Wednesday 19 May 2010

VIOLA'S DIARY

Monday 19 October 2009 we arrived in Sosnowiec in the afternoon. Waiting for us there were all Polish guys and their parents.
Everyone went in their host family, I was hosted by Kasia.
Kasia's family is made up of mother, father and younger
brother. She has a very beautiful dog. Kasia’s house is very beautiful and is located outside the city of Sosnowiec.
Tuesday 20th October in the morning we went to their school E. Plater and after we went to visit the salt mine in Wieliczka by bus.
In the afternoon we went to visit Crakow. This is a beautiful city. In this city we visited St. Mary’s Basilica, the Royal Castle and the Wawel Cathedral. The Royal Castle and the Wawel Cathedral are situated on the hill. Polish guys told us the story of the dragon of Wawel. We saw the river Vistula in Cracow.
In the evening after dinner, Kasia invited Monika (her best friend) and Diletta at her home because they had to prepare a presentation for the next day.

Wednesday 21th October we spent all day at school. The Polish guys prepared a presentations of Poland, the history and on the Polish writer Kapuściński.
In the afternoon there was the presentation of the talents, where every student could show his/her talent. A girl sang the Italian song "Con te partirò” and we all sang together.
The evening at about 5 pm the Polish students had organized a dinner together at the pub “Salem”.

Thursday 22th October we went to school and we saw the movie "The Pianist" in Italian.
In the afternoon we went to visit the death camp of Auschwitz, we visited the various blocks, one of which is still the same. After visiting the death camp of Auschwitz, we went to see the other death camp of Birkenau. The death camp of Birkenau is much larger than that of Auschwitz.

Friday 23th October we went in the municipal gym, because the school gym was too small, for the day dedicated to sport. We played football, basketball and volleyball. After spending the day in the gym we went home.
In the evening at about 6 pm Kasia, Monika, Diletta, Piotrek, Andrea and I went to see a game of ice hockey. In this game the team of Sosnowiec won. After the game we went home.

Saturday 24th October in the morning we slept because the Polish guys do not go to school on Saturday.
In the afternoon I, Kasia, Diletta, Monika and Patricia (Monika’s friend) went to the mall in Katowice. In this mall there are about 200 shops of restaurants, cafés, perfumeries, jeweller’s and shops that sell clothes, shoes and accessories. In this mall we met the other Polish and Italians guys. We spent all afternoon in Katowice.
In the evening we went to the pub “Salem” with the other Polish and Italians guys.

Sunday 24th October I, Kasia, Diletta, Monika, Kalina, Sara, Kasia and Clarissa went to Cracow by train. We were two hours on the train because they are very slow. We visited the center of Cracow and some places that we didn’t go to visit on Tuesday. We spent all day in Cracow and we went home at 8 pm.

Monday 25th October in the morning we went to visit the silver mine. In this mine there was a small “river” that we crossed in a small boat. Compared to the salt mine, the silver mine had a very narrow passage. In the afternoon we went to the very big water park. In this water park were: different swimming pools, water slides and a whirlpool.
In the evening we went to the pub “Salem” with the other Polish and Italians guys.

Tuesday 27th October we went to a mountain resort by cableway. We walked for a while and then we went to a refuge and some people started playing snowballs. After that we came back down and then we went to another cottage by horses carriages. Into this cottage everyone had to grill their own sausage on a fire. In the evening we went to the pub “Salem” with the other Polish and Italians guys.

Wednesday 28th October: LAST DAY.
In the morning after closing the suitcase and saying goodbye to Kasia’s family, she and her parents took me to school. We went to school to do a test on how we had spent that week. After finishing the test and after we said goodbye we left to go home.
Kasia’s family welcomed me really well and I enjoyed it very much. This experience helped me to meet new people and get used to their habits, but above all to speak better English!!!

MY POLISH EXPERIENCE by DILETTA

HI… I’M DILETTA GIACOMELLI, I LIVE IN S.PIETRO BELVEDERE A SMALL VILLAGE NEAR PONTEDERA.
THIS IS MY DIARY…

With the Comenius bilateral Project last October the 17th some students of my classroom and school and I went to Wien.
First we arrived to Graz where we stopped only two hours to visit some monuments and architectural landmarks and then we had some shopping all together.
At 7.30 p.m. we arrived in Wien where we had dinner at the Bierhof Restaurant and spent the night at the Hotel Tabor near the centre of the town.
On Sunday the 18th we went to visit the wonderful town of Wien with its shops and monuments.
We visited Sissi’s castle; it’s really big and wonderful.


On Monday the 19th we left from Wien, then we had lunch in the Czech Republic and in the afternoon we arrived at the school in Sosnowiec where we met our Polish friends that we had already met in May 2009 in Italy. Later we went with our cases in our own Polish families where we met their parents. There we had dinner and after that we went to the pub with the others guys until 11 p.m.

