Hello Friends,
It’s time for my last trip to Zaragoza, where
our partnership’s final P&R Meeting is going to take place. Our group is
small- just me, our head teacher Mrs Valova and the coordinator Mrs Hristina
Kalaydzhieva. After the flight from
Sofia to Madrid we finally manage to get seats on a coach to Zaragoza (it’s the
beginning of the holiday season and coaches are busy). Although we worried that
we would miss the first part of the official Welcome, Charo meets and takes us
in her car just in time for Bulgaria’s presentation that the children from
“Antonio Machado” school had prepared. Imagine our excitement when on entering
the hall we see two children talking about Bulgaria’s food and traditions,
about the Cyrillic, about Sofia and Etropole. Well, that is the plan – the
pupils from the Spanish school are showing what they have learned about all the
partner countries. We are amazed at how much they know, at their artistic and
language skills.
The performance is great fun. After the Welcome ceremony all
guests are taken to a nearby restaurant where we have a delicious traditional
Spanish dinner.
The next day is waiting for us with even more
surprises. All guests are taken around the school by student guides.
We can see
that different classes have researched into the history and the present day of
all the 9 partner countries for the two years of the Partnership. The pupils
who have studied Bulgaria have created beautiful posters on our history,
geography, economy and important personalities.
Then what comes is the Parade – the
school yard turns into an International Festival. All pupils are here, together
with teachers, guests and parents without whose help, as we understand, the
show would be impossible. After the Ode
to Joy and members of all Partners’ delegations holding the national flags, the
children who have worked on one of the partner countries, present its culture
and traditions in a most attractive way. It’s a real Fiesta- traditional dances
and music, key figures and facts from Turkey, Italy, Poland, Croatia, The Czech
Republic, Sweden, Hungary, Britain, Bulgaria and Spain.
What would a Fiesta be without food? Here comes
the International Buffet – parents have cooked all all the recipes we have shared. Now we can taste
different dishes from the Mediterranean, the Balkans, Scandinavia, the British
Isles, Central Europe.
In the afternoon, the teachers work as usual –
they have to review what they have done and plan the final report.
The next day, Saturday, starts with a tour
around the city of Zaragoza. We are guided by two teachers and three students
who show us around the most important sights – we see the remains of the Roman
wall (the city was founded by Caesar Augustus), the Jewish district, Goya’s
museum, the Cathedral of San Salvador
with its examples of the typical of Spain style Modejo, the central square and
the cathedral to the Virgin of Pilar. The tour finishes with the
magnificent Aljaferia, one of the very
few completely preserved medieval Spanish palaces.
After the exciting walk in the hot sun of
Zaragoza we join the annual Fiesta at Antonio Machado school. Each year in
June, when school finishes, parents and teachers organize a marvelous
celebration . The school yard is full of parents, pupils and teachers and it turns
into a real amusement park with surprises and entertainment for all ages. Everybody shares paella and
drinks, talking about the year that has passed and planning on the future. The
atmosphere is just wonderful. All the international guests can’t help joining
the festive mood!
Well, there’s a lot to do in the afternoon and
the teachers from all the partner countries have to continue and finish their
work on completing the partnership successfully.
Sunday is a Goodbye day. Although I am a bit
sad, I’m sure we’ll keep in touch with all friends because this was a wonderful
partnership.
