Impression-Poland, October 2011, the 3rd project meeting

This week I visited Poland with my friends from Comenius project.

We demonstrated once again that Romania is great and our team is simply the best!

                                     

Evening in a polish family

Saturday evening a beige car appeared in front of the School Nr 50

We arrived in Gdansk!

Full of emotions we met our Polish friends.

Between the big bags and teachers I saw a little girl who became my host.

Her name was Beata, a sweet person with a big heart!

Soon I met the whole family: 6 brothers, 3 sisters and a dog.

After some games and a cup of tea we realized that we have so many things in common!

But the night came and we had to go to sleep each of us nervous about what the next day will prepare us…

First (full) day in Poland

We visited the school, a huge and modern building. We met with the other Comenius participants from Turkey and Poland and we did a lot of interesting activities like improving our websites. The city was so beautiful…in the afternoon we were waited in Gdansk’s Municipality where we met the mayor.

In the evening Beata and her mother proposed me a walk in the city by night. The old buildings were gorgeous! After that we went at a café were we ate a delicious jelly yogurt.

Second day

We visited in the morning The Long Market Street, Town Hall and Museum of Amber after that we went to a science center. I never thought that physics can be so fun! After lunch we went to 4D cinema in Madison shopping center. It was so exciting! We all were very impressed and…we screamed a lot!

Third day  

This day we presented our program in front of all school! We all were really nervous and full of hope that everything will be OK!

The first was the Turkish team and they sang and danced on Shakira-Waka Waka…big success!

The second was the Polish team and they presented a modern version of The little prince…amazing voices , beautiful show!

The last team was the Romanian one, and after some technical problems everything was OK and we shown again that we are simply the best!

After that we visited the aquarium from Gdynia- never saw so many fishes! and had a walk at the sea in Sopot-first time when I saw the Baltic Sea! It reminded me of the Black Sea from home…

Forth day

In the morning we visited the Malbork Castle, the largest brick castle from Europe, a medieval fortress built by the Teutonic Knights. Once again it reminded me about home-we have the Black Fortress in Codlea built by the Teutonic Knights too.

In the evening we had the farewell party with all the project participants. It was very nice but also very sad because we all knew that the end of the visit is near…

The last day

In the morning we visited the British Council Library and we found out about the student’s programs provided by them.

After that we visited the city and we bought some souvenirs for friends from home.

We went back to school and some of us were invited to a scout meeting-our hosts were members of that organization.

After that I went back to my Polish family…for the last night.

Conclusion

It was a great experience!

During this trip I visited unique places, met extraordinary people and practiced my English…

Those 5 days were really tiring but I think that they worth the effort and now I’m happy to be back home!

Ioana Bodean

8th grade

Feelings....first memories from Poland

Emotion, joy, enthusiasm, fear, tiredness....These are a few of the thousands feelings that we’we been through since we entered Poland. We were eager to arrive in Gdansk and discover a new culture, new people and bound new friendships. We faced  three days of traveling in the bus, a bus that hosted all of these feelings.....The review with polish group was full of emotions and ended up with tears of joy. Now, integrating in the schol  and families helps the emotions to go away wasily and the enthusiasm that takes over us becomes our friend.

Last memories from Poland

Emotions, feelings, activities,dreams and others.....Visits at the Baltic sea, Malbork Castle, many museums....

Amber, new food, a kind of different culture and nice things to picture and to shop....Great atmosphere, kind people, amazing school, sweet and funny kids....

Despite the cold weather, our hosts tried their best! And they did it!

They offered us a great week, full of culture, activities and fun! We’we learned how to work as a team, how to love eachother and moreover, we’we learned how to handle things on our own.

We were all sorry to say the last „Bye!” to our friends, but unfortunately we couldn’t move there, as we all wanted!

Thank you for all, Polish people! I am hoping to see you again and I want to have fun with you one more time!..Or two....or three times....or....why not five times?....:)

See you soon, Polish friends!

It was nice to met you, Gdansk!

Kidu

6th grade

Poland

My new family:) First impression….

I loooove my family for this week.:x Olka is very friendly, helpful, sweety and I talk with her a loot.:D
Her mother, Monica( I think I write right:-s) is sooo nice with me and sooo caring.

Her grandmother is funny and i like her very much because she learn some worlds in English for me: I am, you are, you eat and stuff like these.

Her sister is soo beautiful, but I can't talk with she because she is 4 years old.:(

My new room is soo big, bigger than mine. Olka has posters, magazine, clothes, pictures with she and her friends.
I love love love love Poland and the people who live here.:x

Comenius Show

Wednesday(19.10.2011) we made our shows.:)
The Turkish group sing and dance on:
Shakira-Waka Waka

They were good. Eda sang and the other 3 girls danced.

The Polish group made a drama, a musical  from "Little Prince".

