Roots Rocks Azores

 

Erasmus ROOTS: Azores

In late 2021 I got accepted into my first ever Erasmus project: ROOTS. I was excited but a bit let down because I knew that the trips would only take place in 2022. But it was worth the wait. The Azores are the most unique and beautiful place I’ve ever been to. It wasn’t just the destination the project itself was attractive, my interest in foreign cultures also made me really curious about Azores and I was happy when I made it into the Azores. We arrived to the Villa do Porto airport after spending a day in Lisbon, which became my favourite city. The island we were exploring is called Santa Maria the southernmost of the nine islands which make up the Azores. We introduced ourselves into the other participants. We were staying in a hotel and linked up with the others every morning. We went to visit Santa Maria’s most culturally important places each day and explored something. We went to see such things as the local beach (which we cleaned up), the desert or the caves up in the mountains. It was magical and I met a tons of nice people from the Portuguese classes we were enjoying these trips with. I am really looking forward visiting Santa Maria island again some time in the future.

Krizbai Samu

 

My experience with Erasmus+

               Thanks to the Erasmus plus program I got the chance to visit the Azores. I was really excited since that was the furthest that I ever travelled from Budapest.

                Before this opportunity I had never heard anything of the Azores. When I decided to apply, I researched it and realised how special this place was. We had to take a connective flight through Lisbon because there is no direct line between Hungary and the Azores. When we landed at the small airport, I was astonished by the beauty of the grasslands surrounding the area. I also noticed the abundance of cattle and other kind of livestock in the vicinity. Later that day we got the chance to get to know the island a little better. We also met the locals at the end of the program. Together we visited the cinema, and we watched a movie about the whale sharks. It is a rare animal that sometimes choses a migration path that intercepts the Azores. Unfortunately, we missed that season by a month. On Monday morning a kind gentleman explained to us that this island was essential during the early days of jet aviation because the planes were unable to get across the Atlantic Ocean without refuelling midway. Later afternoon we collected plastic at one of the local beaches. This program was possibly included to makes us aware of the magnitude of trash cities produce that ends up in the ocean. On Tuesday we made new friends with the students as they explained us the cultural heritage of the main city Villa. After that we visited a museum with some abstract paintings from a local artist that I really enjoyed. Later that day we went to the library where they offered us virtual reality headsets to experience swimming with the whale sharks. We also saw some giant manta whales on the tape. The program on Thursday was a bus tour around the island. We visited almost all the mayor villages and a lot of museums. We finally got to understand why it feels so surreal to enter a local building. The wall is almost one meter thick and thill this day they use technology that an inhabitant of a modern city left behind ages ago because it is so old. They didn’t even have electricity fifty years ago.

In conclusion I am very grateful for the project any my teachers that I had the opportunity to explore such a different environment and I am looking forward to the next event in the program.                 

Erik Mikó

 

 

The ROOTS Erasmus was not my first project, but it was my first opportunity to participate in a two-year Erasmus+ project. I was really excited to start working with the Hungarian team, I found the topic very interesting. I was curious to learn about my roots, my family, the country I have lived my life in, but also to learn about new cultures and places.

I was lucky to be able to travel to Vila do Porto, the capital of a small island, Santa Maria. It took a long time for us to get there, but thankfully we had the chance to stop in Lisbon for almost a full day on the way back. I have never been in Portugal before, so I was excited to be able to see such a famous city and a beautiful island.

While we were in Santa Maria, we had a chance to explore Vila do Porto. It is located near the see, so we could also take a walk on the shore, connect to the nature. In the city, we visited several museums, a library, a church, while also just walking around, meeting new people. Our Portugal host also took us around the whole island with bus, so we had a chance to see Santa Maria’s most famous places.

I enjoyed when we had lunch together, it was a great opportunity to connect with both the Portuguese, Austrian and the Greek partners. It was great to talk about and get to know their cultures and them, as individuals. I am glad to have participated in this project and I am excited to continue working with the Hungarian team, to ensure they also have a great time in Budapest!

Hanna Lakits

 

One of the best experiences of my life was during Erasmus, where i had the opportunity to reach an exotic place called Azores Islands and i got to know its history and culture. Every day, we did something different, but what captivated me the most was the beach clean-up with the Erasmus group. We were on a beautiful beach, an experience that not even the clean-up could spoil. Ont he first day, we met the group and the erazmus leaders in a very nice, elegant hotel. We had to get used tot he weather, buta s the days passed, we became more and more accustomed to the enviroment we experienced there. The more information I learned about the island’s history or culture, the more it etched into my memory, and i could still recall them to this day.

Csóka Bálint

 

Roots, Azores

Roots is my first two-year project where I can work longer with others on a specific topic. The preparations with the Hungarian team were exciting and interesting, a lot of questions came up about our roots. So, I was looking forward to this trip and to share my experiences and questions with others. And, of course, to get to this beautiful island.

The journey to Vila do Porto was quite long, with one transfer. We also spent a night and a few hours in Lisbon. This is how we arrived in a small town on the ocean shore, in a beautiful natural environment. We immediately set out to explore the possibilities. During the program, we saw a lot of things, talked to locals, learned about the problems of island existence, collected garbage on the ocean shore, and heard a lot about the history of the island. For me, the most exciting thing was that I was able to face the problems that living on the island brings.

During the program, we prepared further meetings with our Austrian and Greek partners, which I am looking forward to!

Oláh Dorka

 

Flying to the Azores was a great experience on its own. We spent five very interesting days on the tiny island of Santa Maria. Our hosts made sure that we had the chance to immerse ourselves in the culture and history of the island.

We learnt what the island1s geographical position meant throughout the past, making it a strategically important spot in the Atlantic Ocean. We also learnt what it meant to live such a small island: how people relied on each other, how people had different tasks and jobs according to what was needed, how education worked and last but not least, how food and other necessities were imported from long distances.

The island itself is the oldest of all the islands in the Azores, without much vegetation. This may be sometimes depressing, not to mention the weather and the climate. People living in the island say that all the four seasons can occur in one day – something that was hard to believe until the day when we did actually experience it. A thunderstorm hit us very much unexpectedly in an otherwise sunny and warm day, followed by some snow towards the evening.

Exploring the tiny villages of the island, cleaning coasts from plastic, talking to high school students, looking at exhibitions in the local museums were all experiences that one never forget along with the very different way of life people had compared to ours in the bustling city of Budapest.

Péter Dávid