Impressions written by participants in the first project meeting in Sicily

IMPRESSIONS

FROM THE FIRST WARM AT HOME MEETING IN SICILY

POLISH TEAM:

There are such places that no one forgets easily. Their charm, uniqueness and warmth make a significant impact on the souls of sensitive people, inspiring them to take actions. The same was in wonderful Sicily during the 1^st meeting of the LLP-Comenius project called “Warm at Home”.

Daily meetings of coordinators and teachers representing partner countries resulted in policies, strategies and schedules for the realization of  particular phases of the project. We also established dates of subsequent meetings. We were trying hard to give the meeting a professional look and do everything up to the highest standards as our Polish team is the main coordinator and the guide for the new arrivals in the project, namely the schools from Hungary and Spain. We were happy that they got on with all of the us so well and that we gained fantastic partners.

Our Polish students were staying at their Sicilian peers where they were directly experiencing the warmth of a home of a typical Italian family. Our girls, Weronika and Ewelina, loved the country on the spot and the country made a huge impression on them. They met great Italian students and also befriended with students from Turkey who also came to the project meeting.

We visited ravishing places like Palermo, Savoca, Taormina and Agrigento. We tasted typical Italian food and listened to the Italian music during one of the concerts prepared by the Italian school. Walking among ancient ruins and historical buildings, we could hear the message: “respect and  appreciate your own traditions, take care of the culture of your own nation and your own home but at the same time be open to the experiences and ideas of others, be curious but at the same time understanding and tolerant”. 

Remembering Sicily, we can’t forget about wonderful warm-hearted people that we met there. It was a real pleasure and honor to meet so many unusual people full of passion, open to the environment, creative, warm and to befriend with them.

After such a successful start, warmed by the Sicilian sun, the Polish team came back home and to our school. From now on Adam Mickiewicz Junior High School no 30 in Lodz (Poland)  is the ambassador of warm(th) at home!

We want to thank you the Italian team for such an awesome experience!

Joanna Wilczyńska, Mariola Zajdlic,Monika Rzepecka-Tranda (teachers)

Ewelina Zasada & Weronika Zmysłowska (students)

HUNGARIAN TEAM:

Dear Nina and Mimma,

We would like to say thank you for the wonderful week we spent here in Sicily. One day here was like a dream. We are grateful for your kind hospitality and the warm welcome we received. We hope we will be able to greet you in Hungary. We are deeply impressed by this magnificent country and all unforgettable experiences. We are glad to have become your friends. We will miss you.

Zoltan Kerekes and Bence Vagner

BULGARIAN TEAM:

Dearest Nina and Mimma,

We are so grateful for the amazing time you showed us here in Sicily. Your hearts are as warm as the weather during our visit. We hope we’ll have the chance one day to return here for yet some more unforgettable experiences”.

Georgi Ivanov, Dimitar Dimitrov, Galina Gancheva, Tsvetelina Staykova

TURKISH TEAM:



It was my second visit to Santa Teresa di Riva. The sun, the sea, the people and the nature was amazing as it has always been. I met some more good friends. We are getting more and more closer to Sicily. I feel like it is my second home in the world. I know that I have many friends in Sicily who cares me. - Mimma, Nina, Rosa, Enza, Linda, Ana, Carmen, Maria, Chiara,  Valeria. I am , again, very much impressed by the hospitability of host family. I would like to thank our Italian Mamma Mina for being a real Mum for our students. Lastly, I can say that, I can make a third visit just for listening the fascinating school orchestra one more time.

SPANISH TEAM:

Before travelling we thought about the wonders of Sicily, and Sicily was as beautiful as we can imagine. The beaches, the wonderful sunrise by the sea, the Greek ruins of Agrigento, the volcano Etna, the nice cities and towns like Taormina, Palermo, Savocca…  But after coming back to Spain I realized that the places are not the most important thing. The most important is the people who you are with, the people who you meet, and in Sicily we met fantastic people. It was great to know people of different cultures, to be able to communicate with them and to realize that these people are not very different from you. Although all of the teams were fantastic I would wish to emphasize the Italian team for their warm welcome. Thank you!

 

María Pilar Agudo Fernández, Juan Cana Ruiz, Miguel Romero Carmona