They sang:

Jason Maraz-I’m yours

Linkin Park-Numb

Evanesence-My Immortal

 
They have amaizing voices and great choregraphies. Their coordinator, ms. Ewelina  was excelent!

And, of course, Romanian group.

I can't say that we was the best;)) just because I am modest , BUT we was   extraordinary, like always.

We sang songs from Marry Poppins, The Sound of Music, Michael Jackson, etc..

Anyway, this day was an extraordinary day.:D

Conclusion:

For the beggining, I LOVE POLAND. It is a beautiful country, with a rich history and great people.
In that week, my "sister" was Olka Stawarz, a beautiful, clever, handsome and amazing girl.:)

 Her family was  so helpful, that I felt that her house it's my second home. Her mother,Monika, is nice, funny and young. Her sister, Hania, is soo sweety, like Tinkerbell . Her grandmother,Basia, is a wonderful woman.

In Poland we visited the City Hall, an Educational Center, Amber Museum, the Port, the Aquarium , the Malbork Castel, a kind of Students Club.:D

I ate some traditional foods: beetroot soup and tomato soup.

It was soooo good!

In Poland I met some guys that i will never forget!
Olka Stawarz,Daria Lisewska,Oliwia Dunajska ,Ania Miazek

This week was fantastic.:) We met many obstacles, but, like a team, we knew how to solve. I learned what is friendship and I am sad because my friends from Poland can't be here.:(

Aida Groza

7th grade

 

Poland-Day 1

 Althought it was a long and tiring journey we finally got in Poland,a beautiful country with a lot of history behind it.
 Our hosts are friendly and kind,and all the 6 members of my 'adoptive' family speak english,wich I find very helpful in my comunication.

I have spent my Sunday night talking to Maria,the middle daughter,and all the family and the house make me feel like home!:x

Poland-Day 2

  Monday.We got to school and all of us were so enthousiastic.We have spent our first day at school,doing all kind of activities,especially improving our websites.we also went to the city council and saw where the congress is meeting and we were told more about the mayor and all that.
 I have spent my evening in the company of my family,wich by the way, is very comunicative and hospitable and to me it seems perfect!

Poland-Day 3

 Tuesday.Today was more tiring,we visited the city in the morning,then we went to a science centre,an interactive one.We were all excited about everything and didn't knew where to go first:)) After that we were to 5D cinema and we saw 2 movies. It was so much fun!
When we got back at school we had one last rehearsal for our program tomorrow and we ended our day at 8.After that I went in the city with my 'mom' and had a hot chocolate.

The evening was again with the family.
 So far I have a very good opinion about Poland,the people here and all the rest,but I can't wait to go back home;))

 

Poland-Day 4

 Wednesday.In the morning we had our performance and everybody loved it!After breakfast we went to Gdinya Aquarium where we had an interesting lesson and saw all kinds of fish.

 At lunch we  were at a restaurant in Sopot nearby the shore and we made photos and we had a walk on the pier,the longest bridge in the sea in Europe.

 We returned home and I have spent the evening with the family.
Today we had beautiful experiences but we were tired again.We are used to it so there's no problem:))

Poland-Day 5

Thursday.Today we visited the Malbork Castle built by the teutonic knights wich is the biggest red brick castle in Europe,it's huge!And today we weren't so rushed,we had more time to visit it.

After the trip to Malbork we had time to prepare for the farewell party,a disco in the gym.We had so much fun!
I like this place so much but I want to go home and see my friends and family wich I miss so much.We have only one day left here and I am really curious what feelings I will get when we will leave.I miss home!<3

Conclusion

Friday.The day isn't over yet but I have to post something.

So I will post my conclusions.

 I saw how Polish people live and there aren't many differences.I felt like home and my hosts were so hospitable and kind and pacient all the time and the best part was that all the members of the family spoke English and this was a good chance to improve mine.

The cities we visited were beautiful with a big history behind them.The walk on the bridge in Sopot offered us a gorgeous view of the sea and of the sunset.

 The only regret I have is that we didn't had time to visit more thing and that sometimes we were rushed.All the hard work and the tiredness had good results.
Poland is a big country with civilised people and beautiful history and places.

In this travel besides learning new things we saw beautiful places and made new friends that I am sure we will keep in touch with.<3

Madalina Savin

8th grade

         

 Poland-Gdansk

During the meeting in Gdansk-Poland, we had a very busy and interesting program. We had some technical sessions at school, where we planned the schedule for the second project year. We discussed details about the end products that have to be finished this year.

We visited the school, we met the teacher of English and German language , the teacher of Music, Sports, Biology, ICT, Religion, History,  the primary level teachers and their students .

