Project “INCLUDE” meeting in Kalamata Lithuanian Pupils’ Reports (2017-04-02/08)

Goda Staying in Greece, Kalamata, absolutely changed my life. A week in international space is something extraordinary. I met Greeks, Italians and Dutch. I communicated with a lot of interesting people, tasted traditional Greek food, i saw amazing landscape: huge mountains, endless sea, famous places of Kalamata. Indelible impressions. April 2nd was the first day here, in Kalamata. Greeks are very friendly and warm people, that's why welcome was great and the very first day I felt that I'm in home with old friends. The second day activities were held in 4th High School of Kalamata: the host school presented the national education system and the school itself. After presentation we had a coffee break. Then from 11 a.m. till 12:30 p.m. we had activity related to human rights in classrooms and our teachers' had meeting. Also we had volleyball and basketball breaks in backyard. In the afternoon all Erasmus students and teachers visited University of Peloponnese, where we listened to a speech about Law and Democracy in ancient Athens. I heard some interesting information that maybe will be helpful in future. We visited archaeological laboratory too. In evening, we had free time, so, we explored city center. On April 4th we walked through the city and had an opportunity to see the most beautiful, historical spots of Kalamata. In three hours we visited the medieval castle, The Cathedral, Holy Apostles and 23rd March square, archaeological museum, the picturesque alleys. Also we had a short stop at a traditional delicatessen shop and tasted some local flavours. We went on a beach, and there we spent 2 hours. In the evening our group and hosts went to have a pizza in one of the best pizzerias' in Kalamata.

Goda Next day activities were held in school. For the first time I had an opportunity to attend elections. School decided to make an elections simulation activity and it was really interesting. I had a right to vote for a party I liked. There was two parties: New Horizons and Multinational democratic party. Those two parties were talking about volunteering, refugees, education and emigrants. Multinational democratic party won. Later that day school students showed us traditional Greek dances and played Greek music. In the evening all project students had a dinner in traditional restaurant, where we listened to live music and we had an opportunity to knew each other better. On Thursday we visited Ancient Messene, where was held performance of Prometheus. This performance was given by the London College, within the frame of International Youth Festival of Ancient Drama. It was incomparable. After performance we explored the archaeological site. Also we had lunch in local restaurant, where I tasted Greek dish - souvlaki. Later on all Erasmus students met on the beach, where Dutch and Lithuanians had their first dip into the water. For Italians and Greeks it was way too cold. In the evening we listened to a concert held in Municipal Cultural Center. After that all students met and we had fun in the city center. Friday morning we had visited the town hall-meeting with the mayor and then we visited local associations: SOS Children's Villages, Association of Kalamata volunteers and social clinic of Kalamata. We had free time until evening, and then we had last dinner in beautiful restaurant. After dinner some of students spent the last night in the city. It was opportunity of the lifetime. I am really happy that I met such a great people and made so many friends. I think that bond between students will last for a long time. All the time in Kalamata we were accompanied by good mood and sunny Greek weather. I am thankful for this opportunity.

Karolina I knew Erasmus + a long time ago and it was a great deal of admiration for me, but I had the courage to get involved, so I'm very grateful to my English teacher who offered me and Gabby a classmate to test this activity. Indeed, the trip to Greece opened the door to get acquainted not only with the Greeks and their culture, but also with the Italians and the Dutch who are also involved in this project. We started our journey at 2 o'clock at night at school. Having arrived at a bus that was full of other participants of the Erasmus + project, who also traveled to Greece, we said goodbye to our parents and moved to the first point - Vilnius airport. When we arrived there and after all the necessary checks, we meet together and get to know each other. We did not have much time before heading to our second point - Copenhagen Airport. We did not wait for a long time and did not notice how we were on the way to another destination - Athens. Having arrived in Athens, our, as well as Italian and Dutch, were waiting for a long journey until the last point of that day - Kalamata. The images while traveling through Greece really gnawed with a scent, yet not every day you will see such a huge amount of huge mountains. The journey was long, but when we arrived in Kalamata , all fatigue evaporated, because our Greek hosts met us. When I returned home, I got to know my family and had a closer relationship with my host Georgia. In the evening, we met with the whole group, they turned out to be the center of the town and all had a great time.

Karolina On the second day of the trip we went to school, where we got to know the school, its life, and the Greek education system. In the evening, we got an opportunity to visit the university and listen to a lecture on Pericles in Greece. On the third day we had a tour through the most beautiful places of Kalamata, and got acquainted with the history of the town, as well as traditions. We finished the tour on the Mediterranean coast. On the fourth day we got an opportunity to participate in the debate, where the parties expressed their opinions and plans for tackling the sensitive issues, followed by elections, where each participant of the project had the opportunity to vote for a party that was more affable to him. On the fifth day we visited the Amphitheater in antiquity in the open air and we watched a protest performance "Prometheus". During the last day in Kalamata we had a chance to meet with the mayor of the city, and to visit SOS children's villages and women's crisis centers. Our last night ended up in a magnificent restaurant near the sea, where we all shared the impressions and adventures of the whole week. During this project meeting, I not only found a group of new friends, but I can definitely say that we all became one big family and I can not wait for a day when I will be able to see people who have become family again.

