Communication – hosting an Italian partner school

Sikeresen zárult  a morlupói diákokkal az Erasmus+ találkozónk, melynek központi témája a kommunikáció volt. Ennek tükrében kommunikációs játékokat, szituációs feladatokat,  kisfilmek készítését, valamint helyzetgyakorlatokat végeztünk. Az első este magyar estet rendeztünk, ahol gulyáslevessel és palacsintával vendégeltük meg partnereinket, míg az utolsó búcsúesten az olasz est keretében pizzasütést rendeztünk. Budapesttel is megismertettük a vendégeinket, ahol az idegenvezetést felkészült polis diákjaink tartották. A szentendrei Skanzenben pedig a tárgyi emlékek meséltek az adott helyen élők mindennapjairól. A látogatást jókedvű játékokkal zártuk.

Szabó Tünde, Lippai Szilvia
Italians from Morlupo in Poli

We hosted 6 students and 2 teachers from Morlupo, Italy between the 4th and 11th of May.  Since we had worked together in Morlupo in February, the students had already known each other, and the Hungarians were looking forward to meeting their Italian peers again.

The topic of this mobility was communication. The 11 Poli students ran several workshops in and outside the school. These included discussions, role plays and games related to verbal and nonverbal communication, presentations on idioms and their meanings in different languages, as well as filming real-life situations and interviews on Margaret Island. Most of the tasks were done in mixed groups so that the participants could practise their English more and could get to know each other even better.

The other aim of the mobility was to show our guests what life is like in Hungary. They experienced daily life with their host families, and we visited the most important sights of Budapest together. These tours were guided by the Hungarian students, who prepared not only presentations but also quizzes on a given sight to make the sightseeing more interactive and engaging. Our visit to the Skanzen (an open-air village museum) in Szentendre took us back to the past. We saw how people in rural Hungary had lived and the students could even try some traditional folk games.

When it comes to the  culture of a country, one should not forget about its cuisine, so we organised a Hungarian goulash and pancake and an Italian pizza dinner for the whole group. The dishes were made and happily eaten by the participants. Lángos and chimney cake were also very popular with our Italian guests.

The host families organised family programmes for the weekend and did their best to make the Italian students feel welcomed. We cannot say how grateful we are for all their patience, understanding and help throughout the whole mobility.

We spent the last working day discussing the experience and getting feedback from the participants. The mentimeter showed that the most important word of this project was friendship.

Both groups had their own cameraman who made short films about the entire mobility. It was good to see a short summary of our time together. Based on the feedback, we can say that it was a successful and enjoyable project where the participants learned  a lot about communication, their foreign peers and themselves.

Szabó Áron

The Italian group (which we were already familiar with) came to us to spend 10 days in our wonderful capital or maybe around it. I was a bit nervous in the beginning: whether the connection between us still exsists or not but I had nothing to worry about. The group basically just inmediately continued to develop the relationships that we already had.

We started in the school in Thursday morning and we had the ice broken and showed the school to them. Some of us even watched a play by the school’s theather team, which was completly in Hungarian but it seemed intresting for some Italians as well. In Friday we had a bit of a city tour with most of the famous places in Budapest and in the afternoon there was a graduation ceremony in the school which could be also an interesting event for them.

We got home both these days late night so it was truly a blessing to have a little rest in the weekend. Both Saturday and Sunday we (hosts) only organized programs for the afternoons, evenings, so we could spent the other half of the day with our families. One day we travelled to the Lake Velence and next day Ági volunteered to host a garden party. These programs never turned out the way we expected (they could be both better and worse) and we leart that it is really hard to just relax and feel good when you are a host and you are responsible.

Turning into the next week for me there were much less worrying. We shot some short films, we had some more sightseeing, went to Szentendre to play old folk games and after all these programs we always had the energy to do some more in the evenings. It was really tiring but at the end of the day we felt really good

The conclusion for me is that it actually worthed it. Although it was exhausting and I really felt myself burnt out at the end, I got to know really good people. We discovered totally new thing together in this nine days and I am just grateful to go away with all these experiences.

Zalavári Lőrinc
Erasmus About Communication-Budapest

 So our last ten-day was all about communication. Why? The answer is simple because this was the topic of the Erasmus project in which I participated.

