Monday, 17 April 2023
The last mobility in the ICT project took us to the small town of Libramont in Belgium. Now already an old acquaintance, the truck driver Mirkec picked up the same team of teachers as in Guadaloupe and six new students (Ella, Korina, Mateja, Laura, Mario and Filip) in front of the school at 4 in the morning and the adventure began.
Soon we were at the airport, handed over our luggage and went up to the terminal. A novelty is the Schengen area at the terminal, where there is no inspection of personal documents for flights within the EU. After a short wait for boarding, we flew to Vienna. There was a bit of drama and fear for some first-timers, but this time there was no need to hold anyone's hand. |
In Vienna we had a sprint between flights to catch the plane to Brussels. We didn't even manage and we were already in Brussels. There we discover that our luggage did not follow our sprint in Vienna and did not fly after us. We had no choice but to report the lost luggage and get on the train. Erasmus students from Italy who landed a little before us were waiting for us at the terminal. Soon we were on the train to Libramont, and the two-hour ride was spent in the loud conversation of the students.
In Libramont, we walked to the school, which was a ten-minute walk away. There, the project manager Tierry and the host families where the students were staying awaited us. The students went with their families, and the teachers went to a nice apartment with a small bakery specializing in cakes. Tired from the journey, we were not in the mood to explore the town, but decided to rest and prepare for the first project day.
Tuesday, 18 April 2023
The gathering of all those involved in the project started at 8:30 in the school yard. After that, we went through the entire school, which operates in four separate buildings. Three with classrooms and one that serves as a hall and space for performances. All students waved flags they had made themselves.
After the tour, we gathered in the hall where a performance and several appropriate speeches were held by the leadership of the school and Libramont. After the welcome, the hosts danced a welcome dance for us, and then we divided into groups and went on a tour of the school. Children do not carry cell phones at school, so communication was a little difficult. The reason for this is our lack of knowledge of the French language and the fact that in Belgium a foreign language is taught only in the fifth grade, and then they have a choice of English and Flemish. The sightseeing was followed by lunch.
After the tour, we gathered in the hall where a performance and several appropriate speeches were held by the leadership of the school and Libramont. After the welcome, the hosts danced a welcome dance for us, and then we divided into groups and went on a tour of the school. Children do not carry cell phones at school, so communication was a little difficult. The reason for this is our lack of knowledge of the French language and the fact that in Belgium a foreign language is taught only in the fifth grade, and then they have a choice of English and Flemish. The sightseeing was followed by lunch.
After lunch, students must spend time outside regardless of weather conditions. They are divided into sectors by age and do not mix in the game. The bell signaled the end of the lunch break, and we each attended two hours of classes with our group. We saw how an art, music, computer science lesson was performed, attended various quizzes. When we finished, it was already 3:00 p.m., when classes end for all students in Belgium. We said goodbye and went to the apartment, and the students to their hosts.
Wednesday, 19 April 2023
On Wednesday, a bus trip to Brussels was scheduled. The capital of Belgium is also the seat of the European Parliament and the European Commission, as well as the NATO alliance. It has about 1,200,000 inhabitants. The city is a real capital, a combination of modern and traditional architecture with lots of parks and promenades.
The bus dropped us off at the Royal Palace and we walked towards the Grand Place (central square). There we got some time to buy souvenirs, chocolates, and some treated themselves to the famous Belgian waffles.
At the agreed time, we met at the main square and went to the Royal Park for a picnic, and then to visit the EU Parliament. This was perhaps the best, if a bit too short, part of the visit to the capital of Belgium. We saw where the European representatives sit, where they give statements to the media, walked along the red carpet where especially important guests are welcomed and saw the offices of the Croatian representatives.
At the agreed time, we met at the main square and went to the Royal Park for a picnic, and then to visit the EU Parliament. This was perhaps the best, if a bit too short, part of the visit to the capital of Belgium. We saw where the European representatives sit, where they give statements to the media, walked along the red carpet where especially important guests are welcomed and saw the offices of the Croatian representatives.
At the end, we received special gifts. Finally, we visited the European House. It is a museum dedicated to the creation of the European Union. We didn't spend too much time there because we had to take the bus to Libramont and have dinner with the parents of the Belgian students from the project. We had dinner at school, socialized a bit and went to sleep tired.
Thursday, 20 April 2023
On the last day of the project, we were supposed to do 3 hours of classes in the morning, and after the lunch break, visit a nearby chocolate shop and walk through Libramont.
We did the first two activities successfully, but the snow that started falling in the morning prevented us from going for a walk. One of the interesting things about Belgium is the unpredictable weather. We had a beautiful spring day in Brussels, and the next day it snowed. If you look at the students through the window towards the school yard in the morning, it is very difficult to tell what the temperature is outside because they are dressed differently. From shorts and skirts to winter jackets. Instead of a walk, we did a joint quiz at school, and considering that it was the last day of the project, we immediately said goodbye to the host.
We did the first two activities successfully, but the snow that started falling in the morning prevented us from going for a walk. One of the interesting things about Belgium is the unpredictable weather. We had a beautiful spring day in Brussels, and the next day it snowed. If you look at the students through the window towards the school yard in the morning, it is very difficult to tell what the temperature is outside because they are dressed differently. From shorts and skirts to winter jackets. Instead of a walk, we did a joint quiz at school, and considering that it was the last day of the project, we immediately said goodbye to the host.
The journey home started a little unplanned. Namely, the train we were supposed to take to Brussels was canceled after an hour's delay due to the train driver's strike. With a little more than an hour delay, we took another train, but only to Namur, a town about two-thirds of the way. In Namur we transferred to a bus to Brussels, and in Brussels we took a taxi to the airport. Instead of around 11 p.m., we arrived at the airport at 2:30 a.m. We took a nap in uncomfortable chairs, drank coffee, ate a sandwich and were bored until the plane left. We mostly slept on the way to Vienna, and the flight to Zagreb went quickly. This time there were no problems with lost luggage and soon we were in Mirkec's minibus on the way to Sračinec, where we arrived at 1:15 p.m.