THE TESTIMONIES OF ROMANIAN PUPILS INVOLVED IN SHORT TERM EXCHANGES OF GROUPS OF PUPILS IN LITHUANIA: Social inclusion – the Earth is my path and all men are by companions (7th-11th October 2019) THE TESTIMONIES OF PUPILS INVOLVED IN SHORT TERM EXCHANGES OF GROUPS OF PUPILS IN LITHUANIA: Social inclusion – the Earth is my path and all men are by companions (7th-11th October 2019) PUPIL: ALESIA NEGUT MONDAY What did I do today? There are a lot of interesting things. First, I went to school. We were welcomed by the students from Lithuanian school. They showed us some traditional dances and songs from Lithuania. After that we made some candles with the Lithuanian teachers. Then we went in the principal room and watched a video about the school. When the film finished, we took some photos with our candles. At 1p.m. we had lunch: an amazing meal with chicken. Then we went to the history museum. From there I found out some new information about the history of this country. (We took a lot of photos). When we came to the hotel, we relaxed in our rooms. Now I'm waiting for dinner in a restaurant. I think that this day was interesting. I know many new things about the culture of this country. Yesterday, it was a busy day( we were almost all day in the bus or airplane),so I was very tired and I wanted to go home...but, now I hope this week will be as beautiful as this day. TUESDAY Today! What a beautiful day is today. In the morning I was very busy because we must be in the hall at 7:50, but me and my roommate woke up at 7:50. We jumped on the floor and got dressed very fast. Yes, I was scared but we were fine. After, we had breakfast we went to school. At school, first, we visited 4b class. Then we saw some artistic moments made by the children from this school. After that, the teachers from different countries presented some lectures on absenteeism and early school leaving. At 1p.m. we had lunch and then we were for a walk in Klaipeda.When we arrived at another school we watched and listened to a concert of folk music. Then the people who sang showed us some traditional dances. So, in the end we all knew these dances. When we went from there we had another walk in the old town. There were many interesting places to visit and we discovered the places which were presented to us at the Minor History Museum yesterday. After that we went back to the hotel. Now I have dinner. I hope that it will be delicious. I love this project and these activities, and I also like this country with its culture. WEDNESDAY Today we woke up very early at 6a.m.. After we had breakfast, we went in a trip to Nida and other locations. In our first location we were in a The Fairies Forest and then in The Witches Hill. Both of them had many statues. The statues were made from wood. In the next location we visited Nida. It is very beatiful there. You must go there if you are in Lithuania. Then we were at the sea. It was very cold and my friends are wet (because the waves are huge), but I love that location and I took a lot of wonderful photos. Then, our teachers went to the dunes but I didn't go with them because I kept with my friend in the bus. We cleaned her boots. Then we went back in Klaipeda. I went in a shopping centre with my friends and my teachers. It was funny because we all love shopping. An interesting day. Right ? THURSDAY This day was the busiest. We woke up at 5a.m.. At 12a.m. we arrived at the airport and left the partners from Spain there. After that, we went to Trakai. We visited there a very big castle. Inside,we visited just a few rooms but it was beautiful. We had lunch there. When we finished the visit we crossed the bridge and went to buy some souvenirs. After that, we went again to the airport and left the Greek team there.Then, we went to the new hotel. I have a very expensive room. Me and my roommate were very excited when we saw the room, first. We have a big wardrobe and two big beds. Our room is the largest. At dinner we had some burgers and then at the hotel we had a "party" in our room with our friends. FRIDAY Today we woke up later, at 8a.m.. We met in the hall and then we had breakfast. There was much food. After that, we went in different locations, here in Vilnius. We visited a cathedral and a church. Here, they are more beautiful than in Romania. We went to a museum, too. Then, we had a walk in a cultural centre. We saw some amazing pictures on the walls. Every where there were statues and musical instruments. Next to this centre there is a river. I saw a girl who was reading there. I think that this was the most beautiful place from this holiday.Then, we went to restaurant to have lunch. I ate pasta. Then we had a walk again. Now I am in my room and I wait for dinner. PUPIL: COTIGA ELENA In the morning I woke up at 7 am. At 8 o'clock I had breakfast. Then we went to school in Klaipeda.We are welcomed by the children there. They started to introduce us to the school and some activities such as: their dance or the school choir. At 