Newsletter 4 by Henriette Hjelm Hansen

Fall 2014

Newsletter 4 The Natural Wonders of Europe, A study of our Natural Parks and Nature Reserves

Natural Wonders in Europe, The First Year Our eleven schools have been very fortunate to be able to work together on this project. It is hard to believe that one year of our project is complete. Our children, teachers and parents have learned about other countries, other schools, other languages and cultures. We have seen each others National Parks and Nature Reserves. We have had meetings in Ireland, Germany, Spain, Turkey and Poland, very different cultures and countries but also very similar in many ways. Older children from nine of our eleven schools have had the opportunity to make new friends abroad and experience the welcome of families in other countries. This year meetings will take place in France, Cyprus, Iceland and Latvia. Some of the work we will do this coming year will explore tourism in our regions, threats to our National Parks, meetings with Workers in the Parks, experiencing sport in the Parks and many more exciting things. I wish to thank all our colleagues in the eleven countries for their wonderful help and support during the first year. We all look forward to the coming year. We are afraid however that the year will go too quickly. PROINSIAS MAC CURTﾃ！N, GAELSCOIL FAITHLEANN. IRELAND PROJECT COORDINATOR

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The Preparations Lorem Ipsum Dolor

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the touristic Sopot and the old, with rich traditions Gdańsk. Fortunately, the weather was quite nice so we could admire the charming Słowiński National Park with its biggest attractions – the only one in Europe, shifting dunes.

Preparations to the visit to Poland started a few months before the planned time at the beginning of June. We, organizers, wanted this visit to vary a little from the previous ones, to be more informal and above all – to put the emphasis on the integration of all participants of the project.

Programme Comenius is realized mainly for students so we were extremely happy to see our Polish pupils talking in English, working together and hanging out with foreign students. This kind of meeting is the best way to improve English in practice and making new friends !

Apart from the obvious things, like putting the foreign students in carefully chosen families, booking means of transport, restaurants, preparing the artistic programme in the school, we focused on organizing 2-day-stay in the touristic resort, situated close to the Słowiński National Park – in Łeba.

We will never forget the visit of 50 European people in Poland at the beginning of June. Not only they saw new places in our country but also we, Polish teachers and students benefited from this visit because we met new, wonderful, smart people, curious of the world and with the fantastic sense of humour.

We think it was a very good idea, because through sharing the accommodation, working on ecological tasks and playing – everybody : teachers and students had this same feeling - that they belonged to one Comenius family and that they got to know the beauty of the nature in the Słowiński National Park. We were happy that we could show the foreign partners our city of Gdynia,

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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Gdynia - Where History Was Made

ForĂĽr 2016 Poland June 2014

In June 2014 we had the pleasure of visiting Gdynia in Northern Poland. When we first heard about Gdynia we thought of it a beautiful city on the Baltic Coast. It was not until we arrived that we learned the importance of Gdynia as part of the Tricity with Gdansk and Sopot .Not alone is this an important seafaring area but it is where history was made in the latter half of the 20th Century. Growing up in Ireland in the 1980s we all could say where Gdansk was and everybody recognised Lech Walensa. He was on the TV nearly night leading calls for democracy in Poland through shipyard strikes and other peaceful means. Poland was then to us a distant country in Europe, behind the iron curtain and we all knew that the Pope came from there. We arrived in Poland and were immediately struck by the great welcome we received by all. Highlights of the visit were seeing the childrensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; concert at the school, walking the sandy beaches, exploring Gdansk, and being in Leba National Park to experience Mobility to Poland from the the Sahara of The Baltic. 3rd of June to the 8th of It was very humbling to know that we were in Poland on the 20th anniversary of the First free elections in Poland, a day Polish people treasure. Our sincere thanks to all the Polish team for their kindness, organisation and hospitality.We hope to be back! Lisa and Proinsias. Ireland3rd of June to the 8th of June

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June 2014.

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Lorem Ipsum DolorFrench Stories from Pupils

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Our hosts were very nice even if it was not always easy to communicate in English! The atmosphere was very warm and welcoming. I got on very well with my family from the first day.

