Sunday, 3rd of November
The third Comenius meeting for the H.I.P. project started on Sunday the 3rd of November.
We met at Pescara airport at 1:00 o’clock; the seven girls and the three teachers were almost punctual and we were very anxious to leave our land and to start the new experience.
For some of the students that was the first flight, they were a little nervous, but we had no problem at all. After having said goodbye to our relatives and friends, we did the check in. It is unconfortable to take off all our metal things like keys, belts and watches, but we had to do it.
The plane left Pescara while the sun was shining even if it was a little cloudy and it was amazing to see our town from the sky… the harbor, the stadium, Aurum Palace… they are completely different from above.
Approaching the Apennines the weather changed and it was very cloudy, so we could sleep.
As usual, the plane arrived some minutes earlier at Girona airport. We found our cases already there and we could leave the airport with the bus to Barcelona. The trip to Barcelona on the highway is not very interesting, but we all very excited because of our next experience. I had already sent some sms to Mario and he told me that Sonia would be at Estación del Norte to receive us with their students. While we were approaching I sent a couple more of sms and when we arrived, all the Spanish students and Sonia were there. The first meeting was impressive, we kissed as the Spanish way (I always have problem to remember that Spanish people start kissing from the left!) and we were all nervous because of the new situation, but happy to start it.
All the hosting girls were there, so we could leave our student in their warm embrace and leave the station to reach our hotel. Sonia was really very kind and she paid a taxi for us, so we didn’t had to walk to the hotel.
The hotel was nice and after a short shower we went out to have dinner. Our appointment was in the hotel hall to meet the German and the Turkish teachers; it was a pleasure for us to meet again Cengiz, Denis and Fatih that we already knew during the Italian meeting and to knew Tania and Benita, the German teachers. At the restaurant we had a nice dinner with Mario, Sonia, Encar and the Spanish director and the food was really very good.
Monday, 4th of November
Breakfast at the hotel was a very huge one and I thought it was impossible to be on a diet that day, so I had some Spanish salami, some ham, some pieces of cake, and … it was enough for the first day. We took the underground to reach Cornellà. In Cornellà we started the H.I.P. project activities with the introduction speech of the MAC headmaster. After that, all the students did some icebreaking activities: they introduced and talked about themselves, they had to describe their personality, they talked about stereotypes on our countries, they had to communicate in English and to socialize. It was really great to see how teenagers coming from different cultures and countries worked, studied, played, talked, joked, laughed all together without any problem, sharing their opinions, competences and experiences and getting to know each other … those were was the main purposes of the activities perfectly organized by the Spanish team.
In the afternoon, after a good lunch, we visited the marvellous Sagrada Familia. Outside the temple is wonderful, but inside it is still better if possible. Antonio Gaudí, the architect who projected this masterpiece was really an amazing dreamer and he left something unique in the world for humanity.
After that we visited a bit Barcelona and we started my students’ favourite sport: shopping! Actually I don’t like shopping, but it is nice to think on our families.
At night we had another nice dinner in a restaurant in Barcelona, I must admit I ate too much during the meeting.
Tuesday, 5th of November
Another day in Barcelona, students had to do a treasure hunt, walking through the Barrio Gótico and searching for some clues. It was not just tourism, students had to speak in English guided by their Spanish mates. Teachers had to walk and visit he Ramblas and other places near there. We entered the Boquería, the best market in Barcelona and we admired its magnificent colours and products in there. Then we walked through the oldest area of Barcelona with its narrow streets and medieval buildings, the cathedral and its square, the church of Santa María del Mar, the Municipality Palace and many other interesting places. I never get rid to visit Barcelona, every corner of this capital it’s a surprise for my eyes and its Modernism is really astonishing.
After lunch, we visited Gaudí’s Casa Batllò, in my opinion the best Gaudí’s house. He was really a modern genius and above all I appreciated the decorations and his main idea: to imitate Nature and its forms. In every room there is something amazing and you.
Wednesday, 6th of December
It was the day of student’s presentations, every student should introduce her/his work and speak in English to explain what they have done. First af all they have some time to finish to prepare their work and to check that everything was fine. Then, they started to show their presentations.
Our students were very nervous because they had to speak in front of an audience, but they were very clever: they presented their work and I think they convinced many people to come and visit our Abruzzo!
After that we visited the old area of Cornellà which was a Roman Villa and there are still some ruins of it and some medieval buildings.
In the afternoon we made a very interesting visit at Citilab, which is a mix between a training center, a research center and an incubator for business and social initiatives. Actually, Citilab is a project started with the idea that digital technologies, above all Internet, are a way of innovation much more focused on citizens. It’s really out of the ordinary.
In the evening we had another great dinner in one of the restaurants near La Ramblas, Barcelona at night is still wonderful.
Thursday, 7th of November
It was a marvelous day, the sun was shining and it was really hot for November.
We had a walk to Montjuic and we could visit the hall of the Museo Nacional de Arte de Cataluña, there is a great panorama of Barcelona from there. After that we had a walk on that hill and we reached the funicular to go down to the beach. It was really warm and the see was calm, actually some people were having a bath there and many others were having a sunbathe.
Obviously, we had a good lunch in a restaurant in front of the beach and in the afternoon we visited again Barcelona, we never get tired of that. At night we had our last dinner in Cornellà, actually we went to a discobar were the Spanish team had organized a party for us. We listened to some good music played by some MAC students, we could dance and enjoy that party. At the end, we received our “Certificate of attendance” and each group said some farewell words. It is needless to say that many people started crying. We teachers were conscious that our work was satisfactory because many of the students were able to create a relation of friendship with people of many countries.
Friday, 8th of November
It was time to leave Cornellà and go back home had come. After the last huge breakfast at the hotel, Tania and I tried to share our photos, but it was impossible, I just had photos from the Turkish group.
We met at the Mac in Cornellà and had a farewell breakfast there with our friends.
We bought the last things just for the trip and to bring back home some delicious Spanish food.
It was difficult for all of us to leave our new friends, we were very sad and many of the girls just burst into tears and they stopped only when we left Barcelona. Sonia and the hosting girls came with us to the bus station; they danced for us for the last time there and we started our trip to home.
Going back means to leave someone, but we couldn’t wait to meet again our families and tell them what we did and who we met. It was time to start again our lives, but we will never forget such an experience.
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