10 o'clock we go to the workshops. There I decorated a candle and I made a friend from Greece. She loves traditional dance in Greece. We went back to the main room where we saw a movie about the school (the school was pretty cute and the kids were very cheerful and sociable). At 1 o'clock I ate what children usually received at the school canteen. Firstly it was a pumpkin soup after some meat with rice and salad. Everything was good. After that we went by bus and we had a workshop at the Lithuania History Museum. There we met a girl who explained many interesting things to us. At the table I served a coffee and a traditional cake. Then we went to see the things in the museum. After that we went to see what the first city is and we took pictures. At 5 o'clock we arrived at the hotel and at 7 o'clock we had dinner at a restaurant nearby. I am so excited because it’s my first time when I go to another country with my school. I am waiting the next day. TUESDAY Today we woke up at 7:30. Over an hour I had breakfast, which was delicious. Afterwards we all met on the bus to go to school together with the others friends from the project. At 9:30 we arrived at school. There we were greeted by the same ladies as yesterday. I was in the classroom in the school. This class is smaller than our classes but it was interesting. The children were nice and sociable. We started the conference. The Spanish partner started first with measures of Spanish school to prevent ESL. After Miss Adina presented the situation regarding ESL in Romania. It was amazing. And a teacher from Greece told us about the ESL causes in Greece. Then a trainer showed us a fun and interesting game which can motivate pupils not to leave school, to continue their studies. At 1 o'clock we ate: it was a vegetable soup, meat and salad, then we went to the bus to go to another school where we learnt traditional dances. There, the first time they showed us the musical instruments specific to the area. There are many interesting musical instruments, after this show the dances began. These dances are similar to those from our country. After 2 hours we went and walked through the old town. It was fascinating. The houses are beautiful and the parks are nice decorated. At 6 we went back to the hotel and waited for dinner. The weather is so cold and it is raining for hours. After this day I felt very great. WEDNESDAY Today we woke up at 6:20 because of a lightning. At 7 o'clock I had breakfast and at 8 we went to a forest where we walked for an hour. There were sculptures from wood and each had a certain story and the guide told us many interesting things. I was there for the first time and I was amazed how beautiful it looked.There was a lot of sand and it was a tower that once belonged to Russia. The weather was awful because it was raining and it was very cold. There are beautiful houses and flowers. The view was great, the sea was green and we went on the sand. THURSDAY Today we woke up at 5 o'clock. I didn't have breakfast anymore because at 6 o'clock we had to take the Spanish to the airport (they were leaving before us).Afterwards we went with the Greeks to the Trakai Castle where we learnt how history can motivate pupils to continue their studies. There is a large and beautiful castle. Next to that castle there was a restaurant where we ate lunch. Then we went to the hotel in Vilnius, the hotel was large and elegant. The city was full of people. FRIDAY Today we woke up at 7:40 am. I had breakfast at the hotel restaurant. It was very delicious. After an hour I went to Vilnius Cathedral, which was very beautiful. I took pictures and went to the next destination (the Palace of the Dukes). It took a long time until I finished the tour but I discovered many interesting things. I liked the tower the most. Then I went to another cathedral and when I entered it was fascinating because the songs were heard. We went to the city, we passed a bridge with keys on the nearby streets which seemed like graffiti gallaries. PUPIL: NEACSU SABINA TUESDAY It was a long day today . We woke up (me and my roomate Alesia) at 7:00 am. We stayed for a while,being lazy and watching cartoons. Me and the rest of the group arrived at the restaurant and have breakfast. It was yummy.The bus was waiting for us so we got in it with Spanish group,Greek group, Lithuanian group. At school we saw many kids waiting for us with some traditional music. They had some type of ribbons that they hold over our heads. The kids are really kind and friendly and the school was a little bit smaller than ours but it was decorated with colours, painted desks and greetings in Romanian, Spanish, Greek and Lithuanian language. We got into a classroom and we sat down waiting for the kids performances. Their dances, songs and speech were beautiful, I loved every part of it. We got to taste some pretty good traditional sweets and food here.We used some napkins, a spoon and fire to decorate candles. And there we are, back in the bus, waiting