My Voyage of Discovery - Szent István Gimnázium

My Voyage of Discovery
Wanderings in the World of Work
Written by the participants of Comenius-Project "My Voyage of Discovery" 2013 – 2015
Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium
Gerrit Komrij College
Fagerlia videregående skole
Hegel Gymnasium
Szent István Gimnázium
Altın Eğitim
Liceo "Le Filandiere
Collegio Coop. Son Verí Nou
Stadtlohn
Winterswijk
Ålesund
Magdeburg
Budapest
Ankara
San Vito
Son Verí Nou
Germany
The Netherlands
Norway
Germany
Hungary
Turkey
Italy
Spain
Edited by the students and teachers of Szent István Gimnázium, Budapest
Published on the project evaluation ceremony 28-05-2015.
Additional information on the webpage: http://time4us.eu
Table of Contents
A Letter to the Reader ............................................................................................................................. 5
Participants‘ Profiles................................................................................................................................ 7
Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium – Stadtlohn, Germany ................................................................ 8
Diplomats of Stadtlohn ..................................................................................................................... 8
Gerrit Komrij College – Winterswijk, The Netherlands .................................................................. 9
Diplomats of Winterswijk .................................................................................................................. 9
Fagerlia videregående skole – Ålesund, Norway ......................................................................... 11
Diplomats of Ålesund ...................................................................................................................... 12
Hegel Gymnasium – Magdeburg, Germany ................................................................................. 13
Diplomats of Magdeburg ................................................................................................................ 14
Szent István Gimnázium – Budapest, Hungary ............................................................................ 15
Diplomats of Budapest .................................................................................................................... 16
Altın Eğitim – Ankara, Turkey ....................................................................................................... 17
Diplomats of Ankara ........................................................................................................................ 19
Liceo "Le Filandiere – San Vito, Italy ............................................................................................ 20
Diplomats of San Vito ...................................................................................................................... 21
Comenius Teachers ......................................................................................................................... 23
Collegio Coop. Son Verí Nou – Son Verí Nou, Spain .................................................................... 25
Diplomats of Son Verí Nou .............................................................................................................. 26
Exploration visits ................................................................................................................................... 27
Timetable of the Exchanges ......................................................................................................... 27
Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium (Stadthlon)  ........................................................................... 28
Stadtlohn visits Son Verí Nou (Mallorca - Spain) ............................................................................. 28
Stadtlohn visits Ankara .................................................................................................................... 29
Stadtlohn visits Kobierzyce.............................................................................................................. 30
Stadtlohn meets Magdeburg, Hungary and Poland in Gdańsk ....................................................... 31
Stadtlohn in Budapest ..................................................................................................................... 32
Stadtlohn visits Italy ........................................................................................................................ 32
Gerrit Komrij College (Winterswijk) ......................................................................................... 33
Artan’s trip to Stadtlohn and Magdeburg ....................................................................................... 33
Jelmer’s trip in Europe .................................................................................................................... 34
My experiences in Turkey ............................................................................................................... 34
My Voyage of Discovery Midterm Meeting Ankara ........................................................................ 35
Artan Ramaja’s trip to Ankara ......................................................................................................... 36
Jelmer Schreurs experiences in Ankara ........................................................................................... 37
My voyage of discovery ................................................................................................................... 37
“My voyage of discovery” Magdeburg ............................................................................................ 38
My voyage of discovery ................................................................................................................... 39
Fagerlia videregående skole (Ålesund) .................................................................................... 40
Report From Exchange Fagerlia Vgs. (Ålesund ) - Szent Istvan Gymnasium (Budapest) ................. 40
Report – Trip to Winterswijk, the Netherlands ............................................................................... 43
Reports from Student Diplomats Attending Midterm Meeting in Ankara ...................................... 49
Report From Teachers/Coordinators, Midterm Meeting ................................................................ 51
Report from the Exchange Fagerlia VGS. (2ST2 INT. CLASS) & Instituto Statale D’Istruzione Superiore
“Le Filandiere” ................................................................................................................................. 52
Hegel Gymnasium (Magdeburg)  .............................................................................................. 55
Visit to Stadtlohn ............................................................................................................................. 55
Visit to Budapest ............................................................................................................................. 55
Visit to Ankara ................................................................................................................................. 57
Our guests from Budapest .............................................................................................................. 58
Visit to Poland ................................................................................................................................. 59
Our guests from Italy and Hungary ................................................................................................. 61
Szent István Gimnázium (Budapest)  ........................................................................................ 62
Our visit to San Vito ........................................................................................................................ 62
A personal diary from San Vito al Tagliamento ............................................................................... 62
Our trip to Mallorca ........................................................................................................................ 65
Our voyage of discovery from our perspective ............................................................................... 69
Trip to Stadtlohn ............................................................................................................................. 69
Midterm meeting in Ankara ............................................................................................................ 71
Magdeburg – Budapest exchange programme ............................................................................... 73
„Breaking News”: a Comenius trip to Gdansk, summer, 2014 ........................................................ 75
Our trip to Ankara ........................................................................................................................... 77
Altın Eğitim (Ankara)  ................................................................................................................ 79
Exchange Week - San Vito, Italy ...................................................................................................... 79
Exchange Week – Ankara Turkey .................................................................................................... 80
Exchange Week – Mallorca, Spain .................................................................................................. 81
Exchange Week – Stadtlohn, Germany ........................................................................................... 81
Midterm Meeting – Ankara Turkey ................................................................................................. 82
Exchange Week – Budapest, Hungary............................................................................................. 83
Liceo "Le Filandiere (San Vito)  ................................................................................................. 85
Ålesund, class groups 3F and 4A ..................................................................................................... 85
Budapest, class groups 3A and 5D .................................................................................................. 87
Stadtlohn, class groups 3C and 3G .................................................................................................. 88
Ankara classes 3B and 3D ................................................................................................................ 90
Mallorca, class group 4C ................................................................................................................. 91
Our Experience in Magdeburg – Class Groups 3I and 3E ................................................................ 92
Chatting ........................................................................................................................................... 94
Collegio Coop. Son Verí Nou (Son Verí Nou)  ........................................................................... 96
Comenius Alemania 2013 ............................................................................................................... 96
Intercambio España–Hungría: ......................................................................................................... 97
Comenius Turquía ........................................................................................................................... 98
Project Evaluation.................................................................................................................................. 99
Comenius Photo Exhibition .......................................................................................................... 99
General comment ........................................................................................................................... 99
Best illustration of the MVOD- project ........................................................................................... 99
Best artistic photo which can be linked to the project ................................................................. 100
Best photo of work life, company visit or excursion connected to the MVOD-project ................ 101
Conclusive meeting .................................................................................................................... 102
Comenius final meeting in Hungary .............................................................................................. 102
Comenius trip: Budapest 2015 ...................................................................................................... 103
Favourite experiences in Budapest ............................................................................................... 104
My Voyage of Discovery ................................................................................................................ 106
Closing remarks .......................................................................................................................... 107
Erasmus+: Futurology and Ethics ............................................................................................... 108
A Letter to the Reader
“Teachers are the one and only saviors of the nations”
This is a quotation from Mustafa Kemal Atatürk that I found in the Atatürk Mausoleum during our visit
in Ankara in May 2014. The one thing about it: It is not true.
It’s not the teachers that can save neither the nations nor the world, but it’s the teachers only together
with their students. And this is the core, the true
spirit of our MVOD project: It was all about teachers
and students learning together, exploring new
worlds, discovering new horizons, opening the
minds. And guess what: I found a better quotation in
Ankara, in the school of our Turkish friends:
“A teacher takes a hand, opens a mind and touches
a heart.” (Thank you for opening the door, Havva!)
We might have fallen behind some of our initial
goals, especially the more academic or more sophisticated ones, and while working together from a distance sometimes proved to be more difficult than we
expected, it is this one heart-and-soul-goal that we
fully achieved: Coming together, sharing our lives,
getting to know the others‘ worlds, teachers and students together: that was an absolutely exciting and
entirely outstanding experience for me.
So, dear reader, please excuse our shortcomings and enjoy the results of our VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY
that found their way into the pages of this book. Be sure that there’s a lot more that words simply
cannot express. I’d like to thank everybody involved in the production of this book, especially our
friends from Hungary who took care of the final production of this book.
It was my privilege to open our project in September 2013 in Stadtlohn and now it’s my privilege and
honour to thank you all for taking part in it and for contributing in so many ways to its final success.
I am happy and proud to have been part of this team, teachers and students, part of this fantastic
VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. Best wishes to all of you!
Yours
Jan-Bernd Lepping
(First Coordinator in Stadtlohn)
– 5/109 –
Participants‘ Profiles
– 7/109 –
Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium – Stadtlohn, Germany
The Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium Stadtlohn is situated in Stadtlohn, a town of
20 000 inhabitants in the area of “Westmünsterland” near the Netherlands. Here
more than 1100 students and around 100 teachers work together. Founded in 1995
our school is still quite young. It offers the opportunity to reach the highest level of education not only
to the city of Stadtlohn itself but also to the surrounding towns like Gescher and Südlohn.
Focussing on natural sciences as well as languages, the Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium also gives the
students a lot of opportunities to improve their knowledge in social and cultural studies.
Right from the start the development of personality was a prior subject of the school, which includes
critical and social facilities as well as a strong sense for specific needs of the environment.
Being anchored in the tradition and culture of our regional area, the Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium is
very much interested in giving the students an idea of what it means to be a European citizen nowadays.
That is why the Comenius-Partnership with its international exchange activities has a very high reputation among the school community. Located in a rural area we think it’s very important for our students
and teachers to get into contact with our neighbours in Europe and to get to know living and learning
conditions all over Europe. Thus our school has soon established bonds in different international school
projects and has a good tradition of working together in the Comenius-Partnership. According to the
basic idea of the current MVOD-project we gathered a team of “student diplomats”, who were in
charge of the coordinating work from 9th to 11th grade. Here are their reports.
Diplomats of Stadtlohn
Luisa Hemling (left)
I am Luisa Hemling, 16 years
old, and I was so glad to be a
part of this Comenius project.
I had a really enjoyable time
with a lot of new and likeable
people. I got to know a lot
about culture and traditions
in other countries and visited
amazing places. The project
was a great chance for me
and I am happy to be a diplomat student.
Simon Terliesner (middle)
My name is Simon Terliesner, I’m a student diplomat from Stadtlohn and I enjoyed the Comenius
project a lot. I have been to Ankara, Poland, Gdánsk, Italy and Budapest. My favourite exchange so
far was Ankara. It was amazing to be there with all the diplomats. The program was good and we had
a lot of free time which we spent together with everybody almost all the time. In my opinion we had
the best program in Italy: we visited Venezia and Triest which was very cool. All in all, Comenius has
been a great experience in that I met many cool people. I hope we can meet again one day.
Anna Heming (right)
I am Anna Heming and I’m 16 years old. As a student diplomat from Stadtlohn, Germany, I took part
in the Comenius project “My voyage of discovery” for the last two years. I really enjoyed this project
and learned a lot about other European cultures. In four different countries I lived in guest families
– every time for one week. I also took part in a camp for teenagers from different countries for one
– 8/109 –
week. Especially the differing eating habits in the different countries were very surprising to me. In
every country I got to know another kind of school system, especially the relationship between pupils
and teachers is different everywhere. The students, who visited me and my family were surprised
when entering our one-family house. They admired our green nature and the small town. First, every
student was shocked about riding by bike to all destinations in Stadtlohn. So for me it was strange
that all my different guest parents brought us everywhere by car. But I think that the teenagers’ view
on life is very similar in all European countries.
Enya Wickers
My name is Enya and I am 15 years old. I am part of the studentdiplomats-team from Stadtlohn. I visited Ankara, Gdansk and Budapest throughout the two years of my personal „Voyage of Discovery“. The countries were great and the people even greater! I made
a lot of friends and learned many interesting facts about different
cultures and their traditions. I can really well imagine living in a foreign country one day and I definitely want to travel a lot in the future.
I am very sad that the end of the Comenius Project 2013-2015 has
arrived but I am really lucky to be part of it. It was a raving success!
Gerrit Komrij College – Winterswijk, The Netherlands
This school has been opened in the year of 2012/2013. The name is from the famous
Dutch poet Gerrit Komrij who was born and raised in Winterswijk. Before the Gerrit
Komrij College the school was named the Driemark. This was because the school had
3 locations (drie = three). The number of students is 1372 in the year of 2014/ 2015 it varies from
students with lower and higher levels of education who are spread over the 5 floors. Our school provides education for students who can do a higher level of education and provides lower level education
for those who can’t do the higher level of education. In this way our school stimulates every kind of
student to get the most out of their selves. Our school believes that it is important that every student
is able to use his or her talent. The Gerrit Komrij College is near the train station of Winterswijk so it’s
very accessible for students that live in other places too. Winterswijk itself is a modern village with 2
churches, 1 synagogue and a Muslim community, every Wednesday and Saturday there is a market in
the center where you can buy fresh food, clothes and other things. Every weekend it is crowded with
Germans who live just across the border this emphasizes that Winterswijk is quite touristic as well.
Diplomats of Winterswijk
I am Noa Martens, eighteen years old from Holland. I live in a quite big village
called Winterswijk next to the border of Germany. There I live together with
my dad, my dad’s girlfriend and my brother. From an early age I am addicted
to sports. I played gymnastics for ten years, but I had to stop because of an
injury. Doing nothing is so not me, so now I like fitness and running. Both give
me so much energy! When I am not doing any sports activity I meet up with
friends. We drink something together and make fun all day/night long.
I go to school in Winterswijk, It takes only one hand half year when I have my
exams. If I passed my exams I want to be a dentist, so hopefully I am allowed
to study dentistry.
I am one of the ambassadors of the Comenius project. One of the reasons why I want to be one of the
members is because I like meeting new friends, especially friends all around the world. All different
– 9/109 –
cultures impress me and also inspires me a lot. We can share our experiences and learn from each
other. For example the hospitality of my host family in Ankara, Turkey. They gave me so much nice
memories, which I’ll never forget! Now I realize that we, Dutch people, can learn a lot from their hospitality.
Comenius taught me to be independent. I can’t wait to travel around the world and maybe meeting
some Comenius friends again!
Hi, my name is Lindy Hoefman, I am 18
years old. I live in Winterswijk, this is a
small town in the east of the Netherlands.
This year (2014-2015) is my last year at
“Gerrit Komrij College”. In my spare time I
like to play volleyball, listen to music and to
hang out with friends.
I was 15 years old when I decided to join
the Comenius project. They told us that
you’ll get in touch with people from all over
the world. We had to talk with students
from all over the world about the
differences between the different
Noa, Lindy, Artan, Jelmer
countries. The crucial point for me to join
this project was the fact that we would travel around different places and to get to know different
cultures and people. I think it is great to see how people from different cultures and countries live their
life.
My name is Jelmer Schreurs. I live in Winterswijk and I’m 18 years old. I’m in my last year at ‘Gerrit
Komrij College’. After school I like to hang out with friends and I play a lot of music. By the local fanfare
I play flugelhorn and in the weekends I play trumpet in a showband.
Hello I’m Artan Ramaja, my hobbies are playing soccer, going to the gym and listen to music. I was 15
years old when I heard about the Comenius. That is the year when Jelmer and Lindy joined the project.
One year later Noa and I joined the Comenius project too. I wanted to join this project because I think
it’s very interesting to get in touch with people from other countries and cultures and so I can get to
know more about their thoughts about politics and life. I also enjoy travelling and seeing new places
around the world. This combination is what made me interested in this project.
– 10/109 –
Fagerlia videregående skole – Ålesund, Norway
Fagerlia videregående skole (founded 1864) is a public upper secondary school, situated 4 km east of the town center. The school has approximately 850 pupils, of which
more than 60% are specializing in general studies. Other program areas offered are:
Music, Dance, Theater, Sports, Health and Social studies, Ambulance.
REGION: Vestlandet (the Western part of Norway). COUNTY: The County of Møre og Romsdal (one of
totally 19 Norwegian) has about a quarter of a million inhabitants, and makes together with the three
other counties of Rogaland, Hordaland, Sogn og Fjordane The Region of Vestlandet.
Møre og Romsdal county (total population: 261 230/2014) is divided into three landscapes or districts
mostly formed by natural boundaries: Nordmøre (“The Northern Møre”), Romsdal (The valley of Romsdal) and Sunnmøre (“The Southern Møre”) where Sunnmøre has more than half of the total population
of the county. The name “Møre” derives from the old Norwegian word “mæri” which means ocean/
sea, as does also the Latin word “mare”.
Ålesund (50 000) is the largest of the three towns in the county, Molde (26 000) seat of county administration, Kristiansund (24 000). Ålesund is situated on five large islands on the Atlantic coast half the
way between Bergen and Trondheim. The area is dominated by wide fjords leading inland and lots of
small islands and islets along the coast. The Sunnmoere Alps are the dominating contrast sight southwards.
The area of Ålesund is only 98 km², one of the country’s smallest town areas, which makes it a densely populated city and necessarily brings the
town into with close cooperation and connections with the surrounding
communes. Due to the position of the nearby sea, the Gulf Strom provides
a relative mild climate with very little snow in winter but also relatively low
summer temperatures.
Ålesund is the largest and most important fishing harbour of the country and has together with the
neighbouring nearby harbours the world’s most modern fleet of fishing vessels. This region also has a
substantial shipbuilding and ship equipment industry. The neighbouring communes around Ålesund
also has the largest concentration of the Norwegian furniture industry.
The city name Ålesund is perhaps known by many foreigners also because of the conflagration in 1904
which left around 10 000 homeless after a devastating fire. This disaster led to a relatively homogenous
– 11/109 –
reconstruction of the town in the Art Nouveau style, which was very popular around the turn of the
century. Today Ålesund is a member of the Art Nouveau Network together with Glasgow, Nancy, Wien,
Barcelona, Brussels and Riga.
Diplomats of Ålesund
Birthe Nesset (school year 2014–2015)
My name is Birthe Nesset. I am 18 years old and want to study Electrical
engineering next year. My hobbies include: Reading, travelling and
spending time with friends.
Kristian Helland Skare (school year 2014–2015)
My name is Kristian and I am from Ålesund in Norway. I am a student at
Fagerlia videregående skole. In my spare time I like to hang out with
friends and go training.
Sofie Kleinhans Krogsæter (school year 2014–2015)
My name is Sofie and I am an 18 year old girl from Norway! I love travelling over everything, and especially to be introduced to new cultures,
food and of course - people. I also like to have a lot to do on my spare
time, and when I lived in Norway I did cheerleading, played the flute and
theatre as well as being active in several organizations such as MOT
(translated to courage), Juvente and my community's youth council.
Right now I am doing an exchange program, and I am therefore currently
living in Nashville, Tennessee!
Eirik Helseth Borlaug (school year 2014–2015)
I am a positive and friendly boy who likes to spend time with friends but
also enjoy meeting new people.
– 12/109 –
Katrine Breivik Haga (school year 2015)
My name is Katrine and I am an 18 year old girl from Ålesund, Norway. I
love singing, traveling, being active and spending time with my friends.
Jørgen Skuseth (school year 2015–2016)
My name is Jørgen Skuseth and I am 17 years old. I live in Ålesund which
is a city in the western part of Norway, in my spare time I usually play a lot
of football and spend time with my friends. Other things I like to do is:
mountain hiking, kayaking and all other sports.
Louise Otine Skuseth Tafjord (school year 2015-2016)
I live in Norway in a city called Ålesund, I am 17 years old, and visit a
school named Fagerlia. I like working with politics, especially school politics and fight for students rights. I also love spending time with my
friends and travel to new places.
Hegel Gymnasium – Magdeburg, Germany
Magdeburg is the capital city of Saxony-Anhalt a federal state of Germany and has
a population of approximately 2.3 million. Magdeburg is situated at the river Elbe
and has got many parks for recreation. The city is especially known for its historical significance. In the
Middle Ages Otto I. gave the city to his wife Edith as a wedding gift. Nowadays they are buried in the
cathedral.
The city was important during the Reformation being “the stronghold of
Protestants”. Magdeburg was completely destroyed after the 30-Years-War. During the time of Industrialisation its significance was continued through heavy machinery, the Gründerjahre and the Junkerswerke. After World War Two the city
was destroyed again and had to be rebuilt.
Since the school’s building was build in the early 20th century. Several aspects of
the city’s history can be experienced in the school building as well, especially these
of our modern times.
– 13/109 –
Magdeburg is located near Berlin, the capital of Germany and the Harz Mountains are located in the
south-west. This region offers many natural spaces such as the National Park for recreation and leisure
time activities.
The Hegel-Gymnasium is located in the centre of Magdeburg, a town of about 230 000 inhabitants. We
take actively part in the cultural life of our town with the help of our great school choir, changing galleries, showing historical responsibility and different sports activities. Between 900 and 1000 students
at the age of 10 to 19 and about 70 teachers are at our school this year. Our traditional buildings were
completely restored during the 1990s.
Today it is a very modern and well-equipped building complex with a pleasant playground and even a
historical school museum and a dome.
Diplomats of Magdeburg
Hello, Guten Tag,
Our names are Naline Pfannschmidt, Geordi Daehne, Ilia Karpov
and Paul Groß and we are the Student Diplomats of Magdeburg,
Germany. We all attend the school ‘Hegel-Gymnasium Magdeburg’.
In the 10th grade we got the possibility to join the Comenius Program that helped us to see and understand the lifestyle of the different countries. Everyone of us wanted to improve his/her English
skills and we can say that it helped us a lot to get more confidence
in speaking this language. We got to know more and more people in
different parts of Europe and made a lot of friends with who we are
still in contact even when we don’t have a meeting. Seeing new cultures, societies and regions gave us many impressions of the different countries. We were especially interested in the diversity of languages that take part and it was a lot fun to teach each other words and phrases that we can use if we
might return in the nearest future. Last but not least we can say that the last years made a lot fun with
all of you and we are so thankful that we had the opportunity to be part of this project.
– 14/109 –
Szent István Gimnázium – Budapest, Hungary
Szent István Secondary Grammar School is situated in the 14th district of Budapest. It
offers high quality education since 1902. We, the students, are very proud that we
attend this school, because it is one of the top secondary schools not just in Budapest
but in the country.
59 teachers help us to get into the best colleges and universities after finishing our
studies here. Fortunately, our school is not only about
hard work and studying all the time, but it gives a lot of opportunity to
have fun too. We have several clubs ( e.g. drama and IT), and it offers
exchange programmes, ski camps, summer camps, Science Day, and
even a migrant programme where we learn about the cultures of the
migrant students in our school. The school helps us to express our creativity. Some special events are organized by students, and every year
we present at least two theatrical plays made and directed by us. The
teachers are open towards our ideas about how to make our school better. It is also worth mentioning that our school is located next to the
City Park, which is the biggest in the capital.
Why do we like studying here? Because:
Our school is one of the best grammar schools in Hungary. We can participate in a lot of competitions
and exchange programmes.
We can listen to music in the school radio. The building can be reached by various ways of public
transport, and it is next to a beautiful, big park. The school
offers loads of indoor and outdoor activities, holiday programmes.
We can play many sports here, including football, basketball,
tennis, squash, handball, floorball, volleyball etc. The school
has a garden which is very nice and comfortable to be there
when having some free time. There are lots of extracurricular
activities. It is a great challenge for students who have ambitions. The students here are polite and intelligent; you can
make lots of friends!
It’s great that we have foreign students who come to visit us or study here!
The neighbourhood of our school: There are several bus-, trolleybus- and tram lines that make our
school easy to reach and this is the first advantage of the area where it is located. After a long and tiring
day we have the possibility to spend some time at the biggest park of Budapest, at Városliget, which is
situated in front of the building. It is already a wonderful place, however by 2018 it will be completely
rebuilt giving home to several new facilities as the Museum Quarter. That will provide us the possibility
to go to cultural events without travelling a lot. Heroes’ Square, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Castle of
Vajdahunyad are three of the most popular tourist destinations but the Museum of Transportation, the
famous zoo of Budapest with the old Circus are also very near. During the winters the pupils are taken
to the nearby ice rink to have their P.E. lessons there. Some minutes away from the school building you
can find the Dürer Garden, which is a party place where some bands from our school (for example The
Teach Boys) have already had concert. The Institute of The Blind is just a few minutes away with its
wonderful Art Nouveau building.
