Exchange with Salem Schule
Robert Burman

Salem is situated in the south western area of Germany, in one of the most picturesque parts of Europe on Lake Constance, with the Alps forming the backdrop of a beautiful setting. The school is located about two hours north of Zurich by car.

Upon my arrival, the first thing I noticed about Salem was the age and beauty of the school buildings. The school is located within a 600 year old monastery, but is itself only about 75 years old. Salem is considered Germany's top boarding school and has a fine reputation within the country attracting a large number of wealthy and influential German students as well as a substantial number of international scholars.

School life at Salem is far more relaxed and students have more freedom and independence than at Hilton. A good example of this is the fact that there is a smoking area within the school and students in the 11th grade and above were allowed to go to the local pub and enjoy a few beers together. This is made possible by the fact that the legal drinking age in Germany is 16. I found that on the whole that Salem was far more liberal than Hilton and South African schools. Students at Salem do not wear uniforms and there are no regulations about hair length or shaving. It is also a co-educational establishment which was an experience in itself and I found that the influence of girls lead to a greater sense of balance. However I did find that the school had no traditions or true sense of school spirit as we have at Hilton.

One of the most striking differences between Salem and Hilton is the sport issue. At Salem sport is not taken seriously and there are rarely Saturday fixtures. Students are encouraged to take part in a sport of their choice, but it is not compulsory. The sporting facilities were no-where near those that we have at Hilton and the students found it difficult to comprehend that we are so passionate about our school sport and that the whole school gathers to support and encourage their first teams.

I found the typical stereo-type of German people being very dull and boring to be very untrue at Salem. All students were always very friendly, welcoming and always willing to make an effort to speak to me, even if their English was barely understandable! I found it easy to integrate with the students (even though we came from very different backgrounds) and feel that I have made many great friends.

The wonderful thing about Europe is that travelling between the countries is very easy. Whilst on exchange I was able to do a lot of travelling and on two occasions I found myself in three different countries in one day. The German public transport system impressed me hugely and I found this to be one of the major differences between a first world country like Germany and a third world country such as South Africa.

Probably the highlight of my exchange was my three week holiday. During this time I was able to go skiing for a week in the Austrian Alps and travel in Germany with my family and Salem friends for two weeks. It was fascinating staying with various families and seeing how German families run their homes and experiencing traditional German home cooking and the feel of a large European city like Munich.

Being at the top boarding school in Germany made me realize what we have at Hilton in terms of our beautiful setting, facilities, spirit and feeling of togetherness and that Hilton is definitely a world class school and one that all Hiltonians should be very proud of.

My time at Salem was unforgettable. I feel that the Salem exchange is the most complex of all the exchanges in which I was exposed to a very different culture, way of life and attitude to schooling. I would like to thank Mr. Guthrie and Hilton College for making my exchange possible. It truly was experience of a life time and one of which I will always have wonderful memories.