to arrive at the Lithuanian Museum. There we saw a lot of instruments, pictures, very old clothing and a representation of the town. We listened to a girl who was wearing some traditional clothes and she was telling us lots of legends and explained the story behind the Lithuanian town, having a workshop on history and architecture, arts . Finally,we got back to the hotel, after we visited the surroundings. We didn't see that much, just a Lithuanian Ship. And now we are at the restaurant,waiting for our food. I'm ready to go home and sleep because I'm excited for another fun day here in Lithuania. WEDNESDAY Okay so, day two in Lithuania.Today we arrived late at breakfast, because me and my roommate slept more, but I've woke up due the knocking on the door. Of course, we panicked and we basically ran, trying to find our clothes . Finally we got down stairs and ate breakfast. As I said in my last summary, it was delicious . I'll skip to the moment when we arrived at school. There were two teachers waiting for us to go inside, it was raining. As we left our jackets in the library,we got guided into the same classroom to have meetings with the other countries . I've seen some impressive performances.We listened to their lecture, it was really interesting to know about the ESL problems in other countries.We had lunch and we got to an old town where we visited some ancient sights which we saw just in pictures during the workshop at the History Museum. I learned traditional dances from some really cute teenagers, along with older women and a man. It was pretty funny to try new dances and to hear their music. I felt like I was living in a fantasy. Some of their instruments are homemade! It's impressive to know that their culture is so old and they lived not so differently from us. Some of their food reminded me of our traditional food. Back to the old city. We saw a lot of statues. There were lots of coloured leaves,representing the fall season. We didn't do that much after learning the dances, we got back at the hotel and ate dinner, it was delicious! I'm excited for the next day. THURSDAY Day three in Lithuania. I woke up at 6 am and got ready for breakfast. I'll skip to the interesting part. Today we've visited lots of monuments. I don't remember the name correctly so I won't mention it here.We visited The Hill of Witches. There were some carvings in the wood, practically some statues representing a Lithuanian story and old legends.We saw lots of devils and witches, princesses, kings and queens. It was like I was leaving in a fantasy. I won a book about the Lithuanian cultural heritage. I liked that book and I'm curious to read more from it. After that, we visited Nida which is a place that looked like was half made by a dessert and the rest of it.... forest. I had an amazing view to the Baltic Sea. It was pretty windy but I could handle it. By the way, it was raining every three minutes, I swear. I liked it there, eventhough I got wet by the waves. Tomorrow we will go to Vilnius. I can't wait. FRIDAY Day four in Lithuania. Today we've got the Spanish team to the airport and then Greek team after we visited The Trakai Castle. There we saw lots of ancient, torture devices and old clothing. Besides that we saw armours and swords,weapons,etc. It was really interesting but I felt sad that we left the teams at the airport, as I said. And by the way...at the castle I saw a man who could play the accordion .His songs were like children's songs. I loved that. It reminded me the most beautiful memories of my childhood. I won't mention what we ate yesterday, because I don’t want you to get hungry. We finally got back to a hotel. SUCH A PRETTY HOTEL. I'm literally in love with it . It's elegant and luxurious.Me and my roomate have the biggest room. Later on, we visited the town (Vilnius) and ate dinner. That's it for today's day. I love this place. PUPIL: MIHAILESCU IULIA TUESDAY Today, I woke up at 7:20 a.m. and I was to school with my friends and teachers. First, children impresesd us ,then we had lunch. After that we used napkins, spoons, fire and we glued the pattern from the napkin on the candel. At 2:30 we were at the history museum. There we saw a lot of ancient things: pictures, guns and jewels. Then, we took some photos and we were at the hotel. It was a beautiful day, but also tiring. WEDNESDAY Today I woke up at 7:20 a.m. First, I had breakfast in the hotel. Then, we were to school by bus. Teachers presented their method of teaching/learning in the Lithuanian school. After, the Greek children taught us a traditional dance. We visited 4B class, at that moment they had English time. We had lunch at 1 p.m. o'clock. After that, we were to art school. There, the Lithuanians impresed us, they taught us their traditional dances. Then we were to the beach. There were some big waves because of the wind. We took some photos and we were to the hotel. At 7 p.m. we had dinner at the hotel restaurant "Viva la Vita". The food was deliciuos. Today