Movie time!
Movie time!
On the third day of our exchange week in Borås, where Spanish and Polish students came as our guests, we had film production day! As the name of this exchange project is “Europeans for Fair Trade”, the aim of our short movie was to make us understand and, from that point, act by helping make people more aware of fair trade.
On the previous days, we learnt many things about fair trade and sustainability. Even those who thought they knew enough didn’t miss to hear something new. Our teachers held touching presentations making us care for the subject. So everyone wanted to help, and teachers gave us that opportunity by giving us the assignment- to make a movie!
We were separated in a few, randomly made, groups and started working on this task. You could see students busy, with a lot of enthusiasm, full of ideas, waving around and giving their best to make a perfect movie which they could be proud of. Some of them went outside the school, into cafés, restaurants and shops; some of them stayed at school and recorded only their voices, including many different languages, and some of them chose to make a song! Some of the movies were touching and some of them put tears on our faces from laughing.
The Creativity of Borås
During the third day of the Erasmus project in Borås, as a study visit, we went to the Textile Fashion Centre that combines the past, present and future.
First of all, we started exploring the wonderful Smart Textiles showroom that have loads of advanced textiles with special characteristics. We were told by the guide that some of the ideas are designed by university students and they will certainly have a bright future!
After that, one of our teachers, Terese, guided us to the historical museum to see the antique weaving and spinning machinery that were used in the past days to make textiles. We were also told about the history behind some of the machines and how they were used. The situation of the Borås textile workers in the first half of the 20th century was also compared to that of Asian textile workers today.
Then we all gathered in a room, spread out in groups and started to design and colour posters to promote Fairtrade and sustainable fashion habits inspired from a guide by Fashion Revolution. My group decided to have a poster with all the habits promoted on it. For example, DIY, second hand, swap since all of them were sustainable options.
We divided the work between us so one would take care of colouring the poster and make it neater and the others give ideas on how to make the poster more inspiring.
After an adventurous day full of exploration, it was time to go home and spend the rest of the day with our guests.
A Taste of the World
For the guests from Poland and Spain our school decided to organize a cultural event on the 16th of October. The event would give the opportunity to all the participants of the project to exchange cultural information through presentations, to taste delicious snacks from all around the world, and to break the ice and soothe the nervousness of the first day.
After a day full of activities and walks around the city of Borås, the students with thecompany of the teachers gathered around 4 p.m. in the big hall. When they entered they were able to view many flags and souvenirs from different countries, people preparing for their presentations and smells from the southern part of the world (New Zealand) up to the northern.
There was great variety of foods and dishes and most of them were really delicious even though they were different from what each one of us was used to. Although you could easily try many different flavors the majority chose to play it safe and pick dishes close to their own homeland. The Balkan food and the Polish appealed to me the most since the taste was really close to the Greek ones. After the self-serving everyone sat on the chairs ready to listen to the presentations. Among many presentations those which really stayed in mind were the Armenian dance, the Syrian images full of hope apart from the war and the Balkan facts about the history and the culture.
Around 7 p.m. the teachers let everyone go home. However, all the students, both guests and hosts, were willing to help cleaning the hall showing respect for the environment they were in and for the teachers.
Without doubt this night was a wonderful opportunity for all the participants of the Erasmus project to bond and to get to know many cultures through taste and images.
Borås October 16-20 2017
What better than a visual “smörgåsbord” to present all our activities during an eventful and educational week in Borås!
Teachers’ meeting in Poznan Poland
During two days, September 11- September 12, the teachers from Porriño (Spain) and Borås (Sweden) visited their Polish colleagues in Poznan.
During this meeting we all had a fruitful and productive time focusing on taking our joint project to the next level: namely the student meeting taking place in Borås in October where they will work on “Fair Trade and business”.
Thursday the 27th of April 2017
For the Swedish and Polish exchange students, the day started with about an hour long bus journey to Santiago de Compostela, during which many of the bus passengers slept soundly. Our Spanish hosts stayed behind for lessons whilst we were given the opportunity to learn more about Spanish culture and pilgrimage. It was a very good followup from the previous day when we had walked part of the Camino de Santiago, and now we were going to see the actual destination of this 800 km journey.
Upon arrival we entered the breathtakingly beautiful cathedral to look around. We were informed by one of our teachers Mikaéla, that it is here that Saint James the Great, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ, is thought to lie. After wandering around the church hall and admiring the amazing architecture and tremendous historical significance, we went down a narrow passageway in single file, and got a glimpse of the chest containing the remains of Saint James. We were also told that many people who came here went up to a statue of the apostle to whisper a wish into his ear, and so we were given the chance to do this as well. Some of us grasped this opportunity and followed in the footsteps of hundreds of thousands before us, which felt meaningful.
When we were all gathered outside again, it was decided that we would get some time to independently explore the city in smaller groups. Some went shopping for souvenirs, others wandered around the streets and parks and some spent time getting to know one another better at cafés. The final group activity of the day was visiting the museum. There we could gain a better understanding about Saint James, pilgrimages around the world and Santiago de Compostela itself. Through looking at objects, reading descriptions and watching short films we understood that it is because of pilgrimages that the city’s infrastructure has developed immensely. We learnt that Saint James was the first martyr, which therefore made him an important role model for Christians all over the world. During the 9th century his body was found and it served as a boost for Christians who were fighting a war against Muslims. It was also interesting to discover that the scallop shell that is often portrayed together with Saint James, is a symbol for protection.