Our hosts offered us a very good welcome and organization of activities. I noticed that they have a very calm school atmosphere. I have seen very interesting creative hand wrought activities at school. The end results of the students’ activities were exhibited in the school hall. In that place I saw a lot of diplomas that proved that they like to participate to various contests and to win important prizes for themselves and for the school. The school structure is very suitable and equipped. The civil authorities from the city are very attentive and get involved in organizing and suporting activities of the school.

The families got actively involved in the activities organized for the hosting of the project meeting and I noticed that many of them are involved in general in all the school activities(I saw parents observing the class and helping the teacher to organise the students’ break activities).

Cultural activities  choosed by the host school were very interesting and covered our project aims and goals, improving our knowledge about Polish history, customs and traditions.

Many thanks for our Polish friends for all this week!!!

Stefan Berei

teacher

My first impression about Gdansk is connected with speed and cold wind.  But, beyond this, visiting Gdansk and our partner school was a very rich and beautiful experience. I realize now, after some time has passed, that Gdansk is in my memory like a very precious piece of amber. It has a special charm… I was impressed of its buildings made from red bricks (all of them have something from the shine of the red amber), Motlawa river with its charming ships and, of course, ul. Mariacka (st. Mary's street) – places where I'd like to return one day. And, if this will be possible, I will choose the bus too!

        In school, I saw that activities are very well organized, the students have access  to many extracurricular activities, the material equipment is very good and the school is very clean. Things to admire…

A special moment was when polish teachers organized for the guests a polish evening. It was a great pleasure for me to taste polish traditional food, to listen and sing traditional songs, to share impressions, thoughts, views with polish teachers and parents.

I conclude saying that I was happy when our performance got most applause of all participants. Actually, we are Huge Designers! 

Adriana Stroiescu

teacher

 

Gdansk, Polonia 17-21 octombrie 2011

Proiectul “Huge Designers”

A treia intalnire de proiect

Gdansk-Polonia

Primul an de proiect Comenius s-a incheiat, dar inca mai avem multe lucruri de descoperit, de invatat, de impartasit…Iata-ne, asadar, reuniti din nou, la a treia intalnire de proiect, elevi si profesori, de asta data in Polonia, la Scoala nr 50 din Gdansk.

Saptamana a inceput  prin reintalnirea cu echipa poloneza si cea turca, cu un scurt remember al ultimei noastre intalniri din Mai 2011 din Romania. Dupa cuvantul de bun venit adresat partenerilor de catre Lucyna, directorul scolii poloneze si completat de catre Ewelina, profesorul responsabil cu proiectul Comenius in aceasta scoala, profesorii si elevii si-au putut saluta prietenii si au putut face cunostinta cu ceilalti profesori din scoala. Impreuna am cantat “Why can’t we be friends?!” binedispunandu-ne si descoperind inca o data ca nu exista de fapt motive intemeiate pentru ca acest lucru sa se intample.

Ewelina si i-a “ insusit” foarte repede pe cei 12 elevi romani si au “disparut” impreuna cu elevii turci si cei polonezi ,in lumea virtuala, lucrand de zor la blogurile personale ale elevilor, prezentate spre finalul zilei cu multa mandrie, intregii echipe de proiect prezenta .

Cei 4 profesori romani au avut parte alaturi de partenerii turci de o prezentare a orasului Gdansk, atat virtuala cat si “pe viu”. Impresionanta istoria acestor locuri, geografia, personalitatile daruite de acest oras omenirii, dragostea oamenilor de aici pentru fiecare loc, cladire, fapt istoric, mandria pentru ce au facut locuitorii acestui oras, mandrie ce izvoraste nu numai din cuvinte ci pur si simplu din ochii oamenilor de aici, atunci cand iti povestesc sau cand iti arata ceva din Gdansk. Acest lucru reiese si din multitudinea proiectelor desfasurate in scoala care au ca tema istoria  locala si promovarea personalitatilor locale, mai ales a celor ce au luptat pentru democratie.

Elevii si profesorii s-au reunit la “turul scolii” , intalnind profesorii de istorie, religie, matematica, limba germana, muzica, limba engleza, educatie fizica, precum si profesorii pentru invatamantul primar. Au participat la secvente de lectie, au fost intampinati cu bucurie de catre elevi, au descoperit “lapticul” primit si de catre acestia la scoala, au raspuns la multimea intrebarilor adresate de catre elevii polonezi. Au aflat ca materiile preferate de catre acestia sunt informatica si educatia fizica, matematica dandu-le de furca. Cu mare interes au fost vizitate “grupele o”, fiind un aspect nou pentru noi, romanii, dar cu care ne vom intalni pe viitor si in scolile noastre.”Aici este Narnia!!!” au exclamat elevi si profesori deopotriva, inconjurati de jocuri , jucarii si ochisori mici dar dornici sa invete .

