Embedded Files
MONDAY :)
Eleriin's and my alarm was set for 5:45, but even going to bed early the night before didn't save us from morning fatigue. We dragged ourselves up, got ready, and went to have breakfast with our host, Mayssa. Breakfast was French-style, with no savory options. Eating went by quickly because moments later Mayssa's father was outside the house with his car, ready to drive us to the bus stop.
Afterward, I was very grateful that I hadn't eaten much because the winding bus ride threatened to take even that little away from me. Around 8 o'clock, we reached the right stop, and from there, Mayssa took us to her school. She showed us the classrooms and introduced us to friends and teachers. A little after 8:30, the Turks and Macedonians arrived, and the Italians started their presentations about Italy, their hometowns, and schools.
There were three presentations in total, and one was even in the form of a quiz. After the Italian presentations, during a coffee break, we got to know the whole large group with whom we were going to spend our next few days. Then we got on a hot bus and sang our way to explore Italy's local eco-friendly agricultural enterprises. The bus ride wasn't long, and the mountainous landscape was incredibly beautiful.
When we arrived, we were shown long greenhouses where various flowers, tomatoes, and zucchinis were grown. Those rows of plants seemed endless. We got to taste different cheeses, naturally with balsamic. There was an opportunity to ride horses and drive a tractor. I must admit that it wasn't so different from life in a rural Estonian place.
After seeing, trying, tasting everything, we walked back to town. Lunchtime had arrived, and we were given time to explore the city and have lunch on our own. It was good that our host took good care of us and made sure we were in the right place at the right time. It wasn't as easy for the Turks and Macedonians in general because they were accommodated in hotels and had to manage on their own. Nevertheless, we quickly formed a cool international friendship group - four Italians, two Estonians, and one Turk.
After some free time, we gathered again at the school because it was time to present Estonia. We had already prepared a joint presentation at home, introducing Estonian culture and entrepreneurship, life on Hiiumaa, the beautiful nature here, and of course, our nice school. While presenting, it was evident that the audience was interested in all of this.
After us, young people from Turkey and North Macedonia presented their countries. Then the Turks offered national sweets and gifts made from recycled materials. It was a nice surprise.
With that, the evening had arrived, and we had to catch the bus. Upon returning to Mayssa's place, Mayssa's sister prepared a delicious pasta for us for dinner. We felt like we were truly in Italy.
Eleriin & Teneliis
THURSDAY in ITALY
We woke up as usual at 5:45 at Mayssa's place, where Teneliis and I were staying. We got dressed and had a small breakfast. Mayssa lived far from school, so we had to take two buses to get there, which took about 1 and three-quarter hours in total.
We arrived at school before activities started, and together with Italians Markus and Jesse, we went to a café we had visited a few times before. We bought coffee and croissants, chatted, and taught the Italians how to play cards.
It was time for our project activities. We went to a place where we were introduced to an organization that provides therapy for people with special needs. In addition, they can also make furniture and all kinds of decorations from cardboard.
Eleriin
FRIDAY in REGGIO EMILIA
On Friday, we spent time in Reggio Emilia.
Reggio Emilia is a city in Emilia-Romagna, in the north of Italy. It's located on the Via Emilia, between Parma and Modena.
Reggio Emilia is the city where everyone is welcome, from the typical Reggio Emilia approach: a kind, welcoming city, open to contemporaneity, that lets itself be discovered and knows how to surprise. Did you know that it was the birthplace of the Tricolour Italian Flag?
It is considered one of the most innovative and relevant examples of a community with strong social cohesion.
There are a few buildings you shouldn’t miss, for their architectural value and historical significance. But the buildings the town is more proud of are probably its theatres: the one entitled to Romolo Valle faces one of Reggio’s most important squares and hosts concerts and operas.
"We enjoyed Reggio Emilia. It was a day full of history, culture, and good food!"