– 15/109 –
Our city: Budapest is the capital of Hungary, and also the biggest and most crowded city of it. It is
situated in the upper-middle part of the country. The origin of the city dates back to Celtic and Roman
times. Hungary’s biggest river, the Danube divides it into two parts, Buda and Pest. Several bridges
connect the two parts which became one city only in 1873. Budapest has a population of about 1.7
million people, and it is divided into 23 districts. Many UNESCO World Heritage places and monuments
are located in Budapest, and the city earned – not incidentally – the title ’City of Baths’. Several festivals
are also organised in, or near Budapest, therefore it is a very lively and interesting city.
Diplomats of Budapest
Bori Varga: Hi! I’m 17 years old. I’m one of the four diplomats from Hungary. In my free time I like
watching movies, reading, going out, and taking pictures of my city (Budapest), nature and people. But
my favourite pastime is simply just being with my friends. I have been folk dancing for more than 12
years. I am in a special class in the school which emphasizes languages, especially English, and communication, so it is not surprising that I really like foreign languages. I learn English and Italian, but I have
tried Japanese and Chinese too. Taking part in this project was a big honour and a great opportunity
for me. I have met new friends from other countries, I have got to know other cultures, and we have
travelled a lot. We had a great time together that we will never forget.
From left to right: Tamás Simon, Adél Kotormán, Bori Varga, István Hartyánszky
– 16/109 –
My name is István Hartyánszky and I am in my third year at Szent István Grammar School. I am mostly
interested in science subjects like biology or chemistry. My dream is to become a doctor and I am already focusing my studies on this. In my free time I like being with my friends or playing the guitar. I
also like playing a lot of sports, such as football, basketball etc. I really like my school, because it is very
supportive with its students. It offers us plenty of projects and programmes such as Comenius, and
teachers help us when we have to choose university.
Adél Kotormán: I am 18 years old. My favourite subject is History and I also like learning languages. I
attend an English-oriented class, which offers five-years formation. I have gained a lot of experience
thanks to the Comenius programme, which I am really glad for, and – of course – I am also glad for all
the other students I got to know during the project. In my free time I like watching movies and playing
the guitar.
Tamás Simon: I am 18 years old, so besides being a responsible adult now (haha) I am one of the four
student diplomats of Hungary.
I really do think that human relationships are very important, so I hope to continue my carreer in this
field of life. I learn English and Spanish in a special language-oriented class at Szent István Gimnázium,
and just took up International Relationships within the framework of Mathias Corvinus Collegium.
When I am lucky enough to have some free time, I usually spend it with my friends, or I read or go to
swim, because I believe that the physical condition is just as important as the mental. I am a member
of the drama club in the school, and a great fan of the theatrical plays, and movies.
I cannot emphasize enough how happy I am to be a member of the Comenius Programme. This programme gave me so much: I’ve got to know numerous foreign cultures, ways of thinking, attitudes. I’ve
also made lots of friends, which is the best and the most important part of it. I hope that the next
generation of Comenius will be just as good as this community was.
Altın Eğitim – Ankara, Turkey
The School is going to take a very important role holding the Midterm meeting with attendance from all the partners in this project. The school is located 25 km's away from the
city center in Eryaman which makes it very easy to travel. It is a rural area with a high
population which most of the students live in a close distance. The area is filled with companies which is a great opportunity for the students involved in exchange activities to see and understand the work life and environment in Turkey.
The school has high scores in University exams and all graduates are placed in Universities mostly in
Ankara. All necessary equipment and materials are provided to the service of the students for their
personal and academic life. The school also has connections with universities, businesses and NGO's to
provide a greater Comenius project partnership experience for partner countries.
– 17/109 –
ANKARA
Ankara (historically known by the names Ancyra and Angora) is the capital of Turkey and the country's
second largest city. It is the center of the Turkish government, and an important commercial and industrial city. Located in Central Anatolia, Ankara is an important crossroads of trade, strategically located
at the center of Turkey's highway and railway networks, and serves as the marketing center for the
surrounding agricultural area. The city is traditionally famed for its long-haired Angora goat and its
prized wool, a unique breed of cat (Angora cat), Angora rabbits and their prized Angora wool, pears,
honey and the region's muscat grapes.
Ankara is a very old city with various Hittite, Phrygian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman
archaeological sites. The hill which overlooks the city is crowned by the ruins of the old castle but only
a few historic structures surrounding the old citadel have survived to the present day. There are, however, many well-preserved remains of Ottoman and Roman architecture, the most remarkable being
the Temple of Augustus and Rome.
– 18/109 –
Diplomats of Ankara
Our students, İpek Yılmaz and Dicle Cengiz, represented our school. Our diplomat students – Eren
Çayırlı, İpek Yılmaz, Selenay Yakın, Atakan Kıratlı – presented our school and our country.
İpek Yılmaz
My name is İpek. I am an 11th grade student from Altın Eğitim High
School. I like travelling and meeting new people especially from other
countries. I like tasting the dishes from different cuisines that I could
have chance during Comenius Project. I love singing and playing guitar. I
have been in several meetings and also exchange weeks. Thanks to this
project, we got together and made music, we learned cultural dances
from each other.
Dicle Cengiz
I am Dicle and I am in the 11th grade. I am playing volleyball in our school
team. In my free time, I do gymnastics. Moreover, I am interested in poems, history and books. With this Project, I have visited lots of historical
places and I have seen important statues. The other reason that I love
this Project is to get information about other religions around Europe.
– 19/109 –
Eren Çayırlı
My name is Eren. I am from Ankara. I am studying at Altın Eğitim High
School. I like playing the bass guitar. I also play for the school basketball
team. I am in the Comenius Project for two years. I have been in Germany and Hungary. I have learned different cultural and social subjects.
Deniz Çakır
My name is Deniz. I am 17 years old. I am studying at Altın Eğitim School.
I love playing volleyball, listening to music, reading books and drawing.
English and Comenius Project are important for me. My benefits from the
Project are to improve my English and meet different cultures and people. I like also going to the cinema and meeting my friends. I have a lot of
friends from other countries.
Liceo "Le Filandiere – San Vito, Italy
The liceo "Le Filandiere", founded in 1986, is a secondary high school located in the
premises of a former steam spinning mill. Its name and the tall chimney situated next
to the main entrance still witness the activities that were originally developed in the
building. It has now 822 students and 64 teachers; it offers three different curricula in the field of Sciences, Applied Sciences and Foreign Languages (English, German and Spanish).
The school is located in a suburban area; therefore the opening towards new countries represents a
precious opportunity for comparison and development within relationships and exchanges. In fact, one
of the aims of our institution is to promote cultural growth through partnerships and cooperation with
other institutions and schools either in Italy or abroad. Exchange programmes with Comenius partner
schools, languages classes abroad, visits to countries where people from Italy and Friuli formerly emigrated and work experiences at local and foreign factories and businesses are some examples of what
we offer our students.
“Le Filandiere” is situated in a small town called San Vito al Tagliamento (about 15 000 inhabitants),
in the northeastern region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. Recent findings have provided evidence dating back
to the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods. Already in the past, the place was closely linked to a river and
it was a natural springs area, thus favourable to human settlement. The land underwent both Roman
and Longobard rule, but the true change took place initially under the influential patriarchal presence
and later during the Venetian occupation, which gave the town a new structure, very similar to that of
the present day. The findings from the communal age, such as the medieval configuration of the town
centre, the features of the walls, of the moat and the two towers are notable. Venetian rule left its
trace on the beautiful buildings, with frescos, pieces of work, and decorated facades, as well as on the
charming gardens and on the language, too. The centre, which lies within the walls, remained under
Venetian rule for centuries, while the deeply rooted Friulian language survived in the neighbouring
countryside.
– 20/109 –
The Project My voyage of discovery (MVOD) focuses on the fundamental competences necessary to live and work in Europe, and also
gives our students and our international school partners the opportunity to discover and get in touch with the surrounding world of
work.
The local area is characterized by a prosperous economic development; the business activity, the so-called “North-East model”, is
based on small and middle-size enterprises. A significant example
is the Ponte Rosso Industrial Estate (ZIPR) in San Vito al Tagliamento, the outcome of an ambitious project undertaken by the homonymous consortium and supported by the Region Friuli Venezia
Giulia within a wide-range administrative and political plan. The Industrial Estate and the small business area include 147 enterprises
and 3330 employees.
Agriculture and farming still maintain an essential role in the area:
typical cheese, San Daniele ham, wine production and grapevine
nurseries make the region well known worldwide.
Local crafts also include the production of high quality fabrics, artistic ceramics, furniture, mosaics,
wrought iron and copper. The Mosaic School in the nearby town Spilimbergo is a worldwide reference
for the training of professionals and the promotion of the art of mosaics. This school is one-of-a-kind
as it brings students from all over the world to the region and exports works of art to some of the most
important places, from New York to Peking and from Tokyo to Jerusalem.
We hope that the guests from our partner schools appreciated our region and in the following pages
we are pleased to give an account of what our students experienced and learnt in their exchange programmes with Turkey, Germany, Spain, Hungary and Norway in the past two years.
We wish to thank the students, the families and the teachers of the host schools for their warm hospitality and professionalism. Many thanks to the students, the families and the staff of the liceo “Le
Filandiere” who cooperated successfully in the project and to the former headmaster, to Ms Giuliana
Cinelli, and to the present one, Ms Carla Bianchi, for their unstinting support.
Diplomats of San Vito
We are Manuela, Emily, Nicole and Irene. We are Diplomats from the Italian school “Liceo le Filandiere”
of San Vito al Tagliamento - Pordenone. We represent our school in the Comenius Project MVOD 20132015.
Hi! My name is Manuela Gaiardo and I’m 17 years old. I love dancing; in my free time I like going out
with my friends, going to the parties, or going to the library to record some little stories for children
that can’t read, for example because they maybe are dyslexic. I’m one of the four Diplomats that represent our high school in the project “My voyage of discovery 2013/2015”. In my opinion, to be a Diplomat is a big honor and a big responsibility.
I’ve chosen to study foreign languages because I really like speaking and understanding different languages, I love travelling to see other different cultures. In the future I hope to visit a lot of different
countries.
I’m really shy, but thankful to these exchanges now I’m more relaxed when I spoke with foreigners or
people I know. For that I have more friends and they are all from different Countries: from Spain, Germany, Hungary, Turkey, Holland and the Netherlands. I can’t wait to see them in May of the next year!
– 21/109 –
My name is Emily Moretti, I'm 16 years old and I attend the third year at the Le Filandiere high school
in San Vito. I study languages, especially English, Spanish and German. I really like languages and in my
future I would like to be an interpreter. In my free time I like going out with my friends, listening to
music, watching TV and I really love reading.
For me, being a diplomat is an honor and a special commitment, because I have an important role in
my school. I'm very happy to be part of this project because thanks to it I met new friends from other
countries and I got to know better their culture, and it's very useful because some of them are very
different from mine. Knowing other countries is also important because it means that you become an
European citizen.
My name is Nicole Radegonda and I am 16. I am attending the third year of high school at “Liceo Le
Filandiere”. I am in the scientific class where we specialize on subjects like Maths, Science and Physics.
I am interested in art and cinema. I like going out with my friends and meeting new people.
For me being a diplomat has been a great and important chance to travel and make experiences about
the different realities in Europe. It was interesting to discover the cultural and economic heritage of
our local area and the resources and job opportunities in the other countries. I have had the chance to
meet guys and families from different countries and it has been an important moment to know new
cultures, change my mind about them and have
a comparison with them. We have become
aware that we have a lot in common so I felt at
home when I was with my host family. Then the
experience has been very useful to improve my
English, although sometimes it was difficult to
communicate with the families because they
could not speak really well. All of this make us
think of a future not only as Italian citizens, but
of course European citizens.
I am Irene Vendrame, I am 17 years old and I am a student at “Le Filandiere” high school of San Vito,
Italy. I am an ordinary teenager, I like hanging out with my friends, reading, listening to music and I am
really interested in current news, both national and international. I would very much like to be a journalist one day.
Taking part in Comenius Project as a representative member has been one of the greatest experiences
for me so far. It hasn’t been a simple exchange for me, but something I will keep in my mind as one of
my best school memories. The reason why I want to talk about our exchange experience in Ankara in
May 2014 is that Turkey is a country located on the borders with a world that is completely different
from ours: the eastern world, the Islamic world. Turkey may be a European nation, but it is attached to
a culture we still hardly know. That is why it was such a special experience for me: it gave me the
opportunity to be faced with something really new. As in every school exchange, we were hosted by
students. In my opinion living with another person, adopting their different rhythms of life, their habits,
is one of the few ways you can really get to know someone else’s culture. Everything was new for me.
I live in a small town and Ankara is such a huge city! The sounds, the smells, the tastes were all different,
they seemed so strange and exotic to me, especially food, which is an important part of every culture.
Religion, which is such a delicate issue in these days, was not a problem, it was part of everyday life and
we got acquainted to it little by little.
By learning all the things that divided us and all the reasons that make us different, we finally discovered
how close we were, how many things we had in common. The relationships within the family, for example, were just the same: my host student had loving parents and a lively sister, just like me! She went
– 22/109 –
to school, as I do, she hung out with her friends and had fun in the ways I do and she had the same
passions and the same problems! Like me and like a lot of teenagers all around the world.
Besides, being a mixed group gave us the opportunity to have a more general impression. In fact, it
wasn’t just a one-way swap; we could exchange opinions and ideas and finally get a larger awareness
of the issues. Turkey is a particular country, which made me understand that you can’t perceive the
essence of a nation by being just a tourist; you have to live, try, touch with your hand the diversity to
understand it deeply.
The role of diplomats
We are diplomats so we have had a special role in the project. First we took part in meetings where
there were representatives of all the schools involved in the Comenius Project. So, unlike the class or
students’ exchange, we came into contact at the same time with pupils and teachers from all the Comenius countries. We had more possibilities to compare and socialize: in fact the students were the
same in all the meetings so we could create a better friendship.
We have had the responsibility of representing our school and presenting it to the foreign people, and
we have also had to introduce and develop the aims of the Comenius Project in our school. We took
part in all the phases of this MVOD in Stadtlohn, Ankara and Budapest meetings.
We have taken care of the management of the files concerning the Liceo Le Filandiere on the website
www.time4us.eu. The files were prepared by the students of our school and we had the role to organize
and post them on the web, then to make the website known to students and families.
We dealt with an aptitude test prepared by the Turkish, we administered a questionnaire to different
students, boys and girls, from different classes, and then we communicated them the results. We asked
the students their ideas and opinions about the experiences of the exchanges made possible by Comenius Project, and we proposed debates in the classes.
Our role of diplomats will not end here as we have the responsibility to raise students’ awareness about
the European identity, the multiculturalism and the job opportunities offered by the different countries.
Comenius Teachers
– 23/109 –
Contribution by Massimo De Bortoli
My personal opinion as a teacher about MVOD exchange in Norway (September 2014) can be described
according to the following definitions:
− CHALLENGING: to see with one's own eyes a different system of education is a challenge for a teacher. I think that
teaching requires an open mind and an attitude to contaminate one's own method and style. Less information and
more experience could be the pedagogical key concept that
I learned during my permanence in Norway.
− STUDENT ORIENTED EDUCATION: putting the student in the
center of the educational processes is what I saw as an important part of the school life in Ålesund. This means flexible timetable and diversification of activities in order not to
standardize learning processes.
− STRESSLESS: I appreciated the balance between job time
and personal time among teachers instead of an alternance
of stressful periods and long holidays. A teacher should
spend his time on teaching first and not on bearing administrative burden.
− CONNECTION BETWEEN SCHOOL AND LABOUR MARKET: when education is the focus of a community system it's easier to create links with companies and give opportunities to the students to orient
themselves on their careers.
− EXPERIENCE: it's fundamental to give a chance to every student to live an international experience
in order to develop a European identity based on the strongest values of our culture: freedom, civil
rights, respect for diversity, autonomous development of the individual.
Der Comenius- Lehrerkoffer
Grazia Santarossa
Comenius-Lehrerkoffer ist ein relativ neues Wort in den Wörterbüchern von vielen europäischen Sprachen. In einem italienischen Wörterbuch kann man folgende Bedeutung finden
(leicht gekürzt und übersetzt):
Comenius-Lehrerkoffer m (-s, -): bei der Abfahrt Koffer von einem oft reisenden Lehrer, gefüllt mit vielen Empfehlungen
mütterlicher Art, mit Lust auf neue Freundschaften und gesellige Abende, mit Hoffnungen auf interessante Erfahrungen für
die Schüler, mit vielen theoretischen und wenig praktischen
Ideen. Auf der Rückfahrt Koffer von einem müden aber glücklichen Lehrer, mit jeder Sorte von Comenius- Material gefüllt. Normalerweise enthält der C-Lk kleine
Geschenke wie ein Fahrradklingel aus Münster oder Fotos an einer reichgedeckten Tafel mit lachenden
und entspannten Kollegen. Es gibt auch ein Säckchen mit einem Wortsalat aus mindestens drei/vier
europäischen Sprachen, die oft im selben Satz benutzt wurden. Immer enthält der C-Lk eine Schachtel
mit neuen Ideen, neuer Lust zum Unterrichten, besseren Beziehungen zu den Schülern, mit dem
Wunsch, den Kollegen die Erfahrungen mitzuteilen und endlich mit der Hoffnung, dass die erneute
Begeisterung sich beim Öffnen in die Luft verbreitet.
– 24/109 –
Collegio Coop. Son Verí Nou – Son Verí Nou, Spain
Here I’m going to explain the activities that the Hungarian students did when they
were in Mallorca.
First of all we went to Ses Salines to learn how Mallorcan salt is made.
As it was close, we took advantage of it and we went to Cabrera by
boat. It took approximately an hour to get there. When we arrived a
guide gave us a tour around the island. Then we had time to go to the
beach and have lunch there. At the end of the day we went back to
the school.
Another day, we went to Palma, the main city of Mallorca. We visited
the Caixa Forum museum where we saw many famous paintings and we also learnt about architecture.
The last activity did there was to know a little bit more about the first five Star hotel that was built in
Mallorca. Later on, we went to the cathedral which is located next to the sea, we also decided to go for
walk to one of the most beautiful streets of Palma: Jaime III and Borne. We went shopping and in the
afternoon we visited the Royal Palace of La Almudaina.
Having been built as an Arabian Fort, it was claimed as official royal residence in the early 14th century. Finally we
went to the Bellver Castle which is a Gothic style castle on
a hill 3 km northwest to Palma. It was built in the 14th century for the King James II and is one of the few circular castles in Europe. It was used as a prison in 18th to mid-20th
century and it is now under civilian control being one of the
main tourist attractions of the island.
The following day, our school prepared a bus trip to Valldemossa, one of the most significant villages in our island. It was built at the beginning of the 14th century
when Ramon Llull used to live in this area. Valldemossa has been promoted internationally as a place
of outstanding beauty, largely as a result of the affection of the Austrian Archduke Ludwing Salvator.
When we arrived we went to a museum where we discovered that that some prominent guests had
been hosted including Frédéric Chopin, George Sand and Rubén Darío. Then we had some free time to
try the typical “coca de patata” which I’m sure everyone enjoyed. After that, we went to a restaurant
where there was a film about the origins of Mallorca and how history has developed. We finished the
day having dinner in that same restaurant where there was mainly Mallorcan food.
We went to the Esporles farm, where we enjoyed watching how used to
be the life of people living in Mallorca long time ago. We were also shown
an old house. In that farm we found out that there were different animals
and we were able to feed them if we wished to. At the end of the day we
had time to relax and enjoy the view of the gorgeous gardens that there
were.
Lastly, we visited a wine factory in Serra de Tramuntana. This range was
awarded by UNESCO as an area of great Physical and Cultural significance.
We learnt how wine is made and also the hard work that it requires. They
even showed us how they till the different types of grapes depending of
the wine they want to create. We had a wonderful time there because the
weather was amazing. The owners invited us to have a picnic and we spent the rest of the day there.
– 25/109 –
Diplomats of Son Verí Nou
My name is Lourdes Mª Canals Payeras and I am 16 years old. I was born in Mallorca. I live with my parents and my siblings in a small and quiet village near to
the sea. In my free time, I like reading any kind of books or go for a walk; and
during the summer, I spend most of my time relaxing and sunbathing at the beach
or at the pool.
I was very happy when I knew I had been chosen for this program because I love
travelling; I am very thankful to have had this amazing opportunity, in which I
have learnt from different cultures.
In conclusion, being part of this program has been a very good experience for my family and I, and we
hope that everybody has enjoyed it as much as we did.
My name is Paula Gomila Marqués. I am 18 years old. I was born in Mallorca and I
am currently living there with my parents and my sister. I live in a small village
called Maioris which is quite near from our school. I have got two mother languages: Spanish and Catalan. My hobbies are doing any kind of sport such as
taekwondo or sailing during the summer.
I was chosen for this program due to my academic record, as well as my knowledge
of foreign languages. In fact, I am very pleased for the opportunity that i have been
given. This entire experience has been incredible, not only because I had the
chance to meet and get on with so many people from different countries but also because I was able
to integrate into many cultures, something that can only be archived through a project like this one.
To sum up, I would like to add that taking part of this program has reinforced my goal of studying abroad
and putting all my efforts in it.
My name is Bárbara Battocchio, I am 16 years old and I live in Mallorca. I was born
in Argentina but we moved to Spain when I was little. I also have Italian family and
I have Italian nationality because of that. I have an older sister and I live with her
and my parents in a house very close to the beach. When I have time for myself I
like horse riding and swimming. I also love spending time with my friends and
family and going with them to the cinema, to the beach or just watching TV on
the sofa.
I am very pleased I had the opportunity to know about different cultures, visit
awesome cities and meet lovely people. I had a lot of fun doing this project and I learnt many things
about people that live far away from me. I also made very good friends by getting the chance of staying
in their houses and enjoy this experience with them.
If I could repeat this experience, I would without a doubt because I enjoyed it the most and it was a
perfect time surrounded by amazing and incredible people.
– 26/109 –
Exploration visits
Timetable of the Exchanges
FROM
TO
DURATION
NUMBERS/GRADE
Budapest
Ålesund
29.08. – 05.09.2013
26 students
Winterswijk
Ålesund
September 2013
25 students
Stadtlohn
San Vito
30.09. – 05.10.2013
15 students
Ankara
San Vito
02.10. – 09.10.2013
12 students
Magdeburg
Budapest
09.12. – 13.12.2013
16 students
San Vito
Ankara
6.03. – 12.03.2014
14 students
Stadtlohn
Magdeburg
12.03. – 15.03.2014
Budapest
San Vito
29.03. – 04.04.2014
12 students
Ankara
Son Verí Nou
31.03. – 05.04.2014
8 students
Budapest
Son Verí Nou
05.04. – 12.04.2014
10 students
San Vito
Stadtlohn
07.04 – 12.04.2014
15 students
Stadtlohn
Son Verí Nou
07.04. – 13.04.2014
Budapest
Stadtlohn
07.04. – 13.04.2014
10 students grade 9/10
San Vito
Son Verí Nou
07.04. – 14.04.2014
14 students
Ålesund
Winterswijk
April 2014
25 students
Ankara
Stadtlohn
28.04. – 02.05.2014
12 students grade 9
Son Verí Nou
Stadtlohn
28.04. – 02.05.2014
15 students grade 9
Stadtlohn
Ankara
24.05. – 29.05.2014
12 students grade 9
Budapest
Magdeburg
15.06. – 20.06.2014
16 students
Magdeburg
Stadtlohn
23.06. – 25.06.2014
Summercamp
Poland/Stadtlohn/
Magdeburg/ Budapest
07.07. – 12.07.2014
– 27/109 –
each school between
10 – 14 students
FROM
TO
DURATION
NUMBERS/GRADE
Stadtlohn/ San Vito
Son Verí Nou
Budapest
08.09. – 13.09.2014
each school between
10 – 14 students
Son Verí Nou
Stadtlohn
08.09. – 14.09.2014
15 students grade 9
San Vito
Magdeburg
15.09. -20.09.2014
27 students
Winterswijk
Magdeburg
15.09. – 20.09.2014
20 students
San Vito
Ålesund
18.09. – 24.09.2014
25 students
Son Verí Nou
San Vito
20.09. – 26.09.2014
6 students
Stadtlohn
San Vito
22.09. – 26.09.2014
15 students
Ankara
Budapest
04.11. – 10.11.2014
10 students
Magdeburg
Winterswijk
02.03. – 06.03.2015
20 students
Budapest
Ankara
23.03. – 28.03.2015
8 students
Ålesund
San Vito
09.04. – 16.04.2015
25 students
Magdeburg
San Vito
12.04. – 17.04.2015
25 students
San Vito
Stadtlohn
12.04. – 18.04.2015
17 students
Introduction- and opening conference in Stadtlohn 08th September, 2013
Midterm meeting in Ankara 24th – 29th May, 2014
Conclusive meeting in Budapest 27th – 31st May, 2015
Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium (Stadthlon) 
Stadtlohn visits Son Verí Nou (Mallorca - Spain)
Anna Heming
4th – 11th April, 2014
We visited Son Verí Nou from Friday, April 4th to Friday, April 11th, 2014 and started our journey from
Düsseldorf Airport. Everybody was very excited to see the Spanish exchange students for the first time.
