Teacher impressions

    The memory that is most strongly stuck on my mind is certainly the very affectionate atmosphere which prevailed between us, teachers and students from all the schools, especially Romanians. In the Romanian city of Drobeta, a population slightly larger than Santiago, people don’t seem to be stressed and always have a smile on the face. Romanian teachers were always attentive to the well-being of all of us, trying to be aware and help us to make our visit as comfortable as possible.
As for the two trips we made, the boat trip on the Danube River and the visit to Kars Plateau Mehedinti, where we could enjoy the God’s Bridge, the cave and Zaton lake, we enjoyed all these wonderful and unforgettable places. Thanks to their good preparation all of us could observe different teaching techniques from different Romanian teachers who offered us specialized explanations and scientific support, as the perfect information about the Romanian-Serbian hydroelectric power station on the Danube and the didactic collection of botanical species in an awesome area rich in biodiversity.
And last but not least, I can say that seeing our students sharing and enjoying enriching experiences with other students was very gratifying and that was clearly reflected in the conversations we shared on our way back home.
I do not want to end without a special mention to the Romanian coordinator, Laura Filimon. Thanks to her hard work and loving dedication to all of us, we could have a pleasant stay and a successful meeting. Thank you very much, Laura.

Pablo Gómez Segade, Biology teacher and Spanish coordinator

    The development of the third meeting of the Comenius project “Diversity of Rivers” can be described as very positive. The pedagogical and scientific communication aspects were achieved with activities that reflect the interest and organizational capacity.
During the meeting the presentations clearly showed all the work carried out by each partner school. The students made a big effort to convey the contents, being able to show their work on invasive species. They explained the problems of the possible loss of the biodiversity of the European rivers from different points of view.
The two trips were well organised in terms of time and content. Combining cultural and scientific aspects was a good idea. Observation of the ecosystems, relating their biological ethnographic historical and architectural aspects, made excursions very interesting and they provided a clear view of the surroundings of this area of Romania.
I would stress the welcome of the organizers, there were no problems of any kind and all small incidents were solved quickly and effectively. I must highlight the warm welcome and treatment by the coordinator and the Romanian teachers, always aware, and really patient.
The coexistence of students and teachers from countries with such notable cultural differences was more than correct.
The content of the project clearly reflects the common interest of all members to maintain European river ecosystems protected from disruptive actions.

                                                                                                   Leopoldo Bahillo – Biology teacher - SPAIN


     Despite starting the meeting the first day at school without going to bed and after 23 hours travelling I must say that I enjoyed that day. The school was really welcoming and the presentations came up to my expectations. The nice walk around the town gave us the chance to get to know the place and to talk to the people from the other countries.
The two trips were very interesting. I’d never dreamed of enjoying the Danube in such a nice way. And the lake and the mountains we were able to admire during the second tour were really worth it.
Being this my second visit in this project I was very happy to see the teachers from the other countries again and to meet new ones. For me, getting to know people from different countries and cultures is one of the main attractive points in a Comenius project.
I am really satisfied with the organisation of the visit. The coordinator was extremely helpful and solved all the problems that came across during the stay together with the other teachers who were collaborating in the organisation.
All the countries worked according to what had been planned and we have a clear idea about what to do next.
The accommodation facilities were excellent. The hotel was near the school and important places and that helped to move around the city.
OUR STUDENTS were really happy and satisfied with their partners and the family hosting our girls were kind and helpful. The presentation at school gave them the chance to speak a foreign language in public and to improve their oral skills in English, both in listening comprehension and speaking. They got to know interesting places and different religions and traditions. They really had a great time with this experience. Although they were quite shy I could observe how they improved their social abilities.
Thank you to all the people who worked in the organisation and also to the other partners who made our stay interesting and satisfying.

