Natural Heritage in La Sénia – Erasmus+ group mobility

This trip was my first instance of going to Spain, and while I had some precognition about the culture and the country, both the inner city and especially the countryside proved to be very different from what I had previously known. 

After an exhausting plane flight, we arrived at Barcelona, a city more dense and random than I expected. Barcelona felt like ten cities that were combined into one. Grandiose historical buildings could be approached through almost Balkan style squares, hypermodern metro stations sat right next to an underground, that could’ve fit into the poorest areas of Budapest, and an exciting inner city, where it was impossible to predict the architectural style of the next building. My exhaustion made it a bit hard to enjoy Barcelona, but I’m happy that we got to experience it before La Senia. After a long and tiring bus ride, the families picked us up, and brought us to their homes.

My first experience with my host’s family was that while they cannot speak an ounce of English, they were really nice, and used every method to try to communicate with me, which was usually my host. I cannot complain about anything, they made sure I was as comfortable as possible, and the traditional Catalan food was so tasty, that I even asked for the recipe. 

The nature in Spain, La Senia with its staggeringly lively vegetation around it, the village in the mountains where every direction showed another wonderful panorama of the gorgeous mountains that were filled with mediterranean fauna, was undeniably beautiful. Nonetheless, my favorite aspect was the architecture. I thoroughly enjoyed the exploration of La Senia, the mountains, and Peñíscola.

The Spanish group was a pleasant surprise. Since the last time we met, their English had improved a lot, which comes to show the motivating factor of such cultural exchange. Sadly, communication in a lot of instances was still difficult, but I think we managed to work together really well, and managed to get to know both the people and the culture present.

Pápai Gáspár

I think this project was just in the right time, because we had great weather most of the time. Even when it was raining the temperature was warm enough to do outside activities. The Spanish were prepared during all week.  As we were exploring the town we took part in many activities organized by the locals. On the first day we made pastisettes, a local Catalunyan bakery product. In the afternoon we went to see the notable parts of La Sénia and got a welcome by the mayor herself. We spent a lot of time in the school where we were making presentations about our experiences in the Erasmus. We later showed it to the other kids from different classes. The farewell party was also held in the school building, on Thursday. Many families brought typical foods and we held a karaoke party. On Friday we visited a farm, it was the property of an Erasmus member’s family. Me and the other Hungarians had a great time with the horses that live there and the food was also reat. I want to give credit to some of the Spanish boys who took us to play football after the activities, even though they had training during the Erasmus. They let us onto the La Sénia stadium’s pitch to play while they had training. We also went to the local 5A-side ground where we played a mini-championship with lots of other Spanish kids. That was one of the best experiences for me during this exchange. I also have two others. One is running around El Boixar in the mountains, where I saw some weird looking animals, such as vultures and giant worms. The other was the view from the Peñíscola castle. We also went for a swim in the Mediterranean sea. I found Catalunya to be an interesting place with lots of great architecture. The group happened to be welcoming and put a lot of energy into making this project happen. 

Krizbai Samu

During this Erasmus I was in Spain, La Senia. On the first day we were in Barcelona which was really beautiful and exciting. On the second day: firstly we spent 2 hours with a teacher who introduced us to the program. After it we went to a bakery where we cooked the local cookie. It was really interesting. After this we gone to visit the town hall where the mayor had a little presentation of La Senia. After it we went to a guided tour for all around la Senia. On the next day we’ve gone to an Orienteering Race which was exciting and good. At the afternoon we tried the local sport birles. It was the best part of the whole Erasmus. At the third day we went to Peniscola and Vinaros. Both of those cities were great and interesting. At the last two days we were doing presentations and videos for the other classes in the school.

