2015

“CONNECTING SCHOOLS, BUILDING CITIZENSHP”

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14/09/2015

After two years of intense work,

emotions, exchanges, reflection,

debates, friendship, and many other

things to be included in this

magazine, it is time to put an end to

our project “Connecting Schools,

Building Citizenship”. However, this

farewell comes along with feelings

of satisfaction with the common and

shared achievements, happiness

and excitement, meetings and

farewells, but, above all, strong ties

between the people and the

schools. These ties make us believe

that our interpersonal and working

relationships will continue in the

future. As a matter of fact, this is

already starting to happen: some

Polish students have spent their

summer holidays with Galician

families, there have been teachers’

meetings in Lisbon, the social

networks are very active, and there

is even a new project in the making:

“Many paths, one destiny: Santiago

de Compostela”.

For the last two years, both teachers

and students have learnt together,

complementing our vision of fair,

free and humanitarian European

building. We discovered the natural

and cultural heritage of the countries

concerned in the project. We were

able to convey the message to our

educational communities that we

work a lot better together, and that

linguistic, cultural, religious or other

barriers fall away when we get to

know each other and form bonds.

Our students were able to acquire

significant knowledge that they

could subsequently apply to their

own lives after reflection, critic

analysis and comprehension. They

built up personal autonomy and

citizenship awareness and felt they

were playing a role in building the

Europe of people.

As for the families, the project

provided a space to promote

participation and integration in

school life. Their participation in the

project contributed to its success.

Their availability, willingness to host

foreign students and participation in

numerous activities strengthened

their ties with the school and their

commitment to quality, inclusive and

more free education.

As for the teachers, Comenius

allowed us to develop and share

new learning strategies and

methodologies, understand the

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common challenges of the

“important” task of educating, tighten

professional and especially personal

bonds, enjoy hard work but also

sharing, discovering and visiting

places. We were able to compare

education systems and know how to

respond to the major challenges in

education. Like the students, we

have developed strong ties of

friendship, which has driven us to

consider future common projects.

By way of conclusion, discussing the

idea of Europe, discovering common

values, defending equality of

peoples and cultures, men and

women, and respecting the

differences, has allowed the

participating students to grow as

autonomous, critical, analytical,

open-to-dialogue, respectful and

more European individuals.

Luisa Márquez

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On September 2014, twenty-five polish students and two teachers visited Pontevedra, they spent one week. We enjoyed a lot with them in our city. All together visited Pontevedra and some small villages on the coasts (Combarro, Sanxenxo, O Grove) and La Lanzada beach.

They were with Galician students on some classes about History. Literature and Language and they learnt to play some traditional Galician instruments.

They lived with our families so that they could eat traditional food and know about our lifestyle. They visited Santiago, Coruña and they knew some about the Galician Heritage.

They had the opportunity to go to Cies Islands, a wonderful natural park. We sailed for three hours and then we could enjoyed a nice day visiting the island, walking to the lighthouse and bathing on the beach.

We spent a very good time with our polish friends and it was difficult to say them goodbye but we were going to meet again on may 2015.

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The second meeting between teachers took place in Escola EB 2,3/ Aquilino Ribeiro in Porto Salvo (Portugal) from 4th to 7th of November 2014. There were 11 participants

During the stay the teachers worked together so as to come up with common decisions about the second year of the project.

They also had the opportunity to visit the school, meet the students and discover Porto Salvo and the region including the capital city of Lisboa.

All the cultural activities were oganized by the Portuguese team.

Decisions and deadlines.

Concerning the “Holocaust week”, the teachers decided that each school should come up with an exhibition which can include pictures, videos, articles and a part of the exhibition should be devoted to gipsy people.

The main task for February would be to work on boys and girls’ roles in society.

March and April should be devoted to the work on gipsy people and especially on the representation of gipsy people in arts. This part of the project should be completed by the end of April. Around the 8th of April, each school will celebrate the International Day of the Gipsy People.

As far as the students’ mobility is concerned, Portuguese, Spanish and French students will be coming from the 2nd of May to the 9th of May in Rzeszow (Poland).

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There are two kinds of Galician

costumes: the one that is daily

won, made of a coarse fabric, and

the etiquette costume, basically

made of fine fabric and silk.

A woman’s costume is made up of

refaixo (an underskirt) , mantel (a

long apron worn on top on the skirt

and tied at the back), mandil a

smaller apron worn on top of the

mantelo, a shirt or blouse, dengue

(a short cape covering the

shoulders, crossed at the bossom

and tying bac at the back. The

dengue is usually beautifully

decorated with jet and sequins or

gems depending on social status. It

is only part of the etiquette

costume). The mantón is a big

embroidered shawl worn on top of

the dengue. The head is usually

covered by a cap or a scarf. If

women wear nothing on the head,

they wear their long hair plaited or in

a bun. Long beautiful earings,

usually made of jet and silver are an

important part of the outfit.

The man’s outfit is simpler. It consisted of gaits, leggings o other

forms of underwear, trousers a guird, a shirt, a waistcoat, a jacket and a hat or monteira (a cap made of black velvet and adoned with sequins, tassels and other trimmings).

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THE MORPHOLOGY OF THE GALICIAN BAGPIPE

Since the second half of the thirteenth century there is clear evidence of the morphological evolution of the gaita. The first scuptural representations of the instrument show the gaita without a drone, that is, it consisted of one a fol (bag), the punteiro (chanter) and the soprete (mouthpiece).

At the same time as the development of polyphony the drones were added to the Galician bagpipe as an important harmonic source.