Mª Isabel Mato Torres

We have just known each other before the Romania meeting. This was setting my mind at rest but I was still exciting. After a hearty welcomed by the students at the airport we had a long journey to Drobeta Turnu Severin.
As soon as I arrived, I was fascinated on the face of natural beauty in this city. For a moment I thought I was in heaven. Greens, naturalness, silence and friendship led to complete refreshment for me after the complexity of a metropolitan. All the trips especially Denube boat trip were really wonderful. Laura and her team were so hospitable and friendly. It started with welcoming party at the school and didn’t end until whole meeting. We had lots of fun, shared lots of beauties, but in addition to all this beauty I really impressed personality of one of the Romanian student, Alex. I can not pass without sharing it. Because he endured his pain in his heart in silence during the meeting even he has lost his father. He was with us during whole trip. I hope God will put his father in peace.
Thank to Comenius Project to give a chance to share something academic but also meet different people with different culture. Thank you Laura for your friendship, Andrea for your fabulous guidance, thank you Costell, Madalina, all Romanian students especially my hero , and all teachers for great meeting that we had in Severin. You were wonderful…
                                                                                                                                                    Elife Köse (Turkey)

    After a month of planning this trip, we would like to thank all those involved in the Comenius project for giving us the opportunity to visit Romania and see all the interesting sights. The experience we had was amazing. The location of the hotel was perfect and all the places we visited will stay in our memory for ever. 
At first we were anxious about meeting our colleagues from other countries as we did not know them and we had not had any contact with them before the trip.  However, they were all friendly and kind, we exchanged experiences, ideas and impressions and we had a great time.  We now have a better understanding of other cultures.  The fact that we had to speak English with other European teachers and students gave us the opportunity to improve our English language skills and communication skills as we had to cooperate with people speaking a foreign language.  All the students were obedient and happy to be participating in the project so we did not face any disobedience. 
The trip was very well organized and all the teachers and students were all satisfied with the programme as it was clear in our mind and we knew what to do next. There were no changes in the programme.  The coordinator was really friendly and helpful as he solved all the issues that arose during our visit in Romania.  Finally, we could say that we are really satisfied with the trip and we would be really happy if we could have this opportunity again.  There were no misunderstandings and the communication among teachers and students was absolutely wonderful. 
Romania is a wonderful country with a long history and unique sights that are worth seeing.  The Danube river was among the most fantastic places we have ever visited.  It is also important to mention that the presentations were very interesting as all the students worked hard to successfully complete and provide a well-organized presentation.

                                                                                                        Margarita Markidou, Eleni Pishara  (Cyprus)

    What I need to say, is that organizers of the meeting had made a wonderful work. I would like to thank them all for their hospitality in Trobeta Turnu Severin. We had the chance to spend wonderful time in the town, the school and also in all the places that they arrange for the participants to go to. The coordinator was really friendly and helpful as he solved all the issues that aroused during our visit in Romania. I will never forget their hospitality and their care about all of us. Thank you all. Laura thank you for taking care of us, Madalina you will be always a wonderful person for me, thank you for all the troubles that you solved for me. Costel (Kostas is your name for me) I know now that I have a family (not only one) in Severin, and I promise next time that I will be in Romania, I will be there also, you are a wonderful and a happy man as well as a great director. Christina thank you for the care that you show to our students, Dana (big mama), you are a wonderful mother for all the kids that have been in your house, you have so much love in your heart, thank you for being the mother of our students, you are wonderful, I really hope to see you again in future meetings. Elvis you are wonderful man, sorry that we needed to bring you in Bucharest last day, and thank you for your willingness to come there for us, for our students, you are so kind. Marilena and Sorina thank you for your wonderful company in our last day in Severin, we couldn’t imagine better company for our stay. Laura I believe now that stress is gone, want to tell you and to all organizers that you made a perfect work. From Cyprus with love.
                                                                                                                                         Nikolas Nikolaou (Cyprus)

       The meeting in Romania was fantastic!
First we had the opportunity to visit the great city of Bucharest and after a 5 long hours journey ... the calm and very friendly Drogbeta Turnu Severin. The patience of the ones who were waiting for us and the warm welcome were outstanding.
The memories of the green and yellow landscapes, the beautiful Danube, the joy of music and dancing and the kind hospitality of the entire team will be forever in our memories.
Meeting after meeting the team becomes more cohesive and the work gets more and more rewarding.
                                                                                                                                          Portuguese teachers
                                                                                                                               (Anabela, Elisabete and Sandra)