Before the week in Son Verí Nou we had already got in contact with our exchange students via
WhatsApp. After we hugged each other and the Spanish students welcomed us with a nice “Bienvenidos”, we had already learned that the Spanish people are more cordial than the Germans which
we loved because it made us feel welcome.
When walking through the beautiful nature, we admired Mallorca’s countryside and told the Spanish
students about the differences to German nature. Then we got to know our host families and went
home with them. The German students directly asked why their exchange partners don’t go home by
bike or bus and were told that in this school every student is picked up and dropped off by his or her
parents. For us this was very strange because in Stadtlohn everybody goes to school by bike or bus.
– 28/109 –
At the following weekend the host families spent their free time with the exchange partners which
meant great adventures for everybody. Some went to Palma de Mallorca, others experienced the interesting nature of Mallorca. On Monday we started a trip to Palma de Mallorca together. There we
first visited the Castle of Bellver. We learned about the castle’s history and the guide showed us all the
rooms of the castle. Then we started a city rally through Palma. After that the German students knew
the city of Palma and discussed the differences between Stadtlohn and Mallorca. The city of Palma
seemed hectic to us because Stadtlohn is a small town with only 20 000 inhabitants. On Tuesday we
visited an ancient farm where we learned how the Spanish people lived and worked in farm houses in
the past. In the evening we enjoyed some typical Mallorquin food in a nice restaurant. We had the
nicest experience on Wednesday when we went to Cabrera, a small island near Mallorca. While enjoying the nice weather we admired the impressive rocks we passed by boat. On the island we went to the
lighthouse, the castle and the beach, where some of us went swimming. On Thursday morning we went
to Palma again to visit the “Real Palacio de la Almudaina” and the Caixa forum, where we learned about
the Mallorquin culture. After that we visited the market in Llucmajor. There we were impressed by the
variety of goods offered – everything from fruit and vegetables to animals! We were astonished because the animals were held in very small cages or boxes and you don’t see that in Germany. After this
day we had to go home to Germany again. For everybody it was hard to say goodbye because it was a
great week in Son Verí Nou.
During the week on Mallorca we learned a lot about Spanish culture, how the people work and life and
Mallorca’s nature. Most of the people work in the tourism industry of Mallorca, like our guest parents
who earn their money working in hotels, as musicians, as sightseeing guides, or as shop assistants in
souvenir stores. So most of the Mallorquines live from tourism.
There are also some small factories producing goods for tourism, such as leather and pearls.
All in all, we can imagine living or working on Mallorca because the people are so warm-hearted and
its nature is admirable. But for us it is hard to imagine working in the tourism industry since we are not
familiar with that field in Stadtlohn.
Stadtlohn visits Ankara
Enya Wickers
24th – 28th May, 2014
We, the 12 pupils and three teachers from Stadtlohn who flew to Ankara in May 2014, arrived Saturday
night at the airport. We already met the groups from Magdeburg, San Vito and Budapest in Munich on
our common flight. Everyone was really tired but also excited about meeting their exchange partners
and host families.
The next day, Sunday, we visited the Ataturk Museum and learned about the history of Turkey. We also
got to know that Turkish people are really proud of their past and are well-informed about it. Surprising
was that the site was heavily guarded, much more than any monument in Germany. On Monday, we
had a reception at the school where they welcomed us and showed us traditional songs and dances.
We visited Cappadocia on Tuesday. It was really beautiful and wide. It is good that there is such a hugely
well-preserved territory of history where you still can experience the lifestyle from centuries ago. We
also visited a pottery which produced really lovely pieces. They were unexpectedly low-priced. On
Wednesday, we worked on the Comenius website in the morning. Afterwards we visited Ankara Castle,
the afternoon was free time.
Our group was surprised by the large amount of people taking part in the meeting. Since on our part
there was not only the Midterm-Meeting but at the same time the student exchange between Ankara
and Stadtlohn as well. With all the exchange students, diplomats and hosts we were a huge group. This
– 29/109 –
had its pros and cons which consisted on the one hand of the fact that everyone had someone to talk
to at any time and nobody felt alone or excluded. On the other hand there was not enough time to
bond with every single person. Nevertheless, there was a very warm and open atmosphere so that
everyone felt at ease with each other.
Furthermore, the interaction with the host families happened on a friendly basis. There is a big difference between Turkish and German families though. The Turkish parents are much more welcoming and
open. Where a German family would be polite, kind but reserved, a Turkish makes you feel like you are
part of the family right away. Every host family tried their best to give us a pleasurable stay. The effort
they made was highly appreciated but also extraordinary for us hence we needed some time to adjust
to the situation. In the end, it worked out very well.
Also, the student-teacher relationship at Altın Eğitim is really special. They have a friends-like relationship while for us teachers are like our bosses most of the time.
Moreover, the school in Ankara is smaller than ours but the city is way bigger.
We were not used to the blocks of skyscrapers and the broad and full streets.
Especially the driving-style of Turkish people is very `fast and furious’. Sometimes you had the feeling
you could die any minute.
Another fact that surprised me is that Turkish people have great trust in Taxi drivers. I noticed this when
we were waiting for the bus at a station late at night and there were some suspicious persons lounging
around. My host was really nervous when the Taxi changed positions and was gone for 2 minutes. She
told me that Taxi drivers are known to be really attentive and paternal when it comes to children, teenagers and women so that nothing happens to them.
There was a loud and hounded atmosphere around town but it was also fascinating how one could get
into the car when it was raining heavily and when arriving at another part of the city there was bright
sunshine. We spent some evenings at a park which was relaxing and peaceful.
All in all, it was a really enjoyable and informative trip and we would have loved to spend more time in
Ankara.
I think I could imagine living and working in Ankara because there seem to be a lot of job opportunities
and they have a good education. But I fear that you feel a little left out due to not sharing the same
past and background. That being said, I would like to fly to Ankara again in the future.
Stadtlohn visits Kobierzyce
Simon Terliesner
11th-18th June, 2014
After the Polish students visited Germany already earlier in 2014, we finally met our exchange partners
in Kobierzyce. We could expect a week full of exciting and interesting experiences. On the first day we
went on a two-day-trip to Krakau. But before we arrived at our hostel we made a stop at the concentration camp site Auschwitz. This was very impressive for everyone. After the first night in our hostel
we visited the “Oskar-Schindler-Museum” before we went to the Jewish part of Krakau and had some
free time for some shopping in the city. On the second day in Krakau we visited the “Wawel”, a hill with
a cathedral and graves from many kings. After that we had some freetime again before we went back
home to Kobierzyce. Sunday, the third day of our visit, was a day for our families and freetime with our
exchange partners. On the fourth day we took a trip to the next big city near Kobierzyce, Breslau, where
we joined a city rally. On Tuesday we joined a guided tour through Breslau. The last day we had a tour
through our exchange partners’ school before we visited the mayor of their town. In the evening we
had to leave Kobierzyce. We had a great time.
– 30/109 –
All in all, I have to say that I could imagine living and working in Poland. The people are always nice and
all of our stereotypes, for example that polish people steal, seem to be wrong. It’s similar to Germany
and I had a great time in Poland.
Stadtlohn meets Magdeburg, Hungary and Poland in Gdańsk
Enya Wickers
6th – 12th July, 2014
We, a group of 9 students an two teachers with their families, went to Gdansk in the second week of
July 2014, our first week of summer holidays to learn more about history from Second World War and
the time after that we all share. We arrived on Sunday evening in our lodging Dom Maksymiliana. Until
Monday evening not every group would have arrived so we spent our first day only with our group from
Stadtlohn. We visited the Dwór Artusa, an old building which was used by tradesmen and peers to
transact business.
Afterwards, we inspected the Dom Uphagena one of only a few 18th century merchant town houses in
Europe open to visitors. It houses a rich collection of textiles and garments, displayed in rooms fitted
out with mainly original furniture.
The last museum that day was the old town hall Ratusz Głównego Miasta. It was, like most other buildings, destroyed in the Second World War but rebuilt with extraordinary care like the rest of the old
town. On Tuesday, we officially started our meeting. The whole group consisted of two German groups
from Stadtlohn and Magdeburg, a Polish group from Kobierzyce and a group of Hungarians from Budapest. After introducing ourselves we learned words in the different languages. Around 10 o’clock we
started a guided tour through the old town of Rechtstadt. We enjoyed listening to our guide more than
ever because it was really fascinating that this is part of our own history in another country. There were
some German names and phrases since the city was once German.
In the afternoon, we went to the beach in Sopot. We walked along the pier or visited the lovely town.
Unfortunately, a thunderstorm came up and we had to go back.
On Wednesday, we went on a trip to Malbork Castle. It was very interesting to learn about the German
crusaders. On our way back to Gdansk we stopped at Westerplatte where the Second World War
started. It was nice that a place with such a dark and brutal past became a beautiful monument.
We went bowling on Thursday morning which was really funny especially if someone missed all the
pins. We had free time in the afternoon to prepare for our multi-culti-barbecue where every group
should present some typical dishes which characterize their country.
We heard some smooth traditional songs and learned about the things everyone likes about their country. It was a really nice evening and we stayed up late in the yard, sang together and chatted. Friday
morning the group from Magdeburg left. The rest did some language animation before going to the
exhibition “roads to freedom” about the time after Second World War. We did a quiz on the information shown in the exhibition. Afterwards we had free time and had to say goodbye two our two
advisors. Our German group spent the time with some Hungarians shopping, sightseeing and buying
souvenirs.
On Saturday, we left Gdansk. The parting was sad and we wanted to stay longer.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable week. We befriended many nice and funny people and learned a lot.
– 31/109 –
Stadtlohn in Budapest
Justin Marold
8th – 12th September, 2014
We visited Budapest from Monday, September 8th to Friday, September 12th, 2014 and started our
journey from Cologne-Bonn Airport. We met at about 3am at school in Stadtlohn and then drove to the
airport to fly to Budapest. Everyone was rather tired but also thrilled to undertake this great adventure.
Some of us even flew on a plane for the first time in their lives which, of course, was a set up for a lot
of jokes and ridicule. Before our stay in Budapest the students came to Germany earlier in 2014 so we
already knew each other. All of us kept in contact via Facebook and WhatsApp in the time between
exchanges. Some parents picked us up from the airport and took us to school where we met our exchange partners again. We were welcomed with a big ceremony which included speeches, songs and
traditional dances. It was fun from beginning to end.
After that we had some freetime and the Hungarians showed us around the beautiful city of Budapest
which we really learned to love in our five days. Later this evening we met again and took a boat tour
over the Danube and learned a lot about the city‘s history. The weather was perfect and the scenery
absolutely stunning.
On Tuesdays we went to an open air museum in which we were not just told but shown how people in
Hungary lived and worked in different centuries and epochs. In different workshops we had the chance
to experience crafts like baking bread or working on leather bracelets, as well as strengthen our friendships with our exchange partners. It was great fun and also informative.
The next day we went to Győr by train to visit the Audi Factory which was very interesting because we
could not imagine how vast a company can spread. The process of car construction was new and exciting to us. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take the latest model home for a test drive.
Visiting the pharmaceutical company Richter Gedeon and GE Lighting on Thursday was very interesting
as well. We had the perfect guides who showed us around – in both companies parents of our exchange
partners organised the tour. But it was also rather exhausting because we had to travel all over Budapest by bus and tram. In the evening our Hungarian friends threw a party for us, the Italians and the
Spanish. Delicious food and drinks and a very pleasant atmosphere made the evening a great experience. This time we also got the chance to join in traditional Hungarian dances ourselves. A fun but also
sweaty and strenuous thing – especially after having eaten half of the tasty Hungarian buffet!
Friday was a workday. In a workshop groups got together to prepare presentations and reflect on the
eventful week in Budapest. It was interesting to hear and learn about the experiences of the others –
especially of the Italian and Spanish group since they undertook almost completely different activities
during the week. At the end of the workshop we sang songs which were supposed to be typical for our
country and since Germany won the soccer world cup a couple of months before we sang the unofficial
hymn of our national team „Ein Hoch auf uns“ by Andreas Bourani.
Budapest is beautiful and I would not think for a second about living or working there – I would do it in
a heartbeat.
Stadtlohn visits Italy
Luisa Hemling
21th – 27th September, 2014
Typical for Italy
On our trip to San Vito we learned much about the Italian culture.
– 32/109 –
First, there is Italian food. Italians really love to cook. The most famous meals are pizza, pasta and of
course ice-cream.
Another thing that is typical for Italy is how the build their houses. Most houses are flat and have flat
roofs. In almost every town you can see Roman and Renaissance influences. There are many statues
and columns.
Very surprising for us were the toilets at schools. There were only holes in the ground – there was
nothing to sit on. So it was very strange for Germans to go there.
Venice is one of the most famous cities in Italy. There is no car traffic. In Venice they only have boat –
or better gondola – traffic on small rivers, which are used like streets. In Venice we visited the famous
Rialto-bridge which is one of the first bridges made of stones. This bridge is so large, that there are
small shops on it. People who kiss while crossing the bridge are said to be lucky in the future.
The school system in Italy
In Italy students go to three different kinds of schools. When we visited Italy we were very surprised
because school doesn’t take as much time as in Germany. The Italian students have to go to school until
12am or 1pm but they also have to go on Saturdays as well.
The Italian families
The most important thing for the Italian families was that we Germans felt like home. They really took
care of us and made sure that we felt good. Even when we weren’t hungry they wanted us to eat so
that we didn’t need to leave home hungry. All in all, you can say that everyone felt good, had an awesome time and that the families did a great job.
Italy and Germany – Similar and different
If you compare Italy with Germany, you will find some differences and some similarities. The landscape
in Italy is as green as in Germany with a lot of trees. Of course it depends on where you are but in the
north of Italy it looks very similar to Germany.
Italian food is very delicious. But a lot of it is known in Germany, too, for example pizza, different types
of pasta or lasagne, but in Italy the typical Italian food is of course there more delicious.
My impression of life in Italy
The work lives of many Italians are very hard, because they have to work a lot. For example a worker
in the mosaic industry has to work 60 hours per week.
When you are creative you have a good chance to go places, because there are a lot of schools where
you have the chance to improve your skills and the schools generally have good connections all over
the world.
When you look at the houses in Italy you can see very beautiful houses next to really old and dilapidated
houses. It is very strange to drive through town and see these differences so close together.
Gerrit Komrij College (Winterswijk) 
Artan’s trip to Stadtlohn and Magdeburg
Artan Ramaja
When I joined it I wasn’t disappointed. The trip to Stadtlohn wasn’t so interesting for me but
that is only because Stadtlohn is only about 10 minutes away from Winterswijk by car. So the
environment and the behavior of the people aren’t that different with our culture here in Winterswijk. The trip too Ankara was a bit more interesting. The culture, the view, the people,
political views, almost everything was different from the Netherlands. This was to me very
– 33/109 –
impressive. It wasn’t very hard for me to adapt to this culture considering that I’m from Kosovan origin. The culture is similar to the Turkish one, but I had to get used to the way of living
that is a bit more different from our way of living in the Netherlands. What I learned the most
from the Comenius project is that even though we are from different countries with different
believes and cultures we still have a lot in common. The trip to Magdeburg was interesting too
because it is a big city and is quite different from Winterswijk. If you take a ride by bicycle
around Winterswijk there is a big chance that you’ll see a few people you know. But in Magdeburg I had the feeling that even when you’re more familiar with the place you still don’t see
familiar faces very often. Because it’s a more dynamic city than Winterswijk.
Jelmer’s trip in Europe
Jelmer Schreurs
The first time I joined the Comenius project was the trip to Budapest in 2013. They told us that you’ll
get in touch with people from over whole Europe. They were right, except all the new friends I met in
Budapest from over whole Europe I get more opportunities. After Budapest I also visited Ålesund, Stadtlohn, and Ankara and in 2015 I visited Budapest again! All great experience who will remember me for
the rest of my life! Comenius is a chance to discover Europe and the different cultures and it is a start
of new friendships between people in different countries in Europe.
The most beautiful experience of all my trips was the trip to Norway. The view over the city of Ålesund
is like a painting. The nature in Norway is so impressive! But every country have different beauties and
due to Comenius project saw a lot of these beauties!
My experiences in Turkey
Lindy Hoefman
24–29 May, 2014
First I want to say something about the country itself. I always thought that Turkey was a country with
a lot of small houses and a lot of churches. Well, when we were in Ankara, it was not what I expected
to see. I only saw a lot of massive buildings and only a couple of churches (mosques). I was in a little
village nearby Ankara on the first day (Saturday). I don’t remember the name, but in this village it was
exactly as I expected. Many small houses and small shops, I really liked it there.
The Turkish people in Ankara are really hospitable. They want to do everything for you and they always
ask if you’re hungry. I also liked their politeness. The Turkish people talk so easy to each other. Here in
the Netherlands it would be a bit awkward to start a random conversation with someone you don’t
know. But in Turkey it was really normal. And the people in the small shops also want to help you in the
– 34/109 –
best way they can. Also the students, I have met, were really nice. They were always playing volleyball
or basketball with each other.
The school we went to (WAT IS DE NAAM) is really different to our school. We have a really big school
with 1200 students. In Turkey the school had only 80 students. Also the relation between the teachers
and the students is different. In Turkey the students hugged with the teachers, in the Netherlands we
don’t hug our teachers. I loved to see how the students deal with each other. The whole group was like
one big group. The older students talked with the younger ones like they are really good friends. This
is something that doesn’t happen at our school.
Atatürk is the founder of new Turkey. Everybody in Turkey respects Atatürk. At first I found it a bit
strange. Everywhere were statues and poster of him. Also in the school were a lot of statues of him. At
the end of the week I totally understood why Atatürk is so special for the Turkish people. Now I have
also respect for the fact that they respect him, but on the other hand I still think that it is a bit too much
to show him everywhere.
If someone asked me to work in Turkey, I don’t think I would say yes. I say this because of the fact that
most of the people don’t speak English. But also because the area was disappointing to me. I rather
stay in Holland. Because of our opportunities I have here and the fact that my family lives here.
My Voyage of Discovery Midterm Meeting Ankara
Noa Martens
24–29 May, 2014
On 23 of May we, four pupils and two teachers from Gerrit Komrij College, went to Ankara in Turkey.
After a long day of travelling we arrived at the airport of Ankara. One of the things that I noticed immediately was that you won’t see blond people! Well I’m blond and that was maybe the reason I noticed
it so quickly. There is another issue that I noticed immediately… Atatürk. He was the founder of the
Republic of Turkey. He is a very important hero for the locals. Everywhere you will see pictures of him.
There we go! Off to our host families. What a hospitality! You won’t starve in Ankara… They offer you
a lot of food, to be exact really good Turkish food. In Holland we are used to eat a lot of sweet thing.
Especially at breakfast… Nutella, “Hagelslag” and of course jam. No in Ankara they eat a lot of salads,
eggs, meat, fresh herbs and bread at breakfast. I think I was a lucky girl because I adore fresh things like
salads and herbs. But to be honest after one week I was missing my sandwiches with peanut butter.
During our trip in Ankara there were a lot of demonstrations, but it wasn’t dangerous for us. My host
partner was so involved in politics. She knew a lot about it. She had lots of idea’s to make a better
country for everyone! Well she fascinated me. In Turkey obviously there is a difference between poor
and rich. But In Ankara you won’t notice it so clearly. Most of the people were living in an apartment
with security around the apartments. Everywhere were shopping malls and some entertainment. It
entertained us especially in the evenings! I was also fascinated by the school system of ours hosts in
Ankara. They went to a private school, and well you can say it’s a bit different from our system. Teachers
and pupils are so close to each other. They have lunch in the school canteen and in the break teachers
will come outside to make fun with the pupils. Compared with us they play a lot of sports, make music
and dance during the school day. But this doesn’t mean the pupils don’t study a lot. They also have a
kind of system involving the best students of the school. I think this is a great idea! Pupils are much
more motivated to achieve good results.
The kids in Ankara aren’t very different from us. They also play a lot with their phones/tablets, play
bowling and laser game. But alcohol is most of the time a taboo. My host family told me that youths
were allowed to drink alcohol also when you are seventeen whereas in Turkey you are allowed to buy
alcohol at the age of eighteen.
– 35/109 –
I look back on an incredible week! I’ve learned a lot about their culture. My expectations of Turkey and
of course Ankara were so different from my experiences in a positive way. I’ve met a lot of nice people,
the group of students was so close. Thank you Comenius, I will see you in Budapest next year!
Artan Ramaja’s trip to Ankara
Artan Ramaja
24–29 May, 2014
When we arrived in Ankara it was about 23:45 Turkish time so we didn’t see that much of the sparkling
and energetic city of Ankara. There wasn’t much traffic so the tour from the airport of Ankara to our
host families went without any delay. When I arrived at the home of my host family the first thing I did
was taking of my shoes, that’s something I don’t do when I come home in Holland and it’s something
you have to get used to, but it didn’t bother my further experience at the host family. When I met my
host family for the first time they were all waiting for me and they were very nice. They introduced
themselves and offered me something to drink and eat, they even offered me their WiFi password so I
could contact my family in Holland. I felt very comfortable and it didn’t feel like being thousands of
kilometres from home. I felt at home and the Turkish hospitality was highly noticeable. After contacting
my parents I went to sleep and it felt like home.
The day after my arrival it was Saturday and then we went on a tour through the neighbourhood. I
found it interesting that everybody was wearing long trousers and not shorts because it was about 25
degrees Celsius. In Holland you see people wearing shorts at 17 degrees Celsius and no one bats an
eye. It was also interesting that they knew very much people of the neighbourhood and they were very
nice to us too. We went to a shopping mall with my host and his friends and there were many places
where you can buy typical Turkish snacks and self-made carpets and stuff like that. In the evening we
played volleyball with him and some other friends of him. They say that they play outside very often
and especially in the weekends. In Holland we only play occasionally outside.
Working in Turkey seems to be very interesting because I didn’t feel the stress that you feel in big cities
like Munich and Amsterdam. There was a welcoming and calm feeling in Turkey like you got all the time
in the world. The school of my host was interesting too because they have an interesting system. Many
people have advanced musical and dancing skills and the alcohol usage in Turkey is surprisingly much.
I didn’t experience it but I heard from the other hosts that they saw many Turkish people use alcohol
as if it were the most normal thing in the world. In Holland the Muslim people are stricter and never
use alcohol. This could be a difference between the city and the countryside it is interesting to see that
the difference between the poor and the rich isn’t that big. I didn’t have the feeling I was walking
through a poor neighbourhood when I walked through one. The same with rich neighbourhoods. There
is a difference between poor and rich of course but they live next to each other in harmony. Turkey
also isn’t that behind with technology and the economy. It is there better than in some third world
European countries so I don’t see why they shouldn’t be able to join Europe.
The other days when we visited touristic places like Cappadocia and the Atatürk museum. It became
clear that the Turkish people are very proud and nationalistic. It became clear because there are like
hundreds of flags and posters of Atatürk everywhere and I’m not exaggerating. It’s very interesting to
see how united and passionate the Turkish people are. I’m sure that if I would ever have the chance to
live in Turkey for a few years I would give it a try. Mainly about the cosy and nice atmosphere. And a
bit about the weather.
