Via Carpathia – the road to diversity Erasmus+ Project was an amazing experience not only for me, but I believe for all participants, as we had a memorable time.
The cultural exchange was held in Cieszyn, a small town in Poland on the border to Czech Republic. For 13 days young people from Lithuania, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey came together to learn about the geopolitical importance about the highway. We did numerous workshops about social campaigns, text writing, brand creation and teambuildings, where we were able to unfold our creativity to the fullest. The geopolitical presentations of each country and the following discussions made participants realize how much in common all Via Carpathia countries have and made us feel close from the beginning. The Kamishibai Theather making was a very emotional way to get to know each other and it was a new experience to me as well. We also had national evenings where we were free to present our culture the way we wanted. Our Bulgarian team made up quite a lot of interactive games, so that participants can learn in a funny way about the Bulgarian Rose, the Martenitsa, The Yes-No confusions while shaking head and many more. Other participants brought surprises from home, f.e. Turkish Delights and Lithuanian Liquor; Slovakians were dressed up in their national costumes and with the Hungarians we danced popular dances.
I am very much impressed by the organization of the Polish Team – we had a sightseeing tour in Cieszyn, a meet up with the mayor of the city, a visit to the President´s Palace in Wisla with a guide and a day off in Krakow, where we did an interactive task with strangers on the street connected with the topic on the project. The Polish TV was invited as well, so they came to interview us how we like it. We even had a talk with a polish MEP. Not to forget the Polish cultural night, where we had the only bar in the town just for us full of drinks and food!
All in all we had a lot of fun, memorable time and became good friends. I love these kind of projects, because they bring people together, that probably won´t come together in everyday life, so the encounter is quite interesting. I am sure I will meet some people in the future again and why not work together on further Erasmus+ Projects.
We have also chosen our own motto: “The mountains might divide us, but the road connects us!”. Which I personally like a lot, because it reminds me somehow indirectly of the European motto “United in Diversity”.
Thank you Zavod za Idei, thank you Via Carpathia and thank you all wonderful people I met on this road to diversity!!
SHARED story from ZAVOD ZA IDEI