we ate desert.The weather was ok, but it rained a bit. PUPIL: VOINEA RALUCA Wednesday Today I wake up at 7 :20.when Iulia (my room mate) was brushing her teeth I was choosing my outfit. At 8 we were down for breakfast. Then we were to the Lituanian school where we were having a conference. .After that the Greek group was teaching us traditional dances. It was amazing! After that we went for lunch. We were having a bowl of soup and pork steak with mashed potatoes. Then we were to the oldest park in Klaipeda, Lithuania. It was rainny We learnt to dance Lithuanian traditional dances. After that we visited the old city. We stopped a little bit to take some souveniers. When we arrvied at the hotel I just lay in bed and wacht TV After we headed to the 🍴restaurant 🍴 for dinner. It was awsome.! 😊
GREEK IMPRESSIONS ABOUT MOBILITY IN LITHUANIA GREEK PUPILS ABOUT MOBILITY IN LITHUANIA The pupils understood the importance of learning foreign languages , got the chance to practice their knowledge and gained confidence in communicating with foreign students and teachers.They came into contact with other cultures which proved that despite our differences there are many similarities between people.They had the chance to work in a different school environment and bring new ideas and practices in their own classes.They learned new uses of ICT technology .They operated as ambassadors of their country abroad and learned how to share their experiences with their classmates when they returned home. In a practical level they learned how to help themselves and adjust to a new environment away from home,trying new things and tastes and to respect the customs of other people. GREEK TEACHERS ABOUT MOBILITY IN LITHUANIA The teachers had the chance to observe a different teaching environment and bring new ways of teaching to their own classes.They shared with colleagues abroad new ways of solving educational problems and had the chance to observe the different way schools operate in other countries.They realized how a different cultural background affects the behavior of children,parents and teachers and how they can apply alternative ways of teaching to their own school.They learned new applications of ICT technology in the classroom and in communicating with schools abroad.They got confident in communicating with foreign colleagues in a commonly foreign language. Theyhad the chance to learn interesting things about the traditions of other people and visit places of historic and environmental beauty.
Teachers from Lithuania write about mobility in Braila, Romania 2018 October 17-21 Ingrida Lekstutiene project coordinator at school, Speech Therapist and Special Educator Methodist Svajune Jakubeniene, Social Education Methodist Rasa Klimavicieneparticipated in the project training together with partners from Greece, Spain and Romania. During their stay, teachers took classes in English, Information Technology, Technology, worked with kahoot, EDMODO, QR code reader, Pic Collage. An action plan for the two years of the project was discussed. The organizers of the meeting invited to visit the Romanian Parliament. It is the second largest administrative building in the world, landing only on the United States Pentagon Ingrida Lekstutiene, project coordinator at school It’s important to listen young people and to let them express themselves, to listen to them. My students today know they have to think globall and this is what they get from Erasmus+.' ‘I think that Erasmus is the best way to educate people about what Europe is all about - that’s what happened to me. I used to think I know Europe, but my Erasmus mademe discover more about what Europe has to offer for everyday life.’ This project opend eyes how to solve problems ESL. Thank you Romanian coordinator and other partners from Spain and Greece. It is a good experience for us. Rasa Klimaviciene, School social teacher Erasmus has opened my eyes to the world. The title of the project is STOP ESL! START INTERDISCIPLINARY EDUCATION FOR FUTURE!” is one of the main part of my work. This item is interesting for me . Taking part in Erasmus+ projects gave me opportunities to exchange knowledge and best practices with teachers from other countries. As a social teacher of a public school, I can pass this along and I’m ‘very proud of giving the teachers international suggestions how to solve ESL problem. Being open has exposed me to different learning methodologies and a range of techniques including ICT tools and e-books. Svajune Kakubeniene, Speech Therapist and Special Educator ‘The Erasmus+ experience has deepened my understanding of all kinds of people from different backgrounds. This has continued to help me in my work, as I deal with different students every day.’‘I became more mature and confident as a result of the [Erasmus] experience. I am definitely more open to other cultures.’ 