Justine, 4°5

The school is much bigger than ours. It proposes many artistic activities such as drama, dancing, singing… We saw the oldest students dance the “Polish dance” they perform at their final year ball. It looks and sounds like a wedding march: it is very solemn. Our teachers danced it too and it was very nice to see M. Ozanoglu, the Turkish headmaster dance with the Spanish head. Manon, 4°5 The Comenius project is a very big chance to discover new cultures in a very lively way. We are totally immerged in a new way of life and it is a great opportunity to share and exchange with many people.

After visiting the school, we went to see the old district of Gdansk. This place had also a very unstable history. It was destroyed during WWII but today it is simply superb. The renovating works have been very successful. The houses are coloured in a Flemish-style. On Dlugi Targ, there’s a fountain dedicated to Neptun and it symbolizes the close relationship of the city with the sea. We also visited St Mary’s Church which is as big as Notre Dame de Paris! We walked up the 405 steps to have a tremendous view over the city! Our teachers explained that it was in the city’s shipyards that the 1970 strikes began, led by M. L. Walesa, who later became the first president of Poland. That was just 25 years ago!

The three days spent at Leba were wonderful because we were all united. I will never forget he evening we spent singing in our own language and it was fun watching the Spanish team perform “La Macarena” with their teacher and head!

Eloïse 5°6

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Ipsum Dolor TheLorem stories from the French students continued

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After visiting Gdansk, we went to a seaside resort named Sopot. It is a trendy place to be. It has the longest pier in the world (511m) in the Baltic sea! We couldn’t go because there was a storm at that moment but we had a very nice meal at the restaurant called “Laguna” with a wonderful panoramic view. This meal allowed to meet and talk with a lot of people. I found Poland beautiful. Life is not very expensive there. The trip changed my mind . We were hosted in a very nice family. I missed my family a little but I spent 6 wonderful days. I learned to know very nice people. I realized I could get over my fears. I hope one day I will live another experience like this one. Lauriane 5°6 We spent two days in Leba on the shore of the Baltic sea. It is next to the Slowinski National park. The beaches are superb, you can walk for long on a very fine and white sand, between the forest and the sea…The landscapes are wild and wonderful. There are no buildings and it is unusual for us but very pleasant. The weather was perfect! We also went on the site of the moving dunes: these are very big and remind of the Sahara! Because of wind, these dunes are moving forward inland. It is because of intensive deforestation. Today, Nature is getting its revenge: the forest is being swallowed by sand little by little. Then, we took a beautiful walk in the forest before we went on a boat tour on Lake Gardno. More than 250 species of birds come and breed there, or rest during their migrations. That’s why it is very important to preserve this area! Pauline 4°5

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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Memories from Portugal

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Hi, we are Bruna, Mariana Barnabé and Mariana Santos from Portugal. In June we travelled to Poland to participate in a meeting with our COMENIUS partners from ten other countries. We liked the trip very much and we had a great time. The best part was staying at the park in Łeba because we spent a lot of time together and that allowed us to make a strong connection with the other students. Our hosts were very nice. Thank you Agata, Agnieszka, Weronika and families for taking such good care of us and making us feel at home. We enjoyed the Gala Night very much because we danced a lot and it was fun. We were just a little sad when we had to say goodbye to our friends. For now, we’ll have to keep in touch by email, Skype or Facebook, but we hope we can meet again in the future. Bruna, Mariana B., Mariana S.

Our mobility to Poland was memorable. We would like to thank Magda and all her team for the wonderful time we had in their beautiful country. They were brilliant hosts! We enjoyed visiting the school and watching the performances the students prepared for us; visiting Gdansk and Sopot; the 2-day stay in Łeba and the beautiful Słowiński National Park; the Gala Night and the firework display. Thank you girls!!! Ditza, Gilda and Susy

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Lorem Ipsum Dolor

Turkish Student tells about the trip to Poland

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Baltic Sea.We collected sea shells.I don’t know how many kilometers we walked but I stil feel the tiredness.Then we walked to the moving dunnes.It was really weird because on one side you see the beautiful sea,on the other side you see the desert like dunnes,and between them there is a beautiful lake.At 19:00 we did some sport activities.We played football with the teachers and we also played volleyball with the teachers and students.Because it was our last night at the camp we sang songs and every country sang songs in their own language.