Prima zi a reuniunii s-a incheiat cu vizita la Municipalitatea orasului Gdansk , unde printre alte multe lucruri , am aflat ca orasul va fi Capitala Culturala Europeana in anul 2012 si tot aici, tot in 2012, se va desfasura si Campionatul European de Fotbal, alte motive de mandrie pentru locuitorii orasului si mai ales pentru municipalitate.

A doua zi a reuniunii de proiect a fost destinata vizitarii orasului vechi, a Muzeului Chihlimbarului, a Centrului “Hewelianum” amenajat intr-o veche tabara a lui Napoleon insusi, a Expozitiei “Solidaritatea”.

In aceasta zi, elevi si profesori au descoperit particularitati ale vietii oamenilor intr-un oras port, istoria constructiei de vapoare, a pescuitului, a comertului pe apa. Am descoperit de asemenea ca arta se impletea de minune cu aceste ocupatii stravechi, chihlimbarul fiind pretuit si pus in valoare cum se cuvine in aceasta comunitate.Ne-am simtit “regali” refacand traseul regal din istoricul Gdansk, admirand casele in care curtea regala isi avea resedinta, incercand sa dezlegam tainele blazoanelor inca prezente(restaurate cu grija) pe frontispiciile caselor tipice.

 Fizica si chimia au devenit brusc interesante pentru noi toti, amuzante si usor de inteles, la Centrul interactiv Hewelianum, unde ne-am transformat toti in copii dornici sa se joace si astfel sa descopere minunile stiintei si ale tehnicii. Cu totii am ramas uimiti cum fizica si chimia nu era greu de inteles nici macar in limba engleza!

Expozitia “Solidaritatea”  ne-a adus aminte de lupta anticomunista a muncitorilor din santierul naval Gdansk , de sacrificiile acestora si de reusitele lor, a celor care au fost deschizatorii drumului spre libertate si democratie in Europa in anii ‘70. Ne-am amintit si noi de lupta muncitorilor de la Brasov in anii ’80…

A treia zi in Gdansk a inceput cu organizarea unei expozitii a produselor activitatilor desfasurate in scolile partnere. Standul echipei din Romania a adus culorile toamnei de la munte si specificul nostru popular si national. Au fost expuse marionete, machete, obiecte populare confectionate manual, reviste, brosuri, acoperind intreaga paleta a temelor cuprinse in planul proiectului.

A urmat traditionalul spectacol….

Echipa Turciei a prezentat o melodie cu titlul “Waka-waka”, acompaniata de un dans exotic ce a demonstrat abilitatile corporal kinestezice ale elevilor. Echipa Romaniei a prezentat un musical cu titlul “Leaving your childhood is fun!”, cantand si dansand pe melodii inspirate din musicaluri clasice cum ar fi “Mary Poppins”, “Sunetul muzicii”, dar si melodii internationale cum ar fi “We are the world”. Desi frigul si vantul din zilele anterioare  cam “furasera” vocile copiilor, cei 12 mici actori au demonstrat inca o data ca daruirea, dorinta, antrenamentul, perseverenta iti pot aduce mari satisfactii. Spectatorii au ovationat, in picioare, prestatia elevilor romani, la final intonand cu totii melodia “We are the world”, ca un imn al reuniunii noastre. Echipa poloneza a prezentat musicalul inspirat de tema prieteniei din povestea ”Micul print”de Saint Exupery,aratand importanta activitatilor extracurriculare prin completarea spectacolului cu gimnastica ritmica-dansuri cu mingi, cu panglici-, balet,  dans modern. Intreaga scoala 50 din Gdansk a fost prezenta pentru a-si sustine echipa, iar parintii, cu sufletul la gura si ochii in lacrimi, au primit cu uimire dar si cu mandrie, aplauzele noastre infocate, pentru prestatia copiilor lor.

Dupa asa un efort, am fost rasplatiti de catre gazdele noastre cu o plimbare in Gdynia si Sopot, orase binecunoscute in Europa. In Gdynia am admirat vase istorice dar am vizitat si Acvariul. Acolo ne-am intrecut in a povesti fiecare ce stim din enciclopedii despre speciile de pesti marini ce inotau in jurul nostru, dar acest lucru l-am facut dupa ce am participat la o prezentare despre Marea Baltica si la o lectie-laborator unde ne-am transformat in cercetatori marini, cu ajutorul microscoapelor si a multitudinii de intrebari descoperind multe lucruri interesante despre flora si fauna din aceasta mare.

In Sopot, spre seara, ne-am plimbat pe cel mai lung dig maritim din Europa. Am admirat lebedele si pescarusii in apusul soarelui. Ne-am simtit privilegiati mergand printre constructiile somptuoase si aleile minunate ale unuia dintre cele mai renumite locuri Spa ale Europei.

Pentru ca venim de la munte, la intoarcerea in Gdansk-orasul nostru gazda,  am mai dorit o plimbare pe tarmul marii, putand spune acum ca am fost la mare ….cu tramvaiul!!!