– 36/109 –
Jelmer Schreurs experiences in Ankara
Jelmer Schreurs
24–29 May, 2014
During our amazing and instructive journey to Ankara I saw a lot! Especially the culture and the religion
is very different. The Islam is obvious present in the busy streets of Ankara. On every corner are beautiful mosques. One disadvantage, next to my house was a mosque and every morning by sunrise the
mosque started with a prayer. So every morning I woke up at 5 o’clock by the prayers in the mosque!
Breakfast in Turkey was quite different as well. They start the day with hot sausages and olives. That’s
a quite different from our usual breakfast: peanut butter and chocolate sprinkles! The lunch is almost
the same. The dinner is different again. The food is much spicier and they eat a lot of kebab.
Next to the mosque’s, there are everywhere national flags of Turkey and a posters or statues of Ataturk.
It shows the Turkish nationalism. The exchange students had to sing the national anthem at Monday
morning before school began.
The Turkish school system has no big differences with the Dutch system. The only difference was the
attention for music and art lessons. At the school I visited there was a choir and a school orchestra. If
we had this in Holland no one would join one of them.
Another thing is the attention to the English language. In Holland almost everyone can speak English.
In Turkey only people under 20 can speak English. It was quite annoying that nobody I met in a shop or
somewhere else could speak English.
The houses and buildings in Ankara were all very simple. There were only high flats with next to it a
small park and again a high flat. In Holland we have flats in the big cities but not as many as in Ankara.
In Holland you see a lot more terraced houses. You could see the differences between rich and poor
quite good. One day we visited the wonderful area, called Cappadocia, and we saw three tent districts
(slums).
Youtube was blocked in Turkey because of political instability. In Holland we have general freedom and
the government wouldn’t do something like this.
In the weekends in Holland we go to a pub or a club. In Turkey the teens are not going to pubs or clubs
but do different things like go bowling or go to a shisha bar. These things are quite different to us but
it was amazing to get the experience of life in Ankara.
My voyage of discovery
Artan Ramaja
After it was announced that we would have an Exchange with Magdeburg we received texts and messages on Facebook from our partners so we started chatting and we got to know each other before we
would meet each other personally. When chatting you start telling your partner what you usually eat
and do at your home and in that way you get to know each other better and you discover their habits.
For example: my exchange partner told me that he is a vegan. In his case it means that he doesn’t eat
meat and doesn’t use/consume any product that comes from animals, like milk and cheese. For me this
is interesting because I consume meat and other animal products daily. But when I arrived in Magdeburg I was surprised of the fact that it’s not that hard to be a vegan because if you search well enough
you can find tasty and replacements of most products. Like oatmilk and tofu. Many other things like
rules in the house are almost the same as we have in Holland.
Magdeburg is a big city with a lot of citizens and I think it’s interesting that everybody lives next to each
other, and they are all minding their own businesses. I live in a village that isn’t that big and there is
more interaction between each other so it was interesting for me to see it. I noticed that there were
– 37/109 –
many German flags at big buildings and sometimes at houses too. Maybe it’s just because the Worldcup
was not that long before but it still shows that they still are nationalistic. Magdeburg itself wasn’t so
very lively though. There were people in the center but it didn’t feel busy. It isn’t a place where I would
like to spend my life and work because I prefer more interaction with each other and the houses looked
like I was in an East European country, which isn’t my style of living.
At School the students are all focused on the things they are good at. I think it has its pros and cons.
Because it is good for you so you can develop your talents but on the other side it doesn’t improve the
things you aren’t good at. The subjects you are good at are important because just as I said everybody
lives parallel to each other.
The youngsters in Magdeburg aren’t very different from us but some things are. For me it seemed like
everybody has his own interests and just only that interest. For example: someone likes reading comics
and he/she just sticks to reading comics and nothing else. Another person likes gaming and doesn’t do
anything else but gaming and there is one boy or girl who is quite fond of soccer and will only talk about
that. In Holland we are used to the fact that you like several things and do multiple things but not that
extreme. For example: a boy who likes to play soccer, but also likes to game and read comics now and
then. They also go to bars now and then and because of that alcohol usage in Germany is higher than
in Holland. The reason could be because it’s legal there for people under the age of 18 to drink alcohol
and in Holland it isn’t, so we don’t go for drinking alcohol very often.
“My voyage of discovery” Magdeburg
Noa Martens
Magdeburg, quite a big city which I hadn’t heard of before. For that reason the city fascinated me so
much… there were a lot of shops in a shopping mall and restaurants/cafés. Everywhere in the city are
tram stations. Therefore all the children of the Hegel-Gymnasium are going to school by tram. Different
from us, Dutch students, they walk a lot instead of riding by bike. For example twenty minutes of walk
to the tram station. And because of Magdeburg is quite a big city all students live far away from each
other and most of them live also far away from school.
Another thing I noticed was where the people live in Magdeburg. They have lots of styles. When I
walked through the city for the first time I thought this looks like ten year ago. People painted their hair
in different colours like red, blue and purple. I don’t see that a lot in Holland.
The differences between my host family and my own family are not so big. For example breakfast is the
same, they also have cereals, toast and fruits. Of course not everything is the same… they don’t have
“Hagelslag” (chocolate sprinkles) and peanutbutter but for only 5 days this wasn’t such a problem! One
of the things I noticed was the differences in eating meat. I think there are more vegetarians than in
Holland but on the other hand there are many people who eat a lot of meat and not that much fish.
The school building fascinated me. It looked like 20 year ago or something… A beautiful authentic building. I think the teachers are stricter than in Holland. Every day when the teacher arrives the children
have to stand up and say “good morning”. They also have a choir that sings beautiful songs! In our
school this is unthinkable. Another different thing with us is that the duration of the lessons twice so
long. For example a lesson English takes about two hours.
Well the first time we met the German group was a little bit uncomfortable. But that only took ten
minutes! After that the group was really close. Actually we were all the same and that was so nice. Of
course we speak another language but we do and think the same. For example they also go the
clubs/pubs in the evening. In Holland we are allowed to drink at the age of eighteen and in Germany
you are allowed to drink beer and wine at the age of sixteen. I think that wasn’t such a problem for us,
the Dutch students. The German students play also a lot of sports. For example some of them play
– 38/109 –
football, play volleyball or dancing. We also wondered how much money the German students earn by
their jobs. Well they earn a lot more than us!
One thing I absolutely won’t forget was our trip to Berlin! I expected a lot about it and it was worth it.
You can clearly see Berlin is located in Eastern Germany because of the old buildings and of course
because of the Berlin Wall. We got a tour along the Berlin wall. I noticed that the stories about the
Berlin wall were a sensitive subject, especially for the German students. There was also a part of the
city which is quite new. I have seen so many modern buildings and also authentic ones. Our time in
Berlin was short so I have to visit this city another time because it fascinated me so much.
I am looking forward to receive the German students in our city! I’m sure we will have a great time
together.
My voyage of discovery
Pierre Lievers
I’m Pierre Lievers a VWO 5 Gymnasium student of the Gerrit Komrij College. With school I went to
Magdeburg, Germany for an exchange with the Hegel Gymnasium.
Family life
The parents of my exchange student were really nice. I noticed that the working hours of my exchange
student’s parents were different from I am used to. The parents began later with work and also finished
later than in Holland. Because of that, the dinnertimes were later. I also found out that the dinner took
much longer and that the discussions at the table were not only about the day, but also about politics
and news from over the world. For example: we discussed the role of the Germans in the Second World
War and the consequences of that for Germany’s today society but also about the American role in the
war against IS. I found it quite remarkable that the children in Germany help with cooking or even cook
themselves, I experienced it was pretty awesome and I think the Dutch culture needs to adapt that.
The German culture isn’t that different from the Dutch culture so there were no odd situations when I
didn’t know what to do.
German society
In barely a week time I was in Germany I experienced that the German society was much stricter and
kinder than the Dutch society. People often offered to help me with something, although it can be
possible that this was only because I was a foreigner. I also noticed that children drink at young age in
Germany and the society find this perfectly normal and acceptable. Because we were in a big city I
didn’t notice a big difference between East and West Germany. Of course there were some poor neighbourhoods but you can find those in any city. My exchange family was proud of their country. After the
Second World War they needed to rebuild the entire country and now Germany is the biggest European
economy. I have respect for the Germans because they don’t want to forget the past. At least that’s
what I noticed in my exchange family. They know they made mistakes in the war and that their country
is held responsible for many deaths but they learned from it and now they are one of the leading countries in the world.
German education
The German education is much stricter than in Holland. The children are more disciplined for school
because they are more conscious that they have a good education needed for a good job later for later
life. I think the grades for cooperation in the classroom is a good thing. Students will be in trouble if
they don’t work together or ask questions and I think this stimulates the learning process. What I noticed is that there are no different kinds of mathematics in Germany. In Holland you can choose between Math A, B or C but in Germany it’s just one Math. I also noticed that Latin counts as a foreign
language and can replace a modern foreign languages.
– 39/109 –
Differences in youth
According to my impression the German youth doesn’t differ much from the Dutch youth. We both use
the same kinds of social media, in both countries there is underage drinking, although in Germany it is
legal. And in both countries sport is like a must.
Fagerlia videregående skole (Ålesund) 
Timetable of the Exchanges
2012, October
Exchange Ålesund – Budapest (overlap from former Comenius Program)
2013, September
Revisit in Ålesund from Szent István Gimnázium of Budapest (HU) with International class (3ST2) of Fagerlia videregående skole. As most school exchanges
does not exist as separate entities, but are linked up with earlier ongoing projects, this is also the matter here. The revisit of Szent István Gimnázium was the
last part of the previous Comenius project Biodiversity – Treasure Hunting.
Hence the themes of the old and the new projects were suitably adjusted for
this revisit into: My Voyage of Discovery, Heading for the Future.
2014, April
Exchange International Class 2ST2 of Fagerlia videregående skole, Ålesund (N)
with Gerrit Comrij College, Winterswijk (NL)
2014, September
Revisit Gerrit Comrij College, Winterswijk (NL) with Fagerlia videregående
skole, Ålesund (N)
Exchange Liceo Scientifico Statale, Le Filandiere of San Vito al Tagliamento (IT)
with Fagerlia videregående skole (N)
2015, April
Revisit International Class 2ST2 of Fagerlia vgs., Ålesund (N) to Liceo Scientifico
Statale, Le Filandiere of San Vito al Tagliamento (IT).
Timetable of the Scheduled Introduction, Midterm and Final Meetings
08.09.2013
Introduction- and opening conference in Stadtlohn
Due to county planned hospitation week for lower secondary pupils from surrounding schools and more than 500 visitors, Fagerlia vgs. regrets being unable
to attend this meeting.
24–28.05.2014
Midterm meeting in Ankara
Fagerlia vgs. attended the meeting with the teachers and coordinators Ivar
Karsten Lerstad and Rune Olav Nilsen. Student diplomats: Sofie Kleinhans
Krogsaeter, Birthe Nesset, Kristian Helland Skare and Eirik Helseth Borlaug.
27–31.05.2015.
Final and conclusive meeting in Budapest,
Fagerlia vgs. will be represented at this meeting by headmaster Yngve Omenås,
the teachers and coordinators: Merete Aarvik, Ivar Karsten Lerstad, Rune Olav
Nilsen and following student diplomats: Katrine Haga, Louise Tafjord, Eirik Helseth Borlaug and Jørgen Skuseth.
Report From Exchange Fagerlia Vgs. (Ålesund ) - Szent Istvan Gymnasium (Budapest)
25.10.2012 – 01.11.2012
Malin Årønes, Øysten Aas, Eline Andersen, Sunniva Bøstrand, Julia den Ouden, Johannes Drage, Magnus Fremstad, Inga Kibsgaard-Petersen, Johannes Leira, Julie Lynghjem, Karina Mauren, Martine Megard, Julie Mortensen, Pernille Myrvoll, Vegard Nesseth, Elise Nordbrønd, Kristoffer Solvik, Kristin
– 40/109 –
Økland, Frida Pedersen, Diana Petrenko, Henrik Skog, Alice Skuggen, Oda Skuggen, Kari Thorsen, Benedicte Tolaas, Wendel Torset.
Teachers: Rune Kleiven and Rune Olav Nilsen.
Thursday 25.10.
As weather is being an important factor in our lives, the Budapest’s forecast for our day of departure
was of particular interest: 13°, partly cloudy. Unfortunately this morning temperature dropped to 1° at
Vigra airport outside Ålesund with continuous and heavy snowfall. Consequently the departure scheduled at 09.00 was delayed more than one hour and we could not reach our connecting flight from
Gardermoen to Ferihegy airport. Our teacher, Rune Olav Nilsen had to inform Kati of the inevitable
delay. This meant that the group had to stay at the Gardermoen airport hotel for one night, and had
only the possibility of a daytrip to our capital, Oslo instead of meeting our new Hungarian friends.
Friday 26.10.
Around 15.00 we arrived at Szent István Gimnázium in the Ajtósi Dürer sor 15, and were most hearty
welcomed by both the teachers, coordinator and host students who after the reception took the Norwegians back home and introduced them into host families.
Saturday 27.10.
After having established and started up the work groups who were going to have a closer look into the
situation of minorities, the image of others and the situation of Europe, we went to the Heroes square.
In the afternoon we enjoyed a city tour and later in the evening sports and basketball. Some also
climbed the Gellért hill and could make nice photos of Budapest by night.
Sunday 28.10.
As the Sunday program was set as a family day most students have different but also very exciting
experiences. From the abundant list of sights offered by this beautiful city following were visited: The
Citadella, the Castle, The Fishermen’s bastion and the Church of St Matthew, the National Museum,
the Széchényi and Gellért baths, some even took their guests to Szentendre.
Monday 29.10.
Parlament
Photo exhibition of revolution in 1956
This day started with a light drizzle of rain and with a temperature drop down to 7 as we lined up
outside the Hungarian Parliament Building, which is the largest parliament building in Europe. Outside
the impressive Neo Gothic building we could watch the photo exhibition in memory of the revolt and
difficulties for Hungarians in 1956, before entering.
We had an excellent guiding, starting at the impressive double staircased entrance with its golden
vaults and arches, into the room where parade soldiers were safeguarding the holy Hungarian regalia:
crown, sceptre and orb. Finally we could enter the magnificent parliament room with its blue vaulted
sky dome. This visit really let us have a glimpse into the greatness of the period of the Double Monarchy.
– 41/109 –
Inside the Parlament
Outside the Parlament
After this Kati took us to the National gallery, where we could admire the huge collection of world
famous artists including paintings of our own impressionist Edvard Munch. This very exciting day ended
with a short river cruise on the Danube, allowing us to see both sides of this beautiful city and enjoying
both the sights of Pest and the Buda riversides. The city is wonderfully situated along the slightly curved
Danube a view which is even more spectacular seen from the statue of Liberty.
Tuesday 30.10
Debate and discussion in groups, Europe today: Images of others. The discussions were very good and
the two groups of students collaborated well. The work ended with a presentation of the different
findings/views in plenum. Thereafter the groups visited the caves of Pálvölgyi and had a long and exciting dive into the subterranean world of stalactites and stalagmites. In the afternoon we also had the
pleasure of visiting the famous bomb shelter Hospital of the Rock in Budapest.
– 42/109 –
In the evening we had a very interesting visit of the Nemzeti Táncszínház – the Art Palace- for the music
and dance performance: Naplegenda. This was for many of us a first meeting with typical Hungarian
folk music, song and traditional Hungarian dance. The modern building was also very impressive in
particular the music hall with its fabulous acoustic. We found this performance brilliant and at the same
time something quite different from what we are used to.
Wednesday 31.10.
Luckily the weather now smiled at us again, 10°sun and partly cloudy, which suited very well for a trip
to the Danube Bend. We visited the cities of Esztergom, Szentendre and Visegrád. The Giant Cathedral
of Esztergom made a lasting impression and many compared it with St Pauls of London, Szentendre
was a charming tourist and artist’s village where especially the Margit Kovács museum with the display
of the artist’s pottery from different periods and in a lot of changing styles impressed us. We also enjoyed the citadel of Visegrád and the astonishing fact that the bridge over to the Slovak Republic was
not rebuilt after World War 2 until 2002.
Thursday 01.11.
On our last day in Budapest temperature had arisen to 17° and the weather was partly sunny, a nice
day for a little bit of shopping before departure at 16.50 from Ferihegy. Apart from the snowy start, our
week in Budapest had been next to perfect, we enjoyed superb hospitality, excellent planning and very
nice fellow students. Our common project will go on in September in Ålesund so goodbye Szent István
and welcome to Fagerlia vgs!
Participants
Report – Trip to Winterswijk, the Netherlands
10. – 16. March 2014
Inger-Johanne K. Alnes, Andrea K. Barstad, Karoline B. Ekornes, Marte Fugledal, Karoline S. Gaustadnes, Karoline O. Gjerde, Ingrid L. Hageselle, Tonje F. Haugen, Tarjei V. Hetzger, Andrea Indstø, Sara S.
Iversen, Birthe Nesset, Fride N. Nilsen, Sije Reiakvam, Sara P. Ritland, Ragnhild Roaldsnes, Sigrid S.
– 43/109 –
Raabe, Kristian H. Skare, Victoria S. Skorgevik, Sara A. Solberg, Ingrid Solli-Sæther, Jørgen Sperre,
Amanda G. Tenfjord, Mathilde Aa. Tveit, Randi H. Weltzin, Hanne L. Ørstenvik, Simon F. Østraat.
Teachers: Knut Skaar, Kjell Stephansen.
Monday 10.03.14
Our flight from Vigra airport left at 06:30 and arrived at Schipol airport around 10:00. Then we met our
host students from Winterswijk outside and took a bus to the city of Amsterdam, where we got a little
pause before we went to visit the Rijksmuseum. The Rijksmuseum was opened in 1885, and has recently
undergone a renovation. There is mostly art from the baroque era.
One of the most famous paintings in Rijksmuseum is the Night Watch. It is Rembrants largest and most
famous canvas and was made for the Arquebusiers guild hall. Rembrant was born 14th of July 1606 and
died 4th October 1669. Rembrant was the first to paint figures in a group portrait actually doing something. The guardsmen are getting into formation, the captain, dressed in black, is telling his lieutenant
to start the company marching and so on. Rembrandt used the light to focus on particular details, like
the captain’s gesturing hand and the young girl in the foreground. She was the company mascot.
Rembrant: Night Watch
Van Gogh: Bedroom in Arles
After the Rijksmuseum we went to the Van Gogh museum. There everybody got electronic guides. The
Van Gogh Museum consist of two buildings: the main building, opened in 1973, and the exhibition wing
was completed in 1999.
Van Gogh's painting “Bedroom in Arles”, is one of his most famous paintings. The painting depicts his
bedroom from his “Yellow house” in Arles, France. He made three versions of it, but the first one
painted in October 1888, is placed in the Van Gogh's museum. The door to the left leads to the guest
room he held prepared for Gauguin, and the window was looking to Place Lamartine and its public
gardens. Then after that we got some free time. Some went shopping and some went to eat food.
Canal tour
Then we went on a canal tour that lasted for about an hour. We saw a lot of boat houses. And we saw
that some of the houses were leaning to the side, we learned that this is because the houses were built
on unsteady ground and therefore have started to lean on the side. Also the houses has purposefully
been built so that it looks like it is tipping forward. They were built this way so the houses would be
more protected against the weather. We also got to know why most of the houses have big windows
closest to the ground and small doors. Because the doors are small they made the windows big enough
so that when they were moving in they could lift the furniture in through the windows, instead of the
doors. We also went in to the old harbour in Amsterdam. After the canal tour we took a two hours drive
with bus to Winterswijk. When we arrived we met our host families.
– 44/109 –
Tuesday 11.03.14
The school started at 10.00. Since it was the first day of school the headmaster welcomed us in the
theatre. We were then divided into four groups, and the students gave us a tour around the school.
The school was new and modern compared to Fagerlia vgs. The students were divided into classes after
how well they did in school. The students with the lowest grades had their classrooms at the bottom
floor, and the ones with the highest grades had their classrooms at the top floor. The four groups were
divided into two new groups. One of the groups went to a wooden shoe factory while the other group
went to a local mill.
In the wooden shoes factory we learned how to make wooden shoes by hand and got to see the whole
process. The man was the third generation to run the factory, but he only had it as a hobby because he
only earned about 6000–7000 NOK. To be able to have time enough to make the shoes and get enough
money he also owned a camping site.
At the mill we got to see how they made flour by using a mill to crush the corn, and how the mill works.
They told us that the process from when the farmers came with the corn until they came back to get
the flour took between 2-8 weeks depending on the weather, wind and season.
– 45/109 –
After the first groups had been to the mill and the wooden shoe factory we all went to eat lunch at
Jelmer’s farm. And then the groups went to the place they hadn’t been. To get to all of the places we
used bikes.
When both of the groups had been to the mill and the wooden shoe factory we cycled to a quarry. In
the quarry there was lots of limestone. The quarry was very different from the Norwegian quarries
because it was a 30 meter deep hole in the ground.
When we were finished at the quarry around six we all went home and then everyone did different
things. Some of us went to Casper’s place to hang out with each other and watch football.
Our Mondrian experience
Wednesday 12.03.14
We started the day with a presentation of Piet Mondrian and his work, given by Dana te Maarssen. The
presentation was about the life of Mondrian, and the different styles he used throughout the years.
Then we went for a walk in through the town, and visited places where he had been. We stopped in a
park where they have made a frame inspired by the works of Mondrian, and we could see the church
that he has frame. After that, we went to the Museum, Villa Mondrian, which also was his home. At
the museum, there were a lot of pictures by Mondrian, and we had an audio guided tour. There were
also two documentaries about his life and his artwork. We then went back to the school, and were
allowed to paint or make our own artworks, inspired by Piet Mondrian. Some of us tried to investigate
his balance between shape and colours, and others were inspired by his paintings of nature and Winterswijk. One group even tried to combine Fibonacci and Mondrian.
.
A frame where we could see the church from the
same perspective as Mondrian painted it.
A picture about balance, inspired by Mondrian
– 46/109 –
Thursday 13.03.14
In the evening, everyone went out on a restaurant/bar to eat. The service was really good and the food
as well. Afterwards, some of us went home together, before we went home to sleep. All this was a new
experience for us, we enjoyed it a lot and we learned different ways to compose modern artworks.
We started the day by bicycling to the companies, where we split up and went our merry way to either
Philips or HSF. Ten minutes to ten, Ben Knapen held a short presentation about Philips and their business. Martha, a foreign worker, also threw in her five cents, and contri-buted with a story about her life
and how she got her job at Philips. Martha was probably there to show the students that it doesn’t
matter what kind of education you have: Philips will have a job for you. Since Martha was a rather
successful individual, this might not be the norm, but the exception.
After the presentation, the students were given a tour of the building. Included in the tour, was the
light analysing room, where they tested the different types of light and their uses, a room to make sure
the electronic pieces where safe and working, the room where they experimented to find the expected
lifespan of the bulbs, and the big factory. Afterwards, it was lunch in the cafeteria.
After our lunch break, the groups switched locations. At HSF Logistics, we learned about their vision,
which is to be punctual, have the appropriate temperature in the trucks and keep their costs low. They
also told us about their history, their locations, and how their company works. After this presentation,
we got a tour of the warehouse and the area where they keep the trucks. When we were done, the
students went each to their own. Some went shopping, others visited each other.
– 47/109 –
Friday 14.03.14
Today we met at Hesselink Koffie at 09:00. This company is family owned and was founded in 1885.
They have 20 employees. It is a small company which is only located in the Netherlands. At Hesselink
Koffie we got a presentation about the company and about different types of coffee. We got the chance
to roast our own coffee and we had a fabric tour. We saw all the way from the coffee roasting to the
packing. We also got the chance to taste all the different types of coffee they made.
The royal warrant holder diploma of Hesselink Koffie.
The machine where we roasted our own coffee.
When the visit ended we went back to school and worked on the presentations for a couple of hours.