First of all we would like to thank to our teachers who gave us this opportunity.On Monday at 20:30 we want to Adana Şakirpaşa Airport and we flew to İstanbul we waited in İstanbul airport from 23:00 to 6:30 in the morning.Then we got on the second planet o Frankfurt and our adventure started.And then the third plane to go to Munich.And at last in the afternoon we arrived Gdansk at 16:30. Altough the journey was really tiring we were really excited and were looking forward to meeting our host families.At Gdansk airport our host families took us to Gydnia.

On Saturday morning after breakfast we left the camp and went back to Gydnia.We were with the families and went to a Turkish restaurant and had kebap there.In the evening we went to Neptun Hotel fort he farewell ceremony.After an unbelieveable evening we watched the fireworks and went home.

On Wednesday morning we went to Nadia’s school .There we all the teachers and students who came from oher countries.We watched the show that the students prepared for us.The show was really exciting and nice. After we had lunch at school we got on the bus to go to Gdansk.It was really an attractive city.When we saw the churches and cathedrals and the buildings in Gdansk we were really excited by the view.We wandered in the streets of Gdansk until 21:00.

Sunday was our last day in Poland.In the morning we went to the beach with our host families and at 14:30 went to the airport and we came back to Turkey.We would like to thank to our host families for everything they did for us. Hande Sena TÜRKSAL-Havva Nur ŞEN

On Thursday again we met at school with the sudents to go to the campsite which we will stay for two days.The campsite was in Leba,which is one of teh most beautiful city of Poland.We stayed with the French students.At the campsite we had the opportunity to teem with the other foreign students.We had lunch and after lunch we walked to the Leba Dinasourus Park.It was really excellent.We bought souvenirs from the small stores in the park.We came back to the camp and we played football and volleyball with the students.On Friday after breakfast we went to the National Park which is by the

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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Memories from Spain

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The trip to Poland was wonderful, I think it was the best experience in my life. I loved the time we spent in Leba and I really had fun there. However, I think the trip to Gdansk was the best although it was raining, because the city was very beautiful and I could spent a lot of time with Sandra, my host. There, I discovered a lot of cultures from different countries and I made many good friends. The last day, I also liked the Gala night so much, but I cried a lot because I did not want to come back to Spain. Finally, I want to say thanks to Sandra´s family because they made me feel as if I was at home. Rosa Mª Rodríguez Carmona

Travelling to Poland was the best experience I have ever had. I travelled with Rosa, Natalia, Alba and my teachers, Benito and Sor Mª Isabel. We went to Madrid Airport. Then we travelled from Madrid to London and next morning, at 7 A.M. we took a plane to Poland. The first day, we spent some free time with our Polish students. We went to the beach and Marysia (my host) bought me an ice cream and we visited the port too. The second day, all students went to the school, so there was a presentation. Later, we saw the school, we had lunch and we travelled to a city near Gdynia, called Gdansk. We could buy a lot of things. The third day, we went to a National Park in Leba. We went there on Thursday and Friday. We did sports activities, we walked about 7 km, we travelled by boat, and also, we swam in the swimming pool. On Friday night, we had the “Night on fire” and we ate sausages with some bread and ketchup. On Saturday, we went to the port and the shops all together and then, we went to Gala night, where we had dinner, we were dancing and singing. On Sunday morning, we went to the airport and we came back to Spain. It was the best week in my life and we enjoyed a lot together!!! Alba Hidalgo Ramírez

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Lorem Ipsumfrom Dolor Iceland Memories

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In our trip to Polland last June we experienced great hospitality from our Polish friends. From the time we vere greated at the airport until we left the country again we never had a dull moment. The trip was diverse and very well organized. We got the feeling that everyone wanted to do their best to make the trip successful. We visited beautiful sites and enjoyed the company of people from nine other countries. We learned a lot about Poland during our stay and got some great ideas about how to work with our students in National Parks.

