CALLUM – Halifax (England)

Hi Callum, can you tell us something about yourself?

I’m 15, I’ve got a twin brother and I live in Manchester.

Do you like the city where you live?

Yes, because there’s my favourite football team, Manchester City.

Now, tell me something about your school.

My school, which is Ryburn Valley High School, has about 1500 students. I study Maths, English, Languages and Performing arts.     

Why have you chosen this school?

Because my friends went there.

How many students are there in your class?

30.

What time does school start and end? Do you go to school on Saturday?

We start at 9:15 and finish at 3:30, no classes on Saturday.

Where do you usually have lunch?

At the tennis courts with my friends.

What foreign languages do you study?

German, I have 3 lessons a week.

What are your favourite school subjects? And the subjects you hate?

German, History and P.E. are interesting and great fun. I hate Maths and English because they are boring.

Are there any extracurricular activities you are involved in?

Yes, I play in the school band and I’m involved in the Enrichment Programme.

Choose three adjectives to describe your school.

Fun, interesting and helpful.

What do you like doing in your free time?

I love playing football because it is a great way to have fun with friends.

 What do you want to do after you graduate from high school?

I want to study Medicine.

What do you see yourself doing in the next 5-10 years?

In university and/or working as a trainee doctor.

If a genie granted you three wishes, what would you ask for?

I would ask for money, a good university graduation and my dream job (doctor).

Alina – Lammi (Finland)

Hi Alina, can you introduce yourself?

I’m 16, I’ve got a twin sister and I haven’t got any pets.

Do you like the city where you live?

Yes, it’s a really peaceful place.

Now, tell me something about your school.

It’s a small upper secondary school with 110 students. It’s situated in Lammi.    

Why have you chosen this school?

It’s the only school in the area where I live.

How many students are there in your class?

30.

What time does school start and end? Do you go to school on Saturdays?

It depends, our timetable changes a lot during the school year. We usually start at 8 am and finish at 2 or 4 pm and we don’t have any lessons on Saturdays.

Where do you usually have lunch?

We have free lunch at school.

What foreign languages do you study?

We have Swedish lessons three times a week.

What are your favourite school subjects? And the subjects you hate?

I don’t have any favourite school subjects; I find Finnish boring.

Choose two or three adjectives to describe your school.

Small and modern. The building is new.

What do you like doing in your free time?

I like swimming, running and going to the gym.

What do you want to do after you graduate from high school?

I would like to do something to be able to help people.

What do you see yourself doing in the next 5-10 years?

I see myself studying Medicine at university.

If a genie granted you three wishes, what would you ask for?

I would ask for happiness, health and a nice husband.

ZUZA – Warsaw (Poland)

Hi, can you briefly introduce yourself?

My name is Zuza, I’m from Warsaw (Poland), I’m 19 years old and I live with my mum and dad, my grandma and my younger sister.

Do you like Warsaw?

Yes, I do like my city because there is a lot happening there, lots of museums, cinemas, theatres, some festivals too … so you can’t get bored in my city. I also like its architecture and atmosphere.

Now, tell me something about your school.

OK, I go to high school, well … its name is a bit long and difficult … Liceum Ogólnokształcące z Oddziałami Integracyjnymi im. gen. Józefa Bem. The school was founded in 1967, at first it was a technical school, but now it’s a general high school and we have different profiles. I attend Law classes but we also have ICT and Maths, Art, Biology and Chemistry. We have about 400 students and I think 50 teachers.

Why have you chosen this school?

Hmm … actually because my friends went there … so I just went there for my friends but I also like the profile of my class and it’s close to my home.

How many students are there in your class?

At first there were about 30 students in my class but now, in the 2^nd grade, there are 22; some didn’t pass the school year and a few just left or went to another school.

What time does school start and end?

It depends on the day, on Monday and Tuesday we start at 7:45 and finish at 2 or 3 pm, on Wednesday we start at 8:30 and finish at 3 pm, and on Thursday and Friday we have lessons from 9:30 to 2 pm.

Do you go to school on Saturday?

No, we don’t.

Where do you usually have lunch?

In the school corridors because we don’t have a canteen … and I usually have a packet lunch.

What foreign languages do you study?

In my class we study English and of course Polish. You can choose between Russian and German. We have 7 hours of Polish, 3 hours of English and 2 hours of Russian or German.

What are your favourite school subjects?

I like English classes because I like the teacher and obviously I love the language too.

And the subjects you hate?

I hate PE because I am not very good at sports; I also hate Maths because … well it’s the same as with sports ...

Choose three adjectives to describe your school.

Fun, a little bit crazy and friendly.

What do you like doing in your free time?

I love reading books and watching movies, though the movies I like are not very popular.

What do you want to do after you graduate from high school?

Oh … difficult question … I would like to be a translator of Swedish … I would like to do something which is related to Scandinavia.

What do you see yourself doing in the next 5-10 years?

I will probably be at university … I hope so.

If a genie granted you three wishes, what would you ask for?

I wouldn’t like to know what my future will be like … I just would like to know if I will be OK … I mean healthy, happy … Then I would like justice for everyone … and finally for my family and my friends … I would like them to be happy whoever they want to be and whatever they want to do.

 

Under the erasmus+ project, and after the mobility to Varsaw, Poland, we decided to ask some questions to some students who have participated on the mobility. So, we interviewed Marjaana and Aino- M&A- (both Finnish), and Callum and Cameron- C&C- (both English). We made similar questions and here are their answers.

Question- What do you think about the project and what’s its relevance?

C&C- For us, this project was and still is very important. It helped us developing new skills, more properly entrepreneurial ones, like being more creative and thinking outside the box. Besides that, we had a lot of fun while we were here and we got the chance to meet new people.

M&A- In our point of view, this project really helped us in terms of what is the entrepreneurial world and what it means. We learned some negotiation techniques and what we fixed the most about creating a new business, is that we have to be passionate about what we do, so we can provide all our strengths to our idea. Beyond that, we made a lot of friends and we got the chance to improve the English language, as well as know other cultures.   

 

Question- Did you like the stay in Poland? What did you like the most? And the less?

C&C- Yes, we did. It was an interesting week and we had a lot of fun. We think that the science museum was really good in terms of interaction, and we got to do lots of small experiences there. So I think we choose the science museum as the most fun experience in this mobility. What we liked the less was probably the Jew’s museum, because we didn’t have a guide and the all visit was really boring.

M&A- We think the stay in Poland was very well organized.  The hostel was nice and cozy, and it had a good localization, because we were near the old town. We really liked the cultural dinner, because we were able to sit with the other participants and exchange some ideas with them, as well as know them a little better. In terms of the activity we liked the less, we’ll maybe say the Jew’s museum, because it was so long and we got tired of walking around it.

 

Question – In the future, would you like to receive Erasmus+ or Erasmus students on your school and/or on your homes?

C&C- For sure! We had such an amazing experience with being received, so why not?

M&A- Of course! We think the participants are very friendly and polite, and there wouldn’t be any problems in receiving them. 

 

Interview with Edona, Enya and Julia

Did you like to stay here in Poland?

All: Yes so much, it is a beautiful place and it was fun.

Are you interested in receiving students in your country and houses?

All: Yes, a lot.

Did you like to be hosted by the student?

Julia: Yes, she was really nice and sweet.

Did you like to stay at the hostel?

Enya: Yes, it was welcoming.

Did you like the activities in school?

All: Yes, because the activities were very interesting.

Would you like to be an entrepreneur in Portugal and visit the country?

Enya: Yes I would like to work in Portugal because it’s a beautiful country.