On Tuesday the 20th we woke up and went to visit their school at Sosnowiec and then we visited a salt mine in Wieliczka; after that we saw Cracow, where the Polish guys took us around to see the most important monuments. As soon as we got home we went together to the pub.

On Wednesday the 21st we spent all day at school where the Polish students explained some topics about their history and about the writer Kapuscinski. In the afternoon we had a Talent show where the students could show what they were able to do best. At 3 p.m. we came back home, we had dinner and finally we went to the pub.
On Thursday the 22nd we saw the film “The Pianist” at school and did some other activities

After that we left for Auschwitz and Birchenau by bus. There we felt bad and sad feelings of those times and moments.

On Friday the 23rd we did sport activities like volleyball matches Italy against Poland to have the return match. In the evening we went to see a Hockey match on ice with some Italian and Polish students.

On Saturday the 24th In the morning we slept until 11 a.m. and after that we went in a great and wonderful commercial trade centre “Silesia” where we met each other . We had dinner at the pub where we remained until 11 p.m. to talk and drink together.

On Sunday the 25th I and some of the Italian guys went to Cracow by train around the town to buy some souvenirs. After we returned home to have a rest.

On Monday the 26th we went to visit a silver mine and then to a pool park full of slides and games.

On Tuesday the 27th we went to a little village in the mountains, there we went around by a horse coach and then we ate sausages cooked over the fire in a typical cottage. We spent the afternoon playing snowballs.

On Wednesday the 28th we left for Praha where we visited the town and the main shops. We had dinner at the Restaurant of the Hotel.
On Thursday the 29th we visited the centre of Praha, Karl’s bridge, and the old town.
On Friday the 30th we left from Praha and after a stop in Innsbruck we arrived in Pontedera at about one o’clock at night.
Before this trip I thought that I wouldn’t have had fun, but after that I wouldn’t have come home because I enjoyed it a lot.
The days in Poland have been amusing and useful to learn English. The Polish family was very hospitable and funny. I hope to see them again and to spend another holiday like that.
THIS TRIP WAS VERY BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE I KNEW A LOT OF NEW ITALIAN PEOPLE AND I COULD SEE THREE BEAUTIFUL CITIES, THE POLISH PEOPLE ARE REALLY WONDERFUL AND NICE…

MY POLISH DIARY - FRANCESCA

Monday 20th October
In this day we arrived to Poland at about 5 o’clock, after a long trip with the bus. We went to our Polish home and we had dinner with the family. I was very happy to meet Ola, my polish friend and I was very happy to meet her family and Lucky, her beautiful dog.
Tuesday 21st October
At about 7 o’clock, I and Ola we woke up for breakfast, after breakfast we went to school where we were welcomed…after that we went to Wieliczka where we visited a salt mine …The mine is very big and interesting. After this visit we went to Cracow, a beautiful old capital of Poland. In this city we saw a lot of churches, a castle, some shops and a beautiful square. After this visit we went home, we had dinner and then we went out with everybody else for going in a pub.
Wednesday 21st October
At 7 o’clock we woke up and we went to school where we were all the morning and part of the afternoon. In this time we saw a presentation about Poland, Polish history and the Polish writer Kapuscinski. After the school we had free time, and I and Ola(my Polish friend) with someone else we went in a big commercial center in Sosnowiec…In Poland there are a lot of beautiful and very big shopping centers with different types of shops. In Poland the made in Italy is in great demand, particularly for the clothing. After shopping we went at home and we had dinner at about 6 o’clock. In the evening we went out with everybody for going in a pub.
Thursday 22nd October
In this day we saw a film about the deportation: “the pianist” and in the evening we went to Auschwitz were we saw a small part of the German horrors. This experience was very interesting and moving and I hope that this horror won’t happen again.


Friday 23rd October
In the morning we went to the city gym where we played football, basketball and volley. We formed an Italian and a Polish team and we competed with each other. The match are was under the supervision of all the teachers. After the gym, we went to school, where we attended a talent show of the Polish boys and girls, they played the guitar, the piano, the violin and other instruments. They sang a lot of song, and they read some poems. They were good…After school we went home and after dinner we went out with everybody, for a drink…

Saturday 24th October
On Saturday in Poland the schools are closed and consequently boys and girls sleep a lot…When we woke up at about 12 o’clock, we had breakfast…after the breakfast we got ready and we went to a very big commercial center with the name Silesia…In this building there are a lot of shops of varied kinds for example shops of shoes, of clothing, of jewelers and other…In the evening we went out with everybody for a drink.

Sunday 25th October
In the morning we woke up at about 10 o ‘clock and I, Ola and her parents we went to the mountains, at the home of Ola’s uncles …they are very interesting people and the city is very fascinating. Also in this city there is a big commercial center and Ola, her cousin and me we went there. Also in this center there are a lot of shops with all things. In the evening we went to a birthday party of a friend of Ola and it was very funny.

