Another great Erasmus experience for our students! For the entire month of July, 5 young people from Instituto Selesiano Don Bosco Brescia Technical Institute of Technology carried out a training experience abroad thanks to the Erasmus+ accreditation of the school. In Bulgaria, they were welcomed by the ICDET, who supported them throughout their stay in Sofia. Here is the story of their experience:
“The report you will read tells the story of how five people who didn't know each other became friends in a month. It all started at Bergamo airport, so full of people that we almost struggled to understand who our group was. The first to arrive was Paolo and his mother, who were waiting at the entrance, the second was Stefano. They didn't immediately recognize each other, but later they realized they were in the same group leaving for Erasmus. Subsequently, Francesco arrived and then Michele, Diego and his companion Michael. After the first doubts about the weight of the luggage, our plane took off towards what, we didn't yet know, would become the most beautiful experience of our lives: Bulgaria!
When the plane rested its wheels on that warm asphalt, we breathed a sigh of relief but, at the same time, we were in Bulgaria! After going through security and taking our luggage, we found Ikram, a volunteer sent to take us home. But we were not very fluent in English and didn't understand many words initially. We then managed to understand that she would be the person who would take us to our goal. We took a bus, then the tram and, finally, we arrived at our destination where there was Matteo, an Italian boy, also here for an Erasmus with the university, and Ivan, the best tutor we could wish for, even if we didn't know it yet.
Once we arrived, Ivan introduced us to the experience, explaining who ICDET is, and what we would do in Sofia. Then, on Thursday evening, we went to a typical restaurant and it was impossible not to let ourselves be carried away by the music and the atmosphere: we let ourselves go and tried to awkwardly imitate the movements of the typical dances. That evening was magnificent because the people, the music and the atmosphere that was created were fantastic; everyone loved each other and danced together as if they had known each other for years, even if in reality it was the first time we had met. The next day, still accompanied by Ivan, we went to discover the city, we saw some very interesting places and we got closer to the local culture.
The following week we started working: we had two tasks. The first saw us divided into small groups, based on our field of study; the other saw us united as a single team working on a project that had eco-sustainability as its central point. However, in addition to work, there have always been moments of leisure and the first was the swimming pool. The main attraction was the diving boards where we dived, which ranged from 1 meter to 7 meters high. We had a lot of fun, even if for some it was a little difficult to overcome the fear of heights and be able to take their feet off the ground and abandon themselves in a 7-meter fall before touching the water; It was exciting.
Subsequently, however, we also had to work on Saturdays because we made up for all the days of leisure we had allowed ourselves over the weekend. The following week we ventured into the magnificent world of marketing, helped by Matteo, because if you want to create a company you also have to think about the economic aspect, not only about the idea itself but also about how to realize it. As a recreational destination, we chose the Boyana waterfalls during the week and then at the weekend we went to the lake. Furthermore, this week we also went walking in the mountains and reached the highest point of the mountain; from there you could see all of Sofia. That breathtaking view, combined with some delicious salami sandwiches, was a blessing, except that the wind stole a pair of glasses and a cap.
The following week we worked a lot because we had to present both projects before returning to Italy. Despite this, we are all happy with the experience we had and we return home with a wealth of considerable experiences and memories that we will never forget. We are happy to have had this experience, also because we managed to establish intercultural relationships that could perhaps be useful in the future."
Congratulations guys!
Source: UNISER Learning Mobility – Blog