The project was in Hungary, and Budapest so we were the hosts but we already knew our guests because we had an Erasmus together in Morlupo earlier in the year. Sadly not every Italian student was able to come back to Hungary including my lovely host Alexandro.

The center of our project was in our school on the fourth floor of Poliház but we had a lot of really exciting outside activities as well.

Obviously for me, this project was not as hard and exhausting as for the Hungarian hosts or the Italian guests but t was a really long and busy week.

The main topic of the week as I mentioned earlier was communication, this topic included communication between the two nations and a lot of tasks for example interviews or social experiments.

And the other important thing was to show the Italian delegation Hungary and especially Budapest. We visited every important sight in Budapest including Buda castle, Margaret island the parliament, and more. We also visited Szentednre a smaller town near Budapest.

I really enjoyed this week I think my communication skills and especially my English speaking skills improved a lot and I hope I will see again the Italian team members someday.

Szaniszló Ágnes
Erasmus Budapest

First, I was worried about the length of the Erasmus, and about the hosting part. But time went by so quickly, that I did not have a minute to be worried.

Hosting was not a hard thing, because my guest, Rosella was open-minded, and my family was patient with me and Rossi. I thought that I would feel uncomfortable bringing someone new home, but it felt like an everyday thing.

The program was refreshing after a long time of going to school, and I even realised, that there is so much to see in Budapest. Now I am really inspired to explore the city, and get to know it better.

In the second week I was getting tired, because almost every night we did something. We were on a boat, on a concert 2 times, we showed them the city at night, and we even went on a boat trip. I think they really liked these extra programs.

We also visited the school, played games, and showed the Italians around. We were sightseeing, and saw the Parlament, Szentendre, Bazilika… and we ate a lot of Hungarian food. For example, they could try lángos, gulásch, túró rudi, palacsinta, and their favourite, chimney cake.

During the weekend we visited Velencei Lake, and we played with cards, brought some snacks and chilled. And on Sunday me, but mostly my family throw a grill party, and we had a big dinner in our garden. I really enjoyed sitting around the fire and talking when it got dark.

On the first and last day we had dinner together, but I couldn’t say goodbye to everyone, because I had small accident with my leg. I was sad, because I really liked the Italians, and I wanted to see them before they go, but I sent them a voice message to say goodbye.

Papp Dóra
Erasmus in Hungary

Before the Italians arrived, I was very sad because I couldn’t host. I was supposed to host Sarah but she was in Spain while the others came to Hungary. We still talk a lot and she’ll probably visit me in the summer. However, after they arrived I felt much better. Ont he first day the great atmosphere came back, and we were acting like a huge friend group.

I think we managed to make the most out of it, we planned a lot of great programs. We showed them all the different parts of Hungary and I think they’ve enjoyed it. It almost felt like I’m a tourist as well because I don’t see my country this way very often.

Our topic was communication and in my opinion, we covered it very well. We had a lot of fun and interesting games together to understand why verbal and non-verbal communication is important. To me, it felt like language wasn’t as big of a problem as it was back in Italy. We showed them Margaret Island and Szentendre where we played traditional Hungarian games and learned more about our culture. We’ve cooked together two times first Gulyás and ont he last day we made pizza.

I think the friends we made throughout this project are truly longterm ones. This was a very great experience and I think everyone enjoyed it.

Németh Kíra Léna

These 10 days were really amazing for me, I had such an amazing time but also some ups and downs, it really took me out of my usual comfort zone, and I was really excited to meet the Italians again. We had a lot of programs I don’t even remember all of it, but we showed them around Budapest, and I got to know some new places before that I didn’t even know it existed here in Budapest. I thought it would be difficult to host (it was my first time) but everything went surprisingly smoothly and if there was a problem we talked it out with the others or with my guest, Martina. My favorite programs were the Margaret island, the boat trip on the Duna, the party in Pontoon and Szentendre. Me and my family also took Martina to Balaton, where we have a house and a boat, and we went walking around Alsóörs and Tihany, then we also went sailing which she really enjoyed and i was very glad that I could show her Balaton (my second home), and the amazing views from here. Overall I was very happy and it was a very enjoyable, sometimes a bit tiring but very good experience and I really hope this group will meet again and we go somewhere together, I will really miss them!