When everyone was done we held the presentations in the school theatre. Every group chose to talk
about one of the companies we visited earlier in the week. It was very interesting to listen to the
presentations.
Saturday – 15.03.14
The day started with having a free time. Many of us went
to the market to experience the Dutch culture. During the
rest of the day, we helped the parents prepare food for the
family party and packed our suitcases. In the evening, at
18.00, we went to the school. First we ate a lovely meal and
then we gathered in the theatre afterwards.
The show started with speeches from the Dutch and the
Norwegian teachers. Then we had a quiz, which the Dutch
teacher had arranged. A quiz about Holland and Norway. It
was very fun and we learned about Dutch culture and language in an inspiring way! Afterwards the Norwegians preformed with a song, and with a dance. After the party the
students went to a club, called Skinny Binny. They enjoyed
the last evening together.
The quiz about Holland and Norway
Sunday 16.03.14
We left Winterswijk with the train 10.50 am heading towards Amsterdam. It was a very emotional
goodbye. Everyone met at the train station to say our final goodbyes. We took the train for an hour
before we switched trains at Arnheim. We arrived in Amsterdam around 01.00 pm. We then had four
hours free time to eat and explore Amsterdam. We left for Schiphol airport 05.30 pm, were we had to
wait for three hours before we took the plane 08.35 pm back to Ålesund were we arrived at 10.40 pm.
– 48/109 –
Reports from Student Diplomats Attending Midterm Meeting in Ankara
Comenius – My Voyage of Discovery Budapest/Ankara
Birthe Nesset
These last couple of years, I have travelled to Budapest and Ankara, as a student diplomat representing
Fagerlia videregående skole. The first exchange I ever participated at, was the Comenius exchange in
Budapest, and it was definitively one of the best weeks in my life. I stayed at home with this lovely girl
named Luca. Living at someone else's house was a very new experience for me, but I was so pleased to
meet her family and they truly were some of the kindest people I have ever had the pleasure to meet!
While in Budapest, we did a lot of exiting projects, and could watch different plays and performances.
For me this was a great way to get to know the Hungarian culture, and at the same time the projects
that we did made it easy to get to know new people.
Last year, I visited Turkey. I also loved this visit very much, because I were able to meet so many of my
friends who I have not seen since Budapest. It was a fun week, where we had time to see what great
monuments and sights Turkey could offer. It was also very interesting to taste their strange but surprisingly good food. I especially enjoyed our trip to the ancient region of Anatolia, Cappadocia.
It truly was amazing days, and I feel we really had possibilities learning to know each other properly. I
lived at home with a family who did not speak English too well, although this was a challenge at first, it
made me realize the importance of language, and how much easier it makes communicating if you at
least know a couple of small words like “thank you”, and “hello” in Turkish.
While we were in Budapest, we were working on this big project throughout the week, to end it with a
presentation in front of the others. This was a very educational project, which really made me reflect
upon how much, we as teenagers can help improve our future. On both of the trips we really got the
chance to make a lot of new friends from all around Europe, people with whom I still talk to at least
once a month.
This project not only gave me many lifelong friends, but it also made me much more reflected and
understanding towards other peoples culture and way of living. This is what I think is the most important with the Comenius project, because not only do we get to build an international network between students at the same age as us, but we also gain much more understanding of and respect for
each other.
Comenius – my Voyage of Discovery Budapest and Ankara
Kristian Helland Skare
Budapest, the capital of Hungary offered me several and different experiences in many ways. First I
want to mention our first evening in this city where we visited Szent István Gymnasium. Here we were
welcomed with open arms and could see a bit of the country’s culture through a cultural show. Later
on we went home to our host families. I was very thankful for my host family who let me in to their
house and let me be a member of their family for some days. This was an experience in a lifetime which
I will never forget. The start of our stay in Budapest, Hungary really impressed me!
Since I had never visited this town or country before I thought this was an exciting trip. In the following
days we worked on a project which discussed different themes afflicting he countries represented in
this conference. The way we worked on this project was really educative for me in different ways like
the understanding of different cultures and social skills.
We learned a lot about each other and from each other. It was a very good experience to see how we
youth could make an influence on our future. The feeling and the excitement of making a difference in
cooperation with people from other countries is quite special. On this trip I also became friends with
several people from different nationalities who I will always remember.
– 49/109 –
Ankara…
From one place to another, in May 2014 we visited Ankara, the capital of Turkey. On this trip we got to
meet our foreign friends again, and also meet new people. This was an exciting start of our stay in
Ankara! Also here we were welcomed in a good way and everything was good organized.
On the first evening I met my host family which was very kind and generous. Also this time I was very
thankful for all my host family did to make me feel welcome and well received. They helped me and
explained me about several things I needed help to understand or wanted to know more about. These
people will always be on my mind and I will always keep them in my memory.
Also on this trip we had a project which occupied us through the days, now on new and different themes
and challenges. While working on the project we learned a lot. Not only about the disciplinary part, i.e.
how to behave and show respect to each other’s views, but also this time about culture and the understanding of it. To see how different people with different points of view from several nationalities could
work together in a way like we did, is both amazing and educating. To reflect upon the different thesis
were challenging but also exciting.
We also were on different excursions around and outside the town. Our friends and families in this
country showed us this country from different sides. I had visited this country before but this time I got
a completely different and extended impression of the country in a positive way. The work on the project “My voyage of discovery” has been an adventure for me that I will bring with me throughout my
life.
Report – Visit to Ankara
Sofie Kleinhans Krogsæter
May 24th to May 28th.
On the 24th of May, 2014, I left on what was going to be one of the greatest trips in my life – from
Fagerlia videregåande skole to Özel Altın Eğitim Okulları with the Comenius project. The five days we
spent in Ankara was filled with program like trips and project work, together with people from all over
Europe.
The trip to Ankara allowed me to see everything from Cappadocia to Ataturk’s mausoleum together
with people who now are my friends from countries like Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary, Spain
and of course Turkey. Through the trip to Antikabir and to the Mausoleum I got to learn about Atatürk,
Ankara and the Turkish war of independence, which was very interesting and rewarding. The trip to
Cappadocia was amazing as we could see everything from cave churches and houses carved in the rocks
to a beautiful salt-lake on the way to Cappadocia.
Not only did we get to see many amazing places throughout our trip to Ankara, but the student exchange also allowed us to share our culture and to learn about other countries cultures through talking
and creating friendships with teenagers from other countries. We also got some time to work with our
project, but because they almost had finished the project on their last exchange, it wasn’t a lot left to
do. Since I wasn’t chosen to finish the project, I got time to do more “culture exchange” with teenagers
from other countries through hanging out, talking and playing sports.
The impression of Ankara, and Turkey in general, was amazing. The first night I got there I was met by
extremely polite and nice people, who had chosen to take me into their family for the couple of days
we stayed there. The period we stayed I Ankara my host family introduced me to Turkish culture by
giving me all kinds of Turkish food, by telling me about their country’s history, by bringing me to museums, parks and by letting me take part in their everyday life. They even brought me to a traditional
Turkish birthday party, and introduced me to their whole family! These are amazing experiences I will
never forget, and I still have contact with my host family and my host.
– 50/109 –
The trip to Ankara was fantastic in every single way. They had program for us such as the welcome
show and the trips to museums and Cappadocia, but we also had a lot of spare time with our family
which allowed us to get to know Turkey’s culture in many ways. Through the student exchange we did
not only get to see how the school system in Turkey works and how Turkey’s culture is, but we also
learnt how the schools in other countries work, and about their cultures, as well as sharing our own. I
now have friends from all over Europe and much more knowledge about other countries and cultures
than I had before. This trip was an amazing experience, which I never will forget!
Ankara
Eirik Helseth Borlaug
In May 2014, I went to the Midterm Comenius-meeting of the My Voyage of Discovery Project, representing my class in Ankara, Turkey, where it was held this year. We arrived in Ankara late in the evening,
and were introduced to our host families. They were helpful with giving us all the information we
needed for the coming days.
We went to different locations to learn about history, politics and also to learn to know the other people from other countries. We visited the mausoleum of Ataturk, and a cavern village in Cappadocia, as
well as several local attractions. In a short while, we had made several new friends, whom I will remember for the rest of my life.
The most important thing we did was to spend four full days in a completely different culture than our
own, and thereby extend our understanding of how other people live. This was very interesting, and
very much fun. I had no problem with communicating with my host family even though the parents did
not speak English. This only meant that I had a chance to learn a few phrases in Turkish. My host family
was nice, and I got everything I needed to feel welcome and comfortable. I took part in family parties
with ease and we talked a lot about the differences between Norway and Turkey.
We worked on a project regarding the Comenius cooperation during the stay, and it was interesting to
see how so many different nationalities could work together on a topic. The way the teachers talk to
students is a lot different in the different countries, and we learned a lot of discipline. I had never visited
Turkey before and I now have an incredibly positive impression of the country. The memories from this
trip will stay with me throughout my life.
Report From Teachers/Coordinators, Midterm Meeting
Ivar Karsten Lerstad and Rune Olav Nilsen, coordinators
There is not much to add to the students’ reports. Our Turkish partner had really constructed a tailor
made program for all visitors, both student diplomats and coordinators/teachers. The warmth we were
met with and whole hearted caretaking during the whole stay, especially by Tolga and his wife, but also
by all Turkish contributors, made an everlasting impression. One last glimpse of Ankara will be kept in
our memories forever: Tolga’s brilliant interpretation of traditional Turkish folk song where he overtook
the band’s performance at a restaurant in the old town of Ankara, with equilibristic bravour!
However if there is one piece of learning which should be brought with us into our next project it is to
set aside more time on the agenda to evaluate our processes and undertake careful examination of if
– and to what extent we had reached our aims, and also discussing eventual corrections and adjustments. But we feel quite confident that these matters will be taken care of in the next program.
– 51/109 –
Headmasters Evaluation
Yngve Omenås, Headmaster Fagerlia videregående skole
International orientation has been a part of the school’s long term strategy planning for more than two
decades. We have taken part in many Comenius exchange programs and have discovered the advantages of this open mind policy towards other cultures and traditions.
Throughout the many visits and revisits we have been able to consider our own practice and have seen
the need of rethinking many systems and processes which otherwise had been taken for granted. This
also means adopting new teaching experiences and practices within our own staff and developing own
teaching strategies by including methods and common European practice.
The famous quotation “Wenn jemand eine Reise tut, so kann er was erzählen.” (Matthias Claudius,
1740- 1815) - If a person undertakes a journey, he is bound to have learned a lot and has something to
tell – is not just an adage. Europe today is a result of people learning from each other through travels
and by exchanging ideas. The English writer Oscar Wilde expresses it like this: Travels refine the spirit
wonderfully and do away with prejudices. These projects provides us with the possibility to challenge
our own ideas. Insight and imagination arise through visits abroad and set our own country, culture and
history into perspective.
Tasks and Results
Survey, Inventory of Vocational Orientation and Academic self-Inventory
The International Class 1ST2 participated in the surveys, both the Inventory of Vocational Orientation
and the Academic self-Inventory. All results were collected and sent to Tolga in Ankara who registered
all data and then presented all results at the Midterm meeting in May 2014. The outcome of our work
was presented to the class shortly after our arrival back home. Naturally the results of the inventories
varied quite a lot according to the qualifications of each student. However all group stated that this had
been an interesting challenge and a first meeting with a kind of test they would most certainly encounter in accordance with job interviews and trying to qualify for a position in work life.
Comparative history project
The purpose of this comparative analysis of the history of two countries was to give each student and
class a glimpse into the history of the country visited and at the same time a possibility to use the
historical “grid” of one’s own country for setting a perspective. Examples of such comparisons can be
seen in the appendix.
Report from the Exchange Fagerlia VGS. (2ST2 INT. CLASS) & Instituto Statale D’Istruzione
Superiore “Le Filandiere”
9.4-16.4 2015
2ST2 2015: Martine Thorsen Ansok, Vilde Bergslid, Thea Farstad Blindheimsvik, Eirik Helseth Borlaug,
Erlend Vartdal Eidsvik, Natalie Ellefsen, Emma Helene Gjerde, Kathrine Breivik Haga, Julie Eik Kaald,
Aslak Høiberg Liaaen, Janne Maurstad, Andrea Lisa Norlén, Pia Naalsund, Katarina Giskegjerde Rød,
Ingrid Sjøvik, Marte Slyngstad, Håkon Solli-Sæther, Julie Stenseth Steffensen, Sondre Stokke, Hanna
Sylte, Hanne Valde Thu, Sigrid Paulsen Torset, Karoline Westre, Vetle Aarø,
Form teachers: Ragnhild Aasen Kjerstad, Runar Kildehaug
Friday 10th April
We started the first day at the school, where the headmaster welcomed us, and the Italian students
gave us a tour of the school. One of the Italian teachers had a presentation about Italy and the Friuli
region. We also had a guide to show us San Vito, and we visited a museum based on older Italian culture. After that we ate lunch, and walked around at the marked in San Vito. We took the train to Udine,
– 52/109 –
where we visited the Castle Of Udine, before we got two hours of free time. We took the train back to
the school, and in the evening, all the Italians and Norwegians ate pizza at a Pizzeria.
Saturday 11th April
We started the day with classes at school and then we had some sports competitions in volleyball and
football before we spend the weekend together with our families
Monday 13th April, Trip to Trieste
We went by bus to Trieste from San Vito with departure at 08:00. After 1h30 we arrived at a viewpoint
with a walking path. We walked for approximately one hour, and got to see the view of the town, and
the castle Miramare. According to the legends, this path was opened by Napoleon's troops in 1797 on
their way to Trieste.
After the walk we went down to Trieste and went into a church. The church was beautiful, and unlike
anything we have at home. Then we walked down to Piazza Roma, and got to walk around in the city
by ourselves. We also got to visit the castle “Miramare”, and one of the Italian students told us that
Miramare meant “looking over the sea”. Trieste was a beautiful city, with a lot of beautiful buildings.
Later this evening we had a welcome party at the school, with all the students and their families.
Tuesday 14th April
This was a more educative day, as we spent most of our time at school working in 'workshops'. The
workshops were factual work and presentations about politics & history as well as chemistry. In the
chemistry workshop, which lasted from 11.00–13.00, we did a series of simple experiments to show
practical and easy uses for chemistry and different compounds. We were divided into 8 groups, and
each group was assigned one main experiment which we later presented for the rest of the class. Most
of us also got to try some of the other experiments after finishing our own.
We had a historical workshop at 08:55-10:45. The teacher welcomed us and gave us a presentation
about Nationalism and Patriotism in Europe. He handed out a paper with information about the differ-
– 53/109 –
ent parties who supports patriotism in Europe, and let us participate in a discussion. He asked us questions and told us to give him our opinion on the topic. We were also informed about the current situation in Europe, and how the extremists operate.
During the second half of the day, from 14:00 to 17:00 we visited some of the enterprises at ZIPR Ponterosso in San Vito. First we went to Ponterosso, and were given a short introduction to the area, to
how the company operated and to what they did.
Afterwards we split into two groups and visited two of the companies located in this area, where we were given a short tour of the
facilities, and an introduction to what the companies did.
Håkon and Vetle was put into the group that visited Nord Color AS.
It is a company that works with plastic. They produce different kinds
of plastic. They made coloring-powder which they sold to other companies. They had a lot of machines and technical equipment to help
them make the plastic. The knowledge of chemistry was very important here. And many of the employees was very good in it. They
made plastic for everything, for cars, for pencils even saws.
Wednesday 15th April Venice
Some pictures from our day in Venice
– 54/109 –
Thursday 16th April
On the last day of our visit we visited a wine factory in Casarsa, La Delizia. We got a tour of the factory,
which produces approximately 10 000 bottles a day. With the sum of 18 million bottles a year, it is the
biggest wine factory in the region and north Italy. We learned a lot about how the current production
takes place, and how it used to be done. Afterwards we visited a museum dedicated to Pier Pablo Pasolini, an artist from the Second World War. Pasolini liked to draw his mother. He also wrote some
books and poems. It was an educational day.
Summary
During the project, we visited several Italian and Norwegian companies. We also learned a lot about
the job market both in Norway and Italy. We have in a way different businesses in the two countries,
but there are indications that in the future we will find work in a common European or even global
market. That fact has given our project more interesting approaches and dimensions. Among other
things, the importance of acquiring a solid scientific foundation and being able to speak and write English and other foreign languages. Everything indicates that the present generation must be prepared to
meet a more international labor market than the generations before them. The advantage is that a
much greater labor market is available to them, with several different jobs and opportunities. This project has made students in both Italy and Norway able to make more informed choices in a future labor
market where education and expertise across borders will be essential.
Hegel Gymnasium (Magdeburg) 
Visit to Stadtlohn
Geordi Daehne
We travelled to Stadtlohn in September 2013. Stadtlohn is a small town in North Rhine-Westphalia and
it was no new situation for me. Even though Stadtlohn and Magdeburg are both German cities you
realize the small differences in language, culture and behavior. Stadtlohn itself is a nice small town with
an adorable surrounding. The landscape is just made for cycling - and so the majority went by bike and
so I did, as well. Our host families were all in all very modern and open-minded people living in modern
houses with a high standard of living. The school was a huge school with several buildings, in contrast
to my school having just one big building, the Stadtlohn school looked a little bit like an university. This
was a very modern school which was designed in a modern and generous way. Nevertheless, we were
welcomed very friendly by our hosts and all the other people living there. Stadtlohn is a pleasant town
with lots of interesting people but, personally I could not imagine living in Stadtlohn because it is too
rural. I prefer bigger cities and urban areas. Even though Stadtlohn is near the Ruhr-Area, it is too far
away from bigger cities.
Visit to Budapest
Laura Nohl
From 9th to 13th December 2013 we went on a trip to Budapest; the gorgeous capital of Hungary. Right
from the beginning we felt a very warm welcome by the students and their teachers. The school, in
which we were first welcomed by the diplomats, was very nice and as big as our school. The building
itself was different than our school building because it had an older style. The flats and houses where
we lived with the families of our exchange partners were in general very modern and the advantage of
living in a host family was that we could see how Hungarian people live. The landscape of Budapest is
wonderful and breathtaking, especially when we went on a cruise on the river.
– 55/109 –
There we could see the old and the new part of Budapest and both sides are really nice. We learned
really much about the history of Budapest. The hills and the river give the city a natural flair. Although
it was the first time in Budapest for a lot of us we had no prejudices and so it was even better for us to
experience the city with their people and different curiosities. Hungary is a very nice country and it was
a great chance for us to get new views in new countries. I, myself, could imagine living in a city like
Budapest because it is such a wonderful city with very kind people and a nice environment.
Also the economic aspects aren’t so bad. All in all we can say that the trip to Budapest was a great
experience, not only to see the city and environment, also to see how kind and nice the Hungarian
people are.
– 56/109 –
Visit to Ankara
Naline Pfannschmidt
To change experiences about previous exchange projects and to stay in contact with the other countries
we got together in Ankara in May 2014. Although it was the first time for some of us in Turkey and we
heard about some prejudices, we were glad to have the chance to visit this beautiful city with its cultural
and environmental diversity. When we arrived in Ankara there was a warm welcome for every one of
us, we all had a friendly host family and made great experiences. For example; we visited the Atatürk
Mausoleum and other nice places in Ankara, also Cappadocia which is a beautiful landscape in Turkey.
Right from the beginning every student got along well with the other students.
– 57/109 –
We all tried to speak different languages to understand better and also to have some fun. We played
Volleyball, visited the Göksu Parkı, drove with paddleboats, sang and danced together. All things considered we had a lot of fun. The Altın Eğitim School is a very modern building and it includes a PreSchool, Primary School and Secondary School. The single classes are very small and also the classrooms
aren’t as big as ours. But all in all you can say it is a child- and teen-friendly school with a great offer of
diverse activities, friendly pupils and kind teachers.
Our host families were all very kind and very friendly. We had nice flats and houses, a great offer of
breakfast, lunch and dinner and they also did different activities with us. My host family spoke English
very well, so there were no problems in understanding each other. In my view Ankara is a beautiful city
and cannot be compared with Magdeburg. It is much bigger and there are very beautiful sights and
places. And we can say that such projects are the best to get to know new cultures, new people and
other religions.
Our guests from Budapest
We welcomed our dearest guests on Monday, 16th June 2014. After the long trip our Hungarian partners were very happy to arrive in Magdeburg. To show them different sides of our town we did various
trips to diverse places. Even on the first day we met each other in the restaurant ‘Mückenwirt’ which
arranged a public viewing of the world champion ship (Germany – Portugal). Here we did nearly everything except watching the match. But it was a great first day. On Tuesday we presented our school to
the Hungarian partners. There they saw the historical rooms and the rooms in the subject-specific
wings. After this, the boys and girls went to the library and to the observatory in the so called "BismarckTurm". Other stops of this tour were the school halls and at last our language lab. During this guided
tour through the school the exchange students learned a lot about the history and other interesting
facts of our Hegel-Gymnasium. Afterwards we went to the puppet theatre near our school. There we
had a short guide through an exhibition (“Figurensammlung”). In this exhibition we learned something
about the history of this building and of the applied art, we also saw over 1200 handmade puppets.
After this tour it was our turn, we had to create our own puppet. The workshop’s topic was “Express
yourself!”. We all had a lot of fun and really interesting ideas, so we created persons, animals and also
mythical creatures. All in all it was an entertaining and eventful activity. In the afternoon we organized
a cosy barbeque for our guests on the river Elbe. Everybody brought some food along and so we ate
together, listened to music and died the day away in an enjoyable way. For Wednesday we had planned
– 58/109 –
a trip to the Harz Mountains. We met at school and then we went by bus to Quedlinburg where we had
a guided city tour. It was very interesting because we saw so many old timber-frame houses in every
colour and size that were built in the 12th, 13th and 14th century. Additionally the old town has eight
churches, which is quite much for a small town. Quedlinburg consists of two parts: the old town (Altstadt) and the new town (Neustadt) that was created in the 15th century because the old town was too
small. At the end of the guided city tour we went to the castle of Quedlinburg. This castle was built on
a hill and so we had a great view over the beautiful town. After the tour we could enjoy a few minutes
of free time in one of the tiny snack bars. Then we left the small town and went by bus to Thale. This
very tiny town has many attractions. In Thale we went by a cable car to the Hexentanzplatz. You can
also find a summer toboggan run at this place that we used to drive. This has been a lot of fun. From
the Hexentanzplatz we also could see the Rosstrappe, the Bode valley and the Brocken which is the
highest peak of the Harz Mountains. When we arrived in Magdeburg at 6 o´clock in the evening everybody was tired after this long and busy but also very interesting day. In the evening we met to play
Volleyball and to relax in the comfortable chairs of the Beachclub after this exhausting but exciting day.
One day later, on Thursday, our guests visited one lesson in our school. What kind of lesson was depending on the grade of their host student? After that we did a city tour with our Hungarian exchange
partners. We started our tour at the Hegel-Gymnasium at 10 o’ clock and went on through the beautiful
Hegelstrasse. At first we showed them our gothic Cathedral of Saints Catherine and Maurice. There we
told our guests a few facts about it and so we did it at every sight. Right after we had crossed the
cathedral square we arrived at the Monastery of our Lady. The next stop of our city tour was Magdeburg’s very famous Green Citadel. This impressed our Hungarian teachers very much, that’s why they
stayed there. Then we walked along the Allee-Center and the St. Johns Church to Magdeburg’s Old
Town Hall and the Old Market where we could also find the Magdeburg Horseman. After this stop we
went to our last, our opera house and Otto-von-Guericke University. In the forenoon we met each other
in the ‘Elbauenpark’ where we wanted to enjoy our last hours together. We visited the Millennium
Tower in the park, here the students tried different experiments and saw some historical inventions.
Afterwards we walked to a bowling centre because we knew that the Hungarians love this. The last
activity on this day was our walk to the Magdeburger Elbtreppen here we spent our last evening together, we were cheerful about such a nice evening and sad the time ran so fast. On our last day nearly
everyone was tired and sad. Nobody wanted to take leave of the others. We all were so lucky to get to
know you and we are grateful for the nice days we could spent with you.
Thank you!
Visit to Poland
Monday, 7th July 2014
On Monday, 7th July (our first whole day in Gdansk) we were allowed to explore the city on our own.