THE TERRAÑOLAS

This percussive instrument consist of two little thin woodenblocks which, when placed between the fingers,sound when the hand is shaken, thus producing the rhythm. In Galician, joined wooden spoons or “cuncha of vieiras” (scallop shells) are also used as a percussive instruments.

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THE “PANDEIRETA”

The “pandeireta” consists of a wooden ring covered with sheepskin with ferreñas hanging around the edges. The hole for the ferreñas can be situated in atelrnating or parallel rows. This instrument was played almost exclusively by women. Traditional groups of pandeireteiras were used to entertain at ruadas, faideirasor popular fiestas.Nowdays, many groups of pandeireteiras prefer to maintain this tradition.

THE REDOBRANTE

It is considered one of the most essential Galician percussive instruments for gaita music. The gaiteiro is accompanied by a tamborileiro or drummer.

The traditional redobrante (high drum) has leather peaches and uses strings ti tighten these

THE CHARRASCO

It is a large size idiophone percussion musical instrument traditional in the autonomous community of Galicia.It may resemble a large size sort of ‘sistrum’, this one consisting of a wooden pole (with a total height that can range from 1.5 to 1.8 metres), having on its top end a trapezoidal or rectangular shaped wood frame .This frame has a certain number of pairs of small metal circular jingles (ferreñas in Galician) that are placed to vibrate in vertical or horizontal position.

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THE ZANFONA or THE HURDY GURDY

The Hurdy Gurdy is also known as: 'Drehleier' in German, 'Vielle à Roue' in French, 'Viola de Roda' en Catalan, 'Ghironda' in Italian, 'Zanfona' in Spanish, 'Brenka' in Basque,… It can be described as something as a violin where the friction on the strings is performed by the edge of a wooden wheel that turns inside the body of the instrument. The rotation of the wheel is performed by the right hand of the player on a crank, while the strings are pressed by the left hand fingers on a small keyboard.

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Considered Poland's greatest composer, Frédéric Chopin focused his efforts on piano composition and was a strong influence on composers who followed him.

Born on March 1, 1810, in Zelazowa Wola, Poland, Frédéric Chopin, grew up in a middle-class family. He published his first composition at age 7 and began performing one year later. In 1832, he moved to Paris, socialized with high society and was known as an excellent piano teacher. His piano compositions were highly influential. He died on October 17, 1849, in Paris, France.

His departure from Warsaw coincided with the unsuccessful national rising against Russian domination and Chopin found himself in Paris in the company of a number of other Polish exiles. He was able to establish himself as a pianist and as a teacher of the piano, primarily in fashionable society. For some ten years Chopin enjoyed a liaison with the writer George Sand, but broke with her during the last years of his life, brought to a close by the tuberculosis from which he had long suffered. His compositions, principally for the piano, make a remarkable use of the newly developed instrument, exploring its poetic possibilities while generally avoiding the more obvious ostentation of the Paris school of performers.

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We would like to show you some traditional instruments. We made a selection for our French, portugueses and Spanish friends. These are: FUJARA, a folk musical instrument with a group of aerophones, made from the back of willow or osier.

TREMBITA, a folk wind instrument in the shape of a straight pipe or bent at the end of the trumpet with a length of 4 meters.

Used as a pastoral trumpet. Gives deep, low sound. ZLOBCOKI, polish folk music instrument. They were raised, elongated, narrow and carved. They usually had 3-4 strings. They were played with a bow and the sound seemed quiet but sharp.

MAZANKI, a small, old stringed instrument with three strings, shaped like a violin. It had a high-pitched sound.

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Lisboa Menina e Moça

By Ary dos Santos and Paulo de

Carvalho

No castelo, ponho um cotovelo Em Alfama, descanso o olhar E assim desfaz-se o novelo De azul e mar À ribeira encosto a cabeça A almofada, na cama do Tejo Com lençóis bordados à pressa Na cambraia de um beijo Lisboa menina e moça, menina Da luz que meus olhos vêem tão pura Teus seios são as colinas, varina Pregão que me traz à porta, ternura Cidade a ponto luz bordada Toalha à beira mar estendida Lisboa menina e moça, amada Cidade mulher da minha vida No terreiro eu passo por ti Mas da graça eu vejo-te nua Quando um pombo te olha, sorri És mulher da rua E no bairro mais alto do sonho Ponho o fado que soube inventar Aguardente de vida e medronho Que me faz cantar

Lisboa menina e moça, menina Da luz que meus olhos vêem tão pura Teus seios são as colinas, varina Pregão que me traz à porta, ternura Cidade a ponto luz bordada Toalha à beira mar estendida Lisboa menina e moça, amada Cidade mulher da minha vida Lisboa no meu amor, deitada Cidade por minhas mãos despida Lisboa menina e moça, amada Cidade mulher da minha vida

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BALADA DO DESAJEITADO

Letra do poema e música original de Sebastião Antunes, 1997, dos Quadrilha – banda portuguesa de música folclórica, cujo estilo resulta da fusão de elementos da música tradicional portuguesa e da música celta. Mais tarde, interpretado pelos D.A.M.A..

