After a year of waiting, the time had come: on June 7, 2024, the exchange group of the Max Planck School their return visit to San Francisco. The students met early in the morning at Hamburg Airport and after a stopover in London, they continued on to San Francisco, where they were warmly welcomed by their host families.

The students spent the weekend with their host families and undertook various activities such as a visit to the beach in Santa Cruz or shopping at the mall. The sunny weather also invited them to swim in the family pools, which was a lot of fun.

Monday and Tuesday were normal school days at the German International School of Silicon Valley (GISSV). The students were welcomed by the school management and were given an insight into the lessons of their exchange partners. After the school day, they explored the surrounding area and enjoyed their lunch break at the Clock Tower.

On Wednesday, we took the Caltrain to San Francisco. In groups, the students presented various sights such as Chinatown, the cable cars, the Ferry Building and the Transamerica Pyramid. The day ended with a visit to the Coit Tower, from where they had a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.

Thursday's program included a visit to the Academy of Science, where the geological and ecological development of the Bay Area was clearly explained. They then continued on to Muir Woods for a hike. Despite the foggy and cold weather, they made a short stop at the Golden Gate Bridge.

On Friday, the students visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium and were given an exciting backstage tour about jellyfish and feeding the animals. They spent the weekend with their host families again or met up with each other to visit the Great America theme park in Santa Clara.

On Monday, school was back on the agenda before they visited Pixar Studios in Emeryville on Tuesday. There they were given an exclusive tour behind the scenes of the animated film production and saw the movie "Inside Out 2" in the cinema.

The exchange ended with an overnight stay at the school, where the students ordered pizza together, played basketball and volleyball and some even tried out a new haircut. After a short night and breakfast together, some of the students went on excursions to Alcatraz or Stanford University.

The last evening together was rounded off with a project day at the school before the group drove to the airport in San Francisco and said a tearful goodbye. The exchange gave the students a deep insight into American life and will remain an unforgettable memory. Special thanks go to Ms. Vogler and Mr. Rosen from the Max Planck School and Mr. Bormeister and Ms. Kranzler from the GISSV for the excellent planning and organization of this wonderful experience.