Kalmár Péter

I really enjoyed this Erasmus experience because of the Hungarian team. The Spanish group was great too, but their English was not very good, it was a little harder to connect with them. Before going to La Senia, we had a few hours in Barcelona to see all the sights. From there we went to La Senia and met our families for the week. They were really nice and welcoming. On Monday we were at the school talking about the programs for the week and then we made pastissets which are traditional Spanish pastries. On Tuesday we went to another village and did an orienteering race where our team won so I really liked that, but we were surprised to see that some of the Spanish people couldn’t cross a small river and had multiple problems like that. We went back to our village and swam in the local river. After the lunch break we played birles which is a traditional sport there. On Wednesday we visited two bigger cities which were both beautiful. In the next few days we were just at the school which was a bit boring, but I enjoyed that part too.

Deák Lola

Last week I had the chance to visit Spain for the first time and it was beyond doubt a memorable trip. On the first day we arrived at the airport in Barcelona very early so we could walk around and view the city. We saw all the important monuments such as the Sagrada Família and the houses of Gaudi. After a pleasant day in Barcelona we took the bus to La Sénia and we arrived to Amposta where we met with our host families.

It was so interesting to experience such a different culture compared to what we are used to. On Monday we were informed about the programs of the following week. Then we walked to the Cultural Center where we made a local pastry called pastissets.

After making the pastissets we met the mayor of the town and she gave a speech introducing us to La Sénia. Then we walked around the village during a guided tour, and we saw all the important parts of the town. On Tuesday we took a bus up the mountain to a small village called Boixa. There we had the orienteering race, where we ran around the village, to find point B from point A. The scenery was gorgeous, and the nature was so quiet and tranquil. In the afternoon we returned to La Sénia and played a traditional game called birles.  On Wednesday we went first to Peñíscola, then later to Viñaros. Both towns were amazing. On Thursday and Friday, we worked with groups and made presentations about different topics regarding our time in La Sénia and Budapest which we later presented to the other classes. Overall this trip was an unforgettable experience and I’m grateful for this opportunity.

Roberti Maja

Throughout the last week we had taken part in the second part of the Erasmus exchange project between Spain and Hungary. We were in the small town of La Sénia for a week. On the first day we had the opportunity to explore the beautiful city Barcelona before heading to La Sénia. The second day started with a briefing after which we made pastissets, which are a kind of traditional spanish cookies. We were also greeted by the mayor and took part in a guided tour across the town. The third day started out with an Orienteering race on the nearby mountain of El Boixar, which was very tiring. We continued the day by playing Birles, the sport of La Sénia. The next day we set our sights on Peniscola and its beautiful beach. The weather was a bit stormy so we couldn’t go biking as planned but it was great nonetheless. We also viewed the old city. The next two days mostly consisted of school activities which everyone found to be boring. It was only broken up by a karaoke night on Thursday.

All in all I think it was great for experiencing other cultures and what they have to offer that we can’t find in our own countries. 

Mester Ádám

Last week I had the opportunity to visit Spain. On the first day we arrived in Barcelona and had a quick look at all the memorable and famous places such as the Sagrada Familia and Casa Batlló. Later that day we arrived in La Sénia where most of our activities were taking place.

My host and her family were very welcoming, they made sure I felt comfortable while staying there. On the second day we made some traditional catalan sweets in the School of La Sénia.

One of my favourite bits of the programme was traveling to Peñiscola and Vinaròs. I loved having some free time to wander around these villages. We also had a guided tour through the beautiful castle of Peñiscola. Unfortunately we couldn’t go swimming in either of these places because it had rained all day and the weather was freezing. Another of my favourite acivities we did in Spain was visiting the La Sénia River. The trip was an unforgettable experience which I’m very thankful for.

Kelemen Léna

I had been waiting for this Erasmus for a long time. I have been in Spain several times and I also lived there for a short amount of time, but only in Barcelona and Madrid. So I was very excited to go to a smaller village to see how the people live there.

Before our time in La Sénia we got to spend a day in Barcelona. I was really excited to share the beautiful city that Barcelona is to the others and to show them around with another girl was a whole new experience.