After a long, tiring, but very interesting day, we once again boarded the bus to go back to O Porriño and spend the evening together with our Spanish hosts.
WEDNESDAY, 26th of April 2017
On the third day of the exchange all the students and teachers went on a 10 km walk. The walk was, however, not just on any path, but it was a part of the Camino de Santiago (in English called Saint James way). That is an old pathway that pilgrims have taken for approximately 1100 years to reach Santiago de Compostela, where the remnants of Saint James are kept. The way is marked with seashells, the symbol of Saint James, and yellow arrows. That means that you can travel all the 800 km of the main path, from the border of France to Santiago, without the need for a map.
We did obviously not walk that far, but neither did we walk on that specific path. We instead walked on the Portuguese way, which, as the name implies, starts in Portugal and ends in Santiago. The specific section that we walked was from Tui to O Porriño, even though we started 6 km from Tui. Our starting place was in a beautiful forest, and most of the way shifted between charming towns and gorgeous nature.
The environment of parts the forest is actually very special since it is regularly flooded and therefore supports a unique ecosystem, with among other things aquatic mint. Sadly, much of the water has been diverted, so places where people used to fish eels are now dusty. Another problem humans have created is the replacement of the native red oaks with the non-native Eucalyptus trees. This is since Eucalyptus grows faster and is better for the paper industry, but it alters the ecosystem by, for example, making the ground under the trees toxic for other vegetation with their fallen leaves.
A break from all the green was the town, where special infrastructure had been set up for the pilgrims. There were water fountains with free, drinkable water and lots of hotels and other places to sleep with the mark of the yellow shell. Previously, when the pilgrimage was much more dangerous, there had been many hospitals in towns like these to care for the pilgrims. Many towns along the Camino does, in fact, partly or totally owe their existence to the flow of pilgrims.
When we reached O Porriño a couple of hours after we started, we were not far from the school, so the students went there to meet with their host parents. I believe we were all more or less tired, but we were all probably also happy with what we had accomplished and learned during the trip.
TUESDAY, 25th of April 2017
1. City Game
2. Students attend lessons
3. Watching Fair Trade videos
The second day of the exchange was the first time many of us visited the town of O Porriño. It was warm but at the same time windy, which made pleasant conditions for walking and actively spending time. We divided into four groups and were given maps with circled locations we had to visit and ask for clues. The first team to return to our starting point, in front of the city council building, would be the winner. During the game we soon realised the shops we visited were all selling, supporting and promoting fair trade products: eco friendly, organic, locally produced, often bearing the “Euro-leaf” or the Fair Trade logo. The Spanish students were introduced to new locations were they could acquire fair products in the future and we had a great opportunity to bond with new friends. The time pressure and rivalry between teams made us run at times, and I noticed the vibrant life, character and infrastructure of the city that I could have easily missed, had I time to stroll and converse with my teammates.
Later we had the occasion to meet the town’s mayor and her office in the city council building, which is the site for local politicians.
When we returned to the IES Ribeira De Louro, we spent some time with our exchange partners and participated in their classes, which allowed us to experience their every-day reality. I took part in the art class where the students were planning a new annual school mural, which I considered an amazing tradition and a creative, team-building challenge.
The final activity for the day was the presentation of videos made for the fair trade promoting competition. It was endearing to see how resourceful all of the participants were with how to convey their message in a humorous, light or entertaining way. Many students collaborated to create the most amazing animations, or short-films, spreading awareness and promoting the ideals and importance of being fair, shopping locally, and of the impact our choices have on other people’s lives. Author: Marysia Owczarzak
24th of April 2017
MONDAY, 24th of April 2017 STUDENT EXCHANGE IN SPAIN
After a safe journey to Spain and a good night of sleep at our hospitable exchange families’ homes, we begun our project with presentations of the schools we go to and of the cities we live in. While the light atmosphere was an amazing ice breaker, the humorous presentations were also very informative, as we not only presented our school spirit, but also learned that Porriño is best known for the extraction of granite (pink Porriño), while the Swedish exchange took it upon themselves to dispel a popular misconception that the Toblerone bar is Swedish (it’s actually Swiss!)
The presentations also included a description of activities that the student body engages in, such as charity events, concerts, and ways of promoting Fair Trade at their school.
The Spanish exchange organized a very interesting and eye-opening lecture on the differences and understanding of genders in the context of work, Fair Trade and every-day life in a developing country. We conducted factual research in groups, which aided us during the later discussion and was a great team-building activity.
The students of IES Ribeira de Louro prepared an amazing musical performance: the choir sang traditional Galician and Swedish songs with the accompaniment of a piano and a flute. The admirable effort of the performers resulted in a discovery and journey through foreign cultures.
The highlight of our final activity, the tour of the IES Ribeira de Louro was for sure the spontaneous exchange of national traditions of the Swedish and Polish students. The group learned about the heritage and customs of New Zealand (a country of origin of one of the students from Sweden) while the Polish students taught their fellow colleagues the Polonaise, a traditional Polish ball room dance. (author: Marysia Owczarzak)
Europeans for Fair Trade 