Italian Diary in Spain

Before arriving in Valdepeñas, we made a quick but complete visit of the center of Madrid because we had some available hours. Under the guidance of teachers who had already been there we also enjoyed some tasty typical Madrid sandwiches.

On arrival in Valdepeñas, on Sunday evening 25 November 2018, we were greeted by the project managers and taken to the hotel because we had no pupils in family houses. We took an evening tour of the town for dinner. The welcome was very cordial.

Monday 26.11.2018

The first meeting took place at the "Gregorio Prieto" Institute, where we were greeted by the director and their staff. After a brief presentation of the participants we visited the school and some technical classrooms. It is clear that our school, being a Technical Institute, does not have the same types of practical courses as laboratories, which were aimed at a professional training in the 70s / 80s for us Italians. We consider more appropriate for entering the world of work than even professional training provided by us with a small number of practical hours. Certainly the purely theoretical preparation of our students differs from their students. Then, they took us to the assembly hall where each teacher presented his institute. After lunch at the hotel the activity continued with a visit to a wine cellar (in Bodega Corcovo) and to the museum in honour of Gregorio Prieto, an artist who was a windmills fan.

Tuesday 27.11.2018

In the morning we found ourselves in a classroom equipped with digital equipment to talk about organizational aspects while the teachers also gathered to talk about the economic aspects of the project. All participants had to be registered on the etwinning platform and introduce themselves. After receiving each of the tasks, we went downtown to be received by the mayor of Valdepeñas, an event broadcast on the local TV network. Lunch was consumed outside the city, in the town of Lagunas de Ruidera, reached by bus with all the participants, teachers and students. The place from the natural point of view was magnificent, on the way back a visit was made to the AF karting circuit of Tormelloso, where students and teachers could make runs until late evening.

Wednesday 28.11.2018

In the morning the jobs assigned to the students are presaged, and at the same time also those of the teachers. The students gave interviews for Castilla la Mancha Television. Later, while some students from other countries, wearing overalls, carried out practical laboratory activities, our children took care of the surveys relating to the kart chassis, after having formed international groups with different tasks. Lunch was offered by the school, on-site, lunch prepared and served by the students of the institute itself. In the afternoon there was a visit to the arena and to the Gymkana which were canceled due to the delay accumulated during lunch.

Thursday 29.11.2018

In the morning we went by bus to Puertollano, where the National Hydrogen Center is located, for a presentation of the center itself and a small lesson on the energy situation on hydrogen, in which there was talk of ownership, production, storage, transformation and use of the hydrogen. We saw some presentations, experiments and exhibitions. We also had some workshops, a hydrogen cell test vehicle and a hydrogen fuelling station.

After having lunch in an on-site restaurant, we went to visit a lovely town, Almagro, and there, we spent the afternoon visiting the town and making some purchases for souvenirs. We also visited the theater of historical comedy (open theater).

Friday 30.11.2018

We met again, in the morning in the usual classroom, where we said goodbye after having thanked them for their hospitality and having received the participation certificates. Immediately, afterwards, we were escorted to the station to come back to Italy, where we arrived in the evening.