Eu não sei O que é que te hei-de dar Nem te sei Inventar frases bonitas Mas aprendi uma ontem Só que já me esqueci Então olha gosto muito de ti

Sei de alguém Por demais envergonhado Que por ser tão desajeitado Nunca foi capaz de falar Só que hoje Viu o tempo que perdeu Sabes que esse alguém sou eu E agora eu vou-te contar Sabes lá O que é que eu tenho passado Estou sempre a fazer-te sinais E tu não me tens ligado E aqui estou eu A ver o tempo a passar A ver se chega o tempo tempo de te falar Eu não sei O que é que te hei-de dar Nem te sei Inventar frases bonitas Mas aprendi uma ontem Só que já me esqueci Então olha só te quero a ti Podes crer Que à noite o sono é ligeiro Fico à espera o dia inteiro Para poder desabafar

Mas como sempre

Chega a hora da verdade E falta-me o à vontade Acabo por me calar Falta-me o jeito Ponho-me a escrever e rasgo Cada vez a tremer mais E às vezes até me engasgo Nada a fazer É por isso que eu te conto que é tarde para não dizer Digo como sei e pronto Eu não sei O que é que te hei-de dar Nem te sei Inventar frases bonitas Mas aprendi uma ontem Só que já me esqueci Então olha só te quero a ti

Eu não sei O que é que te hei-de dar Nem te sei Inventar frases bonitas Mas aprendi uma ontem Só que já me esqueci Então olha só te quero a ti

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em

RUvMEr7XI

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You can watch it in these links https://vimeo.com/128153332 https://vimeo.com/132313924

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The students say that their participation in the Project is an excellent way of learning and avoiding any kind of discrimination.

They feel they are very lucky because they were given the opportunity to take part in this project and they are very grateful because they enjoyed an unforgettable, unique experience. All of them share this slogan: no meu corazón, na miña vida, fíxome mellor, fíxome crecer como persoa.(In my heart, in my life, this experience draw the best of me and made me grow a a person) They wish all of their colleagues could have a similar experience.

They could visit Krakow with its history and people, they visited the Old Market, the Wawel Castle, the old Synagogue.

They loved the Wielizcka Mines because of the big space, the beauty of salt sculptures, wonderful lighting. Students were impressed at the working conditions, but also because of what workers can really accomplish. But all of them highlighted their visit to Auschwichtz because of the strongs emotions they felt.

I learnt to value my friends and teachers, to discover that rain doesn’t spoil a perfect day to (alluding to the Ghinkana at Rzeszów with groups from all the participating countries), that distance is n excuse for those who are afraid, that friends are not made with your tongue ut

with your heart, and that home is not a place but a feeling.

By Alba Lorenzo

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One of the most-awaited yet

dreaded moments of our meeting in

Poland was the scheduled visit to

Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration

camp. During the two years of the

Comenius Programme, we had all

worked on the Holocaust and its

meaning. We discovered the stories

of the people who risked their lives

to fight against the Nazi brutality.

We found out that some of them

were recognised as “Righteous

among the Nations”, whereas others

remained anonymous. We learned

that one of these heroines was a

Galician woman from Ribadavia,

Lola Touza. We also learned about

the Holocaust of the Romany

people, the persecution of

homosexuals, etc. In addition, we

investigated on children in the

Holocaust, the ones who perished in

the camps and the ones who lost

their identity and family. We

organised two large exhibitions in

the centre, we saw films and

documentaries, read books and

accounts, etc.

We thought that all this would get us

ready for the visit but NOTHING

CAN GET YOUR READY FOR

AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU. On the

day of the visit, the 3rd of May 2015,

we woke up very early in our hotel in

Krakow and we got nervous as we

were approaching the entrance of

camp. The first shock came at the

camp gate, when our teacher

translated the sign on the gate

“Arbeit Macht Frei” (work makes you

free), an ultimate taunt against all

these men, women and children

who had already lost all hope. An

inner anxiety seized us all,

NOTHING CAN GET YOU READY

FOR AUSCHWITZ. Many of us

could not give up crying throughout

the visit. We could see the prints of

the killed, the pictures, the wall

where firing squad executions took

place, the punishment cells, the

ovens and the large gas chambers.

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However, what struck us most was

the immensity of Birkenau II camp,

the people from all countries

wandering about, the rail tracks, the

barracks and, above all, the

SILENCE, a silence of grief,

bewilderment, anxiety. It is beyond

understanding how human beings

were able to commit such atrocities

on millions of other human beings

on behalf of an ideology of death

and destruction.

And now, after having seen all this,

we wonder, how is it possible that

neo-Nazi parties are growing in

Europe? How can anybody defend

the superiority of an ethnicity,

culture or religion over the others?

We believe there is a very effective

vaccination against all this hatred.

These people should visit Auschwitz

and be confronted with the dreadful

and dramatic events that happened

in this place.

We are thankful to the Comenius

Programme to give us the

opportunity to confront the

consequences of the failure of

dialogue and tolerance. We are now

more aware of the need to be active

agents in the defense of human

rights, everywhere and in every

occasion. Building a European

citizenship requires the commitment

by the young not to repeat our own

history’s mistakes.

By Yaiza Iglesias, Nicolás Gil,

Alejandro Días and Silvia García

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Le Mardi 14 janvier nous avons visité le Mémorial de la déportation et le conservatoire historique du camp de Drancy situé à proximité des bâtiments de la cité de La muette à Drancy.

Cette cité est constituée de tours, d'immeubles en barre et d'un immeuble en forme de U qui comporte 1200 logements. Elle a été édifiée au début des années 1930, le projet avait pour but d’offrir au plus grand nombre des conditions de vie décentes, et d'apporter tous les services nécessaires à la vie d’une cité. Toutefois le chantier est resté inachevé à cause de la crise économique qui survient au milieu des années 1930.

Sous l'occupation allemande les Allemands choisissent volontairement le bâtiment inachevé en forme de U pour interner des prisonniers de guerre français et britanniques puis des « ressortissants de puissances ennemies ». Le 20 août 1941, suite à la rafle du XIe arrondissement, ce lieu de détention devint un camp d'internement exclusivement juif jusqu’à la libération de la région parisienne en août 1944; environ 80000 Juifs ont résidé dans ce camp. Jusqu'au 17 août 1944, le camp de Drancy a été le principal lieu de rassemblement des Juifs, déportés ensuite vers les camps d'extermination nazis. Dans les années 1947-1948, la cité de la muette a retrouvé sa vocation initiale d'habitations. Elle est aujourd'hui la propriété de l'Office départemental des HLM.

