MOBILITE LTTA with pupils IN SANTANA

When I arrived in Bulgaria I didn't know what I must expect for, but I was really excited. I  loved the welcome show, especially the typical dance. Something that surprised me the first  time I walk around Parzadzhik was the casinos, There were many of them! And there where  fabric bracelets hanging from almost every tree in Parzadzhik. The first day on Parzadzhik was mostly to know the city and its culture. Probably my favorite place on Parzadzhik was  the park with the“zoo”.  In Bulgaria, there were five different subjects covered in class:  physics, chemistry, computer programming, robotic construction,  and 3D printing. Physics was by far  my favorite class because we conducted so many experiments.  Additionally, we participated in a very joyful Scape room. We had the chance to visit other cities in Bulgaria, we went to Plovdiv and to Sofia, the  capital. We were only one day on Plovdiv, but it was more than enough for me. In the  morning, we visited the Bachkovo Monastery and in the afternoon, after lunch, we were to  the center of the city. 
 Our last stop in Bulgaria was Sofia, the capital of the country, it was a very big and beautiful  city, with pretty buildings and a lot of shops, the people there and in Parzadzhik were very  happy because in both cities we found people dancing. Bulgaria would be always in my heart.

      
   
   
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My name is Daniel and I'm 15 years old and I took part in an Erasmus trip to North Macedonia where we visited several places and did several experiments on robotics. At first, I was afraid of how it was going to be, because, firstly, I had never traveled to another country or spoken to people from other countries and because the trip was going to be long with several stops at several airports, but after these trips to our destination I realized me that it was no big deal. Once there in Macedonia, we were received very well by the staff at the restaurant and hotel where we stayed. In the first few days, we went to the school to meet the students participating in the project and to experiment with robots.  A few days later, when the other teams from other countries arrived, we made another trip to the school, where they gave us all a warm welcome. At this reception there were dances, songs, and other things. Most days we went to school to do activities and experiments on robotics and, when we had free time, we played games and talked to the rest of the students from other countries, but it was the Macedonian students who talked the most, because they were the ones, we met first. I also can't forget to mention the little boys and girls from Turkey who we often played with wherever we went, at school, on visits, at the hotel, among other places. The days passed and that was when the day arrived for us to leave. That day we made the most of it by having fun and spending the rest of the day with the new friends we made. At the end of the day, there was a farewell party, as we were going to leave that same night to return to our homeland, and there were many emotions just that night, such as sadness, for having to leave, but also happiness for the new friendships made throughout that week. After saying goodbye, it was time to leave. We went to the hotel to get our things and hit the road for a long trip back to our island. During the trip, we all came to talk and talk about the good things that happened and that we experienced during the week and that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives. 

 
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On a regular school day, in 2022, I was told by some teachers that I had been selected to participate in the project “Erasmus+”, which is a European Union exchange programme that supports education, training, youth, sports, gives students, staff, and teachers the opportunity to spend some time abroad.

If I accepted this incredible offer, I could go to Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. I never would have expected the chance to travel with this project so soon. I felt so excited to see what it would be like to experience an exchange trip, since I had seen many students go before too.

 Without hesitation, I agreed to participate in it. After complying to all the travelling requirements and a few weeks of looking forward to the trip, on a November morning, I finally took off to Tenerife with the other selected students and the teachers. Once we landed there, it felt surreal to have arrived and I enthusiastically wondered what the upcoming week had in store for us.

During that amazing week, we went to the beach near our hotel, we spent some mornings doing some interesting robotic activities at a primary school where we had lunch a few times and also interacted with students from other countries that had come to Canary Islands with the Erasmus programme too. As well as that, we explored many different stunning places in Tenerife such as, Playa De las Américas, Parque Nacional del Teide, Puerto De La Cruz and San Cristóbal De La Laguna. We also went to Museo de La Ciencia y El Cosmos and met new people who were really nice. 
This trip to Tenerife turned out to be one of the best experiences ever, I went there with a great group of people, and made so many incredible memories. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I’ll be forever thankful for all those involved that made this trip so special.

Leania Freitas

September 2023