Emilija Our journey started on the 2nd of April, when after a long day of travelling we finally arrived to Kalamata, Greece. Here we were warmly welcomed by our host students. On Monday we spent the whole day in the 4th Senior High School of Kalamata, where we had an opportunity to get to know more about Greek education system and the high school itself. We had so much fun to be able to make new friends, attend classes and participate in various activities at school. In the evening we visited the University of Peloponnese, where professor Eleni Volonaki gave us a lecture about democracy in ancient Athens. On the second day we had a tour in the city of Kalamata, which was guided by Greek students. It was very exciting to visit the most interesting places in the city such as the Castle of Kalamata or traditional Greek costume museum and to get to know more about the history of Kalamata. After the tour we had an opportunity to taste some Greek dishes at the local restaurant. On Wednesday we got to participate in one of the biggest events of our visit - an election simulation. That day two parties - ,,Multinational democratic party“ and ,,New horizons“ were discussing global issues. Each party stated their opinion about refugee integration into our society or problems which people with disabilities are facing these days. After the debates every ''citizen'' of the city had an opportunity to give their vote for the party of their choice. On the 4th day we visited Ancient Messene - we spent whole afternoon exploring this ancient city. Here we got to see the performance „Prometheus“, which takes place only once a year. On Friday we had a really productive day. Firstly we had an opportunity to meet the mayor of Kalamata, who told us a lot interesting facts about the city. Then we visited the women crisis center, social clinic and children SOS village, where the volunteers presented their goals and activities. Only on Friday I realized how quickly the week in Kalamata has passed. Now I can assure that for me this journey was an unforgettable experience. Not only I had an opportunity to visit an amazing country, improve my English language skills, but also I met many wonderful people and made really good friends.

Kamile My visit in Greece was amazing. I spent the whole week in there. The city I was staying is called Kalamata. When we have just arrived to the place, we were greeted by the students and the families, that we lived at. The welcoming was very warm and friendly. On Sunday, we were introduced with the whole program of the week. After that, we came home with our host families. On Monday we went to school, where we spent almost all day. We meet all the students and the teachers and participated in a few lessons together with our hosts students. After the lessons ended, we were devided into two teams. Each team played different games and danced some of the most popular greek dances. Then we spent the rest of the day in the yard of the school. We were playing voleyball and communicating with the other students. In the evening, we went to the local restaurant to try some tradicional greek food. On Tuesday we went to explore the city of Kalamata. We visited some of the most famous places – The medieval castle, where the whole panorama of the city is seen, archeological museum of Messene and the museum of tradiciotal costumes of Greece. In the afternoon, we got on the city bus and arrived at the seaside. The view in there was breathtaking – we could see the mountains and the clearest-bluest sea. In the evening, we went out to the centre of Kalamata. Students from Greece introduced us with the history of the city and showed us the most interesting places of the center. On Wednesday, Emilija and I were participating in the debates. Emilija belonged to the political party named „Multinational democratic party“ and the name of my party was „New horizons“. We discussed about refugees, how to make their life condicions better and how to include them into local community‘s life. We also talked about how to help young people be more open – minded and more social. When the debates were over, all the participants of Erasmus could vote for the political party that they liked. After the elections, we had some fun time – we singed and danced.

Kamile On Thursday, we went on a day trip to Ancient Messene. We explored the archeological site of the city and we also attended the performance called „Antigone“. The performance takes place only once a year so we were very happy that we had an opportunity to see it. When the performance was over, we went to the local restaurant of the city to have lunch. The rest of the day we spent at the beach with the other students and in the evening we went to a live music concert at the Municipal Cultural Center. On Friday, we visited the town hall to meet the mayor. He told us about the city of Kalamata, about the popular local olive trees and olive oil. After the meeting, we visited some institutions, which help people. We were in social clinic, the day center for kids and the institution, which provides help for women. All of these institutions are welcoming volunteers who can work there – communicate with people and help them solve their problems. In the evening, we had a goodbye party. We ate dinner in the best hotel of Kalamata, we could also dance, sing and communicate with all the students and the teachers. On Saturday, very early in the morning, we said goodbye to our families, went on a bus and left. All in all, I could say that the experience was wonderful. We not only got to know to the local culture, school, but we made so many new friends. The family, that hosted me, was very warm and nice. They introduced me with their tradicions and showed the most beautiful places of the city. I felt like I would be the real member of the family. I hope to be back in Greece one day.