There were a number of speeches by important people, including Dr Johanna Wanka, Minister of Education and Research for the Federal Republic of Germany and Derek Hanekom, minister of Science and Technology of South Africa. Unfortunately half the speeches were in German. We had translating devices but to hear best I closed my eyes to concentrate. After so many late nights you can just guess how that ended. I noticed other members of our team were having the same problem. There was an interesting talk/slide show on conditions in the Antarctic and presentation of awards to other sudents of South Africa who had been prize winners in an Essay competition. A long time was allowed for drinks and snacks leading straight on to lunch and we decided to go home and sleep rather than battle through the afternoon which actually might have been the most interesting part.
We returned for the evening function which was luckily a sit down affair. We got to meet the other South African students and had photos taken together.
Today we visited the Astrophysics Institute and had a look at their telescopes.
Sanusha had a wonderful time. Then we took a walk in the caste gardens and saw the castle from a view site.
The afternoon was devoted to shopping for souveniers and other which even the boys excelled at.
After recovering (involving a nap) we started packing amid much sorting out to try to fit in all the extra stuff. At about 10pm we went to a nearby bowling alley where we paid 12 Euros for a lane for an hour. I think that is a much better system than paying per game.
Tomorrow we are going to visit a materials institute in the morning and then on to the airport in the afternoon/evening. Our trip is ending. The young people seem to have had a wonderful time. I have also throughly enjoyed myself and got to know Berlin a little. I will be happy to get back to my family and everyday life though. It has been a wonderful experience.
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