A patra zi a insemnat pentru noi o zi din viata teutonilor. Locul din care noi, romanii, veneam,Tara Barsei,  are legatura cu teutonii, stiam asadar o multime de lucruri despre acestia, insa am avut ocazia sa descoperim Castelul Malbork, cel mai mare castel teutonic din Europa, “centrul de comanda” cum l-au numit elevii. Ne-am simtit cavaleri si domnite, bufoni si bucatari, de la ghidul nostru am aflat o multime de lucruri despre viata de castelan, ne-am minunat de precizia constructiei, de rosul aprins al caramizilor din care este construit castelul, de durabilitatea acestuia peste ani, dar si de lucrarile marete de restaurare a acestuia.

Seara a fost petrecere! Elevii au avut o seara disco, impartasind melodii si stiluri de dans preferate, seara incununata de prietenie si veselie. Profesorii au avut parte de o seara poloneza, cu mancare si cantece traditionale  poloneze din Gdansk , in compania profesorilor si a parintilor din Consiliul scolii care au gatit , au cantat si dansat spre incantarea musafirilor.

Ultima zi…a fost din nou un maraton placut. Elevii au vizitat British Council Library simtindu-se ca in “Narnia” (au spus cam des lucrul acesta!) printre carti si filme, facand si un tur virtual al Londrei. Profesorii au vizitat Gradinita nr 32 , “pepiniera” scolii nr 50. O gradinita unde nu lipsea nici macar sala de sport, cu aparate sportive in miniatura! Am asistat la activitati matematice, sportive si de educatie plastica. Am discutat cu doamna directoare a gradinitei despre sistemul de invatamant prescolar,descoperind multe similitudini. Am fost uimiti de expozitia de papusi confectionate din legume si fructe de catre echipe de parinti-copii, dar si de expozitia de diplome, concluzionand ca participarea la diverse concursuri si competitii este o activitate foarte dorita .

In partea a doua a zilei, indreptandu-ne cu pasi repezi spre finalul reuniunii de proiect, elevii au vizitat Palatul Mlodziezy-Palatul/Clubul Elevilor de la noi,  unde se desfasoara o larga paleta de activitati extrascolare, avand parte de un spectacol de dans, muzica si teatru, dar si de un atelier de olarit asezonat cu muzica traditionala romaneasca preferata de instructorul de la aceasta activitate. Si-au reamintit de atelierul pe aceeasi tema din Kapadokya-Turcia si de faptul ca si in Romania participa la acest gen de activitate, concluzionand inca o data ca nu sunt pana la urma atat de diferiti in preocupari!

Profesorii au concluzionat pentru trecut si au planificat pentru viitor. Urmeaza inca multe alte activitati de desfasurat pentru atingerea obiectivelor proiectului. Daca in primul an ne-am axat mai mult pe “arts and crafts, musicals and dances”, anul acesta avem mai multe activitati ITC (bloguri, e-reviste, video-conferinte..). Urmeaza si a patra intalnire de proiect, in Schumen-Bulgaria. Asadar…we’ll keep in touch!

Toata reuniunea de proiect a fost completata de meciuri de fotbal sau baschet,de intalniri la bowling,  de vizite la stadionul construit special pentru Campionatul European de Fotbal, de o activitate a Clubului de Cercetasi, de vizite la Aqua Park, toate acestea fiindu-le oferite elevilor de catre familiile gazda.

In drum spre casa nu am putut rata vizitarea Auschwitz-ului! Pentru cateva ore am patruns in istoria acelor locuri, a acelor vremi……Ne-am promis la plecare sa nu uitam vreodata sa fim oameni, chiar daca uneori mai rai sau mai buni, dar sa nu fim niciodata dincolo de umanitate!

Am concluzionat cu totii, cei 16 romani prezenti, ca aceasta reuniune de proiect ne-a ajutat sa indeplinim foarte bine obiectivul proiectului nostru-dezvoltarea competentelor de utilizare a limbii engleze bazandu-ne pe inteligentele multiple, datorita multitudinii  locurilor vizitate , a varietatii  temelor abordate si a ineditului situatiilor in care ne-am aflat, atat elevi cat si profesori.

Responsabil de proiect

Mihaela DAN

Scoala Generala Nr 2 Codlea

Gdansk, Poland, 17-21 october 2011

The first year of Comensius project ended, but we still have many things to discover, learn, share…Here we are, again, at the third project meeting, students and teachers, this time in Poland, School no.50 in Gdansk. This week has begun by meeting the Polish and Turkish team  with a short remember of our previous meeting in Romania, May 2011. 

After the welcoming speech addressed to the partners by Lucyna, the manager of the Polish school and by Ewelina, the teacher who coordinates the Comenius project in this school, the teachers and the students greeted each other and met the new ones.Together we sang "Why Can not We Be friends?" discovering  again that there are actually  no reasons for this to happen. 

