Noticia elaborada pelos alunos que fizeram uma mobilidade a Mersin, na Turquia, entre 7 e 11 de outubro de 2024
Erasmus are always fascinating experiences, and Erasmus in Mersin was no exception.
On the first day, we were very well received by the students and teachers at Su Koleji, who made us feel at home and were available to help with anything we needed. There were several activities so that the students could get to know each other better, since we were with students from different countries. At lunch, we were able to try some traditional Turkish food, very different from ours. That same day, we carried out the activity proposed by Slovakia, related to
mathematics and the Fibonacci sequence, which allowed us to develop our knowledge in this area. Then, we carried out a coding activity using Scratch, which allowed us to expand our programming knowledge. We also had the opportunity to explore part of the city of Mersin, where we were staying and had classes. Mersin is a port city that everyone enjoyed.
On Tuesday, we started the day with our activity, which consisted of several stations related to the areas of physics and chemistry. We built a spectroscope, based on the diffraction that occurs on a CD, where the students could observe, learn and build their own, understanding the importance of the device. We demonstrated and they made position-time graphs using the graphing calculator and motion sensors, mastering concepts such as position and velocity. We alsomade a non-Newtonian fluid from cornstarch and water, an exothermic chemical reaction caused by the sucrose in the gums and the oxygen resulting from the combustion reaction of potassium chlorate, and a chameleon reaction, which changed color over time due to the different oxidation states of manganese in the
reaction. All the students were able to understand the activities and showed great interest, thus achieving our goal of transmitting part of our knowledge to them. All students participated and were able to understand the activities, demonstrating great interest and achieving the proposed objectives. The students' involvement demonstrated not only their mastery of the content, but also their collaboration with each other, providing an enriching learning environment.
Throughout the morning, we solved several puzzles and a STEAM-related puzzle, and in the afternoon we went to the science center, where we were able to observe everything from how renewable energy works to the formation of extreme weather phenomena. We also attended a presentation on the difficulties faced by astronauts in space due to extreme temperature and radiation conditions, among others.Wednesday began with na activity organized by students from Finland, who challenged us to build a model of a bridge using spaghetti. The task required some concentration, but above all teamwork and creativity. Next, we moved on to building a LEGO robot. The activity was quite fun, as the goal was to build the robot and make it dance to the sound of music, using programming software. In the last
activity of the morning, we tried physics in practice by projecting a bottle of water into the air, using only pressure. After lunch, we visited the caves in the region, which was na excellent way to end the day.
Thursday was marked by a different experience. We spent the day on a boat sailing through the Mediterranean Sea. It was na incredible opportunity to relax and enjoy the natural beauty of the region. We also had the chance to experience the waters of the Mediterranean, with some of us diving and enjoying the sea. The day was a
truly refreshing break and another opportunity to bond with the other students on this project.
Then came Friday. On the last day of activities, we started by evaluating this mobility that we had participated in. Soon after, each country shared a little of its culture. There was music, dancing, and typical food from each country.
Afterwards, some of the students decided to play volleyball in the garden while others stayed upstairs. We ended the week with the presentation of certificates, a group photo and a warm farewell that we will all remember for the rest of our lives. However, the flight to Portugal was Sunday, so we had Saturday to spend as we wished. We took the opportunity to go to the beach, where the water temperature was perfect and we could see fish swimming around our feet (and sometimes biting us). After lunch we did some shopping, walked around the coast a bit and
had dinner. When we got to the hotel, we packed our bags and went to bed.
On Sunday, we woke up at 4am (2am in Portugal!) to go back. It was a tiring day, in fact a very tiring week, but we all thought it was totally worth it. Being able to get to know another country, even if just for a week, people from other countries and with different life stories is a very valuable and enriching experience that we don’t know if we will have again any time soon.
Ana Moura, Francisco Soares and Vasco Barbosa
