Project week in Mascalucia, Sicily (Italy)

30.01.2023-05.02.2023, HOME project

Marcell Szániel:

The Erasmus was great.

My favorite program was the trip to Etna. It was amazing and the view from there was stunning. We had lots of fun and enjoyed the snow.

The food was heavenly, although this was expected since we were in Italy. We ate lots of pizza and pasta and tried famous Sicilian foods like Arancino.

My host and his family were truly kind. His mom wasn’t a good English speaker, but that didn’t take her enthusiasm, she always wanted to talk with me. I’m grateful for them and I’m happy I had the opportunity to meet them.

The programs ended at a reasonable time, so we had plenty of free time to hang out with others or to go into Catania to see the city. In the evenings we usually hung out with everyone from the project or just a few of us, but either way, they always came up with a plan to do something. We went bowling, explored the city, and more.

The only bad part about the programs was that a few presenters didn’t speak English, but the Italian teachers always translated for us. There were other minor flaws but all in all, this was the best week of my life. I learned a lot about migration, met new people, and made lifelong friendships.

Unforgettable

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Niko Jordán:

The moment we met our Italian friends at the airport again, I knew it would be one of the most unforgettable weeks of my life.

I met my friend’s amazing parents and sister on the first day. I immediately fell in love with the Sicilian hospitality.

Later, we met other students from the school in Mascalucia. It was so refreshing getting all that fun and happiness from them. I always had ’líscia’, which is a Sicilian word for ‘chain reaction laughing 🙂 ‘.

We visited lots of places in Catania. We also went to Taormina, a beautiful hilltop town on the east coast of Sicily. We tried many Sicilian dishes and sweets too. For me, finocchio was one of my favorites.

I had an unforgettable time that week. I have so many memories that warm my heart. I will never ever forget this experience. See you guys in Summer!

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Anna Lili Rónai:

When we arrived, our hosts picked us up at the airport and drove us home, they gave me delicious food and overall they were really nice.

My favorite program was when we went up to see the Etna, the view was beautiful, and I just love the snow.

The program in school wasn’t ideal, because we didn’t have many and there were times when we waited hours for something to happen. But when the programs started it was great and we had a lot of fun.

Our hosts took us to many beautiful places, and we ate delicious food.

Everyone was really nice and welcoming.

It was an amazing experience and I’m really grateful that I was a part of it.

***

Flóra Dobó:

On the first few days I had some trouble with things. And I didn’t really like the part where we had to wait hours doing nothing but other than that I really enjoyed my stay in Sicily. Met some old friends and met some new ones too. We always tried to make the most of our time and I think we succeed. 

We visited the Etna, Catania and Taormina, we climbed up to a mountain called Monti Rossi and we did many other things for example we went to a refugee centre where we learnt some interesting facts about migration. 

Naturally we tried the excellent Italian cuisine, all kinds of pastas and pizzas and a Sicilian specialty called Granita. 

My host family was really nice, I’m really grateful for them. In general, everyone was really friendly so I can confirm that it was an unforgettable experience. 

***

András György Miskolczy:

This has been one of the best weeks of my life, I cannot thank the Italians, and my host enough that they made such a good Erasmus. This Erasmus changed me an extraordinaire amount. I realised how I much of a better life they are living there in Italy then I live here in Hungary. Made me think about all the cultures they have, all the habits, little things they do, that we, Hungarians could build into our everyday life. One of my favourite things is how they are so loose about rules. It does not matter if you do something in an “illegal” way, they let it go easily.
The time we were there, my host showed me the BEST kind of foods, like arancino, a rice ball that is stuffed, coated with breadcrumbs and all this deep fried.
All the friendships I could make throughout the whole project is Insane. I didn’t think I would have this many friends who are close to me, and I could go to if I go to their country in need of a place to stay.

I will never forget a trip such as this one. I know, I am going to go to these places soon, and meet those who matter to me and create the environment that we made there in February.

See you soon, Bandi.