Ewelina , our 12 Romanian students, the Polish and Turkish ones  had disappeared in the virtual world, working for their personal blogs. Their blogs were presented to all of us at the end of the day. The teachers from Romania and Turkey saw a presentation of the city of Gdansk, both virtual and "live". We were impressed by the history of these places, geography, personalities of the city given to mankind, the people’s love  for each place, buildings, historical facts, the pride of this people who live here results also from the way they presented everything, you could see it in their eyes. This results from many projects carried out in school with the theme of promoting local history and local personalities, especially those who fought for democracy.

Students and teachers gathered at the "school tour", meeting teachers of history, religion, mathematics, German, music, English, physical education and elementary school teachers. Participated in lesson sequences were joyfully welcomed by students, they found the same milk received by them in school, the crowd responded to questions from the Polish students. They found out that their favourite subjects are  sports and computers but math is a little difficult. 

We visited class '' 0'', something new, but we will  also have in Romania. "This is Narnia!" The students and teachers said, surrounded by games, toys and small eyes but willing to learn.

The first day of the meeting ended with a visit to Municipality of Gdansk, where among other things, we found out that in 2012 the city will be  the European Cultural Capital , more reasons for them to be proud of their culture .

The second day of the meeting project was dedicated to visiting  the old city, the Amber Museum, the Center "Hewelianum" arranged in an old camp of Napoleon himself, the exhibition called  "Solidarity".

During this day, students and teachers, discovered features of human life in a port city, ship building history, of fishing, trade in water. We also found that art blended perfectly with the ancient occupations, amber is valued and properly highlighted in this community .We felt "royal"  sightseeing the historic royal route of Gdansk, admiring their homes in the royal court residence and  trying to untie  the mysteries Land Rolls (carefully restored) on the frontispieces of typical houses.

Physics and chemistry have suddenly become interesting for  all of us , fun and easy to understand, in the interactive Hewelianum Center, where we turned all the children who wanted to play and thus discover the wonders of science and technology. I was amazed how all physics and chemistry was not hard to understand even in English! Exhibition "Solidarity" reminded us about the fight anti shipyard workers in Gdansk, by their sacrifices and their achievements, those who were opened to the road of  freedom and democracy in Europe in the '70s. We  also remembered about the workers in Brasov in the '80s ...

The third day in Gdansk began with an exhibition of products of the activities in the partner schools. The Romanian stand brought  the lovely colours of the autumn from the mountain and our specific and traditional folk. There were exposed puppets, models, popular handmade items, magazines, brochures, covering the whole range of issues included in the project plan.

What followed nex? Our traditional show ....The Turkish Team presented a song entitled "Waka-waka", accompanied by an exotic dance and musical and kinesthetic body skills demonstrated of the students. Romanian team presented a musical entitled "Leaving your childhood is fun!". Singing and dancing songs were inspired by classic musicals such as "Mary Poppins", "The Sound of Music", and international songs such as "We are the world ". Although cold and wind of previous days "stole" the voices of our children, the 12 small players have once again demonstrated  that  dedication, desire, training, perseverance always brings us great satisfaction. Spectators cheered, standing for our students performance. Finally  we all sang the song "We Are the World" as an anthem of our meeting. Polish team presented the musical inspired by the theme of friendship in the story "The Little Prince" by Saint Exupery, implying the importance of extracurricular activities in addition to performing rhythmic gymnastics, balls and  ribbons dances, ballet, modern dance. The whole School no.50  was there to support their team and their parents anxiously eyes in tears, but received with amazement and pride, our enthusiastic applauded their children's performance. 

After such an effort, we were rewarded by our hosts with a walk in Gdynia and Sopot, known as great and important European cities, cities which, together with  Gdansk, form what Polish  call "Tricity"-three cities in one. In Gdynia admired historic vessels but we also  visited the Aquarium. There we competed in each of the stories we know of encyclopedias on marine fish species which swam around us, but this we did after we attended a presentation on the Baltic Sea and a laboratory lesson where we turned into marine researchers, using microscopes and a multitude of questions revealing more about flora and fauna of the sea.In Sopot, in the evening, we walked on the bank of the  sea, on the largest pier from Europe. We admired swans, ducks and seagulls in the sunset. We felt privileged to walk through palatial buildings and beautiful alleys of one of the most famous spa in Europe.Because we come from the mountains, to return to Gdansk, our host city, we wanted a walk on the seashore, we can say now that it was great ....  by tram! 

The fourth day meant to us one day of Teutonic life. Place in which we, Romanians arrived, Barsa Country,  has to do with the Teutonic knights, so we knew a lot about them, but we had the opportunity to discover Malbork Castle, the largest Teutonic castle in Europe, "command center" as the students called it.  We had knights and damsels, buffoons and cooks. From our guide we learned a lot about the life of the castle, we had a great precision craftsmanship, the bright red of the bricks of the castle built for durability over the years, but also the great work to restore it.