Maris
TUESDAY
The wake-up call was at 7:15. On the way to school, we stopped by the local store and bought an Italian-style sandwich for the day. Upon arriving at school, we were given the task to interact with other project members about everyday things to get to know each other better. Additionally, we listened through the interpreter to a geography teacher's dry lecture about the local area. The day's classroom grind ended with the selection of the official logo for the project. There was a tight competition between the logos of North Macedonia and Italy, with Italy ultimately winning by a two-point margin. By the end of the school activities, it was already noon, and it was time to start climbing the Pietra di Bismantova, about 1050 meters high, under the burning midday heat. Fortunately, the starting point was already at about 750 meters. At the beginning of the ascent, we trudged along local roads that, combined with the hot sun, tested everyone's physical fitness already in the first kilometer. The first major stop was at a car park where we left our bags and outerwear with teacher Tikka. The steepest climb was yet to come. After half an hour of climbing and sweating, we reached the top of Pietra di Bismantova, where we found a breathtaking view of the surroundings. We were told that on a very clear day, you can even see the Alps from there. Italians, Turks, and Macedonians unpacked their lunches and began to enjoy them, which we Estonians couldn't do because we left our bags down in the car park. However, this didn't dampen our spirits as we were captivated by the beautiful view and enjoyed the warm weather. The return journey, as expected, went relatively quickly.
In the evening, the plan was to go bowling, but Jesse was so tired from climbing the mountain that he simply slept through the afternoon. Instead of bowling, I went for a walk in the local town and had some ice cream.
Mairon
WEDNESDAY
I woke up at 6:45 to my alarm. I am very surprised. For the past few days, I have been waking up an hour before the alarm, but not this time. I look outside and Lorenzo is missing. He is still asleep, so I wake him up. I eat cookies and jam bread with coffee for breakfast. Breakfast is very small and still unfamiliar to me. We walk out the door 3 minutes before the bus arrives. The bus ride is long, and Lorenzo sleeps the entire way. We arrived early because there are no more buses later from Lorenzo's place. The bus drivers demand exact change, but I don't have coins, so we immediately went to buy tickets from the stores. Afterwards, we met Ean, Jesse, and the girls. We went to a small café where we had cappuccino and croissants. We laughed and taught Estonian to Italians. We waited for our tour bus. When the bus finally arrived, we were surprised. The bus was very old, with seats partly broken and no working ventilation. The journey seemed almost endless, but we finally arrived.
We hiked a long and difficult path to the Appennino National Park. The park is located over 1000 meters above sea level. We could have also gone to the top of the mountain, but we didn't have time. The hike was difficult due to the high altitude, and we were still tired from the bus ride. Upon reaching the park, there was a small lake in the middle where we sat and spent some time. The entire national park is under UNESCO protection. Soon, we started moving back. The way back was much easier. We drove the same bus along dangerous cliffs. Looking down from the window, there was at least a 100-meter drop from the cliff. The ride was scary, but the bus driver was experienced. Along the way, we stopped to look at goats and sheep. Macedonians and Turks went to explore because they had never seen farm animals before. For us, who are from the countryside, it was very amusing. We continued driving and arrived at a farm. We visited a barn where rabbits and sheep were raised. We also explored the adjacent cheese workshop and got to taste cheese. We waited in the bus for quite a long time. In our opinion, we could have reached the mountaintop if there hadn't been so much waiting, but nothing can be done now. After a long wait, we went to a restaurant called Valle dei Cavalieri. We were offered various Italian dishes. For dessert, we had cake. It started raining outside for a while, so we took the bus back home.
Markus
SATURDAY - RETURNING HOME
On Saturday morning, we began our journey back home. Two train rides and a flight awaited us. First, we took a train to Bologna and then to Milano Centrale train station in Milan. The Airport Express took us to Milan Airport. After a short wait, we flew back to Tallinn on the evening flight. We arrived in Hiiumaa on Sunday. I believe we were all a bit tired but happy.
It was an eventful trip full of pleasant emotions.
It was a very enjoyable and memorable meeting. We gave presentations and learned from each other. We gathered knowledge, communicated and became friends, explored Italy, collaborated, spent quality time, enjoyed beautiful views, hiked, and had a great time!
We were warmly welcomed, and we are truly grateful!
You can find it out in our project trip photo album SAMP Italy 2023!
Page updated
Report abuse