tell the others why he had to live. I was a scientist, 24 years old and my hobby was astronomy. Others were priests, teachers, farmers…
We decided on 6 persons, me included. Then we got more information and details about our characters. One had AIDS, others were fascists, pregnant, communists, without arms so we changed most of the list, now I didn't go, too.
Last everybody painted the outline of his hand on a paper and glued it with tape on his back; everybody wrote a message to everyone on the back.
That was the last lesson we had (good or bad?). At 11 o'clock we met in chapel for a quiz. My group was No. 6, the "monkeys". There were different columns like cinema, borrowed words, history, numbers…
Our team won the third place. Half-time we had a break to eat crisps and chocolate and drink coke or lemonade.
In the afternoon we went to Canterbury (me with Katja, of course). I spent my last money (£10) there on some records, some small tins and a T-shirt. When we came back we had to pack our suitcase and bring it to the entrance-hall. After last dinner with table-clothes and waiter-service (teachers) we went to chapel for awarding some people. Me and Katja got an award for being "the most inseparable couple". We won a wallet for putting phone-cards in it.
After awarding we had to DISCO (same DJ like last time)! It was great. I danced very crazy, everybody took photos of me. I danced with Katja for two times. The Disco was until 11p.m., bedtime was at midnight!
Last, everybody went out of the entrance-hall to the car-park and said "Good-Bye" to everybody. Terrible. I said "Good -Bye" to everybody I knew and didn't know and specially to Katja at least 20 times. Then we had to got to bed for the last time.


Thursday, 28th August
Seventeenth Day DEPARTURE

Saddest day from the whole course: DEPARTURE DAY! Everybody left today. Terrible! I stood up at half past seven, took a shower and went to breakfast as normal. Then I played with Birgit and Katja "Mensch ärgere dich nicht". I lost. After I gave photos to everybody who wanted some and then I left to London Link! at 9.30 o'clock. Katja signalled to me and I to her and we pretended kisses to each other. In the bus we got an envelop and our passport and tickets. The way to London took two hours.
We stayed at Imperial College, were we put all our luggage into a room and left to see London. In the course there are three teachers: Amanda from the old course, a new Amanda (=CD) and Colin, a guy about three to four times crazier than David. Also there are 15 students from the old course and three new (Chinese), one of them about nine years old.
First (after lunch, of course) we went to "The London Dungeon", an old prison, were the methods of torture were showed (very shocking). Then we went to a sight-seeing tour by boat. It was very boring and after half time it started to rain. Terrible. We went into and I tried to sleep a little bit (I was very tired owing to the last days).
For dinner we went to the Capital-Radio-Restaurant. Because of our being early we had some time for shopping, but I hadn't any money. The food in the restaurant was just fast-food, but it was very good. The meal took much time, so that we were late to the "Cats"-musical we went to afterwards (we used the Tube (=Underground), every time, every day). Owing to our being late of ten minutes we had to wait for another twenty minutes until entering the theatre. During that time we watched the play on a TV set outside the stage in the foyer. The story: it's a special night and the head-cat must decide on one cat that will be reborn. Every cat dances as well as it could to impress the head-cat. In the end, an old and weak cat liked by nobody was chosen.
After this we went home to the college and got our rooms and brought out luggage there. My room is in the 7th floor, but there is a lift (luck). I went into bed as soon as possible and fell into sleep very quickly.


Friday, 29th August
2nd Day London Link!