In the evening there was a party! Students had a disco evening, sharing their favorite music and dance styles, crowned night of friendship and joy. Teachers had a Polish evening with Polish food and traditional songs of Gdansk, in the company of teachers and parents of the school board who cooked, sang and danced to the delight of  the guests.

Our Last day in Poland ... was again a nice marathon. Students visited the British Council Library feeling that "Narnia" including books and films, making a virtual tour of London. Teachers visited the Kindergarten no.32, "nursery" school no.50. A nursery where the gym was not  missing and they were having small gym equipment ! We have seen maths activities, sports and art education. We discussed with the manager of the kindergarten about preschool education system, finding many similarities. We were amazed by the exhibition of dolls made ​​of vegetables and fruits, in teams of parents-childrens, and the exhibition of diplomas, concluding that participation in various contests and competitions is a very pleasant activity.

On the second part of the day, heading with quick steps to the end of the project meeting, students have visited the Palace Mlodziezy-Student’s Club/Palace , took part in  extracurricular activities, being part of a dance , music and theater, but also a pottery workshop seasoned with traditional Romanian music …the instructor’s favourite  from this activity. The students reminded the workshop on the same theme of Kapadokya, Turkey and the fact that in Romania they participate in this activity, concluding once again that they are not so different after all!

Teachers have concluded  the past and planned for the future. There are still many other activities conducted to achieve the project objectives. If in the first year we focused more on "arts and crafts, musicals and dances", this year we have more activities ITC (blogs, e-magazines, video conferencing ..).  We think to the fourth project meeting in Schumen-Bulgaria. So ... we'll keep in touch!

All meetings of the project were completed by soccer or basketball, bowling meetings, visits to the stadium built for the European Championships, the activity of the  Scout Club , visits to Aqua Park,  all offered to students by the host families.

We were completely in love with drożdżówka, a delicious dessert, a sort of cake of yeast dough, as we were very surprised and puzzled because of the "zur \", a specific gravity cold weather soup, served with boiled egg, sausage and a variety of mashed potatoes.

We concluded all, the 16 Romanians, this project meeting helped to fulfill the objective of our project very well-developed skills to use English, relying on multiple intelligences, owing to the many places visited, a variety of topics addressed and the novelty of where we were… both students and teachers.

On the way home we could help in not  visiting  Auschwitz! For several hours we entered the history of those places, those times ...... We promised , never to forget that we are humans, even if sometimes bad or good, but we never beyond the humanity!

After such an experience, we have left to say:

Dziękujemy, Polska! Multumim, Polonia! Thank you, Poland!

Mihaela DAN

Project ManagerSchool No. 2 Codlea                  

http://hugedesigners.webs.com

Impression after first Comenius year....

One year in the Comenius project

Last year I joined the international  project Huge Designers-Comenius from my school. Nobody said that it was simple but we worked as a team, faced the problems and demonstrate that we're a special group and simply the best!
We had some problems...we're humans...but we also are Huge Designers.
This project helped me to overstep the bounds, practice my English and of course the most important thing it opened up for me new perspectives.
This project helped me to discover new cultures, to see extraordinary places and make new friends.
After a year I can say that I am proud to be a part of this project and now I can "design" a better world.


Ioana Bodeanu
8th grade

As a conclusion ..after one year of Comenius

After a year of participation in the international project Huge Designers-Comenius, I can say that I experienced the most beautiful moments of school life. It was a unique experience. This gave us many advantages , one of them , the most important, was the chance to improve our English. 
I visited  the partners countries with very beautiful places and with rich traditions, I learned a lot about the visited cities , but most important is that we made new friendships.
I would repeat this experience fondly whenever I have the oportunity.


Robert Jugaru
8th grade

After 1 year in Comenius

This year was great for me because I worked hard in this project and I visited a wonderful country-Poland. All this year I had the chance to meet wonderful people from Bulgaria, Turkey and Poland, students and their teachers.

I can not believe how quickly this year passed and I am very eager to work hard in the second year of our project.

I am feeling very confident that we will see again our colleagues from Comenius team.I want to thanks to everybody for this great year an great project and I wish you to all-GOOD LUCK!

DON’T FORGET THAT YOU ARE HUGE DESIGNERS!

Razvan Martinescu

6th grade

Primul an de proiect…

       Cand am aflat ca proiectul pe care l-a propus scoala noastra a fost aprobat, m-am bucurat foarte mult. Mai mult decat atat m-am bucurat si mai tare cand mi s-a propus sa lucrez in acest proiect.

Ne-am adunat, doamna Dan ne-a prezentat proiectul si temele pe care aveam de gand sa lucram si am inceput...

