Comenius Project - Multilateral Partnership - Portugal | 2010-10-04

 

At the end of April a group of 4 students from grade 11, participating in the Comenius program and 2 teachers – Ms. Blahetová and Mr. Helebrant, headed straight for one destination – Portugal. We were supposed to spend 5 days in a tiny village, Aguiar da Beira, hidden among the high peaks of Portugal’s mountains, where our partner school is, and 2 days in the tourist destination and amazing city of Porto.

 

For us students, it was like we had died and were reborn in paradise –a cloudless sky, hot weather, sun, friendly people and the Portuguese way of life "mañana". Frankly, we were having the time of our lives. Each of us lived at one Portuguese student’s house – enjoying their culture, cuisine, mentality and, of course, family. We met every single morning at the school yard, and then followed a certain schedule for each day.


We saw Portuguese classes which do not resemble ours, at all. Some of us made really good friends there. Being in a completely dissimilar world gave us a contrast to what we had back home. No one could resist falling in love with that place, with their lifestyle and way of living.

According to the plan the Portuguese teacher had prepared for us, we visited vineyards that are famous for that region and some had an opportunity to taste some delicious Porto wine for themselves. Sightseeing in some medieval villages, including castles, was not our cup of tea, though we enjoyed as much as we could. We went to see a nearby spa for curing various skin diseases, but for some, it could have been the curing of their nervous system and with the beautiful landscape and nature surrounding us, everyone had to feel reborn. Finally, we visited historical town Viseu, where we even tried ice skating in one of the biggest commercial centres on the Iberian Peninsula.

 

After 5 days spent in this incredible place called Aguiar da Beira, we moved to Porto, which is the second biggest city in Portugal, and total opposite of Aguiar da Beira. Big, hectic and a busy tourist destination, it was also a paradise for us.

 

We were supposed to go to a football match, FC Porto vs. FC Benfica, but, unluckily we did not manage to get tickets, so at least we went to see their gigantic football stadium. Then we went discovering other beauties of this amazing city and the seaside.

 

This supercalifragilisticexpialidocious place amazed us all so much, that even teachers did not want to go back to the Czech Republic at all. With a clear mind, we can say that this short week in paradise was one of the most significant experiences in our lives. We wish that we could have stayed there longer…

 

Patrycja Szusciková, Kristian Csepcsar, grade 11A

 

 

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