The recent and inaugural student homestay programme between R.E.A.L Schools, Suria Campus, Cheras (International) and ‘Küstengymnasium’ (Coast Secondary School) of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany; had stirred up interest from the local press and resulted in the Year 10 students’ trip receiving media attention and coverage via newspaper reports in the following German dailies:
 Translation of "Lübecker Nachrichten" :
Young Guests from Malaysia
Neustadt - More than 9,700 kilometres by air separates Neustadt and Malaysia. Six female students aged 15 and 16, accompanied by their teacher boarded a plane in Kuala Lumpur, flew to Hamburg and continued their journey to the ‘Europastadt’ (European city) of Neustadt. All of them were participating in a student exchange programme with the Küstengymnasium (Coast Secondary School).
Today they were welcomed at the City Hall by the Mayor, Mr. Henning Reimann (non-affiliated). Reimann told the young guests from R.E.A.L International School about the Folklore-Festival and Ancona-Marina.
The students then informed him about life in their country, which borders Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei. They also came dressed in traditional Chinese and Malay clothing and talked about the typical foods and games of Malaysia.
The students will stay a total of 12 days in Germany. They are hosted by families and will explore the region together with students of the Küstengymnasium. Their programme includes journeys to Kiel, Lübeck and Hamburg.
 Translation of “Gaste aus Malaysia” :
Guests from Malaysia
Mayor Reimann receives delegation from Asia
Students from Malaysia in Neustadt as guests
Neustadt. Most certainly, it is not a common thing for Mayor Reimann to greet a delegation by having to use English only. Last week the Mayor had the perfect opportunity to overcome this ‘obstacle’ and he did so in an excellent manner. Young guests from Malaysia had come to pay him a visit. “You are very welcome” he said to the young ladies.
The girls from year 9 and 10 had arrived in Hamburg on the 5th of May and were staying with hosts of the same age here in Neustadt. Mr. Reimann talked about the history of Neustadt, its partnerships and concluded by sending out the following invitation to the guests: “Every three years there is a folklore festival here in Neustadt. Please come and visit us again then.”
The reason or idea and inspiration behind this were the traditional dresses that the six girls were wearing at the Neustadt Town Hall. The dresses displayed a mix of the various cultural influences that are also made for all occasions; from formal to leisure and even office wear. “Very, very pretty,” Mr. Reimann remarked.
Finally, the girls each introduced themselves and their Malaysian culture (in English) to the hosts. The group stayed for 12 days and visited Hamburg, Lübeck and Kiel; while getting to know places in Neustadt as well. The students also became friends with their host families and are already planning to revisit, scheduled to be sometime in October this year.
 Translation of "Neustadt Reporter" article :
Students from Malaysia ...
... welcomed by the Mayor.
Six students from Malaysia and their teacher are currently visiting the north of Germany. Besides a stay in Hamburg, the youngsters will be staying in Neustadt for a week, where they are hosted by students from the 9th and 10th Form of the Küstengymnasium (Coast Secondary School).
Neustadt. Last Thursday, Mayor Henning Reimann welcomed the group and told them interesting facts about Neustadt, its tourism sector and economic development. In return, the students spoke of the Malay culture, its culinary delights and traditional clothing and gowns. In this context, Mayor Reimann took the opportunity to invite a Malay folklore troupe to the European Folklore festival and noted that a group from Malaysia would always be welcome.
After the welcome ceremony, a sailing trip within the Lübeck bay awaited the exchange students. Mayor Reimann jokingly warned them of pirates and sharks, but the students seemed to be more alarmed about the temperature which, being 5 degrees (Celsius), is about 23 degrees colder than in their home country!
The Group will remain in Neustadt until Monday. Meanwhile, at the end of this year, students of the Küstengymnasium will make their return visit.
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