We had the chance to go through the streets, visit some museums or sights and go shopping in a shopping centre near the old town, called Madison. We spent our whole free time in the old town. We went
back to the youth hostel for lunch and dinner to be able to eat together.
In the afternoon the Polish and the Hungarian group arrived at the youth hostel. After dinner our project leader Kuba gave us some instructions for the next day.
Tuesday, 8th July 2014
On our second day in Gdansk we had breakfast at 9 'o clock. We started our day with learning some
language skills in Hungarian and Polish. At 10 'o clock our guiding tour around Gdansk started. There
we learned how Gdansk became a “Hansestadt” and that it has been destroyed almost completely by
the Russians after World War Two.
– 59/109 –
Our guide was really funny so it was interesting to listen to her. After going back to the hostel we had
lunch together and one hour later we went to the railway station to go to the coastal city Sopot. After
a twenty minute drive we went down a long street to the Baltic Sea, where we had some free time.
Some of us went to the beach and others went shopping. At 7.12 pm it was time to leave Sopot. Our
train arrived and we drove back to Gdansk. In the evening we watched the football match of the World
Championship: Germany vs. Brazil. We all were happy about the German income. After the game all of
us were tired and went to bed.
Wednesday, 9th July
This morning we had breakfast at 9:00 am. There were no clouds on the sky, it was very sunny and
warm, which was the perfect weather for our trip to “Marienburg”. After one hour in the bus we
reached the old fortress of the “Kreuzritterorden”. It was named after Jesus mother, Maria. She should
keep the knights save and help them in fights. Around the fortress were several middle-aged tents
where you could buy souvenirs like wooden swords, princess dresses and so on.
At 11:30am our tour around the area started. We were divided into 3 groups because of the different
nationalities/ languages. Our Guide for the German group (Magdeburg and Stadtlohn) walked us
through the corridors and halls of the old buildings and we did not only learn about the history of the
Marienburg, we also got lots of information about Poland itself. The oldest part of the castle was built
in 1300. As long as the Kreuzritterorden (a German group of knights) lived there, they never stopped
building the fortress. When time went by it became an important center for the Catholic Church, for
the defense and trade (especially with Amber).
The guide told us about how the Germans and Russians took over the place and how many parts of the
old castle were destroyed. After two hours it was 1:30pm and we had lunch. Then we went to “Westerplatte”, where the Second World War officially started. Our guide talked a bit about the place and how
the Germans came with their boats and started to attack Poland. 200 people lost their lives.
The group visited the monument on a little cliff where we had a great view over the coast of the Baltic
Sea. After we had taken some pictures we all went back to the bus. At first we made a short stop at our
hostel to grab what we needed and then drove to the beach (5:30pm) where lots of us went swimming.
We stayed for one hour, and then went to the old town of Gdansk by tram and ate dinner. At 10:00pm
we had to be at the hostel again where we watched another match of the World Championship: Argentina vs. the Netherlands.
Thursday, 10th July 2014
Our day started as usual with the breakfast at 9 o´ clock. After that we were taught some Hungarian
and Polish phrases like e.g. “Jaksiemasz” (How are you?). Everybody tried to learn these questions and
answers by playing a game.
The next stop on Thursday was a bowling centre, where we played in mixed groups. So we could speak
with the girls and boys from the other countries. After the following lunch the group from Magdeburg
had a different program than the rest because we had to leave on Friday already. So while the Hungarian, the Polish and the teens from Stadtlohn prepared the evening, we went to the exhibition “Roads
to freedom”. It was very interesting and we learned a lot about the Polish and also the European history
there.
After that we had a little bit free time and we thought of ideas for the multicultural evening. In the
evening we had a barbecue for dinner and we started our program. The Polish group told us something
about their country and they sang Polish songs for us. And after that they let us speak Polish tonguetwisters. Our group was the next. We gave them some information about sights in our city Magdeburg.
All of us choose a sight which has the same first letter like our names. And we sang the Magdeburg
song. The Hungarian group prepared a quiz about their country and they sang songs too. Also the other
– 60/109 –
German group sang a song from their city and danced. Later we sang together while one of the teachers
played the guitar and we played a game which was invented by the other German group from Stadtlohn. In the end we danced to traditional Hungarian music. The evening came to an end and we had
to start packing our luggage.
Friday, 11th July 2014
Early in the morning we got up to have breakfast and say our goodbyes. After a 20-minute walk we
arrived at the train station and started our trip back home.
Our guests from Italy and Hungary
Naline Pfannschmidt
In September 2014 we had visitors from two countries, Italy and the Netherlands. We had a varied
programme with many different activities. So we did things like a guided tour through our hometown,
we visited a museum, went to Berlin – the capital of Germany – we had sport competitions and also
visited one of our most famous parks. During this week we also had a lot of free time that’s why we
had a barbeque or we went into a nice café, in the evenings we met in different bars, in our mall or
other beautiful places here in Magdeburg.
We all became good friends and our group, made of Italians, Germans and the Dutch, experienced a
great time together. For some of us saying goodbye wasn’t that easy. Looking forward to see you again,
we hope that we will have a great time in your mother country, too. Auf Wiedersehen! Arrivederci! Tot
ziens!
– 61/109 –
Szent István Gimnázium (Budapest) 
Our visit to San Vito
On 28th of March after a long preparation we started our journey to San Vito and our little group of 14
arrived there the next day. After the arrival to Italy everybody went home with his or her exchange
partner and met the host family.
The next day we went to Venice by train where we got to know each other better and we talked about
our experiences with our Italian friends. On Monday we had an insight in the life of their school and
also participated in an autopsy which was for many of us a great experience. We started working on
the project and the Italians showed us a presentation about hams. This knowledge was very useful for
us when some days later we visited a local farm. In the next few days we visited many places and became really good friends with the exchange students. The Mediterranean area was beautiful, and the
people were really kind and friendly with us. We were in Pordenone and Triest as well, and we all were
amazed by the places we visited, especially the Miramare Castle. On Thursday we visited the Bofrost
factory, which was very exciting, because most of us had never been in a factory or ever seen one from
outside. We were shown what a factory looks like from the inside and the way the packaging system
works. At the end of the visit the guide showed us how the workers examine the quality of the frozen
products; we were even given samples of the food! After visiting the factory our trip led us to a farm.
The owner was an elderly man who showed us the farm- we saw where the pigs are slaughtered, where
the hams are stored, and even showed us different parts of the swine and the way they are processed.
We ate lunch at the farm, and like everywhere during our journey, the food was excellent. At the end
of our visit, we had the opportunity to interview the farm owner, Pieri, who gladly answered all our
questions about the farm. Our day ended at the monastery of Sesto. We were recounted the story of
the monastery and were taught about its history through a quiz. On our last evening with our partners
we went to have dinner together and ate a pizza which was as good as everything else in Italy. The next
day after packing our baggage we went to the bus station which was a very sad moment of the trip.
There were students who were crying, who were laughing or just smiling but it is sure that no one
wanted to go home. Finally we arrived home and now we can’t wait to meet them again.
A personal diary from San Vito al Tagliamento
Virág Juhász
28th March
On the day when we went to Italy I was so excited! We had five lessons at the school, after I went home,
had lunch and finished packing my luggage. With my parents I went to Népliget, from where the bus
departed. We left Budapest at 21 o’clock. The journey was long and uncomfortable, so I couldn’t sleep
enough.
– 62/109 –
29th March
Our small group of twelve students arrived early in the morning, I think at 5.15. A dozen of tired but
very excited Italian students were waiting for us. I got off the bus to meet my host family. Silvia and her
mother came for me to Portoguaro, where we stayed. Silvia is a nice, friendly girl with black hair, and brown eyes.
We went home by car. Silvia and her family, the Metzes,
live in a very big family house, with a huge, green garden
and lots of trees and flowers. After sleeping a bit we had
lunch together, it was spaghetti bolognaise! Then Silvia and
I went to ’the city’, where there was a square with a tall
church and a small park. There are some shops, and a gelatteria there. We met some Italian and Hungarian friends
and ate ice-cream.
The Italian students are very happy and friendly people,
and it was the first time that I heard them speaking really
fast!
During the afternoon I went to the gym with Silvia. Her
team is very good, and they were practising for a competition which was on the next day. Then we went home, ate
our dinner and went back to the city centre, where we met
again our friends, drank a glass of cola, talked a lot, and at night we went home with Silvia’s father. I
wrote an e-mail to my parents about my day, and I fell asleep.
30th March
I was looking forward to this day because we went to Venezia. Silvia couldn’t come with us, because
she had the competition, so I went with her mother and her youngest sister, Sara. We met on the train
station in Portoguaro. The journey wasn’t so long; we arrived there at 10 o’clock. We took lot(s) of
photos on the railway station, and on the first bridge. This day, we were walking and talking a lot, and
of course we took lots of pictures! It was a fantastic day I think, because I’ve never been there before.
We arrived home late, we had a dinner all together, and then I watched the video of the competition
where Michael, Maria and Silvia were playing.
It was a long day, I was really tired.
– 63/109 –
31st March
This was the first day at school. We walked around the building, and had a lesson about a famous Italian
ham, Prosciutto. It was boring I think, because the students were speaking fast, so we couldn’t understand many things. The school finished at 12, we went home by bike with Timi and her host, Madda.
We had lunch and it was crazy, because we spoke 3 languages! Then with the whole group we went to
Pordenone, where the Italian students drank coffee, we ate ice-cream. We taught them the famous
Hungarian children song: Boci boci. They sang it very funny.
Biology lesson in school
1st April
The day of craziness; we went to Udine with our teachers. We travelled by train, and went to a museum,
but it wasn’t interesting, because we didn’t understand too many things there either. Then we ate our
lunch in the park and walked in the city and in the afternoon we travelled back to San Vito, where
Silvia’s mother was waiting for us. We went home, and I had a nap while Silvia was in the gym. Then
we had dinner, like every day.
Udine- Museum
2nd April
It was the best day for me, and the most beautiful. We were in Trieste with the Italian group. We went
there by bus. The first building we saw was San Saba. Then we travelled further to Mira Mare Castle. It
was beautiful! We took lots of pictures of the Castle. The sea is very beautiful, dark-blue. There lived
– 64/109 –
Sisi, Queen and Empress of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. We took a picture on the stairs where she
often walked down.
In the afternoon, we went to the sport hall, where we played basketball and volleyball. It was funny,
and we (the Hungarian team) won.
Trieste, Mira Mare Castle
3rd April
It’s our last full day in San Vito. We were in BOFOST where we saw lots of different kinds of working
processes, and we ate some ice-cream. Then, in the afternoon, we went to Pieri’s agro-tourism farm
where we ate a lot meat and vegetable, and we made an interview with Pietri.
At Pieri’s farm
BOFROST
th
4 April
I was sad, because we went back to Hungary that day. In the morning we were at school, worked, and
then went shopping. At night we travelled home. Everybody cried. We arrived home on 5th April, early
in the morning.
Our trip to Mallorca
Zsófia Rátkai
We visited Mallorca for a week between the 5th and 12th of April, 2014. Our hosts welcomed us with
an „Sziasztok” poster, which means „Welcome” in Hungarian.
Each of us went home to our host families and we had a rest. My host lived outside Palma de Mallorca
at a village by the seaside, so we went to see the beautiful sunset at the sea.
In the evening we had a great dinner together in an awesome American style restaurant.
– 65/109 –
On Sunday everyone spent the day with their hosts and had programs with their families. Some went
to the Feria, others had a BBQ and most of us spent the day on the beach playing volleyball and sunbathing. The water was too cold to swim, but we had a great time in the sunshine anyway. 
The programs started on Monday in the school of Son Verí Nou. We held our presentations about our
school, city and culture. Later we headed to the capital, Palma de Mallorca to visit the Caixaforum. It
was a luxury hotel before the Spanish Civil War, but now it is a cultural centre with exhibitions and
concerts.
On Tuesday we visited Ses Salines, a village where there are salt ponds and there is a beautiful view of
the sea, as well.
In the afternoon, we had a boat trip to the beautiful isle of Cabrera and we hiked the mountain to a
small ruin of a castle for a stunning view of the sea.
We spent Wednesday in Palma again and had a great, creative activity in Caixaforum about creating
useful equipment to help the people of the Third World.
– 66/109 –
We also had the opportunity to visit the impressive Cathedral and the Castle of Bellver the name of
which means „good view”, because it was an important fortification from where the sea was watched
if enemies were coming.
Our discovery of the world of work started in a wine manufacture, the Puigpunyent farm in Son Puig.
Our guide showed us the different methods they use to produce the different types of wines. In the
afternoon we went to La Granja, which is a private farm with cute animals and a museum about how
people lived before.
We also learned about how boats are made in Mestre d’aixa. It was interesting to learn and see how
they waterproof the boats and make sure they can withstand salt water.
– 67/109 –
On Thursday evening we had typical Spanish dishes for dinner in the picturesque village in a valley,
called Valldemosa.
We could taste specialities, like chorizo, frutas del mar and other delicious food from Mallorca.
On Friday, our last day we visited the Juan Miró exhibition and the stunning Royal Palace. Of course we
did not miss the chance to go inside the huge and breath-taking Cathedral right in front of the Palace.
I really enjoyed the whole week: the nice people, the nice weather, as well as the great programs and
new experiences. It was sad to say goodbye to our new friends, but we will meet again in Hungary.
– 68/109 –
Our voyage of discovery from our perspective
Last year we could spend a week in Mallorca where we discovered the world of work. Out of the several
beautiful attractions we had visited the greatest experience for us was the opportunity to have an insight into the life of Mallorca.
The programs we took part in, demonstrated the different kinds of professions and jobs that people
had and still have there now. We visited a beautiful building that used to be a hotel but now functions
as a museum; a wine region and a shipyard, which are still operating factories possessed by families.
We also experienced how important tourism is there. Obviously the sea is not the only attraction of the
island, because it has got several authentic villages besides the famous Cathedral and the Castle of
Palma de Mallorca. The atmosphere of the places revealed the essence of the Spanish history and the
mentality of the locals.
For me it was a special experience as I could practice my Spanish skills with my host family. I could fit
into the daily routine of the family, see their lifestyle and taste their foods. It confirmed my passion for
the country and the language.
To conclude, it was an unforgettable week which was beneficial for both parties as we could get closer
to each other.
Thank you for organising such a great trip for us!
Trip to Stadtlohn
Csilla Hős, Bernadett Kiss, Roland Phan, András K. Szabó
7-13 April, 2014.
Ten students and two teachers of Szent István High School (Budapest) spent an unforgettable week in
Stadtlohn just before Easter, 2014. We were hosted by Geschwister Scholl Gymnasium, together with
a group from San Vito. The focus of our study trip was the past and present of industry in Münsterland
and the Ruhr region.
On our first day, we got an insight into school life by visiting
various classes. We liked the Music lesson best, where students were singing ‘Happy’, which became the unofficial song
of our stay in Stadtlohn. We were also welcomed by the Mayor
of Stadtlohn at the Town Hall, where we were given a presentation about the history of the town. We explored the place in
teams with the help of a task sheet full of questions.
– 69/109 –
During the week we visited three museums, where we found out a lot about the production processes
and working conditions in mines and factories in the past 150 years. In the Textilemuseum in Bocholt,
we saw lots of interesting things in connection with the history of producing textile, from manual looms
to 20th-century automatic punched card looms. We found it amazing that these old machines still work,
and we were given a demonstration of all the looms in action.
Our next stop was the Bergbaumuseum in Bocholt, where we
got an insight into how coal used to be mined in the Ruhr region until recently, and how the working conditions of miners
were changing as a result of progress in mining technologies.
We continued our exploration in the nearby Heinrichshütte,
where blast furnaces once produced iron, some of which was
turned into steel. Through the guided tour we learnt how the
key industries of the Ruhr region, coal mining and steel production, rose and later declined, and how this process has affected employment in the area.
In the open-air museum (Mühlenhof Freilichtmuseum) near Münster, the life of millers, farmers, and
bee-keepers came to life – we could see the mills, farmhouses, and even a village school, where people
used to work and live in the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century. We were allowed
to sit in the old desks, which helped us imagine what it might
have been like to be a student back then. From one of the
houses, there was smoke coming out of the rooftop. In fact,
people were smoking meat in there to sell them. A poor
farmer’s family used to live there, and their animals were kept
inside, too. We were shown a house of a rich family, too - there
were noticeable differences. Having seen the Freilichtmuseum, we headed for the centre of Münster. We walked to
the Town Hall, where the Westphalian agreement was signed
in 1648.
Apart from exploring the industrial past of the region, we were
taken to three current workplaces. The Hungarian group visited
Biolesker, an organic farm, the Italian students and one of our
teachers had the chance to visit Hülsta, the well-known furniture factory, and the hosting students went to a bank. We all
shared our experiences in an interactive workshop, where we
also reflected on the entire week.
Our visit to Stadtlohn and Münsterland had a great impact on
us, especially the environmentally-friendly attitude and lifestyle of the people. We saw solar panels on most roofs, wind turbines utilising the power of the wind
everywhere in the fields, and observed how vegetables are grown without any chemicals in Biolesker.
We realised how much working conditions have improved since the industrial revolution, and got a
glimpse into the future, which should be about renewable energies (instead of coal) and caring for our
environment and our own health.
Finally, we appreciated the Industriekultur movement of making use of unused industrial facilties for
educational and entertainment purposes. All in all, what we experienced in Stadtlohn and its surrounding is warm-hearted hospitality, care for the environment and a positive attitude to life and work.
– 70/109 –
Midterm meeting in Ankara
Deniz Civan (translated from Hungarian by Tamás Simon)
Here it is: we have reached the half term of the two-year-long Comenius programme. Is the glass half
empty or half full? I still remember how awkward we were in January on the preparatory meeting, but
then we quickly found our common points in interest with our foreign friends. The programs also
helped us to do so. That time only two students came from each school, but in Ankara we were more.
The circle of our friends grew bigger.
The conference in Ankara was a great opportunity not just for the teachers to share their ideas, and
experiences about the past year, but also for the students. We got to know the Norwegian group (since
they couldn’t come to Stadtlohn for the first meeting), and had a great time together.
Almost everybody took the same flight from Munich on the 24th of May. We spent the first evening
with getting to know our host families and giving them our presents. On Sunday morning we visited
Atatürk’s Mausoleum in Anıtkabir. It was interesting to see how much he is respected in Turkey even
today. At the monument we had the possibility to watch the guard mount too.
– 71/109 –
For lunch everybody could try some typical Turkish meal: the pide (a kind of pizza) or the ayran which
is a beverage made of yogurt, water and salt. This one was not the group’s favourite at all. We spent
the afternoon by the bank of an artificial lake surrounded by restaurants and cafés. It was fun to watercycle on the lake!
On Monday we had the opening ceremony in the hall of the school. After a couple of speeches (one
was held even by the mayor of Ankara) we saw a well prepared show presented by our hosts. Dances
were shown and also taught to us, and the choir of Altın Eğitim sang us. In the afternoon we developed
our Turkish dancing skills, played volleyball and we sang together a lot.
On Tuesday we had a journey to the wonderful Cappadocia. The bus journey took 9 hours in total but
no doubt that it did worth the trouble. That view cannot be described by words; even the photos aren’t
enough to reflect the sight of the city in the rocks. It was such an adventure to walk through the caves!
And we had our great guide to help us.
On Wednesday the thoughts of travelling back home soon made us a bit sad but visiting the fantastic
Ankara-Castle Museum cheered us up. It is obvious that a country with such a rich history can show up
lots of works of arts. At the bazaars everybody could find the suitable presents and souvenirs for their
family members or maybe a bit more than actually needed thanks to the “hospitality” of the Turkish
shopkeepers. In the evening we had to face the fact that we cannot stay in Ankara forever. We packed
our stuff carefully and got ready to go home. I think most of us didn’t sleep too much that night.
The last morning was spent with saying goodbye to each other. We danced and sang a last piece together, then we got into the bus and headed to the airport. At home telling everything that happened
to us took almost as much time as the programs, due to the importance of every detail. Whether that
glass is half full or half empty, this meeting has had only good memories. So many things have happened
so far and there are at least equally lot to happen.
– 72/109 –
Magdeburg – Budapest exchange programme
We have years of relationship with Hegel Secondary Grammar School from Magdeburg. We also
worked together on the previous Comenius project, so we were sure of the quality and success of the
programmes. That is why we undertook to organise the opening ceremony of the current two-year
project with students and teachers from Magdeburg who visited us between the 9th and 13th December, 2013.
Sixteen students, mostly from class 10 formed our group. For the topic „Work” we chose the art of
handicraft, mainly puppetry. The idea was given by the local characteristics of Magdeburg: Europe's
biggest collection of puppets can be found there, and the international puppet festival is held in the
city in June every 2 years. European puppetry had also an important role in spreading classical works,
so the first theatrical première of the story of Faust was a puppet-show. Our group's programme extended to the forms of theatre, too. In Budapest, we visited the puppet exhibition at Bajor Gizi
Színészmúzeum and later we were shown 2 types of puppetry: galanty show and the production of
marionettes. We included many theatre-shows in our programme: Carmen (in Erkel Theater), Odüsszeusz (in Puppet Theatre), dance and puppet-show band (in the Castle Theatre by Vaskakas
Bábszínház). Beside the theatres, we also had a trip to Dunakanyar (Esztergom, Szentendre). The closing
programme was a sightseeing boat trip. We closed a busy, eventful week, which was spiced with Advent
spirit.
Amazement after the arrival – Opening of the exchange week
Puppet making – girls around the table
– 73/109 –
Puppets – boys' attention
We visited Magdeburg between 15th and 20th June. Similar types of activities characterized the days
we spent there. We saw an exhibition of the development of puppetry and we were also able to create
our dream figures from the same three geometrical shapes. Many creative solutions were born, everyone showed their results in the end. Our goal was to touch on the Faust-interpretation, too, so our
journey took us to the Harz Mountains where we read it out both in German and Hungarian.
We were in Qedlinburg, one of the centres of medieval duchy.
Here, we admired the anonymous craftsmen's work of art, mainly the architecture of Fachwerkhaus.
This little town, which belongs to the world heritage, is a proof that craftsmanship is necessary for the
creation of lasting values. The programme was enriched with school visitation, and
sightseeing in Magdeburg. An outstanding programme
was to visit the Jahrtausendturm, a special museum
opened by the Millennium, which represents the scientific development of humanity. Here, the visitor can
experience the spirit of certain centuries, can make his
own experiments, among others the discovery of the famous Magdeburg spheres.
All in all, we spent and worked together two weeks filled with many experience. The manual activities
were pretty successful and the activities of both two groups are praiseworthy.
Not only we were able to achieve our thoughts, but we also made new friends.
What we did during the 2 trips
Ilona Kovács teacher of Szent István Gimnázium (translated by Roland Phan)
Our gifts were made by handwork: the girls from class 10.b made painted glass for their partners, and
class 10.d prepared friendship-bracelets. The monologue of Faust was performed by Tamás Kovács
(10.d). Enikő Juhász (10.e) made 2 puppet heads (burnt material): Faust's and Mephisto's figure. These
works will be seen on the permanent exhibition of the school.
– 74/109 –
Details from the reports of students
Enikő Juhász, 10.e
“After 7 hours of travelling, we arrived at our first destination,
Prague. I had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
I saw what I had expected. All the buildings were perfect; the
atmosphere of the city was sparkling, indescribable experience. I think the walk to our accommodation was the most
beautiful. The sun was already gone, only its red light was lighting the whole city, which we looked at from a park hill. At that
time, all the sights we had seen that afternoon showed themselves at the same time and we realised how far we had got in
a few hours. It was a great closing for the day.”
Zsófia Dóka, 11.c
“I really liked the programmes organised by the students, where we were together, such as watching
the football match. On Monday evening after the arrival, we met at an outdoor, fenced place where
we sat down and cheered for the German team together. Everybody was wearing yellow and red and
looked at the screen excitedly.
To be honest, I am not a big football fan, but I realised that I was interested in it. I did not feel that
excitement and spirit that every local supporter felt, but my heart was warmed when I saw the German
became one for those 90 minutes, sweating on something that represents their nation. That was a kind
of ‘togetherness’ that is rare nowadays.”