We had to get up at 8 o'clock and went into the restaurant of the Imperial College for having breakfast. I ate scrambled egg and flakes.
First this morning we went to History Museum as fast as possible to be in time there. We were ten minutes to early. We used the time to take some photos (I took no photos on the London Link!). In the museum I visited the dinosaurs, the insects and the earth section.
Next we had lunch at McDonald's and went after this to Madame Tussard's. It was great. I met many stars. But they weren't real. At the entrance they took a photo of me and Sara and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Then I went alone though the museum (because I was the only German-speaking on this course; there were fife groups: Italian (6 persons), Chinese (5), Turkish (3), Spanish (3), German (1). This was a little bit disappointing). In the first room there were famous persons from the present (musicians, actors), then from the past (kings, members of parliament…) and the royal family. Next there was a "taxi" trough London's history (a roller coaster). With this attraction it was finished and we went to the shop but I didn't buy anything (because of having no money, maybe only £0.80).
For dinner we went to "Planet Hollywood", but we were again to early, so we were allowed to go shopping. I went with Claudio and Daniel to two music-shop (HMV, tower-records) until we had lunch at PH (fast food like every time in London).
Enclosing we went home to Imperial College and had to go to bed soon. I sat in my room and wrote to Katja about the London Link! and that I missed her. It took two hours, I wrote seven pages until one o'clock, then I went to bed and slept.


Saturday, 30th August
3rd Day London Link! MY BIRTHDAY

We got up at eight o'clock and had breakfast. Everybody congratulated me and they had a very special present for me: they had collected about £20 for me because I didn't have any money, you know now! That was great!
First this morning we went to the "Tower of London" and visited the "White Tower" and the "Bloody Tower" ad saw the Crown Jewels. It was impressing. In the break for lunch (we had sandwiches and a coke) everybody signed the letter to Katja and wrote a message on it. In afternoon we went to "Covent Garden" for shopping (We've been there last week after Rock Circus). I bought an envelop and stamps for the letter and watched an actor at the square at Covent Garden. I met Calle (Carl-Cristoph Schweickert, he is nearly my neighbour at home)! He was there with an English group, too, he stays for another week.
After Covent Garden we went to "Harrods", the biggest shopping centre (maybe not the biggest, but the most expensive). They had very strict rules: no shorts, no rucksacks, no food, no taking photos… We had to carry our rucksacks by hand, Claudio had to bring his one into an office and pay £2 for it! I went to the CD-shop, but they hadn't really good ones and it was very expensive. I got permission from Amanda (CD) to go outside of Harrods to buy souvenirs. I asked a shop-dealer for a record-shop, but there was only one (Harrods), so I took the Tube to Covent Garden (without permission) to go to HMV and tower-records. I bought one record (Men in Black) and drove back (very easy). On the Tube station there was a woman who asked me some questions about my driving in the Tube.
Afterwards we met and went to "Hard-Rock-Cafe London" and ate (of course) fast food (sandwiches). I got two birthday-cards from the Chinese and the Italian girls (lovely). From the restaurant I got a creme-cake with two candles on it and everybody sang for me and kissed me.
When we arrived home, Amanda (CD) told us for day tomorrow, whose departure is at what time. The first had to leave at 5 o'clock in the morning, the last at 2p.m. After we had to pack our suitcases and come down and they sang a third time for me and Allessandra played the piano, then everybody said "Good-Bye" to everybody and we went to bed.


Sunday, 31st August
4th Day London Link! DEPARTURE

Latest last day with Pilgrims. When I stood up (7.30a.m.) the Turkish had left jet. In the lift downstairs a woman told me, that Princess Diana died last night! I couldn't belief it. At breakfast I listened to my radio, they talked all the time about it.
After lunch I went with the Spanish group (Daniel, Helena, Miriam) and Colin to Hyde Park, where we walked one time round the lake and had lunch (the last fast-food!) and talked. Then I had to leave by taxi at 2.15p.m. I slept a little bit and talked to the driver. At the airport I waited for a quarter hour for Debby Smith, the chief of Pilgrims and the sister of Hannah. We had lunch (again) and she told me about Pilgrims, that there were about 1000 students this summer. I showed her some pictures. She knew nearly all names!
After she checked me in and brought me to customs, where I had to wait for at least 1 ½ hours, then I went to the plane and flue home to Germany. In the plane I lost my yellow dictionary. I arrived at FFM at 21.45 CET.
That's all.


Written by Arne Pottharst 13th August-1st September 1997
©Arne Pottharst. All rights reserved. No liability assumed.

Pilgrims-Index