Szabó Maja
Erasmus in Hungary

These few days were a nice experience. They arrived, it was great to meet them again. Hosting is completely different. You have a lot more responsibility, you are the organiser, you take care of the person. It was nice to experience that. I had a very good relationship, but now it’s even better with Alessandra, my guest. It’s interesting to introduce them your own city, and then you realise that you don’t know it that much as well. I discovered many new things in Budapest, like the BKV boat. I knew it existed, but I never went for a ride. But from now I will go once a month, because everything is so beautiful from there, I’ve fallen in love with the city all over again. Of course, there were some little arguments, misunderstandings, but we managed them very good, nobody was angry for a long time. We went to the castle, the Danube, Margaret Island, the Basilicas, walked through the most important and beautiful parts of the city. Sometimes we stayed in school, did games and interactive presentations. Szilvi and Tünde always had a delicious breakfast for us, which everyone loved to eat. And when we weren’t in school, we showed them Budapest in the evening, after our activities, and on weekends they saw Lake Venice, on Sunday we had a great barbecue. I had a really great time.

Maros Rozália
About the past ten days…

We got to host 6 Italian students whose houses we were staying at in February in Italy. I must say that on the last few days we got really exhausted, and we saw that it’s not as easy to host people as to be their guests.

The evening they arrived, some of the Hungarians (including me) acted in a stage play which we were really excited about. After the show, a few ‘actors’ rushed to the airport to pick up the arriving students.

I will not write about the ten days’ detailed programs, but I will mention some really good parts of it.

Some mornings, we spent time at the school, on the fourth floor of Poliház, which was a really good area to be in. Tünde and Szilvi always brought some delicious food to eat something before we got started. First, we did some icebreaker games, then we participated in workshops hosted by the Hungarians, and there were some games, too. But one thing was always the same: the mood. The Italians were cheerful, enthusiastic, and loud in a good way, and it was contagious.

The other programs were excellent, too. We went to Margit-sziget, Szentendrei Skanzen, had a tour around the city. We also saw the Buda Castle, and for the weekend, we planned some other activities. On Saturday, we went to Velencei tó, and on Sunday, Ági threw a garden party at her house which was really nice.

The Italians were really good guests, but I have to say, we were pretty good hosts as well. I feel like we organized interesting programs, and we were always open for compromises when they wanted to do so something else. They came here with plans, but not with a concrete list of wishes, they just had a few ideas, like seeing the Parlament at night, trying kürtőskalács, eating original Hungarian dishes, buying souvenirs. But we offered a lot more than these… we took them to concerts, we invited them on a boat trip, sat in cafés, brought them to each other’s homes.

Also, this Erasmus project made me switch my perspective and made me see our city from a different point of view. I discovered a lot of interesting programs, which I would have never thought of, like going on a boat trip (for free), or going to the Opera to see a show, or just take a walk in the city centre. We, Hungarians discussed that we would start exploring more things in the capital.

Overall, these ten days were just as good as staying in their country. It definitely got the Hungarian team closer, we got along really well. I know this project has ended, but I am still hoping for getting another chance to accidentally find myself on a plane going somewhere with this group:).

Bánky Lea

The last ten days were at least as good as the six days we spent in Italy. I was excitedly waiting for my Italian partner to come and see this completely different city and country. When we left for the airport, it was great to see each other again. I already missed them a lot. Halfway home from the airport I got a taste of Budapest. They seemed like people who would do it at first sight. On the first night, he met my family and settled in. In the morning of the second day, the team warmed up again with the help of some games.
In the evening we prepared dinner together and talked. The other days we did lots of exciting things. In the morning, we participated in better and better programs with the whole team. Sometimes in the middle of the city, sometimes in the green parks. In the evenings, we took them to the most exciting places in Budapest. Although sometimes it was very tiring and exhausting, but the memories were always beautiful. I hope the Italians enjoyed it as much as I did and the other Hungarians I spoke with. I hope that they experienced many exciting things and we did too and maybe even our communication delay improved a little.