'Through communication, Erasmus+ increases tolerance and an understanding of others.' During my visit to Romania I learned about education system in Romania. We have visited one of the biggesst city in Romania, Braila. The program was very well planned: we watched lessons in different subjects at school, interacted with educators, visited the Teacher Qualification Center, and the city council. I noticed that there was a lot of information technology at school. They were used extensively in the classroom, and the students practically taught the project participants how to work with Scratch. Students feel good at school. I have noticed that in Romania there is a strong focus on child safety in educational institutions. I shared these impressions and business information with teachers at my school, members of the Methodology Circle of Speech Therapists and Special Educators in the City.
Spanish team about Erasmus mobility in Romania The meeting that we had the teachers in Romania was positive. There came the organization of the activities to be carried out as well as the planning of the following meetings. Two of the participating countries withdrew and we had to restructure all activities. It was also interesting to see how school dropout was treated with different activities related to new technologies. One issue was that we were in an elementary school and we were high school, the activities that were proposed to us were not consistent with our level. We value very positively the treatment obtained by the hosts as well as the concerted visits.
Spanish team about Erasmus mobility in Erasmus Greece In this meeting we were teachers and a group of 8 students. As in the other meeting we organized activities that we were going to carry out in the following months until the next Erasmus that would now be Lithuania, we also reviewed the status of the activities that should already be delivered. We were able to show students the differences between educational systems, as well as the difference between cultures. We also enjoyed the visits proposed by the hosts, especially the visit to Athens. Although students from different countries were smaller than ours, they interacted easily and were able to share experiences with each other.
SPANISH IMPRESSIONS STUDENTS It was an experience where I learned more about Greek culture. I was struck by how important music is to their culture. I highly recommend this experience, I think everyone should have the opportunity to experience it Lucia M. Cabello ( Grècia) It was an incredible experience, I recommend it to everyone.I met some nice people and learned a lot of English. The country was very beautiful. Incredible. We enjoyed many and complete activities Raquel Velasco ( Lituània) When I went to Klaidepa, what I liked most was how the boys and girls received us, because they taught us the best students they had and their talents, especially musical ones; for example, a girl played the hukelele. Also the teachers were very kind to us and they were very attentive to our comfort. Daniel Hroshkow ( Lituània) In the 2018/19 academic year, a group of students of IES Madina Mayurqa, of which I was a part, set off for Greece with an Erasmus program that focused on early school leaving . When we arrived, we settled in the hotel, where we would spend the following nights.The visit to a school did not begin until the following day, so we had a day off in which we visited the city and we had dinner at an Italian restaurant. The next day, when we arrived at the school, they welcomed us and they showed us the facilities and the building. The following days we visited the city, the monuments, and among them, the Parthenon. It was amazing! In general, I think it was a good experience as well as a very productive one as we got to know Greek culture and we also made many friends there. I would recommend this experience to anyone. Alexandre Díez Barceló ( Grècia ) TEACHER 1 On the personal side, participating in the Erasmus program has been a very enriching experience. It has been very interesting to know a Lithuanian educational center and share experiences with teachers and students of different nationalities: Spanish, Lithuanian, Greek and Romanian. From a professional point of view I have been able to compare different educational methods and reflect on the causes of early school leaving in the countries participating in the program but I would have liked to go deeper into the knowledge of the Lithuania´s education system. TEACHER 2 The philosophy behind Erasmus is great. Facilitating contact between young people, teachers and centers in different parts of Europe is very positive. It is surely one of the initiatives in the educational field that most allow strengthening ties and contributing to feel a little more Europeans.Travel to discover other cultures, other educational systems, other ways of doing, other ways of living, get to know the landscape, the climate and the local cuisine... All this is very and very positive. Another thing is the different repercussion that these activities have in each place and in each centre. As in