Slovak mobility 23- 29 April 2023

Slovakia - from 23rd to 29th April

From 23rd to 29th April the school Zàkladna Szkoła Ceskoslovenskej armady  nr 22, Presov, Slovakia 

The purpose of our visit was to cover topics closely related to Erasmus and the representations of the partner countries-Portugal, Czech Republic, Spain and Italy. The students were hosted by the families of their Slovak peers, as stipulated in the agreed "Transnational Projects of the European Union.", in order to facilitate their full integration. 

April 23rd

We arrived at the Budapest airport in the early afternoon and reached the town of Presov at 6 p.m.  At the hotel in Presov, we met the host families and the students went home with them. The teachers from other nations arrived late in the evening and we were only able to say hello to the Czech Republic and the Portuguese teachers. The appointment was set for the following at 8:00 a.m. at the Slovak educational institution.

April 24th

We were welcomed by the Slovak principal and teachers in the institute's canteen. The different groups of students gave a short presentation that covered the main topics of the project (Waste).

After a quick breakfast we visited the school accompanied by some of the teachers and students who showed us the classrooms, laboratories, gymnasium, outdoor courtyard and greenhouse, Hockey and soccer field. Then we had lunch in the school canteen. Later we went to visit the city hall where the mayor welcomed and gave us some local souvenirs.

In the late afternoon we visited the city of Presov thanks to a teacher who served as our guide and then our students went back to their respective families.

We had dinner in a typical restaurant with the other teachers and we went back to the hotel.

April 25th

On the third day we arrived at school at 8 a.m. and played some volleyball games with mixed teams in the institute gymnasium, as it was bad weather. After lunch in the school canteen we went to visit the Jasovska Jaskyna cave of stalactites in Slovak Karst (UNESCO World Heritage Site).

Then we moved on to Kosice, a Slovak city bordering Poland, Ukraine and Hungary and the second most populous city in Slovakia. Kosice is home to the second oldest marathon in the world; it is called 'The International Peace Marathon.' We also visited the Gothic Cathedral of St. Elizabeth, the largest in the country. 

After returning to school, the girls went home to their host families and we went back to the hotel.

April 26th 

In the morning we went to visit a charity, PODAJ D'ALEY. The founder, Vicky, told us about all the activities tailor-made to be able to help the needy, the disabled, war refugees, women who suffer violence, and clochards, in particular, for example, a store where clothes donated by benefactors can be purchased for 1€. The proceeds go to help people in need. A store that collects food donated by individuals and supermarkets where those in need can use it free of charge. 

The association houses rooms used as workshops with the aim of getting the unemployed into work.

We returned to school to eat at the canteen and in the afternoon took part in workshops in which the same activities offered by the association visited in the morning were carried out and a project logo was made using recycled fabrics.

Afterwards, the girls went to the mall with their host students.

April 27th

The morning began in the name of historical continuity and tradition with a visit to the TANAP museum near the Tatra mountain range. Here we were able to observe the typical stuffed animals of the area (bears, wolves, wild boars, deer, foxes, birds of prey such as an owl, an eagle. Most interesting was the feature film about the iconic animal of those mountains: the Tatra chamois.

Afterwards we started a trek that took us to a hut located at 1300 m. where it was snowing. 

Once back in the village of Stary Smokovec we were told the story of the Slovak Sherpas by a local guide. So-called 'carriers' manage to carry up to 100 kilograms of food and drink on their backs to the top of huts located even at 2,000 meters. Some of these special 'Sherpa backpacks' loaded with bottles, beer kegs and empty boxes were carried by students and teachers who wanted to experience this, so they could understand the difficulty and weight. Back to school we greeted the girls and returned to the hotel.

April 28th 

In the morning the principal handed us our certificates during a brief ceremony. Thus we left for Slovak Paradise National Park where we made a trek that took us to a wonderful viewpoint. 

Back to the bus we moved on to the town of Levoca which we visited with a guide, particularly the town hall with the torture museum and the St. James Basilica which has the distinction of being a place of worship for both Catholics and Lutherans. 

In the evening we were treated to a farewell dinner at our hotel in which the principal gave us Drienkovica liquor as a gift. 

April 29th

At dawn our students were taken to our hotel and, after saying goodbye and thanking their host families, we left in the direction of Budapest where we took the plane back to Italy.