IT'S ABOUT US, IT'S ABOUT EUROPE!: November 2013

1^st DAY - TUESDAY : ARRIVAL

Today is the 5^thof November. I woke up at 7 o'clock. I put on my clothes, and took the luggage into the car. I said goodbye to my dad, sister Eva and brother Matej. My mum drove me to school. Last, of course, was our Laura, which is nothing new. We were all nervous and full of expectation because we would meet our Comenius partners from other countries. I said goodbye to my mother and we drove away. I sat in the backseat between Laura and Andreja. Beside us were Eva, Kristjan and three teachers: Tanja, Marija and Marta. The journey was seven hours long. Our journey, if you can imagine it, looked something like this: We started from the primary school in Žetale. We drove to the north towards Hungary, near Budapest, then to the north to Slovakia. Hungary is similar to Slovenia with smaller hills and smaller forests. Most of the time, we drove on the highway. Houses there are all in the form of cubes, similar to each other. At 10 am we had a break at the gas station somewhere in Hungary. There we ate our sandwiches and drank tea. There we also went to the bathroom. After half an hour we continued the journey. When we arrived to Slovakia, the landscape was more densely populated. And soon we were in the city, which is the second largest in Slovakia and bears the name Košice. We arrived at our destination point in front of the hotel Maraton. The families were waiting for us. I saw Daška and her family, brother Oliver and mum Silvia. At first we drove to a very big supermarket. We bought some supplies and went home. Daška showed me the entire house. I unpacked and helped Daška with the homework. We did English and mathematics. We talked about the similarities and differences between our two countries and ways of life. That's when her father Robo came home. We had dinner. After dinner I played Slovak Monopoli with Daška. The house in which I am is really beautiful, even more beautiful than a 5-star hotel. After Monopoli we went sleep. I was scared because I knew that the next day I would have the presentation.

2^nd DAY – WEDNESDAY : FIRST TIME IN SLOVAK SCHOOL

I woke up at six and prepared for school. The school is very high compared to ours, in front of it there is a kind of a park. On the right there were two girls dressed in national costumes. The school has three floors. At the end of the ground floor are closets for shoes. With me was Daška. She led me up the stairs to the top floor. There were all gathered in one classroom. With us were pupils from Slovakia, Turkey, Spain and Italy. All together we went to the school hall. There the pupils from Slovakia had a welcome program for all of us from other countries. They sang songs in different languages, danced, played songs... Then the presentation of Turkish pupils followed, and then was our turn. When I finished my presentation I immediately felt relief. Then the Italian and the Spanish pupils had their presentations. The presentations were pretty good. Then I went home with Daška. We dined at home, chatted a bit, listened to music and went to bed. That night I slept like an angel.

3^rd DAY - THURSDAY: SIGHTSEEING KOŠICE

Again, I got up at six. And as each day I went to school. To the school is a 30-minute drive. In school we sat all day in the classroom of pupils. Laura, Christian and I were together in the same class in 6.c. There I met more pupils: Kika, Fabian, Patrick, Alexandra, Marinka, Petra, Saška, Ema,..... The class is large and has a lot of desks. All periods are in the same class. We had mathematics, physics, Slovak, geography, history, and computer club. When we compared our and Slovakian language we found that there are many similar words such as cat, rabbit, mum... It was a lot of fun. During the breaks there was a real circus in the classroom. Pupils were screaming, eating, using the phone, throwing paper airplanes, playing football with plastic cups ... It was fun, because I know that they are not the only ones who throw paper airplanes in class. We talked a lot with the pupils. I really liked it. After school I went out with Daška’s family for pizza and then we had a dessert with chocolate and bananas and cream on top. The pizza was quite different from ours, it had no cheese and spices like our pizza, but it was still good. And then the sightseeing of the historical part of Košice began. We all gathered in the city. We had our own guide, he presented the city. We saw the longest church in Europe, which was really gorgeously decorated, we also saw her tomb, this part of course was the coolest, because I love those things. There are also aquatic organ, which unfortunately works only during the summer. Of course, there's also a lot of shops. The tour lasted about two hours. Our tour was over when it was already dark. Then we went home. At home we had dinner, good as always. After dinner, we watched a cartoon, Shark tail in Slovakian, it was very interesting. After the cartoon we went to bed.

