LTT in Kolárovo

Project Meeting in Kolárovo, Slovakia

From 9 to 14 October 2022, Erasmus+ delegations from our partner schools visited our School Centre Cirkevná spojená škola Panny Márie to participate in the 4th project meeting of the Erasmus+ project “Climate And Threats on Cultural Heritage”. The Slovak school welcomed 32 students and 13 teachers from the Serbian, Italian, Polish, Turkish, Polish and Spanish partner schools, who spent the project week learning about our city, its natural and cultural heritage, and participating in English language activities with our students, linked to the project’s green theme. 

At the official opening event of the project meeting, Tímea Galo Lukács, the project coordinator, welcomed the delegations from the Turkish, Italian, Spanish, Serbian and Polish partner schools. After welcoming speeches by the headmaster and the mayor of the town the Slovak students gave a presentation about Kolárovo and their school. After a short sightseeing walk, an interactive presentation by Zsolt Riflik on the negative effects of climate change in our region followed. The highly enjoyable and interactive presentation proved to be an excellent opener and discussion starter, after which the students took part in a project activity on nature conservation.

The rest of the day was spent at the Vermes farm, where the students and their teachers listened to István Vermes, the chief of the tribe. He talked about the way of life of the Hungarian people in the yurt of the farm, and then had the chance to try archery, horse riding and other activities of the time. After the traditional Hungarian goulash, the participants had a dance party with the Hárompatak folk band, where they learned Moldavian and Hungarian dances. A highlight of the evening was the dance performance of the folk dancers of Kolárovo, who gave the guests a taste of Hungarian folk dance culture. The evening was spent in a great atmosphere, everyone danced until midnight.

During the project week, the guests visited Komárno and Bratislava together with the students and teachers of our school. In Komárno, they got to know the history of the city and its main sights during a pleasant sightseeing walk. Afterwards, the Erasmus+ teams took part in an interactive quiz game in the Courtyard of Europe and visited the Komárom Fortress. The students and their teachers had a unique experience to learn about the rich history of the divided city and to discover the unique fortress system in Central Europe. During the project meeting, the partner delegations also visited the capital, where they were guided by an English-speaking guide to the main sights of Bratislava.

The final event of the project week started with the award ceremony of the Erasmus+ diplomas, followed by a dinner and then a student ball with English, Hungarian, Italian, Serbian, Polish, Turkish and Spanish hits. A special highlight of the evening was the sing-along. The international group sang Pink Floyd’s famous hit “The Wall”, the lyrics of which were rewritten by the Spanish project coordinator for our Erasmus+ project:

We don’t need dull education

We just need some place to go

We want Erasmus in the classroom

Teacher, please, don’t leave me home

Hey, teacher, take us all abroad!

All in all is just another trip around the world!

The students learned a lot during the LTT in Kolárovo, they improved their language skills, made progress in environmental awareness, but most importantly, they made lifelong friendships. Thanks to Erasmus+, the world opened up to them, they met students from other countries and cultures, and they became more open to other nations and cultures.