Kenyeres Kristóf

This experience was a bit strange for me, but I liked it. The whole program happened in my city, and it felt weird to be a tourist in my own city. However, it was good because I got to see Budapest in a different way. The Italian students were nice, just like always. Since I didn’t have a guest, it was a more relaxed and free experience for me. I think we made the most of this program because we had many activities with our teachers. Even without them, I think the hardest part was organizing the activities after the official ones. It took some effort to plan and coordinate everything. Despite the challenges, my favorite part was when we played games at the skanzen. It was really fun and enjoyable. We laughed, competed, and created memories together. Overall, this experience taught me the importance of exploring my own city. Being a temporary tourist in my hometown helped me appreciate its rich culture. Interacting with the Italian students was a great experience as well. They were kind and friendly, and it added to the positive atmosphere.

Mikó Barnabás
The Hungarian part of the Erasmus+ project

The guests arrived on Wednesday evening at 8 pm, unfortunately I wasn’t here because I didn’t have any guest. Six guests and two teachers came to Hungary. Some Hungarian participants were in a show in the Poli, so they came the guests a little later.

Our “base” was the fourth floor of the Poliház, so every time after I climbed the stairs, I was exhausted. This was the place of our first programs where we had icebreakers and communication workshops. The other days we used this place like a meeting point, and at the finish of our Erasmus+ project we were also here.

Our school’s kitchen was also a very important place in our project at the start and the end of the Erasmus+. We cooked here some pizzas, first the Hungarians and then the Italians. We ate here four times during the Erasmus, and this was a great chance to taste the school’s food.

We did sightsee two times. First time we started at Deák square, and then we walked along the Andrássy street. The Italians really enjoyed the trip and especially that they could take photos. At Városliget we showed them the Vajdahunyad castle, the Magyar Képzőművészeti Museum and the Magyar Zene Háza. After that we went to the Buda Castle  and in the end of it, we had lunch together. During the second trip the Parliament was our destination and the other interesting statues and buildings around that.

At the Margaret Island we shot short films, about non-verbal communication and communication with foreign language speakers in small groups. The itlalians really enjoyed that, one of them so much so, that he shot an interview with a duck, of course as a joke. Our teachers rented bikeshares for fun and we went around the island with them after we finished the work part of the program.

During the second week’s Wednesday we went to the Skanzen of Szentendre. In the Skanzen there were historical buildings related to the Hungarian countryside. A museum educator taught us funny old games and told us how the Hungarian commons lived. After the Skanzen we had lunch and then some free time to explore Szentendre.

Kurt Vonnegut wrote that “And there is another success story: two sixteen years old boy and they already wearing the uniform of the man soldiers, and they also have a perfectly armed grave.”. I’ve translated this from Hungarian, so maybe it’s not the same in English. I know during this Erasmus I didn’t get a uniform or a perfectly armed grave, but I think I can handle my life without them.

Horváth Réka
The Hungarian part of this Erasmus

For a couple of days before the Italians arrived, I was really scared of hosting, but I hoped I will success, and I think I did my best.

In my opinion we managed to make the topic (communication) interesting and not too much. Sometimes we did tasks in the school, other times we worked in the city. We tried to show Hungary as much as we could, we went to several places in Budapest, we got to see Lake Velence and Szentendre.

We showed Hungarian traditions, played old games at Szentendre, and helped in Poli (our school’s) graduation. The day of graduation held a lot of surprises. We went to city seeing in Budapest, and then we had free time, until we had to get back at Poli at 7pm. We (my Italian, my friend and me) were surprisingly happy, when we found out we miss-read the clock and arrived 1 and half an hour early, so we went to Budapest eye, and took a ride on it, we’re fascinated by the city from the top of the ferris wheel.

We also went to a party boat at Tuesday, and we had the best night ever. When we started working at Poli in the mornings, our lovely Hungarian teachers, Tünde and Szilvi prepared us breakfast.

We had a Hungarian night (the first night of the Erasmus) and a Italian night (last day of the Erasmus), first night, we ate Goulash soup, and last night we ate pizza, both made my the Erasmus team, and both tasted amazing. I loved that we closed the program that way.

These 10 days were sometimes exhausted, but at the end, I loved it. I hope I’ll get to see the Italians again.