Valencia, quinto meeting / Valencia, 5th meeting

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Último meeting en Valencia / Our last meeting in Valencia

Nuestro proyecto Comenius va llegando a su fin. Han sido dos años de vivencias compartidas, de charlas y debates, de actividades solidarias, de rutas turísticas y culturales por los tres países, pero sobre todas las cosas, ha sido una experiencia maravillosa que nos ha enriquecido a todos y nos ha permitido cambiar la mirada.
Como ya dijimos al principio, conocer es querer, y ahora nos conocemos mejor y por lo tanto nos queremos más.

Este último meeting se celebró en Valencia durante los días 26 y 27 de Abril. Una ciudad maravillosa llena de flores y de perfume. Desde las torres de Serrano, donde empezamos nuestro itinerario por la ciudad, hasta el Museo de las Artes y las Ciencias, donde acabamos nuestro recorrido, nuestro viaje sintetizó en un día más de ocho siglos de historia. Pasado y presente parecían darse la mano en esta ciudad a la vez moderna y tradicional. Pero quizá lo más interesante de la visita, al menos para la que escribe, fue la visita a las Cortes Valencianas. Uno no es consciente de lo importante que son las instituciones que nos representan en los poderes públicos hasta que tiene ocasión de experimentar en primera persona la responsabilidad de sentarse en uno de los sillones del hemiciclo y percibe la enorme importancia que tienen los temas que allí se tratan para toda la ciudadanía.

Creemos que nuestros amigos griegos se fueron encantados de conocer Valencia y a los valencianos. La lástima es que los compañeros turcos no pudieron venir al encuentro. Esperamos que el destino nos vuelva a reunir en una de sus curvas caprichosas. ¿Quién sabe?

Próximamente publicaremos las fotos del encuentro y los trabajos realizados por los participantes.

Our Comenius Project is approaching its end. We have had two years of shared activities: talks and debates, solidarity activities, touristic and cultural routes around the three countries, but above all we have enjoyed a marvelous experience which has enriched everybody and has allowed all of us to change our views.

As we already said at the beginning, to know is to love, and now that we know the others better, we love more one another.

This last meeting was celebrated in Valencia on April the 26th and 27th. We enjoyed a beautiful city full of flowers and perfume. We went from the Serrano Towers, where we started the city tour, to the Arts and Science Museum where we finished it. Our visit summarized in a single day more than 8 centuries of history. Past and present held hands in this city, modern and traditional at the same time. Perhaps the most interesting part of the trip, at least for the one writing these lines, was the visit to the Valencian Parliament. We are not aware of the relevance of the institutions which represent us in the public powers till we have the occasion of experimenting by ourselves the responsibility of sitting on one of the seats in the parliament and realize the great importance that the issues dealt with in there have for all citizens.
We suppose our Greek friends came back to Xanthi feeling happy after having visited Valencia and the Valencians, and it is a pity that the Turks could not join us. We sincerely hope Fate will let us meet again in one of its whimsical bends. Who knows?

We will soon show our meeting photos and the work done by the participants.

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Estambul, cuarto meeting (14-19 noviembre) / Istambul, 4th meeting

Esta es la primera tanda de fotos de nuestro reciente encuentro en Estambul, para celebrar la cuarta reunión de nuestro Programa Comenius Redes de Tolerancia. Son tantas las fotos y los recuerdos que nos ha costado seleccionar. Próximamente iremos poniendo el resto de imágenes.

Estas son las que corresponden al primer día: llegada al hotel y primeras visitas turísticas: Palacio Topkapi, Santa Sofía, la mezquita azul y las cisternas.

Tenemos que dar las gracias a nuestro fotógrafo particular, Manolo, que nos ha demostrado una vez más su buen hacer detrás del objetivo. Parece sencillo, pero captar las mejores imágenes, las mejores perspectivas e imaginar el resultado que va dar un determinado encuadre valorando la luz, la distancia, etc., no es cualquier cosa.

¡Enhorabuena Manolo por tu trabajo! Y gracias por tu compañía.

This is the first series of photographies from the 4th meeting of our Comenius association Net of Tolerance in Istanbul. There are so many and our experience was so good that it has been very difficult to make a selection. We will very soon show the rest of them.
These ones were taken the first day on our arrival at the hotel and during our first touristic visits: Topkapi Palace, Saint Sophia, The Blue Mosque and the Cisterns.
We want to thank our photographer, Manolo, who has again done a terrific job behind the camera. It seems to be a simple task, but catching the best images, the best perspectives and trying to guess how a concrete setting is going to work out concerning light, distance and so on, is not easy at all.
Manolo, congratulations for your great work and thank you for your company!

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Estambul en otoño / Istanbul in Autumn

¡Qué diferente puede resultar un lugar en tan sólo ocho meses a los ojos de quien lo observa como curioso visitante!

Fue a finales del pasado invierno cuando contemplamos la ciudad por vez primera, y, después de conocerla, no dudamos un instante en elegirla para compartir en ella el día del calendario en el que se celebra mundialmente la fiesta de la Tolerancia, nombre que titula nuestro proyecto. A ella volvimos a reencontrarnos en un espléndido marco de respeto y TOLERANCIA para trabajar, proyectar juntos el resto del curso y cruzar el Estrecho del Bósforo sellando nuestro compromiso por la Tolerancia, simbólicamente, en la convergencia de los dos continentes que une esta bella e impresionante ciudad.