Dupa stabilirea grupului tinta, m-am intalnit cu elevii implicati pentru a pregati prima tema, primul spectacol pe care trebuia sa il prezentam in Turcia. Eu am fost responsabil pe partea de show, musical si sceneta. Am plecat foarte dezamagit dupa prima intalnire pentru ca am crezut ca nu am cu cine pregati acel musical creat in ton cu filmul : ‘’The Sound of Music’’. Scopul meu era sa transmitem prin acest musical ca:

• Metodele moderne combinate cu cele traditionale dau rezultate;
• Profesorii si elevii pot avea o relatia deosebita daca rup acel perete care a fost zidit de-a lungul anilor intre cele doua categorii de oameni mentionate mai sus;
• Scoala si invatatul pot fi minunate, placute si interesante daca ne implicam 100%.
• Invatarea si aprofundarea cunostiintelor de limba engleza.

Am ramas foarte surprins sa vad cat de talentati sunt elevii nostri, cat de deschisi au fost sa vina la repetitii din timpul lor liber. Parintii lor au jucat un rol foarte important in derularea acestui proiect. Dupa un an de zile pot spune cu mana pe inima ca suntem mai uniti,ca parintii au descoperit abilitati ascunse ale copiilor lor si profesorii implicati au format o echipa puternica care nu mai poate fi despartita nici macar in timpul liber.

Sunt mandru si multumit pentru ca am facut lucruri marete, si nu vreau sa fiu modest cand afirm aceste lucruri, avem niste copii, niste unelte pretioase care pot fi prelucrate frumos si pot lua o forma excelenta daca stim cum sa lucram cu ei.

Toate activitatile si intalnirile pe care le-am avut in : Turcia, Romania si Polonia au fost constructive.

Un lucru m-a impresionat foarte tare...in Polonia,(fara sa ii fi spus Ewelinei ce pregatesc cu elevii, am avut marea surpriza sa fim pe aceiasi lungime de unde. Toate aceste lucruri, intamplatoare, spun multe...fuziune, munca in echipa, o echipa unita care are ce oferi celor din jur!) tema principala a fost Prietenia...la final noi am cantat piesa We are the world...imaginati-va urmatoarea scena: elevi, parinti, profesori tinandu-se de maini si cantand piesa. La final toti s-au imbratisat si si-au multumit reciproc pentru tot ce au facut in acest proiect. Elevii din cele 3 tari au format niste prietenii puternice. Ei continua sa comunice zilnic, in limba engleza, prin mijloacele moderne de comunicare.

Daca stam si ne uitam in urma, putem spune ca acest proiect ne-a ajutat foarte mult. Ii culegem roadele si suntem foarte incantati.

Parerea mea este ca pornim cu dreptul in al doilea an de proiect. Mai increzatori si nerabdatori sa ne intalnim cu toti partenerii in Bulgaria.

Dan Bejan-

English Teacher

The first year of the project….

       When I found out  that the proposed project by our school   was approved, I was very happy . Moreover  I enjoyed even more when I was proposed to work in this project.

We gathered, Mrs. Dan showed us the project and issues that we were going to work and we started…

After establishing the target group, I met with the students involved to prepare the first theme, the first show that it had to be presented in Turkey. I was responsible on the show, musicals and plays. I left very disappointed after the first meeting because I thought that I do not have with who to build up musical  made after the film :''The Sound of Music''. My goal was to pass through this musical as:
• Modern methods combined with traditional produce results;
• Teachers and students can have a great relationship if you break that wall that was built over the years between the two categories of people mentioned above;
• School and learning can be wonderful, enjoyable and interesting if we are involved 100%.

• Learning and improving our knowledge of English.

I was very surprised to see how talented our students are, how open they were to come to rehearsal in their spare time. Their parents played an important role in this project. After a year I can say with my hand on the heart that we are united, that parents have discovered hidden skills of their children and teachers involved have formed a strong team that can not be separated even in their  spare time.

I am proud and happy that I did great things, and I do not want to be modest when I say these things, we have some kids, some valuable tools that can be processed and can take a nice good shape if we know how to work with them.

All activities and meetings that we had in Turkey, Romania and Poland were constructive.
One thing struck me very hard ... in Poland, (without being told what I am going to  prepare with my  students Ewelina and  I had the great surprise to be on the same wavelengths. All these things, random, work team, a united team that has something to offer !) the main theme was Friendship ... the final song we sang: ‘’ We Are the World ... imagine the following scene: students, parents, teachers, taking into hands and singing. Finally all were embraced and thanked each other for what they did in this project. Students in the three countries have made some powerful friendships. They continue to communicate daily in English, by modern means of communication.

If we sit and look back, we can say that this project helped us very much. We pick the fruit and we are very pleased.

My opinion is that we start with the right in the second year of the project. More confident and eager to meet with all partners in Bulgaria.

  Dan Bejan,

English Teacher