Monday 26th October
In this day, Serena, Virginia and I with our Polish friends we went to a famous city of Poland where there is a famous black Madonna. We visited a big and beautiful church where the famous image of Our Lady is situated. We saw a particular, very interesting and suggestive celebration for Our Lady. After this visit we went home for lunch and after dinner we stayed at home for relaxing.

Tuesday 27th October
In this morning after breakfast we went to the mountains for an excursion, we went walking, we went to a mountain hut by a horse-drawn carriage and there we ate and warmed. When we finished eating we went home, we had dinner and we went out for a drink.
Wednesday 28th October
In the morning at about 9’o clock we left


My opinions
I think that this experience was very interesting, for a lot of reasons, for example for the English language, but also for the knowledge of other cultures and costumes. The visits that we did were very interesting.
The family where I stayed is really fantastic, friendly and attentive. Ola my Polish friends is a very good person.

OUR STAY IN POLAND 17th - 30th October 2009

14 Days
I would not know where to start ... These 14 days were beautiful and I saw many new things, I saw some new places that alone probably I would not have gone to see. From this beautiful vacation the first 2 days we were in Wien, a truly beautiful city, which has almost all the colorful buildings.

The day after our arrival we went to visit the famous castle of Princess Sisi. Before that we saw the primary residence in central Wien and later in the afternoon we went to the summer residence of the Princess ... The house inside was really beautiful and so was the large garden ...

The next day we left for Poland where we stopped for 10 days. I was hosted in the home of a boy and I must say that I felt very uncomfortable about this fact. But all in all for me it was a good experience. Every day we went to visit several places in Poland. The first place we saw was Krakow. We have taken photos, we visited the city.

The only experience that I gave me a lot of sadness was the concentration camp in Auschwitz. But before we went to visit this place so cruel we saw the Polish film "The Pianist". A visit that we can not forget. Too much sadness and cruelty to thousands of people of different types: Poles, Jews, Gypsies, but also Italians. And here is the famous door of death with the phrase "WORK MAKES FREE".

All were taken by guile in the sense that they lied to get them to work ... every day for 5 years workers were sent to the so-called work with the orchestra that played next to the kitchen and the same orchestra accompanied them in the evening.

The camp was surrounded by double wires. The places where the prisoners slept were divided into 24 blocks.

Then we saw the block 11 that was called the prison within the prison. This block was separate from others, but there was a wall that joined it with block number 10. Inside it people were treated badly. The ground floor was the place for torture, that they were in dark cells, the cells to stand. In place among numbers 10 and 11 there was another door that would close that horrible place, where the wall of death was built, a wall full of blood from all those shots.

In this picture you can also see the windows closed so that the other prisoners could not look at what was happening outside.
We also visited some of the blocks, where we saw the photos taken secretly, we saw the shoes, clothing, combs, toothbrushes, the suitcases and the most horrible thing (at least for me) real hair, a lot of hair that the Nazis used to make fabric. Unfortunately, these things could not be photographed, but the image of what we see is not lost, the story we have heard no one forgets. After this vision we went to the most cruel Aushvitz 2, where people were treated like animals ... Even after all those years, you can imagine the train coming loaded with people.


This part as I said before was more cruel because the places where the prisoners were sleeping were shacks made of wood with wood beds.

When all the prisoners were freed the 2 large gas chambers were destroyed and the only thing that we can now see are the remains.


But we also had our days of fun, also in the evenings ...

The nice thing was that the Polish girls were very well organized, that is always trying to make us go out and have fun. For instance Saturday we went to a huge shopping mall with 200 shops. The 10 days that I spent in Poland were beautiful and funny. I became very friendly with a Polish girl named Ania. When I left we exchanged e-mail to keep in touch.
And then finally we left for Prague. A beautiful city. The first day we walked a lot in the centre and we went to see the famous Astromical Clock.

We also saw other very famous things ....

In the end I can only say that these 14 days on one hand I liked a lot, I enjoyed the experience. I saw some new things, new places. I also learned a new tradition, that of Poland. But all in all I was also sad. In the end I could not wait to go home. I do not know what else I might add ....





Petkova Hristina

Saturday 15 May 2010

SARA'S POLISH DIARY

















SATURDAY, 17 OCTOBER 2009

6 o'clock: we leave!

It is the 6 a.m! We leave for 2 weeks!
We will travel for two weeks and we will visit Wien, some cities of Poland (such as Sosnowiec, where we will be guests in the houses of the polish guys, Cracow etc.), and Prague.
I’m in the bus! We will have to arrive in Wiern around 7:30 pm.