Emese Nagy and Alexandra Szabó, 10.d
“All in all, we really liked the whole week. From the official programmes we would highlight the visit of
the school. It was awesome to compare the building and the education system with ours.
The school was very beautiful and well-organised; the teachers greeted us kindly, too. We also enjoyed
the lessons: the Literature lesson was as interesting as ours. The advantage of the double lesson is that
they can discuss the subject in more detail.
„Breaking News”: a Comenius trip to Gdansk, summer, 2014
Dóra Oprics (class 9.e)
In July six Hungarian students accompanied by one teacher
went to a summer camp in Gdansk. The project based on the
work of Solidarity and the Polish history in the 20th century. 35
people came from 3 different countries: Germany, Poland and
Hungary. We all stayed at a hostel run by the Franciscian Order.
For the Hungarian group the journey started at 7 am, 6th of July
because we travelled for six hours from Budapest to Krakow and
there we spent half a day sightseeing and then we got on the
bus to Gdansk. We arrived at 11 o'clock in the morning at the
hotel and after that we went into the city centre. There we saw an exhibition about the independent
period of Gdansk. In the evening we met with the other nations and got to know each other. Next day
we got up at 8:30 and at 9 we had breakfast and at 10 we had a 'warming up' called „language animation”, which meant that we learnt some new words and sentences in each others’ languages. We played
a game and after lunch we went to the seaside. On the following day we went to Marlborg which was
– 75/109 –
the main town of the Teutonic knights. We got a very good guide who presented the whole castle in a
very interesting way. I really enjoyed it because I love historical things.
The next day we had breakfast and after the usual warming up we
went bowling. Then we had the whole afternoon to prepare for the
multi-cultural evening. The Hungarian group sang 3 folk songs and
presented the historical and cultural highlights of Hungary in a quiz
form. After the Polish presentation and tongue-twisters and the German's dancing and singing performance, we taught a Hungarian folk
dance to the others. We had great fun together and spent the whole
evening talking in international groups!
The next morning the team from Magdeburg went home and we went to see the museum of Solidarity
and the exhibition entitled „Roads to Freedom”. We also watched a documentary about how people in
the communist states fought for their freedom and achieved it, one after the other.
I think this whole week was very good and my English improved considerably, because I talked a lot
with the other nations, I got to know their culture and I made a lot of new friends. I hope I will get a
chance again to learn English in camps like this. The organisation was really good and many thanks for
the possibility! I had so much fun and I enjoyed it!
– 76/109 –
Our trip to Ankara
Eight students and two teachers volunteered to explore Ankara, Turkey and
made the voyage of discovery to the
Turkish world of work in March
2015. As can be seen from
the pictures we had an insight into the nature of the
work in a honey and wine
factory called Atatürk Orman Çiftliği Bal Fabrikası and
‘learnt’ how to make silver jewellery in a workshop when we visited Beypazari. It was not only
work
but pleasure and fun
and culture, and most important of all, learning. First
we were shown round in the
Özel Altın Eğitim Okkulari and could see the works of art produced by talented students and could feel the atmosphere
there.
We played a game of volleyball and Turkey beat
Hungary.
The visit to the Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal
Atatürk impressed us all and spent a couple of
hours wandering around and finding out about
this outstanding historical figure, the Father of
Turks.
… and saw his house
– 77/109 –
Then we went up to Ankara Castle …
and on the way there we stopped to see the oldest mosque in town.
We cycled around Lake Eymir
and looked around in the Museum of Anatolian
Civilizations
We took a trip to Beypazari
and took delight in the view
…went to a traditional Turkish restaurant where
the owner, his son and his father did a gig, only to
us. They then taught a wedding dance to Hungarian students which they then ‘put’ on stage.
We all feel grateful to our Turkish hosts for those unforgettable
days in Turkey. We had a wonderful time there and we hope to go
back in the future to see more of the country and to meet our new
friends again.
– 78/109 –
Altın Eğitim (Ankara) 
Exchange Week - San Vito, Italy
We visited San Vito between 2 October and 9 October 2013. Our twelve students met their Italian
partners and families in San Vito.
Then, they had sightseeing tour to Aquilea, Grado and Udine
At school, they participated to the mosaic activity and each student created a new mosaic work. They
took part in the sports competitions in different fields. And they had some classes at school, too. They
visited a food company (Bofrost) and a factory (Matermacc) which produces agricultural machines. In
the company and the factory, the engineers, founders, managers and all other staff mentioned about
the company, products, economy and the details of occupational groups. They visited to Venice. They
enjoyed the time there. Finally, they visited to Town Hall and met the Mayor of San Vito.
Mosaic work at school
Bofrost visit
My trip to San Vito, Italy
Dicle Cengiz
First of all, I walked around San Vito with my host friend. It looks like coastal town in Turkey. When I
saw buildings, I was surprised. Because I imagined it to be like Venice (I saw the pictures that there
were too many towers). Later, we went to Venice and I guess that I fell in love with this city. We arrived
to the train station and everything said hello to us at the same time old big opera house, fine art school
building accompanied them.
Italian people always smile. They're talking too loudly. You think that there is a bad thing or they are so
excited If It's the first experience of meeting an Italian person.
– 79/109 –
I ate pizza and pasta always during my trip. I love the taste of pastas but I can't say the same things for
pizza. They made every kind of that. I would like to be there again to live and feel again that all of the
moments are perfect.
Exchange Week – Ankara Turkey
The Italian teachers and our students’ Italian partners came to Ankara from San Vito, Italy. Our students
hosted their partners. First of all, they visited to Mausoleum of Atatürk. At school, a concert was given
by the students and then they made a ceramic workshop. They went to Beypazarı. They went around
the town and they tasted Turkish traditional food. They also visited some factories in the Industrial area
of Sincan.
Ceramic Workshop at school
Sincan, Industrial Area
– 80/109 –
State Art and Sculpture Museum
Exchange Week – Mallorca, Spain
Our six students met with Spanish partners and families in Mallorca. They visited historical places in the
city centre: The Cathedral and The Palace.
A popular village was visited where people mostly farmed. They met with a farmer, growing oranges
and got information about his garden.
They went to sightseeing in the countryside with vineyards and had dinner in a touristic village.
They visited also ethnographical museum learning about the way of life in the past.
Finally, they travelled in an antique train to the suburbs near the seaside.
Oranges Garden
We enjoyed our time in Mallorca
Exchange Week – Stadtlohn, Germany
Our six students went to Stadtlohn for the exchange week. On the first day, the students made a city
rally through Stadtlohn prepared by students and the teachers were guided by Esther Bensing and JanBernd Lepping. After greeting at school, they went to Münster. They also made a trip to Landschaftspark
in Duisburg.
They made a bike-tour to Bauernmuseum Vreden. The students baked a bread like 100 years ago. Later,
they continued to bike-tour towards Winterswijk.
– 81/109 –
My trip to Stadthlon and to Winterswijk
Eren Çayırlı
Firstly, we greeted with all students. Then, the principal gave us a speech to welcome us. After that,
students presented their schools, cities and countries. Diplomat students of Stadtlohn presented their
school while we had a tour at school. Afterwards, the Mayor gave us information about the city.
We worked on ‘’My voyage of Dicvovery’’ Project using the homepage. Then, half of our group went to
a local industry called ‘’Lichgitter’’ and the other group stayed at school and continued to work on the
website of the Project.
We had a bike trip to Winterswijk. We went to the Dutch school: Gerrit Komrij College. They introduced
and showed around their school which has too many facilities for lots of professions. We had a bus trip
to the industrial area of the Ruhrgebiet. We went to the Gasometer Oberhausen of Art: Christo’s Big
Air Passage. Inside of it, everything was White and if you lie down and watch the whiteness of ceiling
and, you get dizzy.
I really enjoyed this adventure in Stadthlohn and in Winterswijk.
Midterm Meeting – Ankara Turkey
All the teachers and diplomats students met in Ankara between 23 May and 29 May. On the first day,
we had a visit to the Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk with all students, families and teachers.
We had an opening ceremony at our school. The Ex-Minister of Labor and Social Security (Yaşar Okuyan)
and The Mayor of Etimesgut (Enver Demirel) participated to the opening ceremony and they had
speech about the educational, cultural and international details of the project.
– 82/109 –
Our students performed a concert and a dance show. We made a trip to Cappadocia…
Exchange Week – Budapest, Hungary
Our students had a welcome party at school. On the first day, Hungarian partners of our students introduced their school building after the official opening meeting. Then they had lunch at school and
had sightseeing tour in Budapest by bus and by boat. They visited a radio station and a fire station. They
also visited to The Agricultural Museum and had a trip to The Castle of Vajdahunyad. They got information about the Hungarian customs and traditions.
My trip to Budapest, Hungary
İpek Yılmaz
I participated at the preparation meeting for this Comenius Project in Budapest. Absolutely, I fell in love
with this city and Hungarian people. As the people say ‘’Budapest’’ the pearl of Danube, I got the same
idea after our visit.
Budapest is very historical and authentic where you feel the magic all over your body. If I lived there, I
would probably get lost every day, because the buildings are so similar, nearly the same. But I think
that’s the point: they are all in harmony.
During our visit, we went to many important places such as Hero’s Square and Basilica. The inner architecture of Basilica was breath-taking. Moreover, I liked the statues around the city, they were so modern. We call Budapest as an art city.
– 83/109 –
I went to a folk concert which was totally interesting for me. We tried folk dancing as well. It was so
similar to our folk dance so, I could do it and enjoyed it.
Besides, I tried plenty of dishes. I loved Hungarian cuisine, especially deserts. I liked Hungarian chocolate and that I want to stock lots of ‘’Túró Rudi’’ on my next trip.
Finally, people are very friendly and helpful in Hungary. My host family was great. I also made really
good friendships which will last forever.
– 84/109 –
Liceo "Le Filandiere (San Vito) 
Ålesund, class groups 3F and 4A
Missoni Martina, Chiarot Giulia, Bertocco Mariacristina, Brunoro Andrea, Cozzarini Luca, Fabris
Vittorio, Menzaghi Irene, Valent Alyssa, Vit Veronica, Zanette Marianna, Coral Matteo
teachers: Laura Fagioli and Massimo De Bortoli
20th-27th September, 2014.
Key-words and topics
Life experience
This exchange was very important for us. We came into contact with students belonging to different
schools and a different culture; we improved our English communication skills; we became more mature and acquired greater autonomy.
Improving ourselves
This exchange helped us become more open-minded, it encouraged more cooperation and solidarity
and enhanced our cross-cultural competence, things that today are integral part of the baggage of any
person who wants to work in a global market.
Reciprocity
This exchange helped us to develop greater spontaneity in relationships with new people. Moreover,
this experience allowed us to compare and understand the differences of a social system different from
ours. Therefore at the end of our stay we were quite aware of the importance of being open-minded,
an important feature in today's globalized society.
Opportunities
This Voyage of Discovery gave us the chance to learn more about a lot of different jobs and opportunities that are present in a country that isn’t ours. We also tried some of them out for one day.
Welcome
Our host families welcomed us in their homes as if we were their daughters and sons. They made us
feel at ease and gave us everything we needed. Also the teachers at the Norwegian’s school were very
available and kind with us.
What did you learn in MVOD?
There are a lot of new and important things that we learned during our stay in Norway:
First of all we learned to speak English more fluently; we made the effort of thinking and speaking in
English and this was a good training for us;
Secondly, we understood the importance of being independent. In Norway boys and girls are more
independent than us, so we learned how to rely on our abilities and be more self-confident. We had
– 85/109 –
the chance to live in another completely different community and we think that this was great because in our opinion this is the best method to study a different way of life;
Moreover, we also had the chance to make new friends. We discovered how to be friendly and at the
same time, how to be respectful; this acquires a great importance especially when talking about a different culture
and tradition. So we understood which important aspects
we have to change and to better if we want to live and
blend into a community different from ours.
This voyage was a demonstration of how to be more openminded and more cosmopolitan is relevant; that's really
important because it will allow us to move to other countries without any problems and certainly in a better way in
the future.
Postcards from Norway
Centis Manuel, Pilutti Matteo, Ius Luca, Bassani Angela, Passabì Daniele, Rosset Eleonora, Zannier
Neila, Mio Gianmarco, Foresto Luca
The standard of living in Norway is considerably higher than in Italy. There are numerous and efficient
services offered to the people and facilities are very modern and innovative.
Norwegians are very kind, generous and hospitable. Their routines are very different from ours, for
example their meal times and their activities on public holidays: they go fishing for crabs in the ocean!
Norwegians seem to lead a more peaceful and relaxed life.
Norway turned out to be a beautiful country in terms of nature, with fantastic landscapes even though
the weather was very cold and wet.
The Norwegian school system is very different from ours, in fact technology is used more in schools
giving more importance to practice than to theory. The teaching methods are different and so are the
ways of studying, letting students choose subjects they are keener on. While in Italy there is a course
syllabus students have to take and there is no time for extra curricula subjects.
In Norway the cost of living is higher than ours. We had the impression that the justice system works
well and that there is not much corruption in this country. In fact almost all the people pay their taxes,
they are also very respectful of the environment. People who have personal talents and merits are
recognized and rewarded.
In Norway teenagers seem to be freer and
more autonomous than Italian teenagers
making them more responsible at an earlier
age. They start working very young, for example they work during the weekends and during their school holidays.
In Norway people not only speak Norwegian,
but also English and they speak it very well.
Young people consider this to be very important, in particular when trying to find a
job.
This school exchange experience was very interesting and useful for us. It helped us to understand better and in a practical way what Europe really is. For the first time some of us have taken
– 86/109 –
into consideration the possibility of studying or working abroad, an experience which will certainly be
rewarding.
Budapest, class groups 3A and 5D
Marta Catto, Francesca Fantin, Giada Guerrini, Agnese Lena, Alessandro Loiero, Samuele Maieron,
Silvia Metz, Giorgia Sclippa, Valentina Spagnol, Maddalena Visentin, Arianna Gianotto, Francesca
Fontana, Consiglia Emanuela Vallifuoco
teachers: Michaela Pisani and Gianattilio Valentinis
5th-12th September 2014
Hi!
We are 13 guys of "Le Filandiere" High School in San Vito al Tagliamento, Italy!
We stayed in Budapest from 5th to 12th of September 2014.
The topic of the excange was food industry and we had the opportunity to visit a winery and the way
wine is produced. We also went to an Agritourism where we had a taste of the traditional Hungarian
food. It's very different from ours! We enjoyed the workshops that they involved us in, where, for example, we had to make bread, typical biscuits and leather bracelets.
We also noticed the different school system from ours. Hungarian students can choose what lessons to
attend and there are a lot of subjects that we don't have in our school, such as economy, more languages, jurisprudence...
The Hungarian guys are more independent than us because, first, they live in a huge city, and, second,
they live in a small country. They are more open-minded and forward looking, so they study for the
future and they grow up with the idea that they have to learn a lot of languages to be able to find a job
in another country in the future!
All in all we can say that the experience has been very useful and interesting; and we have found very
welcoming and amazing people and friends!
– 87/109 –
Stadtlohn, class groups 3C and 3G
teachers: Grazia Santarossa and Evi Tesolin
6th-12th April 2014.
Stadtlohn, Deutschland,“My voyage of Discovery” – Stadtlohn, Germany, “My voyage of Discovery”
Marco Ongaro, Stefano Sandri, Chiara Coscarella, Veronica Scodeller, Maurizia Zucchetto,
MartinaColautti and Devid Volpatti.
Wir haben die Kultur und die Gewohnheiten von diesem Land dank einer wunderschönen Reise kennen
gelernt. Sechs Tage sind aber nicht genug, um völlig die Bräuche von einem Land zu verstehen .
Die Reise mit dem Bus dauerte viele Stunden aber die Tage in Deutschland waren sehr schön. Wir haben
viel über die Arbeitswelt gelernt. Wir besuchten eine weltbekannte Möbelfabrik (Huelsta) in Stadtlohn,
das Museum für Eisen und Stahl Heinrichhütte in Bochum, die Weberei und Spinnerei in Bocholt, das
Deutsche Bergbau-Museum in Bochum und ein Freilichtmuseum in Münster. Dieses Museum war besonders interessant: unser Führer zeigte uns durch technische Demonstrationen und Simulationen die
Arbeits- und Lebensbedingungen in der Vergangenheit.
Auch die Erfahrung mit unseren neuen “Familien” und mit unseren deutschen Schulfreunden war sehr
positiv. Alle waren hilfsbereit und gastfreundlich
Endlich, die Schule. Wir hatten einige Unterrichtstunden, die sehr gut organisiert waren. Die Lehrer
waren sehr nett und wir konnten im Unterricht mitarbeiten.
A journey which made us discover the culture and the habits of this Country, but only partially, because
we stayed there only six days, not long enough to learn the lifestyle of a foreign country.
The trip was very long – it lasted approximately 16 hours, but we liked the time spent in Germany very
much, especially all the guided tours around the various factories: the wood factory (Huelsta), in Stadtlohn, the iron factory, in Bochum, which is no longer used nowadays, the textile industry and the coal
mine in Bochum as well as the open-air museum in Muenster.
The visit to the coal mine was the one that we liked most, because our guide managed to make us
discover the harsh working conditions, which the miners had to endure in past times through a series
of simulations and workshops.
Our host families and our partners made us feel as if we were at home and they were always extremely
kind with us.
– 88/109 –
Last but not least, the school itself, where we took part in some lessons. Its organization really impressed us, because the students were divided into different buildings. The teachers were extremely
available and involved us in the activities, which we really enjoyed.
Aus dem Tagebuch von einem Arbeiter des XIX. Jahrhunderts
Luca Aprilis e Desireé Cecchini
Ich heiße Andreas und ich wohne in einem Dorf bei Stadtlohn.
Heute ist ein normaler Tag: ich stehe um sechs Uhr auf, ich ziehe
mich an, ich esse etwas zum Frühstück und ich gehe zu meiner
Werkstatt.
Der Himmel ist grau, die Bäume sind kahl und alles ist melancholisch: Ich öffne die Tür und ich höre schon das Geräusch von den
Maschinen; ich grüße Fabian und Bettina, zwei liebe Kollegen. Ich
bereite das Material, das ich für die Maschinen brauche. Dann
setze ich mich, um den Vorgang zu sehen. Heute bin ich glücklich,
weil ich nur zehn Stunden in der Werkstatt bleiben muß. Die Geräusche verursachen Ohrschmerzen. Heute ist mein Geburtstag,
ich verbringe den ganzen Tag hier, aber ich bin froh. Jetzt habe ich
keine Zeit für meine Gedanken: ich arbeite in einer der wichtigsten
Firmen der Umgebung und wir müssen viele Stoffen produzieren.
Leider ist meine Arbeit anstrengend und schlecht bezahlt.
Endlich ist mein Arbeitstag zu Ende. Ich gehe nach Hause, ich wasche mich und dann wäscht sich meine Familie. Wir haben nicht
viel Geld, aber wir haben Brot und die Stube ist warm.
Gott sei dank, ich habe eine Arbeit und eine Familie.
My name is Andreas and I live in a small town near Stadtlohn. Today is a day like the others: I wake up
in the morning, I get dressed, I eat a little part of what I could buy with my money, but always trying to
save for the rest of the family. I walk towards the factory, covering myself up against the bitter winds
of winter.
The sky is grey, the trees are bare and everything looks melancholic: another day of hard work is waiting
for me. When I get there, I open the wooden door. I can hear the noise of the machines. I say hello to
Fabian and Bettina, who are two of my colleagues. I prepare the material that I need to turn the machine on, and then I sit down or follow the process. I must look after the most innovative machine, the
one that creates the drawings on the material according to the labels I introduce. Today I am lucky
because my shift lasts only ten hours. The noise causes a strong pain in my head, but unfortunately I
can't protect my ears. Today is my birthday and even if I am going to spend it here working I am looking
forward to celebrating it with my family. I work in a very important factory, so we have to produce
many clothes, carpets, towels, tablecloths... Unfortunately my hard work is underpaid, so I often have
to give up some things so that my family doesn't have to give up anything.
Finally my working day is over and I can go home! At home I'm the first who can wash and, to save
money, we all have to wash in the same water. Our dinner is very humble, but we are lucky because
we can get warm thanks to the fire.
This is my life but I really have to thank God I have a job and a beautiful family.
– 89/109 –
Dialogue between two workers at a steel mill: Johann is experienced while Konrad has just been hired
Ingrid Cominotto
J:
K:
J:
J:
J:
K:
J:
K:
J:
K:
J:
K:
J:
Where are you going? Your office is over there!
I’m sorry! I’m new here and I still can’t find my way about.
Would you like to do a guided tour to see how the production works?
Yes, I would!
Fine. The iron minerals we need for the production are delivered here. Here they are processed so
they can be purified, and when it’s finished we can melt them in a blast furnace.
A blast furnace? Interesting! Can I see it?
Yes, come here. Can you see? We can’t get too close, because the temperature’s too high. The work
over here is really hard. In the Ruhr region there are lots of iron factories like this, but we’re one of
the best. Our iron is the best and it is exported in the whole Germany.
Wow!
From the blast furnace comes out the cast iron, which is not pure steel, so it has to be put in a
converter where it’s purified. The steel is than drained and cooled.
It’s really interesting! But… are you Ok? You look tired.
I am, the work here is really heavy: there’s a lot of noise, near the blast furnace the temperature is
really hot but outside it’s really cold, and there’s a lot of dust. Also, the security devices aren’t well
developed.
I’m really lucky to be an employee, I work in an office!
That’s true. Here’s your office, I get back to the production halls.
K: Thanks for the tour! See you in the refectory!
Ankara classes 3B and 3D
– 90/109 –
Mallorca, class group 4C
7th-14th April 2014,
teachers: Luisa Forte and Ingrid Liscano
La clase 4C del instituto “Liceo le Filandiere” partecipò al Comenius con la ciudad de Palma de Mallorca.
En los dìas de permanencia visitamos muchos lugares y los màs importantes fueron: Isla de Cabrera, Las
salinas, Son Puig, Escola Taller
Isla De Cabrera
El parque naciònal del Archipélago de Cabrera es
uno de los mejores conjuntos de islotes conservado
hasta ahora. La isla està bastante lejos de la costa y
no hay habitantes.Aquì se puede visitar el castillo y
dar una vuelta poi los senderos que llevan a la playa.
La isla es llena de colonias de aves marinas y especies endémicas. El paisaje es maravilloso.
Las Salinas
Las salinas de Sa Val o de la Colonia de Sant Jordi son
la segundas màs antiguas del mundo. Su explotaciòn
fue iniciada por los mercaderes pùnicos. La sal siguiò
siendo el princìpal motivo de interès para romanos,
bizantinos, àrabes y cristianos. Su extraciòn se realiza
hoy con los metodos tradicionales durante el mès de
Agosto.A lado de las salinas està la playa de Es e Trenc
que es espectacular. Aquì se puede encontrar refugios de guerra y hermosas dunas.
Vinas Y Bodegas De San Puig
La empresa vinicula es a direcciòn familiar y tiene
nove hectàreas de viNa, 5 de fruta y 3 de otras cultivaciones (uva, cerezas, aceitunas, aguacates, limones, naranjas y higos). El trabajo de recogida y selecciòn de los productos es un trabajo hecho a
mano. Fruta y vino son los productos màs vendidos y
el 30 por ciento de toda la comida se exporta al extranjero en paìses como Alemania, Suiza y Holanda.La mayorìa de los majuelos son importados por
la empresa vinicula de Rauscedo que està en nuestra
regiòn, Friuli Venezia Giulia.
Escola Taller
Nos gustò mucho visitar el astillero de Mallorca. Pudimos ver como se construye un barco y todos los
instrumentos que los trabajadores utilizan para hacerlo. Ademàs habemos entendìdo que esta producciòn de barcos es muy importante por el comercio internacionàl y muchos ingenieros navales jovenes se
llevan allì para aprender y perfecionàr este trabajo.
Nosotros pensamos que el viaje fue muy interesante y util para conocer lo que nos podrìa esperar en el
mundo del trabajo. Ciertamente nos gustò y tornaremos siguramente porqué Palma de Mallorca es una
magnifica ciudad que encanta todos lo que la ven.