4^th DAY – FRIDAY : HIGH TATRAS & SPIŠSKY CASTLE

Today I got up at half past six. We drove to school, where we waited for the bus. We were first taken to the High Tatras by bus. Before High Tatras we stopped in one city. We saw the humiliating cage in the middle of the market. The trail lasted quite a long time, but I did not think it was so, because we were distracted by talking with other students. We had a task which was to mix among the students and also talk to them. In English, of course. We realized we were getting closer to our main destination, when we saw a beautiful mountain ahead. When we arrived at the High Tatras we continued way on foot. We went around the lake. All the way we three girls sang songs out loud. We made a circle around the lake, where we saw ducks that swam across the lake and headed back. Again we went on the bus and drove to Spišsky castle. Then teacher Tanja gave us a task that we have to learn three words in all languages. We had to learn: good morning, thank you and I love you. The bus became very loud because we all murmured words in other languages. The hardest were Turkish words. We stopped in front of the restaurant near the castle. There we tried Slovak food and drinks. The inn was called Spišský Salas and it was a traditional Slovak restaurant. I didn’t like their food, but their drink was really good. Especially Vinea. After lunch we drove to Spišský castle. There we made a group photo. Spišský castle is really a very powerful castle. We went up to the top of the tower where there was a very nice view of the whole plain below the castle. It is the largest castle in Europe. After visiting the castle we went home. The teacher checked how well we learned those three words in all languages during the journey. I was pretty good. On the way we talked a lot with others and it was very nice. And then we went home. We were at home when it was already quite dark. We dined at home. Then I showed Daska on the Internet the place where I live. We compared the words of our language. After one hour of laughter we went to bed.

5^th DAY - SATURDAY: FAREWELL DAY

Today is the 9^th of November and this is our farewell day. I got up at half past eight. Daška’s dad took us to the bus station, where we all gathered together. At 9 o’clock we went to see the hunting castle Betliar. We visited the inside of Betliar, which was really beautiful. This castle is really very luxurious. Each room had its own bathroom. They had a room with a pool table. Around the castle paintings, armor, weapons, stuffed animals including real elephant head, porcelain dishes, etc. are exhibited. We looked at the surroundings. Andreja and I went to a lake. Before the castle there is a beautiful garden. After this visit we returned home. On the way our teacher Tanja again checked our knowledge of the three expressions in all languages. At home I had lunch and after some time again went out. This time we went to a farewell dinner at a restaurant that was very interesting to be equipped with the tools that are sometimes used in the field and elsewhere on the farm. First we waited that we all gathered and then we started with dinner. We ate roast turkey, beetroot, boiled potatoes with horseradish sauce. After dinner, they presented Slovak folk music to us. We had live music. After the show we learned the Slovak folk dance called Železiar. Then followed some free dancing. We danced like crazy. We danced even the ducks dance. After the dance, we were still talking. Andreja and I sat among Spaniards, Italians and Turks and talked about everything possible. We started to sing. The evening was really gorgeous. Then we even got a cake with a picture of where we were all from in the Comenius project. We had fun until the late hours. Then we had to say goodbye. We arrived in Žetale at 6.45. The parents were waiting for us. This was the end of our trip. I really miss the Comenius project partners. It was really fantastic and one very beautiful unique experience. Comenius project thank you for everything!

Katja from Slovenia.

Las Palmas e Gran Canaria, 24^th of November 2013

Dear Ada:

Kevin, Miguel Ángel, Alicia and David, the Spanish members of Comenius team had a wonderful time at ZŠ Námestie in Kosice during our first Comenius meeting as a result of your excellent arrangements. I would like to express our appreciation to all the students and teachers, Italian, Slovenian, Turkish and specially the Slovak community: firstly, the host families, because Kevin and Miguel Angel had a great experience there, and they felt at home; the students, for the great work they have been doing before and during our stay and for the fantastic and warm welcome, and finally, headmaster, teachers, and all the other members of the school for all the help and the facilities. Furthermore, a special thanks to Ada Pivarnikova for her careful arrangement, her patience, and for this smile and her sense of humor in each moment. We really enjoyed much and have a wonderful and unforgettable experience.

Thanks again for all you did for us during our stay.

Sincerely yours

Kevin, Miguel Ángel, Alicia and David.