THE JOURNAL OF THE PORTUGUESE FESTIVAL WITHIN THE COMENIUS PROJECT “A PATH TO SUSTAINABILITY”

Departure from Brasov,  1³⁰ in the morning, of the Romanian team, consisting of pupils: Gosman David, Marc Adelina, Pascu Alexandru, Rus Cristin Liviu, Spataru Alexandru, Stîrliciu Adelina, Ioana Zoldan, accompanied by teachers Cioc Niculae, Ciupală Codruţa, Donici George, Koncz Magdalena, Mihai Iudit and Mureşan Mihaela.

Arriving at Otopeni airport, we are all anxious to fly to Lisbon (Portugal) with one stopover  of approximately 3 hours in Zurich (Switzerland).

After the flight over the Alps we arrive in Switzerland, change planes, fly again and land in Lisbon at 14:00. We get on the minibus and in 3 hours we finally reach our destination, at 17:00, in São João de Madeira.

Here our hosts are warmly waiting for us compensating for the cold outside (11^OC…)

 
Day 2: Monday, 30 April 2012

 On the first day of school, all members of the team, pupils and teachers are handed in a personalized card for school access. Its purpose and use at school are explained to us, as it is similar to a bank card attached to an account that can be charged for school shopping. “Comendador Ângelo Azevedo” school is presented to us, with facilities, classrooms, balbs, library, canteen and leisure area for students. We talk to both our host teachers and pupils.

The school yard hosts an art exhibition of recycled materials.

In the afternoon we visited a womens shoe factory in the area, as the entire region is renowned  for its women shoe workshops.

 

In the afternoon we visited various areas of São João da Madeira

At dinner we tasted local specialties …

Day 3: Tuesday, 1 May 2012

Visiting  Aradas school.

We were greeted by a traditional music and dance group which delighted us with a brief show inside the school, then we were introduced to  Aradas  school, followed by the tour of Aveiro by bus and some sort of motorized gondolas (boats) sailing on the Aveiro  channels.

 Visiting an eco-museum, “Marinha da Troncalhada” , where sea salt is being extracted from the Atlantic ocean water. The process and its history was described to us there.

 We had lunch at a restaurant near Barra beach.

 After lunch we strolled in the streets near the city of Aveiro, in the area of holiday mansions of “Costa Nova” and on Costa Nova beach.

 

Day 4: Wednesday, 2 May 2012

Visiting the school and attending a mixed reunion-teachers and pupils-in the school meeting room.

 In the teachers’ room teachers talk while the pupils attend workshops in the classrooms.

 Visiting the area of Porto (Oporto city), starting 13:00

 

Visiting Graham’s wine cellars situated in Vila Nova De Gaia next to the city of Porto, on the opposite bank of Douro river.

Here we learnt all the stages of the production of the famous Porto, starting with the vineyard to the bottling of the wine to be sold all over the world

Day 5: Thursday, 3 May 2012

Project meeting-reunion between the project teachers where the developed activities are discussed and the ones to be done, including designing the project impact questionnaire and preparation of the festival in Portugal.

 At 13:00 lunch is served in school and then everybody leaves to visit Azeméis region, which includes the botanical garden”Parc de La Salette” and the water mills used in the grinding of cereals as well as the bakeries with ovens on wood.

 

Both pupils and teachers are thrilled to see wheat grinding and to take part in the kneading of the bread dough followed by watching it being baked and finally buying and eating it

  Day 6: Friday, 4 May 2012

 9:00 -the official rehearsals for the Portugal festival occur at Cine-Teatro Caracas, of Oliveira de Azeméis

 The festival starts at 21:00.

 Before the Romanian performance begins, backstage intense preparation is done … everything is according to schedule, the performance of the Romanian pupils being highly appreciated by both the audience and the other teams in the festival.

 

Day 7: Saturday, 5 May 2012

 3:00 in the morning. Goodbye hugs between the Romanian pupils and the other pupils involved in the project.

 We are coming home, leaving Porto airport, a 5 hour stopover in Frankfurt (Germany).

 Arriving on Otopeni  at 17:00, we feel the heat of home …(28^OC).

 

The trip to Brasov is OK and we arrive home around 22:00.

We will always remember with pleasure our time in Portugal  with our colleagues from Romania, Portugal, Cyprus and Norway withing the Comenius project “A PATH TO SUSTAINABILITY” 

Teacher George Donici 

Andrei Mureşanu High School

Braşov Romania