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On the 4th of March 2015, as a part of Project ‘Comenius – Connecting schools, building citizenship’ , there was a meeting with professor Krzysztof Żarna at our school. He told us about the history and tragic fate of Gypsies during Holocaust. It was a really interesting lesson for us. We got to know possible origins of Gypsies, why they were pursued and murdered. The professor told us about Gypsies’ living conditions and the conditions they died in. At the end of the meeting professor invited us to visit the place of Gypsies’ extermination in Auschwitz. This lesson made us think about the subject discussed and the time of the meeting wasn’t wasted for sure.

Our students visited the Tarnow Regional Museum that organised an important exhibition entitled "Gypsies in Polish Culture".To this day is probably the only one in the world on Romani Culture and history.

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From 1 to 9 of May, students from France, Portugal and Spain met their colleagues in Poland. It was the second mobility of students of our project “Connecting Schools, Building Citizenship”

During the time in Rzeszów we celebrated an “Intercultural Festival”. Each school presented an example of its cultural heritage: songs, dances and legends occupied a place in the development of the festival. Traditional dances and songs from Poland

But also modern and Latin dance

From France beautiful songs and a multicultural dance

From Portugal the legend of Porto Salvo and some traditional songs

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Songs from Spain in the four official languages (Galician, Basque , Spanish and Catalan) and another in Portuguese for friends across the river Minho.

After the festival we could enjoy a cooking demonstration with products from the four countries. Students and teachers contributed traditional food : cheese , seafood , sweets , .which were eaten with great satisfaction.

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Our French friend arrived in Lisbon on April 14th. The next day they came at school. Here we worked in our presentation. We enjoyed a lot learning surf together on the beach and then we visited the “Azulejo Museo” and had a “azulejo workshop” so we could manufacture our own tiles.

There was also time for cultural visits : Sintra and Pena Castle , the old Lisbon .

It was hard to say goodbye to our friends but we knew that we would meet soon in Poland

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The international day of women in Poland is celebrated with flowers! There are no declarations, no protests for the equality. It is not a day to claim the women's rights; it is one day when streets are filled with flowers that men buy to their wives and fiancées and even friends. All men buy bunches of quite ornate flowers and no woman remains without them. If their boyfriends or husbands forget about it, women can get very annoyed! Besides flowers small gifts are also given and men send e-mail, smses with greetings to women on this day. The International Women's Day in Spain is a day to vindicate the rights of women because although there’s been significant progress for equality in Spain, particulary under the last Socialist government, the austerity measures since May 2010 and the policies of the current right wing government of Mariano Rajoy threaten to roll back gains.

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MULHER

A mulher não é só casa

mulher-loiça, mulher-cama

ela é também mulher-asa,

mulher-força, mulher-chama

E é preciso dizer

dessa antiga condição

a mulher soube trazer

a cabeça e o coração

Trouxe a fábrica ao seu lar

e ordenado à cozinha

e impôs a trabalhar

a razão que sempre tinha

Trabalho não só de parto

mas também de construção

para um filho crescer farto

para um filho crescer são

A posse vai-se acabar

no tempo da liberdade

o que importa é saber estar

juntos em pé de igualdade

Desde que as coisas se tornem

naquilo que a gente quer

é igual dizer meu homem

ou dizer minha mulher

Every day Women must be respected, no need of a special day to remember that.

Portuguese poets, musicians and singers have homaged them for centuries. Here is a

poem "Woman" ("Mulher") from Ary dos Santos, one of the most relevant names of the

Portuguese popular poetry of the 20th century (1937-1984) and a recent song "Tired"

("Cansada") composed and divulged in the Portuguese media these days. They sing to

remember that "one who loves you is not aggressive".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laVqVyU9vR8

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Portuguese students recall the times they lived together in the last two years with the "Connecting Schools, Building Citizenship" Comenius Project.

Ana Margarida Coelho: Comenius project in three words: Hard work, Unity and Adventure. Travelling with the class to nations never before seen by many, and meeting young people from other cultures, was the best part of the project. Cátia Pimentel: Meeting different cultures and different ways of being and living. Sharing moments with colleagues from Spain, France and Poland was unique and very fun. Many thanks to the project Comenius for giving us this wonderful experience.

Cristiano Cibrão: Many works were done where union and team spirit between colleagues excelled. Today I know some of them I can call "friends" and keep for life. It was the first class trip that we were all waiting for, where we would meet our colleagues from different nations. It was a week that will certainly remain in our memories, each day was lived as if the last one. The project Comenius was to me an enriching experience. Unforgettable moments where I met new peoples with different cultures. Works were done to learn the values of society. It was hard, laborious, but well worth it in the end. Cristina Figueiredo: We learned many ways of team work, and how fundamental it is. I met excellent people, truly friends for life, people with different cultures and ways of life. Communication, however, with my colleagues from other schools was the most difficult part. Diogo Alves: The project Comenius was good for the class, since it gave the opportunity to communicate with students from other nations through social networks. In these two years there many works were made on the cultures and ways of the integrating nations. Érica Gonçalves: When in Paris, the day before the last was my favorite. We were all in

