Transcript CULTURAL EXCENGE - IIS Leonardo Da Vinci – Chiavenna

IN THE PAST
Class-exchange in
Zuoz (CH) 1996
Comenius 20082010
IN THE PRESENT
Interview to a
student who was in
the USA
Interview to a
“Comenian”
Class-exchange in Zuoz (CH)
We interviewed Carlotta and Eleonora, two students that took part in the very
first class-exchange with the Lyceum Alpinum of Zuoz organized by our school
in 1995-1996…
CHIAVENNA
ZUOZ
“It was long time ago...16/17 years ago.
We were attending the last year at the Liceo Scientifico in Chiavenna and this
was the first class-exchange ever organized by our school.
Before leaving we were very curious to get to know
such a famous High school: this college is actually attended by students from all
over the world, most of them coming from wealthy families.
So we were not going to get in touch only with Swiss students living in a nearby
area, but with students from Europe, Asia, South America...
…Going there meant for us to get in touch with young people "different" from us:
at the end we understood that they were "normal teenagers" like us.
We had the opportunity to attend some lessons
and to spend some free time with them inside and outside the college (going skiing for
example).
Actually we were hosted in their college: we overnighted there and had meals with them.
The lesson style was different from ours in Chiavenna,
the food and their daily life as well, because
they lived there all together and rarely went home.
It was an interesting and funny experience to spend a few days in this
prestigious school.”
The Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz is
a boarding school in Zuoz in
the Upper Engadine .
The school was founded in 1904 and
soon developed into a full-fledged
high school, which gained an
international reputation. The school
currently hosts 220 boarding
students, 110 of which come from
more than twenty countries.
Comenius 2008-2010
“GOODBYE BOREDOM, WELCOME CREATIVITY”
“We really enjoyed the trip to Czech
Republic because it was an
opportunity to meet foreign
teenagers, to get to know other
ways of thinking and traditions and
to practice the English language.
We visited Prague the first two
days; it is a beautiful city, with a lot
of monuments and shops. The last
three days we went to Ostrava
where we did a lot of activities
with our partners from Turkey,
Hungary and of course Czech
republic. Besides we spent the last
day touring the surrounding areas.
We were very lucky to have this
opportunity and the Czech people
were very welcoming with us. It has
been an experience that we will
remember forever !”
Greta, Ludovica, Matteo, Giulio,
Gloria, Beatrice, Valentina
“It was a great and useful experience. The people
were very friendly, the sites very interesting,
different from ours, but however fascinating. Even
if the days were full of things to do, we would have
spent more time there.” Marco, Elia, Margherita
“The cities and places are rich in nature, culture and
facilities. People are nice, the hospitality and the
kindness that Turkish people showed us were very
surprising.”
Francesca, Leonardo, Elisa, Katrin
“ The Comenius project was very useful, because it
helped me understand that we look at the other cultures
with too much distrust and that we have wrong ideas
about the other countries. I went to Turkey and after
this experience my perception of this country changed.
Before the trip I thought that Turkish people were very
closed, shy and that they didn’t feel like opening up to
foreign people. I immediately changed my mind: when we
arrived in Turkey, the students welcomed us in a very
friendly way and they involved us in many activities.
They were very kind and generous and they let us
become a part of their life. We talked about many
things: sports, school, music, free time, religion,
politics, shared many things and had fun together. We
stayed there only few days, but we became friends and
I hope we will meet again. It was a wonderful
experience and it convinced me to go abroad again,
because I think that the knowledge of other cultures
without prejudices is really important.”
Paola
Here are some of the students’ considerations:
“The project Comenius, that we did in these two
years, was very interesting. We met a lot of people and
got to know their culture. This project gave us the
opportunity to interact with foreign students from
Turkey, Hungary and Czech Republic. In my opinion our
school and schools in general should more often take
part in European projects like this.”
“I participated in a mobility and I have to say that I
lived a very beautiful exchange-holiday. The people
were friendly and the places fantastic. I discovered
new cultures and ways of life. I realized that this kind
of project is essential, nowadays, to know the world, to
improve our culture and to open our minds.
All things considered I must say that this was a
wonderful project and a unique opportunity to enrich
my fund of experience.”
“I think that the Comenius project was a useful
experience: we improved cooperation and friendship.
We made some Easter crafts, we did gardening,
voluntary activities, we performed a play, Romeo and
Juliet, and we recorded nice video clips. Some
students visited the partner countries and these trips
were wonderful experiences.”
Here are some of the teachers’
considerations:
“We believe that being involved in a project
like this helped our students to gain a much
better insight into different European
cultures, traditions and languages, and to
overcome possibly existing prejudices
enriching their global growth.
This project allowed the students to open
their minds and to use new technologies
permitting them to feel an active part of the
world. Moreover the participation in the
partnership was a great opportunity for our
students to develop their relationship with
other European schools and to enhance their
awareness of European citizenship. Students
learnt not only how to spend their spare time
effectively, but they improved their language
skills, personal skills, self-confidence and
motivation too”
“We enjoyed and benefited from the
opportunity of working with schools from
other European countries very much.
Cooperation and exchange had a positive
impact on our pedagogical skills and
motivation and increased our project
management skills too.”
INTERVIEW WITH CRISTIANO, A STUDENT
WHO SPENT A YEAR IN THE USA
INTERVIEW WITH MARIA, A STUDENT
WHO IS TAKING PART IN THE CURRENT
COMENIUS PROJECT