ETHNO TREASURE HUNT STORY

„Ethno Treasure Hunt”

story

written by partner schools

from

Romania

Italy

Turkey

Lithuania

Bulgaria

&

Poland

Chapter 1

Once upon a time there was a lady called Daniela whose king ordered her to gather a fellowship of six kingdoms to search for a treasure which will give joy to mankind.

The king wanted to deposit the treasure in a Treasure Agency so that everyone could use it and broaden their minds. Daniela was thinking for a long time and one day it came to her that the greatest treasure of all will be that of national folklore. Therefore, she set off on a journey which she announced as “Ethno Treasure Hunt”.

Chapter 2

Daniela sent messengers to the 6 kingdoms to gather the fellowship. And they gathered first in Romania to plan for the hunting sessions. They also hunted for the Romanian treasures: tzuika (palinca), Dracula’s castle, old houses, small straw hats and happy dancing.

The next hunting session was in sunny Sicily. They visited Lady Etna for a cup of tea, the Godfather in Savoca and Salvatore Quasimodo in Roccalumera. They chased the old Greeks in Agrigento and fished for dinner in Santa Teresa di Riva.

Later on, the hunters got on their horses and they flew to Turkey. They met the dark knight who invited them to tea parties in Denizli. They swam in the cotton castle at Pamukkale and hunted the world’s wonders in Efes. They stopped for lunch in Babadag and hunted for dolls in Sirince and for the Pigeon Island in Kusadasi. They gathered around the intercultural table and tasted the foods and spirits. They also planned more hunting in Lithuania, Bulgaria and Poland.

“So... treasure hunters from all countries, unite!”- exclaimed lady Daniela trying to gather her dear companions. “It’s time for us to rest for a while before another trip, “ she said. And so, the fellowship of treasure hunters went to a nice peaceful sleep to gain energy before another amazing long hunt.

Chapter 3

In autumn, Lady Daniela called all her treasure hunters again to fly to an unknown new land in the north and so they landed in the country of Duke Vytautas: LITHUANIA.

The Polish team came first. The vehicle they arrived was Zeppelin. It landed in Panevezys. Together with their Lithuanian mates they started preparations for welcoming other teams and looked forward to the meeting. The next day, two female knights from Lithuania took on their carriage fearless Polish friend knights. They treated the Polish friends with tasty cheese (dżugas) and delicious honey and apples. After a short meal, they all went to a nearby country, Latvia, to collect their dear companions from Riga. First, they met with the Turkish ladies accompanied by their guide and leader, the dark night of Turkey. The greeting was warm and feelings rose up high. Together they set off to meet other companions from Bulgaria. Ethno hunters were very happy to finally meet together. In high spirits they visited a part of Riga and when it started getting darker they all set for Panevezys. As soon as they arrived at Panevezys and settled down in a beautiful place called Sermutas, they met their beloved leader Lady Daniela. Hugs and kisses flowed from their hearts and smiles and laughters were heard till late at night. However, they were not fully happy: they were waiting for other friends to come: the Italian warriors from a faraway Sicily. The next day, they were about to meet them at school.

So all the treasure hunters gathered at Velzys Gymnasium the other day and sang with children. Then, they met Mama Ona, who taught them about her family traditions and had them try all the house chores using the “hands-on” method. After she fed them in a traditional way, she took them to a dancing party. They also learnt to bake the traditional Lithuanian bread and they cooked an international dinner together.

One day, when they went on hunting, they came across a stranded Lithuanian farm. There, they found many horses faster than a thunder and brighter than a star. Riding through dark forests and green fields of time, they arrived at the 19^th century. They cut their own wood, built their own house and baked their own bread in silence, peace and respect. They were all in their white shirts and colourful aprons. They sang songs that they learned from trees of windy forests. When they were leaving, they took a roof which, from now on, they would always carry over their heads to protect them from devil eyes. They saddled their horses and off they went! After a long journey and tiring, the horses brought them back to present times. Now, they could rest in their stable till the next hunting event. The news has it that the next hunting experience was to take place in Bulgaria. So on the last Lithuanian night, they all fell asleep with their heads full of hopes, happiness and love, dreaming about the next opportunity to be together and experience the impenetrable, explore the unknown and hunt the ephemeral again and again more and more…