kinder garden and primary schools it is much easier and simpler to involve them within the Erasmus programme and in exchanges because, at least in the Spanish state, it works in cycles and projects. However, it is not the same at secondary level. Each subject is a compartmentalized world and work interdisciplinarity and make everyone work in it, it is almost impossible. Everybody wants to give the curriculum of their subject and find holes in the schedules and often work in groups outside the center the topics studied. It is true that students and teachers are always involved in making very positive assessments, but the incidence of an Erasmus in a center of secondary in Spain is lower. I really enjoyed getting to know Klaipedia and seeing the work that teachers were doing at the infant and primary level. I was missing, however, to see how they apply it to secondary level. Adolescence is a different world from childhood and I would have liked to see how they reacted and how they moved Lithuanian teens. In the end, it is a world where I moved more than 30 years ago. In this respect, it would be positive for the contacts to be made by levels or by age. The functioning of the Centre and, above all, the dynamics of the pupils, are quite different. It wouldn't be fair to say that the organization on the part of the Lithuanian team was excellent and that we felt very welcome. They were well designed and planned activities. Discovering young People's musical training, the level of English in which they are moved and visiting the school was particularly interesting. However, I would have liked to see how other young people did the topic of school dropout applied to their country. They should be given the role they deserve. Perhaps a meeting where there are only a few, it does make sense that the teacher does the exhibition of the subject. In any case, made these punctuations, I do not have any more to wish long life to Erasmus. TEACHER 3 Erasmus+ “Stop ESL” Report- My experience in Greece, teachers and students meeting abroad. March, 11th-15th. Last year I could live an unforgettable experience. One of the teachers of the Spanish team was on leave, and I could join the group travelling to Greece. I had been previously involved in the tasks proposed by the coordinators of the project and my English level was considered good enough. Finally, twelve of us travelled to Pyreus, four teachers and eight students. The principal of the Greek School in Drapetsona booked a hotel in Pyraus, twenty minutes far from his school, and the members of the three visiting countries were located there. We could combine some work, workshops, students and teachers socialization, cultural immersion in a foreign country and visits to different places and landmarks. The Romanian and the Greek coordinators organized a precise agenda, and daily we had things to do, even some moments for leisure. I think that both teachers and students greatly enjoyed the experience. The students were initially a bit shy, but eventually began to introduce themselves to the boys and girls of the different nationalities, meeting and talking about their lives. I remember melting with other teachers, social workers, a university teacher, members of the parent association, guides, clercks, waiters, people in the street... The meeting helped both teachers and coordinators, who had to plan the trips and coordinate tasks, and the pupils, who could learn about other cultures, meeting other boys and girls, and learning about countries that probably were unknown to them. This experience allowed all the participants to enhance the bounds among countries sharing a multicultural and diverse relationship. TEACHER 4 Erasmus Romania The meeting that we had the teachers in Romania was positive. There came the organization of the activities to be carried out as well as the planning of the following meetings. Two of the participating countries withdrew and we had to restructure all activities. It was also interesting to see how school dropout was treated with different activities related to new technologies. One issue was that we were in an elementary school and we were high school, the activities that were proposed to us were not consistent with our level. We value very positively the treatment obtained by the hosts as well as the concerted visits. TEACHER 5 Erasmus Greece In this meeting we were teachers and a group of 8 students. As in the other meeting we organized activities that we were going to carry out in the following months until the next Erasmus that would now be Lithuania, we also reviewed the status of the activities that should already be delivered. We were able to show students the differences between educational systems, as well as the difference between cultures. We also enjoyed the visits proposed by the hosts, especially the visit to Athens. Although students from different countries were smaller than ours, they interacted easily and were able to share experiences with each other.
