Portugal team in Romania

As part of the Comenius Project - PEACE , a team of two students (Maria Monteiro of TTAR6 class and Vânia Eusébio of TR6 class) and three teachers (Berta Peixoto,  António Conde  and Vasco Miranda) from the Vocational School of Esposende  left on the  4th of November, to the city of Simleu Silvaniei, in Romania.

The Wednesday program integrated the opening ceremony, with the participation of the teams from Portugal, Romania, Poland, Turkey , Latvia and Greece (teachers and students), the host families, education and politics regional personalities, in a very pleasant welcoming ceremony that included songs and Romanian traditions. All team members introduced themselves and the national flags were raised. Then, the students from each country, talked to the community about their region, school, habits and customs. There followed a series of workshops on traditions, personalities, geography and domestic products, in order to know a little more about Romania, culminating in a fabulous lunch with Romanian traditional food, typically used in festive seasons, and its explanation.

 

On Thursday, November 7th, in the morning, we were received by the President of Şimleu Silvaniei Chamber, Septimiu Turks, who told us about the city's history and regional economy. We then visited several business companies in the region (bakeries and typical furniture factories), taking advantage of the trip opportunity to see an ancient church in Cehei, built entirely of wood, considered Heritage of UNESCO. We also had the chance to know an integrated service of civil protection with a very realistic simulation. In the afternoon, while the students were involved in activities with the host families, the teachers were in a meeting with the Regional Director of Education, in which the views of the various educational systems were shared and discussed.

On Friday, November 8th, the day began with a workshop for teachers and students about the Etweening platform and a musical workshop. Then, it was time for sharing the regional candy (Sweetbox) each of the participating countries had brought. After two more workshops on Wikispaces and sliced fruit, we proceeded to  the moment of the School Video Presentations, culminating with a lunch gathering.

In the afternoon, after a short city tour, we participated in the closing ceremony of the visit to Romania, integrated in a Silvania school annual event (Miss/Mister Autumn).

On the last day spent in Romania, we had the opportunity to visit an ancient synagogue, as well as a guided visit to the Şimleu Silvaniei Holocaust Museum, the first thematic museum in Transylvania. We ended our stay with a short city tour.

Ne vedem în curând în Portugalia! See you soon in Portugal!