Similar yet different

A trip to Gimnazjum No. 16 in Warsaw, was organised recently to close a number of school activities in connection with the Comenius project "We, citizens of Europe: the way we're similar, the way we're different".

Two students, Lara Galea and Lynsey Schembri, together with the two of us, teachers of English, from Margaret Mortimer Girls' JL, Sta Lucija, travelled to Warsaw to meet participants and members of the Polish Comenius team.

The Maltese students made a Power Point presentation, which they had prepared about their respective villages, Kirkop and Zurrieq. They spoke about interesting and historical landmarks in their villages as well as feasts and Maltese traditions in general.

At the end of the presentation, the Polish students were invited to ask questions and exchange information with the two Maltese students.

Maltese and Polish students have been corresponding for the past few months by e-mail. The Maltese students were helping their Polish friends produce a diary on Malta and its traditions. This visit thus enabled the students to meet and discuss their work.

One of the teachers presented samples of project work carried out for the e-twinning project with a school from Lithuania. She invited the Polish teachers of English to participate and collaborate with Margaret Mortimer School next year and integrate e-twinning and Comenius.

In another activity, we were invited to deliver an English lesson to the Polish teachers who are taking a course in English to be able to communicate better with their Maltese counterparts.

During the session cultural aspects of the two countries were discussed. It was rendered even more extraordinary as Maltese traditional sweets, such as kwarezimal, honey rings and aniseed biscuits were sampled among the group.

As part of the activities, an educational trip to Krakow was organised for the students. They spent a day visiting interesting sites, such as Wawel Hill, a charming place graced with a remarkable old castle and a stunning cathedral.

Later, a trip to the old town revealed many interesting stories regarding the much beloved late John Paul II, who was Archbishop of Krakow before becoming Pope in 1978.

In return, the Polish Comenius team composed of three teachers, four students and the headmistress, Ms Magdalena Wiersynska, paid a visit to Malta last month. They were invited to share in Margaret Mortimer Junior Lyceum's various school activities including prize day.

Frederick Cutajar, mayor of Sta Lucija, welcomed the Polish delegation and presented gifts to the teachers and students.

Qrendi council also kindly sponsored a boat ride to the Blue Grotto which forms part of the locality.

The Polish team were accompanied by Ms E. Podkonska, head of the Education Department in Warsaw, who joined a few activities. Other activities included visits to the Megalithic Temples, Gozo and Mdina by night.

We would like to show our appreciation to Ms Joan Micallef, head of school, for her encouragement. Special thanks go to the school's Comenius co-ordinator Mrs Ruth Farrell, who planned both trips. and also to the many teachers and students who contributed to make this project a success.

The project is funded by the EUPU Socrates office Malta and supported by the European Commission.

Thanks also to Heritage Malta for its contribution as well as to the councils of Fgura, Sta Lucija, Luqa, Tarxien, Mqabba, Safi, Qrendi, Zurrieq, and Kirkop for their unfailing co-operation.