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Ipsum Dolor TheLorem German Comenius Group

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From June 3rd to June 8th 2011 we visited our Comenius friends in Poland and really had a wonderful and interesting time in Gdynia, Gdansk and the National Park in Leba. When our trip to Poland started on Tuesday, June 3rd 2014, we were all very excited, because we didn’t know what to expect because we all never had been to Poland before. How would the people be like, how would the food be like and would we be able to communicate in English? And we have to say that Poland was great. The people were all very friendly and we spent a fantastic week with our international group. And speaking English was easier than we thought it would be because none of the students was a native speaker so we were not scared of making some little mistakes. We could communicate well with all the students from Poland, Portugal, Spain, Denmark, Cyprus, Turkey, France and Latvia, so this was a great experience to see why learning English at school is so important. The first day we visited the Polish Comenius school in Gdynia and the students there performed a great show with dances and sketches. We really liked the funny “Little Red Riding Hood” story. Then we went into the gym, where the older students just did a rehearsal for their graduation dance. And we even could join them. That was really cool. The daytrip to famous Gdansk was full of history and impressive streets and buildings. Climbing up the church tower was the best. The next day we drove to Leba National Park at the Baltic Sea. There we saw beautiful white sandy beaches and Pine woods with some nice shade and of course the great big sand dune that we enjoyed on a warm and sunny day. In our camp we did a lot of activities like rock climbing, swimming or leaning about the Leba National Park. We really liked the contest, which international group could build the best water filter. This was international teamwork, we enjoyed a lot. We ended our trip to Leba National Park with a disco and a barbeque where every country sang a song in their native language. The farewell party from Poland we celebrated with another dinner and disco in Gdynia When we flew back on Sunday, June 8th, we all had experienced a wonderful week with great experiences and wonderful hearty Polish

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Lorem Ipsumfrom Dolor Latvia Memories

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Couple of months has gone since two our students V.Jemeļjanovs and V. Samsonov with teachers T.Zarecka, J. Stankeviča and project coordinator V. Petlak returned from Poland. The trip took place within Comenius project. Our young people had a great opportunity to experience life in a typical Polish family, they joined Polish families immediately upon arrival at the airport in Gdańsk and went to new homes, but teachers went to the hotel in Gdynia. Polish colleagues prepared a great program – we had different meetings with students and teachers. The school welcomed us in a perfect way. Polish friends prepared concert where we became acquainted with Polish tradition and culture on the first day. Guests very happy to participate in dances under leadership of school teachers and project coordinators, we could learn the basics of the national dance - polonaise. Participants prepared wondeful gifts (“a part” of their country) to each other activities. We felt the atmosphere of patriotism during all events! Polish people are very proud of their land, the country and the people. They told about the history and their traditions proudly. We had a good chance to taste Polish national dishes, but our students were more lucky, they enjoyed the local atmosphere in families, saw the everyday life of Polish family, took part in all extra-curricular activities. We were glad to increase our knowledge about Poland together with the other participants of the project, we had beautiful excursions around the city. Even rainy weather did not prevent the Polish team from preparing educational program around the city. All project participants enthusiastically walked and visited all parts of the city. We were shown the picturesque magic of Old Town of Gdansk; experienced the natural beauty of the sand desert; listened to the sea melody while walking down wooden bridge in Sopot; had a trip at Masurian Lakes…... During tour of the Old Town of Gdańsk we saw many gates and grounds, church towers, red tile roofs, countless street cafes. Gdansk is the largest Polish port, which is situated near the Visla estuary to the Bay of Gdańsk, traders town was established in the 997 at the Motława, it became rich and significant. We had a long walk along the sea beach. We climbed on the top of the sand dunes, looked across the sea of the sand at waves of the Baltic Sea. Picturesque and encouraging! Looking more closely one could notice that sand dunes had unique attractiveness. It was really surprising to discover of how many different colors sand could be and what unusual shape of the hills could be created by sand, sea and wind. Nature was fascinating with specific amazing harmony.

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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Memories from Latvia continued

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The essence of Sopot we found while walking along a wooden bridge, which extended into the sea as a picturesque pier and promenade combination, it enabled to enjoy music of waves and the power of Baltic Sea wind.

We had project meeting and made conclusion, that we built nice project team, all the parties fulfilled their obligations in a right way. Of course, we specified recent project tasks and approximate dates of visits.

We got much information not only about Poland, but also about traditions of other project participants, we realised how different but at the same time alike all participants were, we felt like old, good friends, feeling sincerity, kindness and friendship. Any of trip of the project and the project itself broadened our vision of life…...