And when we got to the village I was really excited to get to know my host family. I got on really well with the girl in Budapest and there she was very welcoming as well as her whole family. Language barrier made the communication challenging. Although the host girl knew both English Spanish and Catalán the parents mostly spoke Catalán so it was very hard to communicate. Towards the end of the Erasmus we got better at communicating with each other.

I was very enthusiastic to explore the village and the surrounding areas. We visited a lot of beautiful places like El Boixar, Peniscola and we got to explore these amazing places, sometimes by guided tours but there were times when we got to explore the village on our own.

Towards the end of our trip the weather unfortunately got a bit bad but despite the weather we had an amazing experience and we got to see there school as well and we did presentations about the two trips which we had to present to other classes in their school.

So all in all I really enjoyed this erasmus in La Sénia and I am very grateful for this opportunity.

Gintl Boróka

I have been looking forward to this week since winter, I thought of this as a great way of relaxation and I told myself I would shut my mind off and be in the present. In a town as small as La Sénia this was possible.

I like to think that I formed a steady connection with my partner when she was staying in Budapest so naturally I was excited to see her again and get shown the way she lives. I knew beforehand that her father is working on his english knowledge and that the mother does not speak any english. At first when I got off the bus and noticed the family waiting for me by the peron, my host’s little sister ran up to me and gave me the biggest hug. During the ride home she wouldn’t stop smiling and giggling. I couldn’t help but relate the same way to her. She was the sweetest.

Understandably, I was nervous about having to spend time alone with the family but this worry of mine quickly disappeared. They were welcoming and curious about me so I didn’t have to try to keep the conversation alive it was going well on its own. Even though La Sénia is located in the Catalán area, we managed to understand each other. After spending five days with her, both of us have locked down a few words in our vocabualry in the other ones language.

I am not one to complain about the programs, and any type of activity we would do, as long as it was outside and connected to the topic of natural habitat I didn’t mind. On the last two days we had to document our experiences in different ways. I had fun shooting a video. It was an unforgettably eventful Erasmus.

Nagypál Kíra

I’ve been in Spain several times, I love the culture, the language but nevertheless I haven’t been in the countryside, so I was looking forward to it. The village took in a great area between the sea and the mountains, providing a great potential to explore.

Before we got to the village we had a day in Barcelona where we had a chance to get familiar with the catalan capital (I’ve been there twice but never with a group so another girl and I could guide the others). The family whose house I stayed at was a cheerful, warmharted couple and their kids. I was eager to discover everything in the village and the surrounding areas with the others. We had great trips to the mountains and to the sea as well, although after two days the weather cooled down and it rained often. But we had excellent (sometimes guided) tours all around despite the bad weather. 

Communication was a bit difficult due to the difference in language proficiency, but we could manage almost everything. In the last two days we made our summary of the experiences by creating videos and presentations.

All in all, it was a truly interesting and new experience that I loved to share with the others in the group.

Kovács-Papp Flóra

This time we went to la Sènia and after a short but tiring flight we started our journey in Barcelona. We spent the whole day there. When we arrived at our destination in Amposta I felt a bit confused because of nostalgia. After I met with my host and his family I started to feel excited about this project. I really enjoyed living in La Sènia, because everything was so close the roads were really clear and it was easy to navigate there. My host and his family were very nice and friendly with me so I also liked to stay at home. The programs were really fun and creative. The landscape was breathtaking but the weather was terrible. If have to choose what was my favorite I would say the orienteering race or swimming in the river/sea. But the best thing of all was the company Hungarian and Spanish equally. I enjoyed playing football with them and the karaoke. I didn’t like the spending the days in school with this project work but the presenting for another classes was fun. I hope one day I will visit again la Sènia. 

Krizbai Dávid

I have spent seven days in Spain, La Sénia and I enjoyed it very much. My host family was really welcoming, so I felt at home by the end of the week. Although we had a lot of differences such as different dining hours, habits, I feel, that I have learned a lot about their culture and everyday life. Before leaving I even got a traditional cookie selection from them. 