It is 3 p.m . We are in Gratz, a city in the south east of Austria. We can stay here for 2 hours, and later we must go to Wien.
Gratz is a beautiful city. These are some photos:

It is 8 p.m . We are in Wien!
SUNDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2009

Wien

Today, the whole day, we will visit Wien. In the morning we will visit the city and in the afternoon we will visit the castle of Sissi (the castle of Schönbrunn).

The city is very big and it is very beautiful! In the morning we have visited “ the cathedral of Saint Stephen” and the centre of the city.
In the afternoon we have visited Sissi's castle. The castle is very big and it is very beautiful.
We have also visited the inside of the castle and the garden.
These are some photos of Wien and the castle of Sissi:

MONDAY, 19 OCTOBER 2009

Poland, Sosnowiec!

It is 8 a.m. We leave from Vienna to Sosnowiec.

The trip lasts around 10 hours.

At 6 p.m. we pass the border of Poland and at around 7 p.m. we arrive in Sosnowiec.
We can’t wait to see the polish guys, that we had hosted in Italy, in May.

When our bus reached our destination, all the polish guys were waiting for us in front of their school.
We and the polish guys were very happy!
We took our bag, and we went at home with our polish friends.

TUESDAY, 20 OCTOBER 2009

Wieliczka and Krakow

It is 6,30 a.m !
I'm waking up!
This is the first day in Kalina's home. Kalina is the Polish girl where I’m guest.

I wake up , I prepare myself and then I have breakfast with Kalina's family.
Then at 7,45 a.m. we go to school by car.

Today we will visit Wieliczka and Krakow.

Wieliczka is an hour from Sosnowiec.
We arrive at Wieliczka, we wait a few minutes and then we go into the salt mine.
Inside the salt mine a person is waiting for us. She will guide us into the mine.

We visit all the mine. It is very interesting.
After the visit of the mine we go to Krakow.

Krakow.
We are in Krakow. Krakow is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland.
This city is very beautiful!
In the morning we visit the city, the castle, the dragon and other beautiful things of Krakow.

After that we have some free time for us.
In this free time, we go around the city and we visit many shops and we buy some souvenirs.

When I come back at home, we have dinner.
At dinner I speak a lot with Kalina’s parents because they speak English.

It is 10 p.m.
The first day was really fun. I liked Krakow a lot.

Now I'm tired.
Goodnight!


WEDNESDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2009

At school!

Today we are at school!
We visit the school.
The polish guys present the history of Poland. They present also the history of one of the greatest writers in Poland, Kapuscinski.

Then we present a video, that we made for the polish guys. This video presents the days that the polish guys spent in Italy, with us.

Today I have lunch at home.

Tonight we have a party!

I'm at home! I’m just back from the party! The party was great fun! I really enjoyed it!
The party was in a pub, “The Salem”.
We had dinner and then we danced and we enjoyed ourselves a lot.

I’m very happy to be here!

These first two days were wonderful!
See you tomorrow!
Goodnight!


THURSDAY, 22 OCTOBER 2009

Auschwitz

Today we will visit Auschwitz.

In the morning we see the film "The Pianist" and later we go to Auschwitz.

We are in Auschwitz, inside the camp.
The guide explains that Auschwitz is the first concentration camp that was built, and after we visit the other camp: Auschwitz-Birkenau.

We begin our visit in the camp.
In the camp we visited some blocks. In the blocks there are the remains of deportees: glasses, shoes, bags, hair.
We also visited the inside of the gas chamber. Inside of the gas chamber we have seen the crematorium.


Auschwitz-Birkenau.
We are in Auschwitz-Birkenau.
This camp is larger than the first camp. It is very big!
We can see a lot of blocks.
In this camp there is also the railroad.

We walk again.
This is unbelievable. This camp is very big! Farther we can see the gas chamber, that the Nazis have destroyed.

Today was not the usual visit. We have seen how millions of people have been killed.
It was very interesting to visit Auschwitz.




FRIDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2009

Sports and Talents!

Today is the day of talents!
In the morning we go to the gym.

We challenge the polish guys in some sports: football, basketball, volleyball.

I played football for girls! We won 4 to 0 !

In the other sports we lost.

After we went to school to see the talent show.
I think that in Poland there are many talents in singing.
The Polish guys sing very well.
In my opinion the best talent was Magda, a polish girl (where Virginia is guest). She sings very well!

At about 3 p.m. I'm going at home. I have lunch.

I want to say some things about Polish habits: in Poland it is different from Italy. Here we have lunch at 3 p.m. and dinner at 6 p.m. But for me it is not a problem. I have already got used to it!

After I had lunch, I talked with the parents of Kalina. They asked me some questions about Italy!

And tonight we will go in a pub with the other guys!


SATURDAY, 24 OCTOBER 2009

Katowice

Today we are free!

