Impressions of Braga

Finnish students’ impressions of their trip to Braga, Portugal, 14th - 21st October, 2012

Drums were played when we arrived to
Escola Secundária Sá de Miranda
I didn't think anyone else than Mercury himself
can sing as perfectly Bohemian Rhapsody
Well Elsa did!
We had only a week time to be there
We tried our best to enjoy every minute,
Even every raindrop...
Isabel told us that the Water Pavilion was an optical illusion
The trip to Geres, I'll never forget
Portugal has amazing natureI miss all those memories with my host family
Every time I think about the time in Praga,
Fado is playing it's self in my brain

Óla!

I went to Braga for one week two weeks ago and those days were awesome in every way. The first day in Braga was really cool because then I really got to know my host sis and then I saw my good friend Noora for a long time. During the first day we went to Bom Jesus which was, in my opinion, the most beautiful place of all the places we visited during the whole trip. In the evening I went shopping with my host family in Braga Park. On Tuesday we went to Porto to see the city and the harbor of Porto. From Porto we went to Guimarães which is the European Capital of Culture 2012. On Tuesday we also went to see the Water Pavilion, where they had different and very cool demonstrations of water. Before Water Pavilion we went for a walk in the City Park and the park was huge and it was very beautiful too. On Wednesday we made a trip to Gerês National Park where we saw mountains. The scenery there was awesome! Thursday's highlight was the dinner with the whole group in a restaurant where they had traditional Portuguese food. The food was delicious, except the animal organs which I found quite terrible! ;) There was also an amazing fado singer in the restaurant.
I had such an amazing time in Braga and I really think that the time went way too fast. Braga was such a nice place that I think some day I'll go back to Braga again. All the people were so friendly and nice to me and that is something I'll miss for the rest of my life. But the most I will miss my host family who were the best host family I could ever dream of! I'm looking forward to getting back to Braga! 

Thanks to all who were in Braga!
Love, Veera

Questionnaire on the Meeting in Braga

Dear students that participated in the Comenius eco-project in Braga, 

 

It is important for us to know your opinion about the meeting in Braga. Did the visit meet your expectations? Did you enjoy this experience?

Please fill in the online form on the following webpage:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?fromEmail=true&formkey=dEpFUEFSSjZHWERna1BYU2lxTmlZNWc6MQ

Thanking you for your feedback!  

Isabel Barbosa
Comenius Coordinator, Portugal

Impressions of Braga

Greek students’ impressions of their trip to Braga, Portugal, 14th - 20th October, 2012

In Portugal we had so much fun !

We met new people and we had  wonderful  moments with them there.

I miss all the things we were doing together, our performances, our jokes, our walks, our games  and I miss everybody, too.

Lots of kisses from Greece !

Agapi Kyrtsidou, 15 years old.

I am lost for words...words can't describe how wonderful this week was, not only for me but for all of us. I had the chance to meet warm and friendly people from different countries. I consider myself lucky meeting all those teachers and students and I hope that we will keep in touch and we will meet each other again one day...

Diana Thomai, 16 years old.

We had some great moments in Portugal. And these moments will always be in our hearts! I remember the interesting sights, the beautiful rivers and the awesome Atlantic ocean!

It was the best week of my life the one I spent in Braga with all of you, students, teachers and Portuguese parents.

We miss you a lot!

It’s difficult for us  now to carry on  with our daily routine because we remember the moments we spent with all of you and cannot concentrate to anything else.

Good luck   to everybody!

We love you and of course we would like to see you again as soon as possible!

Hugs and kisses from Salonica, Greece ♥

Vassili Michali, 16 years old

I remember all of you, students and teachers, and the amazing time we spent together.... it was a fantastic trip and you were very warm and hospitable!
I want to see you again !
I miss you and the beautiful country of Portugal! I enjoyed our walks in the beautiful countryside and the songs we sang all together!

Marios Dellis, 15 years old

My Memories,Your Memories,Our Memories!

Braga, Portugal 14th - 20th October, 2012

The Belgians

The Finns

The Greeks

The Portuguese

The Romanians

Comenius Exchange Student Tiina Välimaa Exploring Life in Belgium

I have been in Liége, Belgium, for a month now. I think the first week was the most challenging time, because then everything was new for me. The language, the culture, the school and the way people greet each other by kissing each other on cheeks.

Belgian life style is not so different and it wasn’t the hardest thing for me to understand, but the school was, and it still is very different from ours in Finland. I go to a private Catholic school here. In Belgium most people are Catholic, but the religion is not emphasized in my family or at our school in any way. By the way, our School is very beautiful, because it’s 100 years old. The school has quite many rules that are new to me. Like during the school day you stay in the school the whole day, you are not allowed to step outside the school area, the gates are closed. Or if you come late to the lesson, you can’t just go to the class and say “Sorry I’m late”, first you have to get a piece of paper from the school office with your name on it and give it to your teacher.

Belgian food is not so different, but the eating habits are. You eat lunch at school at twelve o’clock and the next time you eat is at home at eight o’clock in the evening. For a snack, you usually eat a chocolate bar. In Finland we get a free warm lunch at school every day. In my host family we eat Belgian and Spanish food (because my host dad is Spanish) and it’s very delicious. I particularly like Belgian fries and mayonnaise, they are very good.

In my host family it’s very important that children study every day. There isn’t much time for meeting friends in your free time. For me it’s surprising, because in Finland I’m used to seeing my friends after school every day and of course at weekends too. Over here I spend more time with my host family. At my Belgian home I usually speak English, but I learn a lot of French too. My host dad speaks English with me but my host mum only speaks French and the children of the family, my little brother, Axel, 16, and my little sister Chloe, 14, mostly speak French with me.

The school begins every day at 8:20. The lessons last for fifty minutes and we have three breaks during the day; the first at ten o’clock then the lunch at twelve for one hour and the last at three o’clock in the afternoon. Some students speak English, but like in Finland too, many seem hesitant to use it. Over here English studies aren’t obligatory so older people can’t speak English. My teachers here suppose that I can speak French and they are very surprised when they notice that I can’t say much in French. In Finland I only took a couple of lessons in the basics of French before my exchange, so I really don’t know much about the language and its grammar.

Now after one month the life in Belgium and speaking in both English and in French is kind of normal to me and I’m used to it. It’s getting easier day after day. The other thing I have noticed is that the time seems to fly. I only have two months left of my exchange. Hopefully, I will learn more about Belgium and its people and have a great time here for the rest of the time! 

                                                 Tiina with her Belgian host dog Hestia