MEDE – the experience of Romanians in Lithuania

 During October 7-11, 2019, our students Bianca, Anca, Darius and the teachers Delia and Mariela participated in the learning activities that took place at Vilniaus savivaldybes Grigiskes Gymnasium din Lituania, a school that promotes interculturality, with classes in Lithuanian, Polish and Russian. We were delighted by the warm welcome of the hosts and the friendship with which we were surrounded. Interesting activities took place in the historical center of the capital Vilnius, at the Angel Museum in Siauliai and the Cross Hill. I was impressed by the history of this nation, fighting to preserve national identity, language, tradition and Christian faith. An incursion into the medieval history of Lithuania was occasioned by the visit of Trakai Castle, built in the fourteenth century on the island of Lake Galve, one of the main strategic centers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In the Education Museum in the city of Kaunas, we were able to find differences, but also a series of similarities between the evolution of education in Lithuania and Romania, considering that both countries were part of the communist camp. Here, in the interactive exhibition "History of the media" we had the opportunity to write on the old typewriter, to use the Morse alphabet, the Braille alphabet and the sign language, to use the telegraph and the archaic telephone. And we could write the word Romania with the Egyptian hieroglyphs! But the most flavorful moments we spent at the Chocolate Factory in Trakai, where we could admire the figurines from the Chocolate Museum and we could create marzipan and chocolate candies, sweet souvenirs for those at home. On the last day, each team created a collage - a testimony, a message for future generations of students, in which they shared their thoughts from the experience in Lithuania. We believe that this week's friendships will be lasting and multiply over the next few meetings.