Day Two

We couldn't sleep due to our nerves, so we got up very early on that Monday. We were very anxious to find out what the school that would host us for a week would be like.

We took the tram from the Kronenburg stop to the Amsterdam International Community School (AICS). It is a Dutch international primary and secondary school which offers international education in English.

That journey became our daily routine. Families with children and workers commuted daily by tram to school and work. But we also saw a lot of people with their bikes.

We didn't need Google Maps to find the school. We just had to follow the same route as the children did. As the children arrived, they stood in a long line waiting for the doors to open. A tall, burly, enthusiastic man came out of the building and shouted loudly: 'Good morning! Are you ready to start the day?' All the children answered excitedly: 'Yeah!'

Oh my God! When all four of us went into the building, we were amazed by everything we saw. It is a very new building with huge dimensions. Warm wood and white predominate on the walls of the building. In addition, on the high walls there are screens projecting photographs of pupils doing different activities.