Consul Generals visit DISD for Franco-German Day

Long live the German-French friendship! And it truly lives at the German International School Dubai: on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty, the DISD French faculty invited the neighboring school Lycée Francais International Georges Pompidou (LFIGP) with principal Bruno Asselin to a joint German-French Day on Monday, Jan. 23. Guests of honor were the German Consul General Sybille Pfaff and her French colleague, Consul General Nathalie Kennedy, also the school association board of the DISD was present.

Principal Michael Lummel welcomed the guests of honor and 120 students to this special day and felt very honored that the Consul Generals had accepted the invitation to the German-French Day at DISD. The day began in the festively decorated school garden with a shared breakfast of French and German treats: Pretzels, croissants, baguettes, yeast plait.

Six decades ago, on Jan. 22, 1963, German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and French President Charles de Gaulle signed the document that, 18 years after the end of World War II, sealed the partnership between the two once so hostile neighboring states of Germany and France. Since then, the Élysée Treaty has been considered a milestone in the history of Franco-German relations. "We are a testament to that friendship," said Consul General Sybille Pfaff, explaining that the first person she contacted after moving to Dubai this year was Nathalie Kennedy. A friendship developed from the professional points of contact. The French consul general nursed her German colleague: "I too am proud to be here and to be a witness to this great friendship."

On this day, the students went through various stations in mixed groups, where they played music together, ran relay races, learned about the history of Franco-German relations, reenacted the Treaty of Versailles in a book, and traced their handprints in Franco-German pairings, thus symbolically putting friendship on paper. As a souvenir, the student council leaders of both schools were presented with the results in the form of a book.

At the final lunch, the ninth and tenth graders reviewed the day and pinned their consistently positive feedback on a bulletin board.

It was very nice to meet the French student and make new friends

Student 9a