From the 4th to the 8th of May2026 I got the opportunity to visit the HEP Vaud in Lausanne, Switzerland, and broaden my horizon for my future career as a primary school teacher. The focus of the week was an innovative approach on gamification in schools.

On Monday we finally arrived at midday at the HEP after a night in the train from Graz to Zürich and then Zürich to Lausanne. We were stunned by the school´s view on the Genfer See. The university in general was spacious and modern, later we found out it was an hotel prior. The teachers welcomed us in the entrance hall and handed our sport shirts and name tags out. After a short introduction we continued with icebreaker games, where we got the chance to get to know the other students. A lot of them were from Belgium, France, Germany, Spain or Switzerland. We did not only play the games but developed rules and objectives for them in groups. After presenting our new games we had some leisure time, which we used to bring our things to the hostel, go out for dinner and explore Lausanne for a bit. The hostel was very clean and comfortable, and it had a great breakfast buffet. My friend and I could share a room which even had its own bathroom.

The next day we were in a different location: The FabLab. Apparently, there are FabLabs all over the world, even in Graz! We spent the morning planning our own games in groups and thinking about how we can all use them in our lessons, since we were from different countries. After lunch we started creating the games with wood and a laser cutter. This took longer than expected, but we were happy with the outcome! After school we were invited to a Belgium student party, which was a bit outside of the city. Immediately we were greeted with getting Belgium flags painted on our faces. We got to meet a lot of kind people, connected with our Erasmus group and had lots of fun!

On Wednesday we met up in the sports hall. After taking a group picture, we started playing different collaborative games. The focus was on working together as a team and not on just winning the games. In
our lunch break we walked down to the lake for 20 minutes to jump into the Genfer See. It was so refreshing! Up in the university we got our lunch. They had a lot of options of fresh cooked, warm meals which we could use our coupons of 20 CHF for. In the afternoon we continued with a few small workshops and games. Especially one fascinated me, where a group of teachers presented a range of lessons they designed based on a single picture book. It inspired me to also think cross-curricular and work more with picture books in my lessons. In the evening we were doing some sightseeing in Lausanne and met up at a Pub with the other students to watch football.

On our fourth day at HEP Vaud we could experience digital tools in Physical Education. There was a tool (which was really expensive) that would project games onto a wall. Learners can interact with it and play in groups. It was really impressive to see, but it also let us reflect on whether digital tools are necessary in the sports hall. Unfortunately, the class in the afternoon was not as fun as the one in the morning. Combined with the complex activities and the language barrier, most of us had no clue what the teachers wanted us to do, so we just tried to play games that seemed very confusing and pointless. The day still ended very good, because after class there was a beer pong tournament and a dinner planned from the HEP. The whole class and teachers met up in the city in a restaurant, where we ate cheese fondue. It was delicious! We continued on in a bar and danced for a bit before going home.

On Friday, our last day in Lausanne, we had to check out of the hostel in the morning. At school, we reflected on the week and gave our feedback. Because the weather was so nice, we spent the afternoon at the lake, playing cards and chatting. Enjoying our last hours in Lausanne, we did more sightseeing and had a coffee in the city. The view from the cathedral on the city and the lake was amazing! At five we went to the station to start our journey home.

All in all I can say that I met so many lovely people and had many valuable learning experiences (as well as lots of fun!). I even learned a bit of French. I can only recommend going on international weeks and this will for sure not have been my last mobility!

Photos & Text: Sarah Rudigier