– 91/109 –
Our Experience in Magdeburg – Class Groups 3I and 3E
Perin Alessandro, Sinigaglia Lorenzo, Crosara Emily, Filippin Sara, Ciani Riccardo, Marcon Giosuè,
Cester Giacomo, Garlatti Nicolas, Mazzolini Francesco, Manzari Teresa, Pintican Ane, Loiero Federico,
Zuccato Nicola, Scapolan Leonardo
teachers Francesca Miorin and Valter Follo
14th-20th September 2014
If You Want to Complete the Story Find the Missing Words in the Crossword
On 14th September 2014 classes 3E and 3I of Liceo “Le Filandiere” left for a cultural exchange with the
Hegle-Gymnasium in
.After a short stay in Nurnberg we arrived to the city of Magdeburg where we met our
partners and their family for the first time. The next
day we were greeted by the students at their school. A school choir sang a beautiful welcome song for
us and the Dutch students who were also their guests. Then we visited the school building and a small
school museum which displayed old furniture and teaching instruments used during chemistry and
physics lessons. After this we went up to the highest part of the school building, called the
, and from there we could see the whole city. Later we went to visit
in
Magdeburg. The building was an old foundry factory where they used to work metal and shape it. A
former worker from the factory showed us how a lathe machine used to work and talked about the
time when he used to work there.
In the afternoon the students organized a barbecue for us and so we enjoyed some typical German
food including
and
. On the third day we left for a day trip to the
city of Berlin where we had a guided tour of the remains of the Wall of Berlin in Bernauer Strasse. It is
a new outside memorial museum which reminds us of the past, but the city is also very modern and
moving towards the future because there are many places under construction and being renovated.
For example the train station called
and the Parliament, called
. After Berlin we visited a
where we learned
about some scientific discoveries from famous scientists and scholars of the past. A guide made us do
some of these experiments. We spent the last day of our exchange visiting the city of
, which
is considered the home town of the school of design and architecture called
. This school
revolutionised artistic and architectural ideas and productions worldwide. We saw how the students
and their art teachers used to live together in a community. We could also visit the inside of the school,
a guide described the school’s architecture and told us something about the details of the building.
The exchange in Magdeburg made us discover the skills you need when you live in a different country.
We found new enjoyable
in our German peers and, last but not least, we had a
lot of
together! We learnt how to use different means of transport such as
.
Every morning most of us took
the
or the
to go
to school. Finally, with our German friend we spent some time at
.
In the afternoons for souvenirs. It was a really great opportunity we would like to repeat.
– 92/109 –
W
A
L
L
O
F
B
E
R
L
I
N
C
E
N
T
C
I
A
B
N
I
T
C
E
N
T
R
O
C
O
M
M
E
R
C
I
A
L
E
M
D
S
I
C
S
C
A
M
B
I
O
A
Q
R
S
T
A
R
R
A
I
A
S
S
H
C
N
O
S
B
W
S
C
A
M
B
L
T
L
G
V
S
N
E
B
T
E
C
H
N
I
K
M
U
S
E
U
M
I
I
E
N
I
V
N
K
I
C
H
F
B
S
U
U
M
U
S
U
N
L
R
N
S
R
A
S
T
R
A
B
E
N
B
A
H
N
L
N
H
W
T
D
O
A
S
T
C
M
V
Z
O
D
A
M
C
I
O
A
A
I
A
F
N
R
E
S
H
B
T
E
C
H
M
C
C
A
U
I
I
L
M
O
Z
D
A
R
R
I
A
B
T
O
N
L
Q
V
E
D
P
L
E
L
D
E
N
W
H
M
N
F
D
N
L
N
I
O
O
P
T
T
N
I
E
B
D
A
L
O
K
L
T
I
O
Z
C
C
P
B
B
S
T
P
S
U
E
R
B
U
N
D
E
S
T
A
G
I
D
E
A
B
O
C
S
R
N
T
M
W
K
A
R
T
M
U
S
M
B
R
H
O
I
M
A
G
D
E
B
U
R
G
O
F
F
U
A
D
E
L
N
P
L
Q
U
G
L
L
K
R
B
A
U
H
A
U
S
S
R
I
H
I
E
L
O
A
T
M
O
S
K
A
R
T
O
F
F
E
L
N
O
L
M
H
R
T
S
R
L
T
L
L
Z
S
Q
V
P
C
U
A
F
T
C
C
H
E
O
L
S
E
P
I
M
C
I
N
I
T
A
M
I
S
A
I
S
C
H
O
O
L
S
M
U
S
E
U
M
T
S
Q
R
Wissenschafts:
Um; Magdeburg; liceo; Ster Warte; Straßenbahn; scambio; U-Bahn; Bus; Kartoffeln; Technik Museum;
Bauhaus; divertimento; Berlin; Würstel; school’s museum; Wall of Berlin; amici; Berlin Hauptbahnhof;
Bundestag; centro commerciale; Brandeburg Gate; coro; Dessau
– 93/109 –
Chatting
Santin Francesco, Moretto Davide, Brusin Matteo, Noemi Colussi, Cattaruzza Alberto, Trevisan Luca,
Corrà Fabio, Randazzo Paolo, Innocente Matteo, Padovan Matteo, Zago Giacomo, Bellomo Elena,
Susan Sofia
Hi guys! How are you? We’re ok, we are here at the observatory
of our school!!
Ehi guys!! We haven’t heard from you for about a month, it has
been such a long time! We’re all ok, although it is so cold in these
days!
But, tell me something more about your school and the German
school system 
Well, it’s so different from your school system…
First, we have to decide on our future at only 13 years old, and this
is not very good because we can’t be sure about what we want to
do at the age of 13!
In Italy we can choose the type of school we want to go to at the
age of 14, but then we can change within two years. There are
many kinds of schools with different courses, but after that you
can go to university and study whatever subject you like. By the
way, we've also seen the Bauhaus school in Germany! It was a really great experience!
Yes it was an important school of design founded in 1919 in Weimar,
then it moved to Dessau, but in 1933 it closed down during the Nazi
period. Now it's a sort of museum that you can visit with a guide.
Yeah it was a really good experience, we saw the main building, the
laboratories, the small theatre, some products that the student
have designed during their studies. We've also seen the students’
rooms that were very small: the space was optimized with only a
few important things.
We know that you’ve also visited the Science Museum in Magdeburg, right?
– 94/109 –
Yes sure. In the museum the guide showed us some interesting experiments, like the “Magdeburg Spheres”, that demonstrate the
power of pression. Pitagora’s Theorem and Newton’s spheres. Then
we’ve visited the park that was outside the museum.
Here’s a photo that shows what the museum is like inside.
Did you also visit the Technology Museum in Magdeburg? There are
a lot of interesting things inside.
Yes, we’ve also visited that! If I remember well, it’s near some
schools and before being a museum it used to be a foundry. There
we’ve discovered some machines that could work the iron and
metal. We have also seen some of the products of the old foundry.
The guide, showed us how this machinery worked, like some lathe
and molds did.
Well, we didn’t see a lot because we didn’t have much time, but
fortunately we’ve seen the Berlin Wall Memorial. The wall was built
in 1961 and it divided Berlin in two parts, Berlin East and Berlin
West. Fortunately in 1989 it was destroyed with the fall of the
USSR.
Here in the picture you can see one of the many machines that are in the museum.
We’ve also visited Berlin.
Oh Really?? It’s a fantastic city… What was it like?
We’ve taken a picture of the remains of the wall from a “tower”
which was in front of it.
Oh well… It sounds like you had a good time in Germany!
Yes, we really did…
Ok, Goodbye guys, see you again in April, this time in San Vito!
Sure!!! Goodbyeee!!!
– 95/109 –
Collegio Coop. Son Verí Nou (Son Verí Nou) 
Comenius Alemania 2013
Bárbara Battocchio
It was our first trip when we – Paula Gomila, Alberto Dueñas,
two teachers from our school and me – went to Stadtlohn
from 25 to 29 of September 2013. We had the opportunity
to start this amazing experience in a small town in North
Rhine-Westphalia with very lovely people. Because they
were kind and friendly, it was easy to me to make new
friends and enjoy every moment I was there. I stayed with an
amazing girl, we kept in touch and she came during the summer for a week - we had lots of fun! As well we did in Stadtlohn. I used to go with my exchange partner’s friends to the
park, to have dinner together or just to cook some cake in
the free time we had.
This photo appeared in the Stadtlohn
Newspaper with the following headline:
“Sieben Nationen zu Gast”
(Seven nations guest)
During the first day, we did the presentation of the schools and
the Student Diplomats, we also visited the City Hall with the
Mayor of Stadtlohn and did a rally around the small city. On our
second day we visited an important local industry called ‘Lichtgitter’; after that we went to Bocholt Textile Museum. On our
last day of excursions we did a bike trip to the Netherlands and
we went to Winterswijk and also to the Dutch school ‘Gerrit
Komrij College’.
The Netherlands
The thing that I loved the most was going by bike every day to the school, so my favourite excursion
was when we visited the Netherlands by bike. The worst part was when we had to leave because I really
didn’t want to, I would have loved to stay there more time.
On our road by bike
– 96/109 –
Intercambio España–Hungría:
Paula Gomila Marqués
Firstly I would like to stand out the great interest and participation of the students in this exchange, be it because it was
their first one or because the enthusiasm that it produced.
Having in mind that in our school the number of students is
reduced, we archived that almost all of them wanted to participate.
When we arrived to Budapest, we got a warm welcome from
the school and also from our exchange partners. In the school
we were introduced and then we did some games to get to
know each other. Then we had a tour around the school to learn more about it and see the facilities
that it has. Finally, we went all around the city sightseeing.
On Tuesday, we went to a farm museum which was an old house. While we were there we caught a
train to see the surrounding area. When we were there we learnt how to make gingerbread cookies
and regular bread. We learnt how to work with leather fabric too.
All those activities were taught by people who had been living there for many years and had dedicated
their lives to that.
On Wednesday, we visited a distillery. We learnt how wine is made in a traditional way. We had the
opportunity to learn it in depth because the owners of the distillery were some of the teacher’s relatives. We also went to a little town called Tata featured on its natural beauty.
On Thursday the parliament was our first stop. We were
amazed by its architecture and how beautiful it was. Actually
when we were inside we had the chance to see the congress
where Hungarian politicians usually gather. Later on, we went
back to the school. There we watched a traditional Hungarian
dance show offered by our own hosts. We also listened to
some of their typical songs. At the end of the day, we went for
a boat trip which we truly enjoyed because it allowed us to
have a panoramic view of Budapest and its sunset.
Finally, on Friday we had a closing ceremony. Every school had to explain what the exchange had meant
for them and what they had learnt. In the afternoon we had some free time to explore Budapest a little
bit more. The Spanish group decided to go to the Budapest castle and to a famous market.
Overall all the Spanish group had an unbelievable experience that will never forget.
– 97/109 –
Comenius Turquía
Lourdes Mª Canals Payeras
From May the 24th till the 29th we went to Turkey for a Comenius’ meeting. There we met with the
Turkish Diplomats and also with those who came from Italy, Hungary, Germany, Norway and the Netherlands.
During these days we visited different places from Ankara and its surroundings. The journey was quite
long: we had to take three flights. When we arrived to the airport, there was a minibus that took us to
the school, where our host families were waiting for us.
On the first day, we went with our families to visit Atatürk’s Mausoleum. It was a sunny day and the place was very beautiful.
The second day we spent at the school. The local authorities received
us and talked for a while. After that,
we enjoyed some traditional
dances, had lunch all together in the
school’s dining room, and played several games -like volley- all afternoon.
We visited Cappadocia on our third day and it was truly amazing! The
views were incredibly beautiful and we took lots of pictures.
Cappadocia is quite far from Ankara, so
even though the ride was about five hours round-trip, it was worth it. On our
way back, we stopped into a ceramics shop and had dinner in a restaurant,
where they served us a typical meal similar to a pizza.
On our last day, we met at the school for a project meeting. We worked on
our scheme and shared experiences with the other Diplomats.
Besides of the official program, I had a very nice time with my host family,
my partner -Hira Güzel- and her friends. We went bowling, to the lake,
danced traditional dances and many more!
– 98/109 –
Project Evaluation
Comenius Photo Exhibition
General comment
Rune Olav Nilsen, Rune Ringdal Kleiven
Although there was a lot of good photos, many of them fall into the category touristic photos, group
photos or even selfies. It is of course nice to have pictures of one self together with friends, but these
are not suitable for this competition. Some of the photos are unnamed; some even might be taken by
teachers, who are not suppose to be participating. So even if your photo might be above average picture quality, the jury has tried keep strictly to the outlines drawn in the three categories connected to
the MVOD project.
Best illustration of the MVOD- project
Winner: Gianmarco Mio, Le Filandiere, San Vito al Tagliamento
Jury’s comment
The picture immediately puts the viewer into the working situation of being at the news desk in a TVstudio and gives a good impression of how it’s like to work there.
– 99/109 –
Gianmarco Mio
I am a student of Liceo “Le filandiere”, I am seventeen.
I love travelling to foreign countries and my hobbies are playing football,
listening to music and hanging out with my friends
Best artistic photo which can be linked to the project
Winner: Agnese Lena, Le Filandiere San Vito al Tagliamento
Jury’s comment
The beautiful composition of the photo with slightly worn flag in front of the huge Hungarian parliament in the background reminds us of the historic greatness of Hungary and also of the though difficulties of today’s political situation. Then again the bridges across the powerful Danube show hope for the
future.
Agnese Lena
I'm seventeen and I attend Liceo “Le Filandiere” in San Vito. I live in
Concordia Sagittaria and I'm very interested in photography. I love
dancing and travelling and I really enjoyed the time spent in Budapest
with the other exchange students.
– 100/109 –
Best photo of work life, company visit or excursion connected to the MVOD-project
Winner: Justin Marold, GSG, Stadtlohn
Jury’s comment
Brave New World: there is an Aldous-Huxley-like feeling about this photo. The sleekness of the Audi
buildings, the professional touch to it all shows which demands the future holds for all youth living and
working in Europe.
Justin Marold
I live in a small town called Gescher near the border to the Netherlands.
I really like travelling. I've seen numerous countries on four different
continents. To broaden my horizons I took part in three Comenius exchanges - which I all enjoyed very much - and the stay in Hungary was
one of them
In the picture you can see the entrance one of the huge halls of the
Audi engine factory in Győr - Hungary. The visit was one of the numerous highlights of our stay in Hungary. That is why it was a special feeling
seeing the factory of the Volkswagen and Audi Company for the first
time. To capture this special moment I took the photo. Now everyone
can always remember the visit and this exact moment. They told us that
in this factory almost every car engine for the international company of
the Volkswagen Group was built and that the Audi A3 and the Audi TT
are built there, as well, which was fascinating for all of us.
– 101/109 –
Conclusive meeting
Budapest 27th – 31st May, 2015
Comenius final meeting in Hungary
István Hartyánszky (Budapest)
The last meeting of the two-year long MVOD project was held in Budapest from 27th to 31st of May.
Our school had the privilege to host this event.
Our guests arrived on the 27th of May, and were welcomed by our teachers and their Hungarian host
families at the airport. On the following day the official programmes began with the opening ceremony
in our school. After that we could see a photo exhibition of the exchanges, and then we all went together for lunch. It was followed by the City Tour, the exciting „get-to-know Budapest” game and then
we went to the Petőfi Literary Museum to try book-binding. It was really fascinating. On Friday we
started the day with some sport activities and then we made paper in the biology laboratory of the
school. In the afternoon we went sightseeing in the city, and ended up on Margaret Island where we
had some free time before we went for a panorama boat trip on the Danube River, which was beautiful!
The next day we had an excursion in the Buda Hills, and then a garden party in the school yard. We
could enjoy many interesting programmes there, such as folk dancing, karaoke and a concert. On the
last day, on Sunday, with some of our guests who booked for later flights we could visit the Buda Castle
and the Castle District.
Just as earlier with the Comenius project, we had remarkable programmes together, and made unforgettable memories. We made new friends, and strengthened the old ones.
– 102/109 –
Comenius trip: Budapest 2015
Jelmer Scheurs, Lindy Hoefman, Artan Ramaja and Noa Martens
Winterswijk, The Netherlands
The time went very fast when we were in Budapest. At the moment itself we might not have been 100%
aware of what we were experiencing, but after our return to the Netherlands we let the experience
sink in. Here are some of the activities that were meaningful to us.
The cultural sightseeing tour on Thursday was interesting and meaningful, because we got to see
a lot of special things like the Royal Hungarian
Opera and the statues of several historical heroes
of Hungary on the Heroes Square with a beautiful
statue of the archangel Gabriel in the centre. It is
a very special place because we learned that
those heroes gave their life for the freedom and
independence of the Hungarian people, which
made a big impression on us.
The Hungarian people were really impressive too. We already knew that the Hungarian people have a
high standard of hospitality. What we didn’t know was that there are big differences between rich and
poor areas in Budapest. There are neighbourhoods with big houses but also those with only flats, a lot
of danger and police walking everywhere.
A thing that we experienced as really beautiful were the nights in the park. In the evenings our entire
student group went to the park, and we had really nice weather. Everybody sat together, sang together,
made music together and had a lot of fun. It is something we usually don’t do in Winterswijk. This was
for us really special.
Another thing that we’ll keep in mind is the public
transport. We (in Winterswijk) only use the car or
our bicycle. In Budapest we went everywhere by
public transport. It was different because it was
so busy everywhere. There are a lot of differences
between a big city like Budapest and a small town
like Winterswijk.
The last thing we want to mention was the sightseeing cruise on the Danube. We were surrounded by sound from our headsets which gave
us so much information about the river and the
fabulous story’s about the charming sights along the river. For example the parliament building made
a really great impression. Fortunately the weather was so great! It was sunny and the air was clean, so
that means we could see far away. We had a good view of the Buda Hills and Margaret Island.
– 103/109 –
Thank you Budapest for this amazing trip! We would never forget it.
Favourite experiences in Budapest
Stadlohn
27th May 2015-31st May 2015
Citytour for teachers: Dream teams on tour
“Let’s open the next envelope!” one in our group
used to demand constantly and frequently
got the same answers uttered by the rest of the
team as a choir: “No, we
have to find out about
this first!” All group
members were really
dedicated and focused in
our teacher’s ralley
through Budapest’s picturesque Jewish Quarter.
Also, the smack-talk right
before the game started
was indicative of the
teacher’s
motivation:
The “orange team” became
the “lemon team”, the “green team”
wished they were the “dream team” and what
became of the blue team? The blue team was the winning team although somehow the results didn‘t
come through. The weather was nothing but perfect for taking a stroll or even a run through the small
– 104/109 –
alleys and narrow streets of this lively part of Hungary’s capital. One really has to compliment the creators of the ralley: It was well thought through, prepared with an eye for detail and – that is the most
important aspect – great fun.
Panomara boat tour on the Danube River: My mobile is over the
ocean
A cruise like this is paradise for all selfie-enthusiasts. Click here,
click there, click everywhere. But unlike
most selfies these actually have a nice
background which are Buda and Pest.
There were a lot of very good ways of enjoying the boat trip: Chatting with your international friends (which is of course always appreciated), enjoying the sun and
thanking the Lord for sunscreen and
shades, the aforementioned use of outstretched arm and cellphone or listening intently to the explanations of
the nice speaker-lady of the audio guide and trying to grasp as many
pieces of information as possible. To be honest, the last option was mostly seized by the teachers who,
naturally, took part in the selfie-marathon as well.
Excursion in the Buda Hills: Making mountains out of molehills
It was Saturday morning. It was hot, it was steep – but most of all: It was fun. Our two tourguides Tamás
and Kati took us way outside of the tourist spots in Budapest with all their glamour and pomp and
showed us the nature of the metropolis which was equally breathtaking. After the first half an hour
some of our hikers were complaining about the heat, the way and the situation altogether. After another half an hour the grumbling stopped an d nearly everybody realised that there was a lot more to
experience out there besides aching feet and sweaty foreheads. Finally everybody came to really enjoy
the walk when we all saw the astonishing view onto Budapest, had a rest and ate lángos. What’s more,
the ride in the chairlift back down to the hectic city was wonderful and – judging by what most students
said – could have taken another half an hour if it had been up to them.
Garden party in the schoolyard: Night fever, night fever!
New experiences were served on Saturday: Goulash straight from the kettle made outdoors, folk dancing with nearly all student diplomats and a lot of soprano screaming, a concert of „Grand Central International Station“ – I hope I remember that correctly – and karaoke with the lovely Teach Boys. Although
half exhausted from the Buda Hills everybody was absolutely enthused when seeing what our Hungarian hosts prepared for us. The garden party was a perfect way of ending a brilliant exchange.
– 105/109 –
My Voyage of Discovery
Tolga Özdemir
Turkey, 11 Jun 2015
It has always been a glamorous experience to take part in Comenius projects. From a teacher's stand
point the opportunities are quite endless for personal development and increase effectiveness on your
teaching and coaching skills. For many of us it's also a great tool for a lifelong learning process which is
a major goal for European projects.
I personally am very interested in social studies especially in geography. It's always great to see how
nature shapes human life and how history, politics, economics and technology develops around landscapes. In the last 10 years I took part in 3 amazing projects, all given me a better understanding of
diversity, common values and respect.
EDUCATION
is the most
POWERFUL
WEAPON
we can use
to CHANGE
the WORLD
Nelson Mandela
My Voyage of Discovery is a great success for young Europeans to draw a future together and be creative and be responsible and be a part of something produced from scratch. Their will is our story as
– 106/109 –
teachers to guide and help them to build a better future. I do thank to each and every single person
who took a part in our project. Parents, students, teachers, school staff, it's been a great journey.
Closing remarks
Our amazing journey lasted for
two years but we got lots of
unforgettable
experiences
during our life. This project
was really important not only
for students but also for teachers. I think that everybody got
the chance to find his/her own
benefit from this project. I really glad to being part of this
journey. Especially, the students were happy about all
project activities was the most
enjoyable part of our project. I
really thank our all “Comenius
Family”
Burcu UZUNGÖL BAŞOĞLU
(Ankara)
Thinking about the events that I took part in during the last 2 years I really cannot decide which one is
the one that means the most to me. The time pasted too fast and I am very sad but all the eventful
time we were spending together is impossible to forget. Because of that I am now coming to one of my
very favourite events.
It was the first time for
me seeing Turkey and
also being part of the
diplomat meetings. So
as soon as our plane
took off from Berlin my
body got filled with a
mixture of excitement,
happiness but also a bit
of insecure due to what
I was going to do there.
But this insecure was
really not necessary
how I recognised when
we arrived in Ankara
and I firstly got to know
the diplomats of the other countries.
– 107/109 –
Fortunately I also met the Hungarian diplomats again that I already got to know in the MagdeburgBudapest exchange in 2013.
During this voyage I became friends with a lot of people all around Europe and I am so looking forward
to see them all again in any point of time in my future.
by Paul Groß
Erasmus+: Futurology and Ethics
On Friday, the teachers met for what turned out to be a very exciting morning. We were supposed to
discuss our recently submitted Erasmus+ project on futurology, except that our Dutch team had little
to report other than that we are waiting and hoping for our proposal to be accepted.
The Hungarian team, however, had a surprise in store for us. The concept of futurology had inspired
several of their teachers to come up with concrete lesson plans to be used in the future project. One of
these was a workshop on ethics by Tamás Szecsödi, which we tried out that morning to see how it
would suit the purpose of the new project.
The teachers split up in six small groups, making sure that each group had maximum number of nationalities. We travelled to an imaginary land with the aim to build a new society, but each group brought
its own values and purpose. Two groups wanted to just live and let live, two showed a willingness to
help each other and make sacrifices, and two groups aimed to dominate the others. What would happen when these groups met? And, in retrospect, which of these attitudes would be most beneficial for
the future society?
In the plenary discussion we mostly agreed that all attitudes have their advantages and disadvantages,
and we just have to learn to deal with all of them. It was a fruitful exercise that would definitely fit the
new project and it works for teambuilding as well. Whether our Erasmus+ project is approved or not,
this session showed me that futurology is a concept that can inspire our cooperation in the years to
come.
– 108/109 –
from the group to Jan-Bernd Lepping
– 109/109 –