Day 1
Our school was buzzing with activity with teachers making an early start to ensure that the guests hailing from Ithaca and Corfu in Greece, Alcamo in Italy and Malaga in Spain would be warmly welcomed by school staff and administration.
During the introductory ceremony welcome addresses were presented by leading participants of the project and the programme for this week was outlined. The students were then taken on a school tour, led by our own students.
This was followed by a guided tour around the historical centre of Victoria, which culminated with a visit the St George’s Basilica.
Following a brief interlude in Independence Square, we headed to Banca Giuratale. There, we were welcomed by the Mayor of Victoria, Josef Schembri, who gave an overview of the council's role in the city's administration and provided each participant with a top-quality publication on Victoria.
The Citadel was our next destination which provided students more historical immersion and panoramic views of the island.
Lunch was offered on the bastions where students could enjoy the traditional ftira and panoramic views of Gozo.
The next activity was aimed at reinforcing the participants’ familiarity with Victoria’s historical core. This was achieved by engaging the participants in a photo-hunt, which is a more visual and technologically-oriented interpretation of the classic scavenger hunt.
The participants demonstrated friendly competitiveness which contributed to building camaraderie within the sizeable student contingent.
This wrapped up today’s activities on a very positive note and we are confident that this fruitful and fun day is a very good sign of things to come.
Day 2
Day trip to Valletta. Our day started with a guided walking tour of the city by our excellent guide Stanley Cassar Darien who showed us around the salient parts of our capital city. These included the Upper Barrakka Gardens, Parliament Square, Auberge du Castille, Tritoni fountain, the City Main Gate, Hastings Gardens and Saint George Square.
After enjoying lunch together with our guests we had a cultural visit to the national treasure of St John's co-cathedral.
Special thanks to Tourism and Economic Development Directorate in Gozo and St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation for their assistance and support.
Day 3
Today the students were engaged in a workshop to create a wooden replica of Ulysses raft. The kids used wood sticks and hot glue to built their models. The workshop was lead by our D&T teachers Mr @Manuel Mizzi and Mr Joseph Cordina. Our guests were then served lunch at school: a hearty potato and leek soup and baked ravioli generously prepared by Ms Josefa Spiteri, Mr Mark Refalo, Ms Leanne Buttigieg and Ms Miriam Xerri.
Unfortunately, an evening walk to Sanap Cliffs was cancelled due to bad weather.
Day 4
Day in Xaghra! Our day started with a visit to the Neolithic Temples of Ggantija. After an introductory tour at the visitors center that gave us an overview of the context in which the temples were built and life in Gozo at the time, we walked into the temples. We then moved on to Ta' Kola Windmill followed by a visit to Calypso Cave from where our guests enjoyed the picturesque views of Ramla Bay. We then had a light lunch and some free time at Ramla Bay. We wrapped up the day with a coffee at Mixta Cave.
Day 5
Without wishing to sound clichéd, we cannot but say that all good things come to an end. That is the palpable feeling among the participating contingents at our school.
It has been a truly enriching experience, a week full of exchanges of ideas, a friendly atmosphere which allowed for the fostering of friendships among students and staff members but not without the demands of organization and the pressures to manage the project alongside academic commitments. Long hours and early mornings characterised each day. The flexible disposition of the organizing team allowed us to shift resources ad hoc, and this ensured a successful outcome of the activities.
Following a brief outline of today’s objectives, the students were divided into teams to compete against an online quiz focusing on the project’s theme and highlights of the current mobility. It’s always a good idea to engage learners in a friendly competition as it energises them and sets a dynamic atmosphere which is carried on throughout the day.
The closing ceremony, which included the presentation of certificates of participation and closing speeches by the leaders of each contingent, was not simply a formality. It turned out to be an impromptu show of gratitude by the participating schools from Greece, Spain and Italy. It was clear that the hosting team’s efforts paid off and will spur us to seek new projects in the near future.
Following lunch, which was prepared and served by staff members, we bid farewell to the Italian participants who had to travel to Malta to catch their flight. The other participants took off to Lunzjata valley, before heading to the farewell party complemented with homemade food prepared by our own students’ parents, which was thoroughly appreciated by one and all.
The moment we were all dreading was indeed upon us and we had to bid our goodbyes. However, the silver lining is that we will be meeting each other again during future mobilities and students were promising one another to maintain contact, fulfilling one of the fundamental aspects of Erasmus+ projects: to bring European citizens ever closer to one another.