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a public square (Place du Trocadéro) singing and dancing and conversing with our colleagues, who are our friends today.The trip to Poland was very special. I had many expectations because it was a nation that I never thought to visit. It was a funny trip for the Polish people found us somewhat uncommon. Fábio Gonçalves: I would certainly be on the trip if it were not for my heart problem. I lost the reception to our French colleagues. I lost many things in those days. Still I admire this project, which gave the opportunity to make new friends, meet many new locations. This is why I give a high mark to this project, and may it never stop. Fabrício Spencer: The project Comenius was very interesting, wonderful, and the best experience of my life until now. We took photographs of the most beautiful avenue of the world, the Triumphal Arch of Paris. We went to the Eiffel Tower, to Disneyland and to the Louvre Museum. I fell in love with a French colleague, we strolled much, played and danced. The last day was sad because we had to say goodbye, but that is life. One year after I have the opportunity to go to Poland and the pleasure to know Kracow and Rzeszów, where we met again! Gonçalo Trigo: This project, with the works made and the trips, was the best, because each one from different nations got to know different cultures, food, among others. In the end I can say it

was a unique experience and unforgettable, something that was worth all the work we made. Iara Borges: I did not believe we were going to travel to Paris until the day came. The last day was moving, we got together, conversed, danced, got each other's Facebook. In Poland the best day was Thursday, the day before returning, when we showed our works, our dance, our song and our play. With the project's end I hope we all keep in touch.

Ivanildo Junior: We had the special visit of the French students. We shared many activities. It was a time very rich to be close of people from other cultures. The project Comenius was a way to make new friends and live in peace anywhere in the world . The contact with our colleagues remains. Melanie Pires: The project Comenius allowed us to meet other nations, see the great monuments, make friends, talk with other students and bond with colleagues from Spain, France and Poland.

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Nuno Galvão: My favorite works were those on the Gypsy communities and the "Boys and Girls roles". Potche Manessim: The project Comenius contributed, without doubt, to changing the vision and notion I had of Europe. By this adventure we bonded with other students, and, although the distance, we are still in touch, thanks to the social networks. I would have been good if our colleagues from Spain and Poland had also come to Portugal. Of the works we made my favorites were: "Bring back our girls" and "Homage to the Holocaust victims". I think our contribution was worth it. Ricardo Almeida: The project Comenius was a unique experience. We were well received, either in Aubervilliers or in Rzeszów, we saw new locations, learned new words and tried other foods.

Rodimila Miranda: The most interesting and fun part of this project was the interaction between students of different nations. Participating in the project Comenius was a true adventure. I

met new nations, new people from different cultures. The good of this project was that I learned teamwork and companionship spirit. Romina Rocha: The French students received us very well in their school. It was very good to converse with them, we got to know more of their traditions, it was an experience I will truly carry for life. The trip to Poland was doubtless another magnificent experience, we were very well received. The show set by the students from Poland in their school was very good, because it allowed us to see more of their traditions. The project Comenius opened a new future door to me. Rony Monteiro: The project Comenius broadened my horizons. Thanks to it I had the unique opportunity to meet Poland, a magnificent nation where the people suffered much in the past and with a very sad history. I saw new locations, made many friends, many of which will remain forever. Many of them differed in culture but we overcame the language barrier, which was one of the difficulties we had. Sara Raquel Cerqueira: We saw new things that were imprinted in our memories, such as Auschwitz-Birkenau, German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp, now Memorial and State Museum. We lived good moments, in France and in Poland, made great friends, and even more we showed we are united. We also want to say to the students of Spain, France and Poland that we thank them for all the

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love and welcoming they gave us. For all the good moments we spent together we also say that, even though the distance, our friendships will endure! Sérgio Maocha: With this project we have the opportunity to spread a little of our Portuguese culture.One of the things I loved to do was to staged two of our many Portuguese legends to the professors and colleagues of Spain, France and Poland - "The Legend of Our Lady of Porto Salvo" and "The Legend of Barcelos Rooster". Ana Rita Assunção: I only came this year to the class of 12º C and well I was told of the Comenius project. I had no idea of what it was. I went to the lectures, to the trip preparation to Poland and tried to participate by the best way possible. On the reception welcome to the French students, who also integrated the project, I sang them the Lisbon Fado. It is my opinion that it was a project well elaborated in all and clearly done out of good will.

A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE:

Polish students

Oh… Whenever I recall my days

spent among participants of

Comenius on my cheeks flow drops

of sadness, then I look at my phone

and I see “Hi, how are you today” –

message from my lovely friends who

I met on the best of the project in my

life, then on my wet face appears

smile.

Comenius in my opinion is the best

way to make friends abroad. I met

wonderful students and teachers

from Spain, France and Portugal. I

could improve my English and

Spanish. Discover culture, customs,

even food from these countries. I

spent magical time with they in Paris

also in my city. It was fantastic.

In spite of finishing this sensational

international project, I wish met one

more time together. I want to

shout THANKS, it was

worthwhile!!!

Weronika Wallach

Our project is finished. What can I

say about it? Surely I can say that it

was great experience for me

because I could know new people,

their cultures and make friends. We

28

spent a lot of time together for

talking, laughing, playing different

sports, singing and dancing that was

really amazing. We also could

practice languages which we’re

learning in the school. But the best

thing in this project was relation

which burned between us.

This project showed me though we

come from four other countries we

are almost the same, people from

France, from Spain, from Portugal

and from Poland, we like that same

music, that same movies, that same

pop-stars, we have similar

problems, love stories and a lot of

other things. And that was fantastic!

We wasn’t looking for somebody’s

external appearance but for his soul.

I hope that we’ll meet someday once

again.

Iza Rejment

The exchange was amazing. I

gained a best friend Alba, I better

speak spanish, I spent a great time,

I'm braver, I got to know a diffrent

culture, I tried new things and I

learned a lot.

Patrycja Tokarz

The last of student exchanges from

the project „Comenius” was in

Poland. It lasted about one week.

