The students of the B' Arsakeio - Tositseio Junior High School in Ekali who are participating in the Erasmus project , after their mobility to Spain in March , they were happy to welcome and host in Greece our partner students and teachers of the Institut Santa Eugenia school from Girona, in Spain, from Sunday 13th April 2023 until Friday 27th  April 2023. This mobility took place within the framework of the approved European ERASMUS+ Action KA120 program with code: 2022-1-ES01-KA121-SCH-000064776. The theme of the project in which the teams of the two schools worked together throughout the year was related to cultural heritage and was titled Heritage Travellers.

During their stay in Greece, our Spanish partners carried out various educational activities with the students of our School, while at the same time they got to know more about our warm hospitality and culture.

DAY 1 : During the first day of the hospitality, we welcomed the students and teachers from Spain with great pleasure and together we visited the Sacred Rock of the Acropolis and the New Museum of the Acropolis with an experienced guide . Students in four international groups completed collaborative activity worksheets about the Acropolis and at the end , to challenge their history knowledge and have  fun the students played an online educational game with multiple choice questions about the Acropolis and ancient Greece. Afterwards, the students toured the picturesque narrow streets of Plaka and had lunch in a traditional greek  taverna,where our guests had the opportunity to try traditional Greek dishes and have fun with traditional dances!

DAY 2 : On the second day, two teachers and ten students from Spain visited the B'Arsakeio Tositseio school, where after the warm  welcome from the school principal and the program participants, our visitors were given a short tour of the school premises by the students who participate in the erasmus programme .

Afterwards, the students attended a speech, in English, by the Professor of Classical Archeology of the University of Athens, Mr. Vasilios Lambrinoudakis, about the Greek colonies in Spain during antiquity, about the Greek ancient theaters and  about the educational programme Adopt An Ancient Theater  and our school's adopted ancient theater of Dionysos in Ikarion located in the archaeological site of Ikarion in the municipality of Dionysos. The archeology professor pointed out to the Greek and Spanish students how important and necessary it is for the younger generation to learn about and promote their cultural heritage, so as to bequeath it to the next generations, since there is a link betweek the past , the present and the future. 

Afterwards, the students participated in a hands-on learning experience in excavation techniques at the Archaeological Park of the Arsakeio Tositseio Schools. Finally, the Greek students presented Greek traditional dances and invited the students from Spain to dance with them, showing them the steps  in the school gym. After dancing , a buffet with traditional Greek dishes was offered in the school courtyard.

DAY 3 : On the third day, students and teachers performed learning activities at the school. The students carried out an activity called Old Objects with a Story about cultural heritage. In particular, the students brought old objects from their ancestors and told us the history of these objects. Through the conservation of objects, the need to preserve tradition and to transmit history becomes clear. The students also created a heritage time capsule, where they placed items and photos from the era for future generations to find.Afterwards, the students, after being informed about the history of the worry beads, they made worry beads trying to keep  traditional craftsmanship techniques alive . 

Students also discussed in groups and reflected on the threats to our cultural heritage and exchanged ideas on ways how to prevent them and how to preserve our cultural heritage in our School Library.

The last activity of the day was a treasure hunt with QR code scavenger hunt  about cultural heritage in the school forest.

The day ended with a ceremony  for the awarding of Certificates of Participation and hospitality gifts, followed by lunch in a traditional taverna of the area. The guests thanked the school community of the B' Arsakeio Tositseio High School in Ekali for the warm welcome, the hospitality, the successful activities it organized and for the perfect cooperation in the Erasmus program.

DAY 4 : On the fourth day, an excursion was organized to Mycenae (one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites) and Nafplio (as the first capital of the new Greek state). The students visited  the acropolis of Mycenae, the museum and the treasure of Atreus with an experienced guide in english. They walked to the kingdom of the mythical Agamemnon, the "multi-gold" Mycenae, first praised by Homer in his well-known epics. Afterwards, the students from Spain were guided around the city of Nafplion by the Greek students and they all enjoyed a nice lunch together in a traditional restaurant.

The emotional tears of the young students and teachers at the time of our farewell proves the success of the program. Our hospitality and warmth impressed our Spanish partners, but we, teachers and students, enjoyed the entire process of hospitality that we offered to our new European friend.

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.