Our Trip to Gorowe, Poland

gor 2 classeIt was at last  our turn!  We, Clarissa, Federica and Serena, went to  Górowo for the Comenius meeting which focused on employment.

Our trip to Poland was very tiring but the stay in Gorowo was amazing. In fact we had a wonderful welcoming from our twins and their families.

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We spent four days there but we learned a lot about employment and … unemployment in the countries of the other Comenius students: we showed our powerpoint presentations and one day we worked together in groups to make gadgets for ill people. We also visited some important work places, such as the Russian border, the barracks of the firefighters and the office of a local newspaper.

In our free time we went to see Olsztyn Castle and we could go ice-skating and shopping.

The best part of the trip was meeting and making friends with all the people involved coming from different European counties. We had the opportunity to improve our English talking about everything and we taught each other typical dances and songs.

The last evening together we made a barbecue and had so much fun!

Of course when we left, we were all crying!

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The Meeting in Palermo

FIVE DAYS IN PALERMO

In these five days in November 2012 sixteen school partners came to Palermo. They were students from five countries: Poland, Germany, Spain, Finland and England. The principal theme was tourism.

During this meeting we spoke about how tourism is able to influence our future. Moreover examples of the cultural heritage of Sicily were shown and we learned why protecting culture and customs is important. Sicily in fact  has so many artistic, cultural and naturalist aspects which could give us a lot of job opportunities.

A significant  moment of the meeting was the visit to the Tourist Office of the Region of Sicily where some specialists gave us information about tourism and the region.  An American girl living temporarily in Palermo talked about the highlights of her experience of Palermo and the territory.
At school we made a brainstorming to speak and collect ideas about our theme in Palermo . It was very interesting because we shared opinions and facts. We also met a tourist guide and she told us about her long experience in this field.

We visited many important historical and artistic places together with a guide.We went on a day trip to Cefalù which is a very important tourist area not far from Palermo. There we visited the Norman cathedral and we climbed the “rock” of Cefalù, then we went to the amazing beach.  During the last evening we made an evening tour of the city centre.

An Amazing Experience In a Wonderful Town

I hadn’t liked English since my first year at elementary school. I thought it was a boring subject and I wasn’t interested in it.The situation didn’t change until I was 10,when I went to London for the first time. I don’t know what exactly happened, probably that beautiful city, these wonderful people and that amazing culture, but I started to like English! When I came back I started to study English in a serious way, and I was so excited to get in touch with that new world! I absolutely wanted to go back to London.
Now I’m 16, and my love for English the world grows more and more. That’s why, when my English teacher suggested I should try the Comenius selection, last year, I was so happy. So I had the possibility to travel and go to a foreign country to improve my English.
Soon came the 12th September 2012: it was time to leave, and I was really looking forward to it!
It was a long travel to go to Stratford, but it was really worth it. Finally, in the evening on the 12th September, I was in Stratford, a lovely and typical English town: small and nice houses with green gardens around and lots of parks.
The taxi took us from Birmingham Airport to Stratford high school. I literally got crazy when I heard the little old English driver speaking a typical British English, since it is quite difficult nowadays because of ‘American contamination’.
We arrived at school and it looked like it was a different world: it was a giant building well equipped , with a wonderful gym, open playgrounds and a canteen. But, most of all, I was impressed by the English school system: every student can choose which classes to attend and which not. They have different subjects, also including vocational study classes.
So, we arrived at school and there was my hosting family waiting for me. They were so nice! My new family was made up of Rebecca, the mom, Chaise, my twin, and Natty, a sweet she-dog.
They took me in and tried to make me feel as comfortable as if I were at home. Rebecca tried to cook Italian food for me, Chaise gave me her room, but at the same time they tried to make me get in touch with English everyday life , and they were brilliant on that. I spent three days in Stratford, not so many, but I visited the main tourist sites, like Shakespeare’s house, Anne Hathaway’s cottage, the Shakespeare centre, the Swan theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the clock tower , situated in the middle of the main square.
I really loved staying in Stratford, it is a little and quite town that offers so many facilities easily reachable, even better than a big and chaotic city.
During the mornings I spent in Stratford, I went to school with Chaise and we worked with all the other guys who were taking part in the Comenius project: there were two English guys from Truro, two Spanish, two German, two Finnish, two Polish, and, of course, many English guys from Stratford. They all were lovely! We didn’t have the possibility to know each other very well or to spend lot of time together, but something began in these three days. We had the possibility to get in touch with different cultures and different ways of thinking, and, according to me, it was an important enrichment for everyone. We worked together to organize the Comenius activities to do in the other cities part of the project.
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This meeting lasted just three days, but on that 15th September we left Stratford knowing that we all were part of a big new European family. It was a sad and painful moment when I had to say goodbye, but I’m still keeping in touch with everyone I met in Stratford. That’s why I’m pretty sure I can say it was one of the best experiences in my whole life!
I’ve lived it as the best opportunity ever to speak English with native people and to improve it: at the beginning I made some mistakes, but the frequent input of native speakers helped me to become more fluent in few days.
Thanks to the Comenius project I lived a fantastic and useful experience, which combined together language, culture and free time.
Of course three days were not enough, but they were really meaningful to shape my cultural enrichment.
That is why I suggest a similar experience to everyone, to grow up both culturally and psychologically.
As for me, I hope I’ll go to England again in order to discover other wonderful places like Stratford and go on learning English.
I wish everyone could find a European family to love and to grow up with.
Giuliana Spinella
Liceo Vittorio Emanuele II
Palermo