We have visited Barcelona, Peñíscola, Vinaròs and El Boixar which were beautiful and very exciting. They also made us a lovely dinner with the families. 

The collaboration with the Spanish group was sometimes challenging because their English was not very fluent, but I think we managed to understand each other most of the time. I did not speak a word in Spanish before, but I learned a few things. For example, it felt good to say hello in the store in their language. 

The highlights of the trip were the amazing views in the mountains, getting to know our hosts natural heritage. During this week I spoke with a lot of people who go to the same school as me, we just have not really known each other. It also kept me in a good mood. 

Szaniszló Ágnes

I had been really looking forward to meeting the Catalan students, as we parted ways after the reception in Budapest with many pleasant memories. In the preliminary task, the La Sénia students presented the local area and the small town in several PowerPoint presentations. From these, everyone had to choose two locations that sparked the most interest. The presentations provided a lot of interesting information not only about the history of the city but also about its agriculture, customs, gastronomy, and the beauty of both the built and natural environment.

Our flight arrived in Barcelona, where we had time for a well-organized city tour, arranged by Boróka, who had lived there for three months earlier. After a long bus ride, we arrived in Amposta, where the families were already waiting for the students. On the first day, they treated us to a traditional Catalan breakfast, followed by a session with local tradition keepers who taught us how to make the region’s characteristic pastry. (It turned out delicious!) In the afternoon, we got to know the landmarks of the small town. On the second day, we visited a beautiful little village in the mountains, where they organized an orienteering competition for us in small groups. We spent the day in a fantastic location, with great weather, and afterwards, we played birles, a Catalan bowling game.

Our third day was a seaside excursion, where we toured the historic town center and the fortress with a very kind guide. We learned a lot of interesting facts about the fortress that rises on the cliff.

We spent the last two days at the school, where the students created presentations and filmed video reports, which they showed to all the classes. In the afternoon, we took a walk along the banks of the Sénia River. On Friday afternoon, we had a farewell dinner at one of the families’ farms, where they treated us to a grill made from local meats and vegetables. It was a wonderful experience to peek inside an old mill building, which now serves as the center of the farm.

The locals were very hospitable and kind, and we managed to overcome any language barriers with the help of non-verbal communication.

The Spanish school is much more closed off and has stricter rules compared to Poli. Overall, we had a great time, and we regret that we couldn’t see more of the natural heritage of this beautiful region!

Szabó Tünde

As part of my first Erasmus trip, I had the chance to spend a week with a wonderful POLI-team in La Sénia, Spain. On our first day, we had the opportunity for a short sightseeing tour in Barcelona. In the evening, our bus departed to Amposta, where our Catalan partners were already waiting for us and drove us by car to La Sénia.

We were welcomed by very kind host families, and we had the chance to participate in some fantastic programs. We visited a local heritage group, where we learned how to make traditional local sweets and got to taste the delicious pastries we prepared. We were given a tour around the town — although small, it’s full of charm and beautiful details.

One day, we went on a trip — more precisely, an orienteering race — to the lovely mountain village of El Boixar, where we spent two wonderful hours. Later the same day, we got to try a traditional local sport called birles, which is almost similar to bowling.

Unfortunately, on the third day, the previously beautiful weather turned cloudy, rainy, and cold. Despite that, we visited the seaside town of Peñíscola, where a local guide led us through the gorgeous old town. From there, we continued to the town of Vinaròs, where we could once again admire the sea.

On Thursday and Friday, we spent most of our time at the school. I felt that there was a bit too much downtime, and we had to spend more time than necessary in the library room. On Thursday evening, the local parents treated us to a wonderful feast — we had an amazing meal, and later that night, the evening turned into a fun karaoke party.

After the long hours at school on Friday, we went for a lovely walk to the riverbank, where we got to admire the beautiful bridges of the surrounding area.

I can say the Hungarian team became a real close-knit group through all these experiences abroad. Thank you, Erasmus!

Bényi Katalin