Feedback from the project meeting in Poland

The 6th  Ethno treasure hunt project meeting in Lodz, Poland, was very successful. It was a great contribution  to the aims and goals of the project. Particularly useful and interesting was a detailed tour of traditions, costumes and lifestyle from the feudal age, held at the Ethnographic Museum of Lodz. Later on, we also had the chance to observe and experience some of those customs and rituals, watching a traditional wedding play at the Malrzyce Open-Air Museum, with all the traditional outfits, music and dances. The whole meeting was an enriching and educational experience for everyone.
Dimitar, teacher of English, Georgi Ivanov, vice headmaster, Galin Ganchev, headmaster of the school "Vasil Levski, Ruse, Bulgaria

Dear friends
The project is going to end, but it will surely be fixed in my heart forever as one of the greatest experiences I've ever had in my life. This last meeting in Poland has been really interesting and people welcomed us in such a perfect way that it is really sad to say good bye, so... I prefer to say See you soon, Friends! My house is your house.
Mariausilia, Santa Teresa di Riva, Sicilia, Italy

The project "Ethno treasure hunt" is ending and we are a bit sad, but at the same time we wish to have further chances to be involved in other European projects to widen our experience. Thanks to this Comenius project, our students and teachers had the opportunity to verify what they learnt in their books, to meet new people and discover our common European background. It was a really good experience.
Rosa Crupi, Headmistress of Instituto Comprensivo Santa Teresa di Riva, Sicilia, Italy

This has been the first experience for me and everything of it was really fantastic because I have seen a lot of beautiful places and I have met  many nice people!!! I hope to repeat this "hunting" I'm happy that I had the opportunity to meet Polish people who have deep roots linked to their traditions and culture that they have inherited from generations.... Ciao, ciao, friends!
Valeria Vinci, Santa Teresa di Riva, Sicilia, Italy


This meeting in Poland was an interesting and beautiful experience for every aspect: I'm happy for sharing this trip with all of you because it was an occasion to stay together, to discover other cultures and traditions, to taste typical food. At the end of the meeting I can say that I will remember it as a positive and joyful moment.
Chiara Vinci, Santa Teresa di Riva, Sicilia, Italy


Thanks to this Comenius project I've learnt that comparing different cultures is the best way to overcome any kind of prejudices. This new experience helped me to broaden my way of thinking and I loved to meet friendly people.
Anamaria Miuccio, Art teacher, Santa Teresa di Riva, Sicilia, Italy


My dear friends, I wish all the best for your life! We had such a wonderful time together in every country we hunted, discovering the small and precious treasure of our friendship, which, I'm sure, will last. Each country I visited I found warmth, hospitality and love. Moreover, I learnt a lot about old traditions and cultures. My life now is richer with good memories and with the smile and good humour of my Ethno friends. Thanks, Europe!
Nina Morabito, English teacher, Santa Teresa di Riva, Sicilia, Italy


I appreciated your company and the way you welcomed me in your ethno group. I liked the people and their hospitality, their old traditions and I tasted delicious food. I hope to have other occasions to meet you all in the future.
Salvatore, Santa Teresa di Riva, Sicilia, Italy


Dear friends, it seems like yesterday when we met in Baia Mare for the first time! It was great to meet you all with your warm welcoming. I really felt at home in that wonderful hotel in Romania and later on in Turkey, in Lithuania, in Bulgaria and at last in Poland. Now I am sad. We shared a very good time together experiencing new adventures and new worlds. You'll be in my heart for the rest of my life.
Mimma Crupi, English teacher, Santa Teresa di Riva, Sicilia, Italy


My first experience was very positive and I want to thank my colleagues and my school for taking part in this Comenius project. It has given me mhe opportunity  to know other ways of school organization. I believe that our students, who had the chance to compare with foreign students, will become active and responsible citizens of Europe.
Cettina Cami, teacher of Italian, Santa Teresa di Riva, Sicilia, Italy


I'm really happy to have had the opportunity to stay in this green land full of historyand traditions. This Polish meeting is the last step on two years of hard work and I'm very proud of what we have done, but also a bit sad... We had the opportunity to understand the real meeting of these words FRIENDSHIP, TOLERANCE AND COOPERATION. I've met many people and faced different cultures, rich of ancient and wonderful traditions. Ethno treasure friends, I love you all!. Kisses!
Linda Cigala, teacher, Santa Teresa di Riva, Sicilia, Italy


Nobody would tell the better way of exploring than we do with the help of our Comenius project. This time we are guests in our neighbour country. It is full of red poppies, vast meadows and green fields. People here are proud of their ethnic traditions and their past. We had the possibility to watch an amazing traditional wedding performance. The bright colours and liud folk songs made our hearts beat quickly. Our project is going to its end, but the experience gained in Poland will stay with us for long. Thank you, Polish team, for your hospitality and care!
Rima and Renata, teachers of English from Lithuania

I had already known that the Polish team is one of the most hardworking and colourful teams. But they have organized such a fantastic program for us, that I am impressed by their organisational skills, team work, harmony of the manager and teachers. I enjoyed  visiting the Ethnographic museums, where I detected many similarities between rural lifestyles in Poland and Turkey. I had the chance to see colorful decorations, paper cutting works and folk costumes. The music and dances at the wedding party were great. The trip to Auschwitz Concentration Camp showed us the importance of tolerance and mutual understanding. If Europe had Comenius programmes before 1930, they wouldn;t have suffered from World War II. In the visit to the Textile Manufacturing Museum and Salt Mine, we learnt about business and labour life of Poland. After all these unforgettable experiences, I would like to thank Asia and our Polish friends for this outstanding week.
Ozgur Boyaci, teacher of English from Denizli, Turkey

This has been an incredible feast for me and my team here in Poland. I have had the opportunity to host all my ethno friends in my homeland, show them my system of education and school, where my team and I work, make them experience the spirit, hospitality, and the sights of Poland. And, even if I stayed in Poland, every single dayof the Comenius meeting I felt as if I were abroad: I saw the same familiar places as if for the first time, in the eyes of my Comenius partners. It was an unforgattable experience for me and my Polish friends. We had to learn how to cooperate well to organize the activities and make our guests happy here. I hope we have succeeded well and our ethno friends felt at home with us. I am also grateful to my Polish colleagues at school, who, though not directly involved in the project, helped us immensely with the preparations: created presents, organized food, performances and school exhibitions at school, and documentary visits. I have learned what it feels like to be the leader of a team of people who are understanding, willing to work (also under stress and pressure) and creative. I don't mind having to work hard for this particular meeting. It was worth every bit of the effort. The only thing I am sorry for is that it has been the last meeting within this ethno project, though I have a strong hope that Lifelong Learning Programme will turn into a Lifelong friendship.
Asia, teacher of English from Lodz, Poland, coordinator of the Polish team.