The polish guys have decided to take us to Katowice, in a big shop!

Kalina and I arrive in Katowice at 12 a.m. and here we meet Eriada, Ewelina, Monika, Diletta, Kasia and Viola.

We are in the store! It is very big!
We take the map of the store so we will not get lost!

Inside this mall, there are about 200 shops!
It's very beautiful here!
We visit many shops and also we do some shopping!

At 6 p.m. we meet again at the entrance and we go home!

I’m very tired!
These are about seven days that I walk never stop! But this is not a problem! I'm having so much fun!

Today I bought some presents for my parents and some things for me. For example, I bought a very beautiful pair of jeans!

At about 8 p.m. we are at home! We have dinner and then we go to the same pub, “The Salem”!
At about 11 p.m. we come back at home! I’m really tired! I take a shower and I go to sleep!

Tomorrow I will have to walk again!
Kalina has decided that I can visit Krakow again! I'm happy! I like Krakow a lot!

Goodnight!


SUNDAY, 25 OCTOBER 2009

Krakow

We are in Krakow! I’m with Kalina, Monica, Diletta, Kasia, Viola, Kasia and Clarissa.

We go around the city, we go shopping and we buy some presents for our friends.
We walk a lot.

About 6 p.m. we come back at home by train!

Tomorrow it will be a week that I’m in Poland.
I’m so happy.
Kalina's parents are very good and very kind. They ask me many questions about Italy and I am happy to say.
They ask me "What is your favorite singer?" or "What kind of music do you listen to?" or "What is the name of your football team?" And many other questions. I am happy to tell them about these things.

And I’m very happy to be a guest in Kalina’s family.


MONDAY; 26 OCTOBER 2009

Silver mine and Swimming pool

We are in the silver mine.

The guide speaks English. For me it is not very easy to understand, but I understand some things.
We enter into the mine of silver. Here it's cold!
The ceiling of the mine is very low and we wear helmets.
We walk inside the mine.
The guide explains the history of the mine.
We take a boat that carries us through the mine.

After visiting the silver mine (that I liked), we're going to the swimming pool!
The pool is wonderful. There are various types of pools.
We're having so much fun.
We spend two hours in the swimming pool and then we go home.
Today I had a lot of fun.


TUESDAY, 27 OCTOBER 2009

Mountains

We are in the bus.
We are going to the mountains.

We get there. We take the cable car.
We go into a hut where we stay about an hour and we have lunch.
Then we take the cable car again and come back down.
We take the bus again and we go to another place.

When we arrive, some horses with carriages are waiting for us.
We take the carriage, that take us in a small house in the mountains.
Here it is very cold and there's snow.
We come into this small house.
Inside we can eat. We take the sausages and cook them on the fire.
After we eat them! the sausages are very good!

After eating, we go outside and play with the snow.
Then we take again the horses and go back to the bus.
We come back home.


Today was a very beautiful day.
Today was the last day in Poland. Tomorrow we are leaving for Prague.

I miss the Polish guys a lot.
I had a great time with them.
I think that there wasn’t a visit that I didn’t like! I liked all the visit.
For me the visit to Auschwitz was very interesting. I liked Krakow and other visits.

This week has gone very quickly.
The family was the best.
Before coming to Poland I was afraid that I'd been a guest in a family.
I don’t know why: different habits, different times, I thought I wouldn’t feel very well in a family.
But this isn’t true. I have been very well. Kalina's family has been very kind to me and I thank them for everything.
This was a very nice and interesting experience.
WEDNESDAY, 28 OCTOBER 2009

Bye Poland!

Now it’s 10 a.m.

We say goodbye to our polish friends.
Some people cry. We will miss them a lot.
We get on the bus.

… we're leaving! Bye Poland!
we're going to Prague.

It is 6 p.m.: we are in Prague. We go to the hotel and then we go around the city.
Prague is very beautiful.

Tomorrow we will visit the main monuments of the city.


THURSDAY, 29 OCTOBER 2009

Prague
Today we visit Prague.
In the morning we visit the main monuments of Prague and in the afternoon we have free time.
In the afternoon I go around the city and buy the sweatshirt of Prague, and a present for my brother and my cousin.
Then I come back to the hotel!
Tomorrow we go back home!

FRIDAY, 30 OCTOBER 2009

We come back home!

It is 8 a.m.! We come back home.

We leave at 8 a.m. from Prague. I think that we will be in Pontedera after 15 hours!

At 5 p.m. we stop in Innsbruck, a small and beautiful city in Austria.
We visit the city and we get on the bus again.

It is 12,15 p.m. : we are in Pontedera!

This was a wonderful experience.
I will miss those wonderful days.
I did not think that I would have enjoyed it so much.

… and Monday we will be back at school!

Bye!

Sara Salvini

Friday 13 November 2009

Virginia's diary


My reality on the Comenius experience...