Students` impressions of the project visit: Vladislav Jemeļjanovs "I learned a few words in Polish, and English language skills were strengthened as well. I visited Polish schools, teachers threre were very kind-hearted. It was pleasant to live in Poland. Ideal time to spend. We spent lovely days and I did not want to go home. Thank you, teachers, who chose me as one of the project participants. I am very grateful to them, because they gave a chance to get to know new people, new living environment for all of us, to see life. " Valentin Samsonov "First of all, I would like to say thank you for such a trip. It was an incredible experience and emotions, despite the fact that sometimes the weather was not nice to us we had wonderful time!!!! We visited a lot of interesting places during the trip. I liked that the Polish host family was very kind-hearted. At my opinion, we need to have more such projects, because this is a great experience. "

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The 3 Danish Lorem Ipsum Dolor students tell about their experiences

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”Our trip to Poland was something we will never forget!” We saw many attractions like their school, many beautiful cities, churches, Park Jurajski, beaches and how Polish families live and much, much more. When we arrived, we were welcomed with open arms and a big smile and just from there; we knew that it was going to be a wonderful experience and trip. The first day we visited their school and sat down in some of their classes, where later we took a bus to Gdansk, the second day we travelled to Leba, where some of us took a trip to the beach, it was very beautiful. We spent time in small carbines where all of us from different countries made friends, friends we will stay in touch with for a very long time. We simply had an amazing time in Poland, a trip we will never change for everything. Sincerely; Amalie, Anders, Line and Magnus.

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Cyprus did unfortunately not go to Poland but has Lorem Ipsum Dolor written about another excursion.

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On Tuesday 20/5/2014 within the European Comenius program ‘Nature Wonders of Europe’ we organized an excursion at the Akamas peninsula. Our professional guides were also the drivers of two 4X4 safari vehicles. Before the visit we were separated in five different groups and prepared for the mission to accomplish. We were all very excited since it was our first time to participate is such a special activity with so many interesting issues

Akamas is a peninsula located North West of the island, with a total area of 250 square Kms. Its name comes from the mythological hero Akama, son of Theseas, who came to the area after the war of Troy. The last 30 years the area is protected by the government as a National Park. The main reason for protecting the peninsula is the Avakas Gorge, the turtle hatching bay of Lara and the great variety (most of them endemic) of plants, herbs and flower.

Akamas is one out of 22, endemism places in Europe and also one of the purest and unspoilt areas. About 65% of the land is private and is cultivated for barley and other plantations that do not require irrigation. Our first stop was Avakas Gorge. The name possibly comes from the Greek word ‘avga or afka’ because in the old days the villagers nearby used to visit the gorge to collect eggs from the many birds that lived in the holes of the cliffs, especially wild pigeons. It is the longest and most impressive gorge of Cyprus with a total length of 8 Km. At the earth quake of 1995 a big rock was “Stack” between the cliffs half way of the Gorge

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Loremtrip Ipsum from Dolor The Cyprus continued

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Here, and in Akamas in general, we were lucky to see many different plants, flowers, goats, ships, frogs, harmless water snakes, donkeys, butterflies, lizards and many birds. One of the endemic and rare trees that we have seen, is a low, bush like tree called “Aoratos”. Aoratos has a lovely smell and is very beneficial to humans, especially in the summer that keeps the flies away. In older times people use to boil its roots for the treatment of dermatitis. It was also used

We were very excited when our guide showed as a small endemic bush called “Centaurea Akamantis”. This bush was discovered just 3 years ago and is found only in Avakas Gorge and “Faraggi ton koufon” (Gorge of the deaf). At this point we realized that some plants and herbs haven’t been discovered yet. Our next stop was Lara beach were turtles lay their eggs. Every turtle lays about 300 to 400 eggs, starting from the beginning of June and hatching up to the end of September. The turtles in Cyprus are saved mainly thanks to the efforts of Antreas Dimitropoulos and his wife Myroula, who worked voluntary from 1978 for their protection.

After we stopped at “Smiyies” picnic area in Akamas forest to eat and rest in the shade of the trees. Later we walked in a part of the forest with tall trees and end up to the beautiful beach of Blue Lagoon. We continued to the famous beach of “Fontana Amoroza” (meaning fountain of love) and ended up the “baths of Aphrodite”. According to the legend, this was the place where goddess Aphrodite bathed and met with her lover Adonis. On our way back we visited the Laographic museum of Steni village where we’ve seen items, tools and everyday life utensils of the older times in the villages. It was an unforgettable experience.

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Fall 2014

Thank you for now. Looking forward to hearing more about these amazing trips in Newsletter 5 from France, Argeles sur Mer in November 2014.