During this time we had a chance to

see our foreign friends met in Paris

once again and a lot of new people

from France, Spain and Portugal.

On Wednesday we were sightseeing

the castle in Łańcut and on

Thursday we organised a ‘culture

day’, when every group from the

project showed a presentation of

songs, dances and even a theatre

performance. After that everyone

could taste food from Poland, Spain,

France and Portugal.

This exchange was a big opportunity

to practise language skills, know

other cultures an – of course – make

new friends.

Monika Chmiel

I've been atending the Comenius

program since the first year in our

school. Obviously these 3 years

were full of work, but they were

absolutely worth it. It's been na

amazing experience to meet so

many people from other countries,

to talk to them and get to know

them. I'm really grateful for this

opportunity because thanks to the

Comenius I improved my English

and Spanish too. Moreover, I was so

lucky that I had a chance to visit

Paris. We spent there a week, and it

was probably one of the best in my

life. This year all the Comenius's

people came to Poland and it was

amazing to show them our city. We

were playing together and we were

spending time talking and laughing.

To sum up, I'm really thankful that I

had a chance to be a part of this

29

program. It was a wonderful

experience.

Paulina Polak

Last month the people from abroad

arrived to Poland. We could to meet

lot of gorgeus people and to know

better their culture. French and

Portuguese people slept in a hotel

and Spanish people lived in our

homes with us. We were preparing a

tradicional polish food for them.

Every day they could to see the

most important monuments and

beautiful place in our city. This was

really great time for me. I really want

to meet them again.

Syliwia Giełbaga

This year, during one week we

guested teenagers from Spain,

France and Portugal. On monday-

first day of their visit in Rzeszów I

met my new Spanish friend - Yaiza.

We went to my home to she can left

her luggage and later we went to

town square to welcome to each

other. On Thuesday they all first

time visited our school and later

went to city hall to meet president of

Rzeszów. Later, after dinner they

visited underground. Wednesday

was a day with a lot of

attraction. First we all went to Lańcut

castle and later we took a part in city

game. Next day we had in our

school celebrated international

party. We could listen to music from

every country, national dance and

later try typical national cuisine. On

Friday we had to say goodbye to

people from France and later we

spend nice time with Portugueses

by the river and after dinner we

farewell. On Saturday we all had

free time to spend it with spanish

people. For me Comenius was one

of the best things in my life. I met

new people and practised Spanish a

lot.

Karolina Staszewska

I took part in Comenius this year. I'm

so grateful to have this opportunity. I

loved it! It was a great experience

for me. I met a lot of new people

from other countries and I got to

know their cultures. One of the most

important thing which stems from

Comenius is that all of us could

improve both English and Spanish.

First part of Comenius was a trip to

Paris which, I think I like the most. It

was the best trip which I have ever

been on. It was a wonderful time!

A year later, those people who I met

in France, came to Poland. They

spent here about one week. We

were making a lot of different things.

For example, we went to the castle

in Lancut. Students from Poland

organised a field game which was a

great chance to visit some important

30

places in Rzeszow and spend time

with each other. In spite of bad

weather, we had fun.

Everybody was depressed when we

had to say goodbye to them.

I think that we will always remember

this students exchange and people

we met.

I wish I could meet them once again

because they were wonderful!

Agnieszka Kluz

In last month students from Spain,

Portugal and France visited

Rzeszów. On Monday they arrived

to Rzeszów and came with us to

houses and to the hotel. On

Tuesday they visited our school and

city hall. After that we came to

underground, which is on our town

square. On Wednesday we went to

the Castle in Łańcut. It really

beautiful. On Wednesday afternoon

we played city game. We had a lot

of fun during this event and our

guests had a possibility to know

Rzeszów better. On Thursday we

organized a international party in our

school. We could try snacks from

other countries and we could listen

to their typical music. On Friday we

spend time in park by the river

Wisłok. We played volleyball and

talked to each other. Later we had a

free time so we could spend it with

our friends.Unfortunately Saturday

was the end of our adventure, which

Comenius was for us. It was

amazing experience, and we're not

going to forget it for a long time.

Dagmara Olszewska

Last month took place amazing

adventure with friends from other

countries. Our polish school met

people from Spain, France and

Portugal.

I could cognize wonderful people

which culture is very interesting. We

told with them a lot.

At first day we were at Rzeszow

market where we could show

around foreigners our city.Second

day was more interesting becouse

of juant to Lancut.

Everyone visited wonderful

Potockich'castle.Later Poland

organized spiffy game for foreigners.

Next day was funny. We could taste

food from their countries. It was

such good idea. After eating it took

place e.g. karaoke and dance

. Everone was happy . Unfortunately

Friday was finishing day. We were

sad becouse pepole from Spain,

France and Portugal were close to

our hearts. At last hours we were

only talking and taking photos. This

day was rueful , but I hope I will see

these people once again ! :)

31

Natalia Obodyńska

Our meeting with people from Spain,

Portugal and France was fantastic!

Even at first day when we met them,

we had so much to say! Of course,

they told us about their culture and

we learned a lot their language.

They were teaching us for example

how to introduce ourselves or even

count to ten. They met our city, our

culture and our tradicion. We had

trip to Łańcut where they could see

how did the reach people lived in

19th century. Later, we organised

for them a game which demanded

running through our city and solving

riddles. Of course, we're all the

winners! On Thursday we could try

their dishes and it was really difficult

challenge. We spent many time

toegether and we were like family

for that week- and we still are. We

keep in touch all the time and I hope

that one day we'll meet toegether

again!

Wiktoria Paśkiewicz

It was the best week of my live.