I state in advance that I will not write a diary because I think and I assert that I can’t write a detailed report about this experience, because it hasn’t any specific times or specific programs. It doesn’t leave programmed emotions but sudden and wonderful emotions. All that began on Monday was every simple habit had to be lost and every sentence had to be translated. Various moments of embarrassment predominated in the first moments of the following morning but a sudden desire to communicate and to know hit me and as for enchantment an English magic loosened me and made me calmer. Day after day I have understood that I had really made the most correct choice. Piazza of the Signoria, the leaning tower in Pisa, Volterra, Pontedera has served as a frame but the picture, the true artistic work have been the faces, the voices of these foreign boys and girls.. I will never forget the moments we spent together and the little darlings that Rafael gave me and then the simplicity of Magda on that Wednesday evening when for enchantment we started telling us our love stories. The marvelled faces of Thursday afternoon when we went to have tea at our teacher Salvini’s house, the happiness of being all together. The naivety and the desire to have a good time of Anya, Kashia, Lubel, Piotr and Lukas. The mambo to be taught to Piemech.. But the most beautiful scene has been the evening before the great good-bye at Giulio's house, when on the notes of SHE'S THE ONE Magda, Rafael and I danced embraced, an idiotic embrace, melancholy, but sincere of three people that despite the little knowledge, love each other. Those whispered words, beautiful but too important to write them on a sheet of paper. The desperate attempt of Magda to teach me to dance the jive.. The absurd but spontaneous way of Lubel to greet me and to show me his affection. All of this will be indelible in my heart as that unplanned heart of gestures done during their departure. Tears and smiles, moments of discouragement and tiredness, laughter and friendship have been well wanted and never refused because friendship and life are also this. I conclude with a sentence of a song that affirms what shouts and is well clear inside my heart.



…"I DON'T WANT TO MISS A THING"…


…waiting for October…


Virginia Stortini

Erjada's Diary: the most beautiful experience of my life




11th May

It has been a very particular day, very exciting, I was really shaken.
In the afternoon I tidied up all of my room, I put up the bed for her and I emptied a corner of my closet for her to put her stuff in.
My family has been very close to me and they have tried to calm me down.
The first and the only thing that I thought and I wanted was "I hope that she will be well with us, she will have a good time and she has all she needs during her stay with us".
I had already known the person that I was going to host because I had chatted with her a lot of times on MSN and we had agreed that she'd come to my house.
In the evening my parents and I went out to meet Ewelina at the stadium in Pontedera.
They had to get there at 11 p.m. but they arrived at 12:30 p.m.
We were there all together, waiting for these people we didn’t know.
When they got there, we welcomed them with some songs. One that I still remember was " Hi Polish".
We picked up the girl and we went home.
During the trip in the car we chatted a lot, in fact for my parents it was a surprise.
The first evening had already gone.
She spoke English very well, she spoke fast, but I understood her and this was the important thing.
Ewelina and I already had a good relationship because we almost knew everything about each other.


12th May

We woke up, we had breakfast at home and got ready to go and take the bus.
I tried to explain everything to her, how it worked on the bus with the tickets, I told her the times of the school and a lot of other things (and I repeated her every day because she forgot it =)).
I introduced her to all of my friends. When we got off the bus we waited for the other guys, so we got to know everybody and we went to school.
In the morning, at school we spent some time in the great hall, to introduce our school and our region to the Polish students.
In the afternoon we took them to the Easy Food restaurant, where we had lunch and then to rest in the park of the “Salici”. A lot of them loved to drink, the first thing that they had learned in Italian and that they asked everybody was: " Puoi indicarmi la via per la birra?" After the rest we went for a stroll in the high street (Corso) in Pontedera and then we went home.
It was the first evening that we had dinner together with my family. My mum cooked the pasta for her.
It was a very beautiful experience, she told us everything about her family, my parents didn't understand anything and I translated everything that that she said.
My brothers tried to understand and to talk to her that little that they knew.
We also laughed a lot while we were eating.
The supper didn’t last so much because then we had to go out to meet the other people.
She gave us many gifts and my parents were very happy and she gave me a bracelet that I will never get out because for me it is very important.
The night we came back home very late.. ihihihih…we spent a very beautiful night.
And the second night was over.

In general...

