ERASMUS+ EXPERIENCE #TheGate #SlovakiaMeeting

Erasmus was a truly unique experience for all of us because we have never participated in something like that in the past neither have we travelled abroad before. Each day in Slovakia was different and we had all kind of activities in those 6 days we stayed there.

On the day we arrived it was too late to do anything so we stayed home with our hosts and their families who were all the most amazing people. On the second day we first visited the Prievedza Gymnazium.I have to say I was really impressed by it because despite being a Public school it was big, very very clean and really beautiful on the inside with the students yearbooks decorating the walls alongside with art work made by students. Both the teachers and the students were really friendly to us and they made us feel like home.

After spending some hours at the school facilities we went to the village next to Prienidza called Bojnice to visit its famous castle. And we were mesmerized!! The Castle was l literally like it came out of a fairytale and most of the students from the other countries have never visited something like that before.

On Friday we left for Terchova a small, beautiful village in the mountains and we stayed at camp. The program on Friday was full, at first we went hiking with the teachers and the other students and then we went down the hill with some scooters which were the mos enjoyable activities. Then we went back to the Camp, had lunch and then we did some activities after being separated into teams composed of people from different countries. We had such a great time doing those activities because we were socializing and playing games at the same time. Name a better combination!! In the evening we all gathered together and had a barbecue and we all talked together and bonded. The next day we went rafting which was really unique experience to most of us because we do not do such things in your country very much. We had so much fun at the river despite being soaking wet!!

Sunday was our free-program day and our Slovak friends took us to Bratislava. The capital of Slovakia is absolutely stunning. We had a tour at the historical Centre of the town and we were all speechless because we had never seen a town with so many old, but well preserved, buildings like these before. After our tour was over we had lunch at a traditional restaurant where we ate some really tasty traditional dishes. On our way back to Prienidza all we could think about was how much we wanted to travel and live abroad some day.

On the last day we had a tour to the town of Banská Štiavnica. The town was so picturesque, it was full of old buildings, castles and monuments. The landscape was also really beautiful. After having a walk at the town we had lunch at really good restaurant which was a beer factory too. Then we went back to school and it was time for all the students to make their presentations which were all amazing and helped us learn a little bit more about other countries civilizations. After all the presentations we ate at a really nice buffet all prepared from the students and their parents. And then the party started!! We danced and sung so much our feet and throat hurt but we did not care of course. It was very inspiring seeing so many different people become one and having the time of their lives!! At the end of the night the tears, kisses and hugs were full of love and gratitude and we hope the promises we made to meet again come out as true.

All in all, we left Slovakia with amazing memories, good friends and the idea that all people are equal and worth getting to know, deeply in our hearts. Programs like Erasmus are supposed to help students meet new countries and people and prepare them to live in the multicultural societies which will exist at the future a lot more than they do today. We all understood that after our trip and we are more than grateful that we had the chance to live such an experience. We are sure that no one who participated in the program is ever going to forget this journey!!

ONE MORE TIME, THANK YOU, SLOVAKIA, FOR THIS EXPERIENCE!!

LOVE,

THE GREEKS