Poland, Tarnowskie Góry (8-14 March 2015)

4 pupils and 3 teachers travelled to Tarnowskie Góry, Poland.

The pupils got to know each other in the usual way by sending their own profile to the host partners and connecteting each other via internet. At the school we were greeted with salt and bread according to the local traditions.

The pupils prepared their agreed tasks with great enthusiasm. They had to show the eating habits of our country using a presentation, and also had to give their suggestions about healthy diet. They prepared their presentation in prezi, which is a new type of presentation invented by the Hungarians. For the project song they had written a poem on their own. At the mobility we chose the poem written by the Polish pupils as the lyrics of our project song by voting.

We could get to know the everyday life of the Polish school. One of the most enjoyable activities for the pupils was the sport contest in the spirit of healthy way of life. The highlight of the program was the sport show of the local pupils which proved to us how important doing exercises is in their everyday life. It is not surprising as the pupils of this school learn to become firemen, paramedics and policemen/women.

We visited a Polish orphanage that our Polish partner school helps with their regular voluntary work. Before travelling we had organized collecting donation for the Polish orphans and we collected a lot of nice toys. The orphan children were really pleasantly surprised because they had never got as many presents at the same time before. We also showed a traditional round game to the children and not only they but also our partners joined to it.

We could also get to know the traditional Polish cuisine by making a traditional meal together.

The Polish language course was very popular, however, our pupils struggled with it. It was a bit easier for the teachers who had some previous knowledge in the Russian language.

Our hosts showed us the sights of the region. We visited the salt mine in Wieliczka and the Royal Palace in Krakow.

We had the possibility to visit Auscwitz, which enriched students’ and teachers’ knowledge in history.

It was a really successful mobility and a great experience for our students. They could experience directly-in the orphanage-that it is a good feeling to help, and we should act-by even taking small steps-when we see that somebody needs our help.