Every day we went to school and as always before going to school we met everybody and walked to school together, laughing and kidding..
On Wednesday we met in front of the gym and we had three hours of physical education.
Every morning I brought Ewelina to have breakfast to the cafe near my house before taking the bus..
On the first days when the teachers asked us how we had spend the day, we were not very enthusiastic but we had enjoyed ourselves so much..
The more days we spent together, the more we made friends with the Polish students.
We spent many afternoons together meeting in different places making them have a good time, Ewelina was a very good friend of the girl that was hosted by Sara, then we often met so as to make them happy.
Ewelina was telling us some things that her friend didn't even know. :)
We made a lot of trips: we went to Florence, to Pisa, to Viareggio, to Volterra and San Gimignano.
Every time that we went on trips I bought her some souvenirs that I gave to her when she left, in addition to that I gave her the typical Italian food and drinks for her parents.
On Saturday evening Sara and I met in her house, because the other guys went to the disco and since Ewelina and Kalina didn't like it very much we stayed at home to watch a film in English and to chat.
Later I invited Kalina (the girl that was staying in Sara’s house) to my house, because in the morning Sara had an important match and she could not abdicate, so Kalina came to the sea with us on Sunday.
On Sunday we went to Viareggio, to the beach, with the whole group.
It was a very beautiful but tiresome day, in fact in the evening we didn’t go out.
On Monday we went together to the beach again.
We also organised a supper where the Polish cooked for us and we cooked for them.
It was a very beautiful thing.
All the people made me try their food, but they also told me that the girl that had cooked had not been very good.
I am really happy because they liked the Italian cuisine a lot and that Ewelina (having had the possibility to try it) also liked the Albanian cuisine and for this I am happy.
One day we went to our teacher Salvini’s house, who welcomed us very well.
When we got in, both us and the Polish students were really surprised, it was a very big and very beautiful house, Ewelina asked me a lot of times if the house is all hers...
After the visit to the house of the teacher (where we ate very good sweets and cakes) we went to Giulio’s home to have the last dinner together.
It was already the last dinner, the days had passed very quickly, unfortunately.
That evening was very beautiful we ate, danced, drank and so many other things...we had such a good time.. I will never forget that date: 21/05/09.
The day of their departure was always nearer.
The day arrived.
Nobody succeeded in making me stop crying.
I saw Agata’s eyes full of tears and when she said to me “I will miss you“ I couldn’t stop crying.
I could not think that I would not see those people anymore until October, those people that had become so important to me
Even today, if I think about them, I cry because I miss them too much...
but then I remember the words that they told me “ Eriada don’t cry, we will soon see each other, please don’t worry and be happy”.

My relationship with them

Ewelina and I had a beautiful relationship every time that we came back home we spoke about everything.
She told me what her friends said about me and I told her what my friends said about her..
We exchanged opinions, ideas, we spoke about what to wear, things to do.
Ewelina had also established a beautiful relationship with my family.
We listened to the Polish music, the Albanian music and the Italian music.
I have established a beautiful relationship of friendship with all the Polish boys and girls.
I was really surprised because they all knew my name and they told me that they had learned it reading my posts in the forum.
In addition to Ewelina, I established a beautiful relationship with other two guys Pshemek and Agata..
Agata is very friendly with me, in fact when she left, she gave me a small letter where she wrote that she will miss me and she thanks me for everything.
I now often talk to them on msn or on the forum.
I am in contact with Agata over the telephone, I speak almost every day with Ewelina, Peter and Lubel on MSN, on the contrary with Pshemek and Patryk I always speak on the forum.
All the guys always tell me that they miss those days we spent together and those laughters.
They have helped me a lot to learn some words in Polish in fact an evening while Ewelina talked to her mother as every time I told her to greet her and to tell her not to worry about her, one evening she had me speak on the phone with her mother and I spoke her in Polish..
It was funny because then I didn't understand anything and I told her "ne movie popolsku"(I don’t speak Polish) and I gave the telephone to Ewelina.
Every time I learned some new words I went to the Polish students and I told it to them, we had a good time!
Patryk (the most beautiful boy of their group) always told me that I was becoming a Polish girl.
All the people have understood that I had a great desire to learn something of them, of their language, of their culture etc.
Then they all helped me and they told me the things I wanted to know.
I have just learned to say “How are you” in Polish I went to their teachers and I asked them, and they always answered me in Italian.
Those two weeks have been very important and very beautiful for me, in fact I have written this date everywhere: 11/05/09 - 22/05/09.

I want to thank the teacher Salvini and the teacher that is now reading this diary of mine where I have tried to write everything that I remember about those two unforgettable weeks, and I remember well the first days when she proposed to us this cultural exchange with a group of Polish students we were not very enthusiastic, but now, after this experience I can only thank you very much for having given me the opportunity to meet some special people..


Love,
Eriada..