When I met all these people from

France, Spain and Portugal I was

the happiest men in the world. It was

a great opportunity to improve my

English and Spanish. I learnt a lot

about different world, different

countries. I had a lot of fun during

sightseeing a castle in Łańcut. I

have never been there before so it

was great that we could do there. I

really liked the city game. We

showed our friends interesting

places in Rzeszów. There was so

much fun when suddenly started to

rain. We all got wet. But the best

part at all was that I made a lot of

new friends. I hope we will meet

again some day.

Aleksandra Juda

For me it was wonderful experience

to meet people frome another

countres and gain a knowleadge

about their culture and customs. It

was the time, when I could check

and improve my english and

spanish. it made me more open-

minded and helped me to make

friends with other people. it was

amazing for me and I'am glad i had

a chance to be a part of the

Comenius project

Pawel Skalski

For me it was amazing adventure. I

met too many people and they

became my best friends. I could get

to know the culture of different part

of Europe and check if my spanish

and english is good enough to talk

32

with people from other countries. It

was wonderful time with wonderful

people. I won't forget it to the rest of

my life.

Iza Górka

"Project Comenius gave me many

things.The most important thing is

that I met my friend from Spain.He's

my the best friend and I hope that I

met him again somewhere in the

world or I'll go to Spain.Now I can

only talk with him on Facebook or

Whatsapp but it's good too.Second

important thing and thing which is

need at every part in the world is

learning languages (English and

Spanish).Through we're talking each

other,we learnt a lot of

languages.Really important thing is

also that I met a lot of friends from

country like Portugal and Spain and

I thing that we'll continue our

friendship.If I have chance to take a

part in another project like

Comenius,I will take part in this for

certain.

Miron Modrakowski

Comenius gave me the opportunity

to meet new people and create new

friendships. Because of it I was able

to visit Paris (France) and see all of

the famous places and amazing

monuments. I improved my English

and Spanish too. It also allowed me

to learn about other culture. It was

the best experience ever!

Inga :)

Thanks to Comenius I could meet

amazing people, create new

friendships. It allowed me to visit

Paris and see cultures which are a

little bit different from mine.

Comenius also helped me to

practise speaking English and

Spanish. I really enjoyed this project

and every activities connected with

it.

Dominika Jedynak

Spanish students explain their

experience during the

“Connecing Schools, Building

Citizenship” Comenius Project

What did COMENIUS mean for

you?

It was a great experience, as I was

able to get to know young French,

Portuguese and Poles, and learn

about their cultures. I loved

becoming friends with people from

different countries, and being hosted

by a Polish family allowed me to

know their lifestyle, daily routines

and food more in depth. I think

projects of this kind should keep

running, as you can learn a lot and

they leave a mark in your heart.

Lara Cores Rodríguez

It was fantastic! Despite the

language barrier, we were able to

communicate and understand each

other perfectly. It helped me learn

33

how to interact with others, respect

other cultures, exchange ideas and

experiences, and discover new

places and customs.

Linda Percíncula Martínez

It was a unique experience. It

allowed me to interact with students

of different countries and I felt at

ease with them as we developed a

very warm relationship. I learned a

lot about new cultures and how to

interact better with people of other

countries and languages. All in all, it

was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I would definitely participate again.

Sofía Caamaño Molina

I improved my English, learned

some Polish language and customs,

and to adapt to eating new things at

different eating hours. It offered me

the opportunity to discover new

places, meet new young people and

live together with people I didn’t

know before.

Alba Reboredo Piñón

I would like to point out several

things. First, the visit to Auschwitz

broke my heart. I still can’t figure out

how it all was possible. Also, the

Polish family made me feel at ease

from the beginning and made my

stay the best experience of my life.

Finally, I learned that you can make

friends even though they are

thousands of miles away.

Lucía García Carramal

I would highlight the friendship that

grew among all of us, the places we

discovered and the different culture.

It was a unique opportunity and I

hope to keep enjoying it and

learning from it.

Marta Fernández Abal

I learned that not everybody in the

world is mean. I was feeling really

lonely because of a mishap I’d had

with a fellow student, but in this

project I was able to get on well with

everybody. It was a unique

opportunity.

Silvia García Diéguez

My stay with the Polish family was

great. I felt really comfortable and

had to get to grips with my “poor”

English. I learned how to

communicate in other languages

and that I don’t need to be

surrounded by many technological

devices.

Diego Fuentes Castiñeira

34

I loved participating in the Comenius

project because I made many good

friends with students from other

countries and because I learned

how to get by without my parents,

out of home. I found the project very

interesting.

Catalina Alarcón Torres

I liked it because of the many things

I learned, all the friends I made, and

because I lived together with

another family in another country. I

practiced my English a lot and I am

very happy to have collaborated with

the COMENIUS project against

discrimination and inequality.

Alejandro Días López

It was a very positive experience, as

I met people from many places, and

I learned to be more careful and less

blunt. Also, I found out that I can

communicate well in English.

Brian Franco Gulías

I learned ethic values in my visit to

Auschwitz, a lot of Polish history,

and words in Polish, French and

Portuguese, but above all, I learned

that you don’t have to speak the

same language, have the same

customs or live near to make very

good friends, as what’s best is to

meet people in other places in the

world.

Yaiza Iglesias García

It was a special, unforgettable

experience. I went to a country

where I had nothing and I came

back with a lot of friends, knowing

very different things and realising

that not everybody has the same

lifestyle. It made me more

responsible and taught me to be

more respectful when living

together. COMENIUS changed my

life.

Antía Torres González

To be honest, I am very shy and had

some difficulty in getting to know the

foreign students, but the time I spent

with them was great, and watching

them leave was very hard. I learned

a lot, especially in our visit to

Auschwitz.

