A Letter from ROMANIA

Our hearts are full of precious memories of everything we have lived by all of you during these wonderful three years.As you all have already known this was our first experience in a Comenius school project.That is why I personally would like to thank each one in turn for such a gorgeous experience and a bunch of friends so precious to our souls, ever.

Thank you Patrizia, as you are the first in our group I met, while I was surfing the net one night, three years ago.Without you and your messages,I wouldn't have had the possibility of knowing all the others, working and learning so many new things from each of you.Do you remember? "Dana if you want to enter the team you must hurry.We need urgently...." God, how I did hurry! I was so excited and ,I must confess, each evening, my eyes were stuck on the screen of the computer to see whether you had written to me. Thank you for having allowed us to know you,your country, school ,students, colleagues and head master as well the possibility of discovering our own roots as a nation.Our latin hearts shivered with deep emotins while wondering through the eternal Rome.Thank you for having made us feel you are a friend always to trust and rely on

Dear Celeste and Ze, 

Lenuta and I will never forget our first meeting in that lift when, after you looked at us for a couple of seconds asked :"Are you from Romania?" How did you know it for God's sake? :0)) It was a pleasure for us to visit you at home, in the old, sunny Portugal with its sweet teachers, sweeter pupils and such good friends as you, Celeste and Ze and, of course, its real oranges in real orange trees.We had seen oranges but only in boxes in the market place, nver in a tree. :0)) Please, send all our love to the fine teachers and students in your school.Big hugs for you two and a sincere hello to all the melancholic fado singers.

Dear Bitte,Eva,Liselotte&Co.

Words are too poor to say what our visit to Sweden meant.We could learn so many things,which were so totally different from ours, in my country and school.We learnt how to be well organised, how to keep our own environment clean, what friendship looked like, how to be punctual. Sorry Cecilia for having made you suffer so much because our "we have all the time in the world style ".A big hug for you, Bitte and students! You wrote so nice letters to mine(the walls of the classroom are painted with them) and we so much wish we can go on with this activity and, who knows,one day, you all can come to visit us.Big hugs also to Liselotte and to each lady in your school(I won't write their names for fear of not forgetting to name all of them) We love you all.

Dear Merce,Marta, Esther and all the others in your school,

A week activity in Montcau was a week never to be forgotten for us.Very young children listening and trying to understand classical music, their games and learning by doing, the Catalan folk dances and traditions, the exhibition you organised were so wonderful for us to see and then, later, to tell about to our own students and colleagues at home.Your way of being and your acitvity in the field of education were much admired by my colleagues.I can remember their busy hands and eyes looking through your school magazine,pupils' drawings, Catalan flag and Catalan history book that your official department people offered it to us all.

Loads of kisses for each of you.We will always remember your strength Merce and all our thoughts and prayers are with you now.We always remember Marta's sweet smile and the kindness of the teachers we met there.

Mike,Sir,

We will never forgive you for having made us freeze for a whole night.:0)))
Dear Mike,

You maybe don't know(how should you?) that the days when English was first admitted as a school subject in Romania, it was such a great event for each of us.It meant a first sign towards our freedom, an opening towards the western civilisation we were unfortunately forbidden for such a long time.Nowadays, our children speak it as much as they speak Romanian.It has become a second language for them, though unofficial.It is not a secret that everybody here dreams visiting England at least once during his/her life.Thank you for having been such a kind host and let us meet your head masters and colleagues and, of course, your students.We hope we could make them admire the Dracula Masque and stories about Romania. We could see so many beautiful things in your school and town as well as that unique history lesson. Daniela and I already used it in our English classes.It is a great pleasure for us to meet you, talk to you and discover your tender heart and sensitiveness.

"The last are always the first", says The Holly Book.

Dear Vili, Metka, Marijan and all the Solkan team, thank you for such a gorgeous visit you made possible for us all. Everything was beautifully done, we all felt well and friendly received,we were permanently surrounded by kind people, ready to make us feel at home(even when the weather was not too fine).On the other hand, we all tried to be strong,though tears were to be seen in the corner of everybody's eyes.Congratulations Vili for your hard and competent work, for the way you knew how to be with us and by us all the time, for the patience you had and the talent you made us work together in such a splendid way and, like a fairy turned us into a splendid group of friends, let's hope, for life.

What else to say?I'd better stop or you all might fall asleep if I go on.One single thing: Everybody in Ion Basgan School wish you all the best and something more and remember that, in a far away little town ,somewhere in the eastern Europe, there are friends always happy to have you as dear guests and ready to be your partners again in who knows what other school project.

Love, love,

Dana & all the Romanian team