Saturday 13 June 2009

Bettina's Diary


I couldn't host a polish friend in my house, but I can tell you about the excited state that we felt!
Yes, because before that the Polish came to Italy my Italian friends were very worried for a lot of reasons:
*the house (and the possible criticisms about it)
*the people (because u couldn't know if u had a nice Polish or not)
*THE LANGUAGE (that was the most important reason of worry that we had. We thought we wouldn’t be able to say a word in English!)
All problems went away when we met the Polish students, because we understood that they are like us.
Though the Polish students’ English is much better than ours, the language wasn't a real problem, because we could make ourselves understood... And with them we could learn a lot! And we didn't learn just the English, because we had to work a lot to amuse and teach them (about the most important Italian cities, writers...), so we came out from this experience more united (as a class).
I could tell you about the presentations we prepared on the history of Italian literature (and the fears we had to make a fool of ourselves), the treasure hunt, the overview of the cities that we visited (and the tiredness that we felt while walking under the sun), the laughters, but every word would be useless because other people can’t understand what it means to have such an experience!
All was fantastic and I can just have the regret that I couldn't take part in this experience like the others guys.
But I’m really happy to have met wonderful Polish people and to have seen Italian people do their best to have fun with the Polish students!

Giacomo's Diary: The Polish Adventure!



When I knew about the Comenius project, I wasn't very happy to take part in it, because I didn't know the people and I thought I wouldn’t have been able to speak with them in English.
But however I took part in it and now I can say that I did very well!
I had two polish friends, Przemek (but I called him Tosha) e Justyna, when I met them I immediately thought that they must be very nice and with the time I found out that it was so!

In the two weeks we did a lot of things:
In the morning we were at school. Some girls and boys of my class made 3 shows about some famous Italian writers and one about cryptography.
But the funniest time was in the afternoon and in the evening when we were with the other Polish and Italian students to have fun.
The best times were in the second week when we visited the cities like Pisa, Florence, Viareggio, Volterra and San Gimignano.
My two polish friends and I we went to Milan with my family, too. Because a friend of my family had to receive the first communion.

They were two beautiful weeks and now I'm looking forward to going to Poland to meet my polish friends again! :)

Saturday 28 March 2009


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Sunday 25 January 2009

TUSCANY WEB QUEST

BY DILETTA, VIRGINIA AND ALESSANDRO
1)      What is the capital of Tuscany?
§        Florence
§        Roma
§        Arezzo
§        Milan


2)      Where is Tuscany situated?
§        Central Italy
§        North Italy
§        South Italy



3)      How many people live in Tuscany?
§        1.2 million
§        3.6 million
§        4.5 million
§        2.4 million


4)      What is Tuscany famous for?
§        For wines
§        For champagne
§        For grapes
§        For egg pasta


5)      What monuments are important in Tuscany?
§        Coliseum
§        Tower of Pisa
§        Cathedrals
§        Uffizi

6)      What is the most important river in Tuscany?
§        Senna
§        Po
§        Ticino
§        Arno



    7) How many provinces are there in Tuscany?
§        11
§        15
§        16
§        10

 

8)With what regions does Tuscany board?
§        Lazio, Sicilia, Sardegna, Mar Nero
§        Umbia, Marche, Mar Tirreno, Lazio
§        Marche, Umbria, Molise, Francia
§        Puglia, Campania, Mar Baltico, Corsica



   9)What kind of industries are there?
§        Piaggio, petrochemical plants in Leghorn
§        Fiat, Renault
§        Nokia, Samsung
§        Wolkswagen Peugeot

    
 10)What is the weather like in Tuscany?
§        Hot in summer and cold in winter
§        Hot in summer and winter
§        Cold in summer and winter



WEB QUEST ABOUT TUSCANY


by Bullari Erjada

1)What was the original name of Tuscany derived from?
a)      Tuscania
b)      Tuscia
c)      Tuscany
d)     Tosca
                                      http://www.choose-tuscany.com/tuscany_geography.html


2)What is the capital of Tuscany?
a)      Florence
b)      Siena
c)      Pisa
d)      Lucca


3)Where is the world famous wine produced?
a)      Chianti
b)      Borgheri
c)      Brunello
d)      San Gimignano
                                       http://www.choose-tuscany.com/tuscany_geography.html


4)What does the wealth of Tuscany come from?
a)      From the land
b)      From the wine
c)      From commerce
d)      From its name

5)Which is the city that has the most important Renaissance architecture in the world?
a)      Pisa
b)      Lucca
c)      Siena
d)      Florence

6)During which period was Tuscany eclipsed??
a)      2 or 3 hundred years
b)      3 or 4 hundred years
c)      4 or 5 hundred years
d)      5 or 6 hundred years

7)When was the National Bank of Tuscany established?
a)      1848
b)      1849
c)      1852
d)      1857

8)Which was the most famous and richer family of Renaissance in Italy?
a)      De Medici
b)      Donati
c)      Patrizi
d)      Franceschi

9)Florence extended its domain in 1405 through the purchase of which city?
a)      Lucca
b)      Livorno
c)      Pisa
d)      Siena

10)What was Florence called?
a)      The capital of arts
b)      The capital of artists
c)      The capital of the Renaissance
d)      The cultural capital