Sonia Rey Caldas

I learned to interact better with

people from other countries and

cultures, and also to live together

with people I didn’t know but who

have become a part of my life since

Comenius.

Amanda Rial González

35

I learned to interact with other

people despite not speaking the

same language, and to value the

teachers’ great job.

Andrés Picallo Galante

It was an unforgettable experience

that will leave a mark upon our lives.

Thanks to all the friends for being so

kind and accepting us the way we

are, and to the teachers for making

the project possible.

Borja Piñeiro Aboy

I discovered new ways of cooking,

new food, new customs, etc. I also

learned that you don’t need to speak

the same language to make friends,

and that distance isn’t enough to set

friends and hearts apart.

COMENIUS allowed us to live an

incredible and unforgettable

experience.

Noelia Rey Rodríguez

Apart from many other things, I

learned to be more careful and

responsible. I am glad to have

participated in COMENIUS.

Zoe Bugallo Casas

I found it an incredible experience.

You learn lots of things: different

customs, different languages, but

above all, you learn how to live

together and accept the different.

Sometimes we tend to reject what is

not mainstream, but if we give it an

opportunity, we can not only like it,

but it can actually change our lives.

As we were students from four

countries, I learned that nothing is

better than diversity.

Carla Martínez Martínez.

Perfect, I now have a loving family in

Poland. The best thing about

COMENIUS is to learn that

teamwork helps us reach our goals.

Alba Martínez Espiña

I discovered the culture of several

countries, learned to interact with

people of different places, put

myself in their shoes, live together

with them, take control of my quirks,

and I also improved my English. I

think COMENIUS is a wonderful

thing that helps us to learn and grow

as a person.

Nerea Sanmartín Blanco

I think I would embark on such an

experience again, as you discover

new cultures, but you also learn how

to interact with other people

speaking different languages, and to

be more independent.

Alba Corredoira Piay

36

I learned to mingle with people who

have different cultures, customs and

lifestyles.

Nerea Fernández Suárez

I learned the meaning of words that,

without realising it, I didn’t

understand before: fellowship,

respect, friendship, diversity.

María Arboleda Ramírez

Above all, I learned how to mingle

with people from other countries.

COMENIUS allowed us to travel

with our friends, to work in teams

and to discover other cultures,

countries and people.

Elizabeth González Feijóo

37

By Alba Lorenzo

I would like to put forward a

personal reflection on what the

participation in COMENIUS meant

to me, especially the “Meeting in

Rezesów” with the Polish, French

and Portuguese students, and the

activities we carried out together.

One of my favourite visits was the

salt mines in Wieliczka, a UNESCO

World Heritage site. I also enjoyed

the one to Wawel Castle, as we had

plenty of free time. However, despite

it being hard and sad, the visit to

Auschwitz was the most fruitful one:

you need to know the past to protect

the future.

The visit to Auschwitz was the

toughest part of the meeting. I was

actually a bit ashamed because I

couldn’t stop crying the whole time

we were there. Our guide explained

it as normal as can be, and I

couldn’t understand how there could

be people capable of inflicting so

much suffering to another human

being and then killing them, and why

we don’t even know their names.

Despite the horror, it was a

necessary visit, and I think I can

speak on behalf of every student

and teacher in saying that knowing

about all that pain has changed us

significantly.

However, I would also like to

highlight my relationship with my

guest Polish family, the

Lewandowskas. They made their

best so that I felt like at home. They

made up the room for me, and the

parents, who didn’t speak much

English, made an effort to

communicate with me.

The relationship with the other

students, Polish, French and

Portuguese, was fantastic. We

made a lot of friends. It was as if we

knew each other a lifetime. We left

Poland with more friends and a big

family.

I would definitely participate in

another COMENIUS project a

thousand more times. Apart from

discovering places and meeting new

people, we built strong ties with our

teachers and fellow students. It was

a truly fruitful and transforming

experience.

I learned to value more my friends

and teachers, to realise that the rain

isn’t enough to spoil a perfect day,

that distance is only an excuse for

those who are scared, friends aren’t

made with a language but with a

heart, and home is not a place but a

feeling.

Four words could summarise my

experience: magic, experience,

opportunity and discovery.

38

EQUAL IN DIFFERENCE

The Comenius Programme has

allowed me to get to know

youngsters from France, Portugal

and Poland, thus discovering that

beyond language, habits and

custom differences, the European

young share many values: equality,

tolerance, interculturalism,

environmental awareness…, and

these can provide us with the

cornerstone of a Europe of people,

of citizens, resting upon human

rights respect and able to address

the major challenges of a complex

and changing world.

I have also understood that the

failure of pacific relationships on an

equal plane led to dreadful and

dramatic events in Europe: armed

conflicts and especially the

“Holocaust”, where delirium, racism

and dictatorship took over to write

one of the darkest pages of

European history. However, I also

learnt that we cannot allow this to

happen again, and that the respect

and protection of individuals must be

above any economic, national,

religious, ethnic or other interest.

Therefore, I would like to point at the

worrying lack of initiative the EU is

showing in the migrant and refugee

crisis. A Wall of Shame is being

erected in Hungary and refugees

who are fleeing countries at war are

coming up against police officers,

soldiers, barbed wires, xenophobe

and racist attacks and shelters on

fire instead of the asylum they are

seeking. On the other hand,

migrants are confronting on-the-spot

deportations, death risk in the

Mediterranean, misery, contempt…

Consequently, I would like to make

a call upon the European young so

that we do not turn a blind eye to the

problem. We must stand up for

these people and the values that

served “as a basis for European

construction”.

Lucía García, Alba Reboredo,

Antía Torres y Sofía Caamaño

39