Day 1
Luke Xuereb
4 Green
16/5/2022
My Erasmus+ project kicked off today. My teachers, schoolmates and myself who are participating in the project started the day by preparing our own breakfast. As we were eating breakfast, we enjoyed the beautiful view of the Plaza de la Merced from our balcony. We then headed towards the city hall where we linked up with the other students and teachers participating in the project.
The participants hail from various cities or islands such as Ithaca (Greece), Alcamo (Italy) and Málaga (Spain). We were then welcomed by the Vice-mayor of Málaga in the city hall. He guided us through the municipal building elaborating on the decorations that embellish the interior, particularly the main hall.
The hosting school's Headmaster gave us a welcome speech and donated each guest school a set of books on the history and artistic heritage of Málaga and Andalusia.
The Vice-mayor continued his tour by showing us a wide collection of portraits of past mayors who helped Málaga flourish. Then we headed to the Plaza de Constitución, a large shopping district where we took part in a photo hunt together with the other foreign participants in Málaga's historic centre. After this memorable experience we sat down for some delicious ice-cream, offering a welcome relief from the hot noon sun. We then caught a bus and visited Malaga Stadium.
Day 2
Daniel Bugeja
4 Green
17/5/2022
We had quite an early start since we woke up at six o’clock in the morning. After a hurried breakfast of toast with ham, accompanied by glasses of orange juice and coffee, we left the apartment to begin our walk towards the bus station to catch the bus to school. At school we were greeted by the teachers who accompanied us to Granada.
Following the two-hour trip through the mountainous terrain, we then proceeded to walk to the Alhambra, a fort built by the occupying Arabs during the 13th century.
Whilst the teachers were touring the fort, all the students and myself were guided through the vast gardens of the stronghold which offered impressive landscaping and a vast array of plants. Following this guided tour, we walked through a small forest which led us to the exit of the fort. This was by far my favourite part, due to the clean air which was extremely enjoyable, the surrounding greenery and the sounds and aromas of nature.
We then proceeded to a buffet lunch. After a delicious and filling meal we trudged through the hot streets of Granada, buying souvenirs along the way. Then came a long walk to the bus station, where we caught a coach back towards Malaga. By the time we arrived it was around 8 o’clock in the evening. We went to a place called Le Mellizos, a restaurant specialising in local seafood dishes. Following another satisfying meal, we headed back to our flat in the Plaza de Merced. After a shower and a change of clothes, we got into bed and ended day 2 of the Erasmus Project.
It was time for lunch so we sat down at a restaurant and enjoyed a traditional pasta dish. After lunch we walked to the Sierra Bermeja High School where every country introduced its school and students. The Sierra Bermeja students gave us a tour around the school.
We concluded the day by going out for dinner together with our teachers. Today was certainly quite eventful and I am sure that I will cherish this memory for years to come.
Day 3
Giuseppe Portelli
4 Green
18/05/2022
Today was also an early start. I woke up at around 7. I ate breakfast at around 7:15 which was prepared by the teachers. At around 8:15 we reached the bus stop were we found the bus which took us to school. As soon as we arrived at school we were greeted by the local students. We proceeded to the main hall and settled down for the first task of the day. We took on the role of adjucticants of a debate after we carefully listened to the instructions. The debate focused on the benefits and risks of being a social media influencer.
There were two teams, one promoting the benefits of being social media influencer and the other highlighting the risks of being engaged in social influencing. Each member of each team talked about different opposing argument. The point system reflected the teams' performance on voice projection, clarity of argument and presentation of evidence.
The debate was hotly contested and in fact, the result took some time to be announced. It turned out that the teams were almost evenly matched but in the end, the team criticising social media influencing won. In my opinion, their victory was deserved since their arguments and evidence were more relatable and researched.
Following the debate we had 1 hour of free time during which we had a traditional dance session. At around 2:30 we had lunch at the school.
We then walked for around 15 minutes to reach Jardin Botanico which is a huge garden, you could actually say it is a small forest. This garden was owned by Jorge Loring and his wife, members of Málaga’s bourgeoisie, and they were the main sponsors supporting the creation of the garden. It took an hour to tour the garden and there was still more to see. I was impressed with the botanical variety and the views of Málaga
When we finished from the garden we took a taxi back to our flat. We showered and went out to eat some local delicacies.
Today was very eventful day, and full of laughter and joy. Such memories will last for a very long time and I am grateful to our teachers for providing such an opportunity.
Day 4
Jerome Xiberras
4 Green
19/05/2022
Today we were able to get some extra rest as we woke around 8 and had breakfast, prepared by our teachers, around 8.30 a.m. Our first landmark of the day was Alcazaba which was an Arab fort built on a mountain adjacent Málaga. It featured lush greenery which beautified the whole structure. When I entered the Alcazaba I felt mesmerised with the intricate carvings and the defensive architecture was impressive too. The surrounding gardens provided lots of shade and it is quite amazing to see that they were fed by freshwater flowing from the mountain.
As we exited Alcazaba, we headed to the national Málaga museum where we saw many suggestive artifacts, paintings and statues. These artifacts encompassed Málaga's history and were lucky enough to see works by Picasso, Goya and Alvarez Dumont.
Afterwards we hiked to the Muelle (port) park Malagueta beach. At the beach the water was calm and cool and it was a fun experience to swim. After a couple of hours swimming, we headed back to the flat. We had a quick shower and later met the Spanish teachers and the other participants for dinner in one of the many busy plazas of Málaga.
Personally, today was one of my favorite days in Málaga during this program.
Day 5
Noe Lang
4 Green
20/05/2022
The final day started at 8, where we ate breakfast, and headed to the lockers, to put our luggage there, and went to the market, and some of us bought some food.
Then, we went to the hosting school, for the ending ceremony in order to give the certificates and some parting gifts to us. Afterwards, we had an activity where we split into 5 teams, and went into a game each, and rotated. This was probably my favourite activity from the entire week. Lunch was cooked by the Headmaster himself. He seems to be renowned for his Paella and I must say, his reputation is justified.
Following lunch, we said our goodbyes to all participants before heading to central Malaga for some last-minute souvenir hunting.
We ended up spending almost all our money in about 2 and a half hours! Then, we got our luggage, and left to the airport with a taxi.
We were in for a long night as we had to catch 2 flights to reach Malta.
This experience, I believe, has helped me become a more mature person as I had to deal with many different people. Being able to adapt, I believe, is one of the most important virtues in life.
It was really an adventure and I am sure its positive memories will last for a long time.