Llegamos desde el aeropuerto contemplando el Mar de Mármara hasta Sultanahmet, pleno centro de la ciudad donde se erige la Mezquita Azul y Santa Sofía, descubriendo por segunda vez sus formas arquitectónicas redondeadas y sus imponentes y estilizados minaretes. En nuestra primera visita, las tiendas, bazares y restaurantes estaban tranquilos como aletargados tras unos meses de baja actividad. En cambio ahora todo estaba en pleno movimiento. La temporada turística se resistía a abandonar la ciudad y sus calles estaban llenas de turistas curiosos, embargados por los encantos que la ciudad ofrece, sorprendidos por la gentileza y atención envolvente de sus gentes que se ofrecen amable y desinteresadamente a orientarte espacialmente o a prestarte cualquier tipo de ayuda que precises.

Nuestra visita tenía como eje principal las sesiones de trabajo del programa Comenius que alternamos con un recorrido monumental diseñado por nuestros compañeros turcos de Incirliova que nos permitía admirar todo lo que veíamos y enlazarlo con la planificación de las tareas que vamos a ir desarrollando en los próximos meses. Cada vez que terminábamos una ruta turística, el bar del hotel se convertía en la Sala de Juntas, lugar donde finalmente nos sentábamos cómodamente para recapitular, tomar aliento y dar forma a todas las ideas que habían surgido durante el día. El ordenador portátil y las memorias flash fueron nuestros aliados.

Durante los itinerarios visitamos juntos muchos lugares de interés. Entre los edificios religiosos visitamos la Mezquita Azul, reluciente como acabada de construir, coqueta por fuera, amplia y grandiosa por dentro, muy luminosa por sus numerosas vidrieras y por las lámparas que mantiene encendidas. Aunque éramos muchos los turistas que entrábamos, también había muchas personas que acudían a rezar como parte de su ritual cotidiano, lo que nos permitía fácilmente observar y comprender sus movimientos. Desde allí, simplemente cruzando la calle llegamos a Santa Sofía, ahora museo, que muestra abiertamente las distintas etapas de su historia en el devenir de los siglos. Su estado de conservación no es demasiado bueno y aunque está siendo restaurada, presenta huellas patentes de su viaje por el tiempo y de las distintas comunidades que la han hecho suya. Por último, el domingo al anochecer estuvimos en la mezquita Eyüp, muy antigua, bordeada por un cementerio, el único que vimos en nuestra estancia. En la plaza que daba a la entrada del recinto se respiraba un ambiente muy localista. Parecíamos ser los únicos turistas, en contraposición con las anteriores, tan cosmopolitas. Estaba iluminada con largas hileras de bombillas y rodeada de puestos de diferentes mercancías por los que se paseaban varias comitivas de boda que animaban el entorno.

También visitamos varios palacios. Topkapi nos sorprendió por sus enormes dimensiones y por el tremendo poder de los sultanes. Encontramos muy curiosa la parte destinada al harem, cuyas paredes parecían querer contar los secretos de aquel micromundo habitado por bellas mujeres protegidas por eunucos para gloria y honra de su señor. También nos impresionó sobremanera el silencio significativo en las estancias en las que se exhibían las reliquias sagradas, la profunda convicción y el recogimiento espiritual de quienes se acercaban a contemplarlas, y, como fondo, el rítmico eco - para nosotros indescifrable - de los versos del Corán, que parecía tendernos una cálida alfombra que nos guiara en el recorrido.

No podemos olvidar los palacios a ambos lados del Bósforo. En la parte europea, Dolmabahçe, con todo el lujo del barroco exquisito y las estancias privadas, más sencillas, del padre de la patria, Atatürk. Y en la parte Asiática Beylerbeyí, el palacete estival, igualmente recargado.

También hicimos hueco para ver las Cisternas y el Bazar de las Especias, un verdadero placer para los sentidos, un mercado repleto de productos muy diversos que nos atrajo con sus múltiples aromas, colores y carteles anunciadores en un sorprendentemente buen español informando de la gran calidad de los productos y de que sus precios son inferiores a los de Mercadona, Eroski o el Corte Inglés. Allí los amables tenderos igual te invitan a su puesto para lograr que te lleves lo que nunca imaginaste comprar, o seducirte, ya sea con la mercancía o con su natural galantería. Otros simplemente se entretienen tratando de averiguar tu profesión o el lugar dónde viniste al mundo sin equivocarse en más de un par de manzanas. Toda una experiencia.

En suma, Estambul es una maravilla y sus gentes están bien a su altura. Si además a esto le añadimos la entrañable amistad que estamos paso a paso forjando con nuestros compañeros turcos y griegos, la estancia en ella ha sido una vez más demasiado corta y su recuerdo profundamente evocador.


Istanbul in Autumn

How different a place can be in only eight months for the curious observer!

It was at the end of last winter when we travelled to Istanbul for the first time, and we had no doubt in choosing it again to spend altogether the International Day for Tolerance, after which our project is named. We returned there to meet once more in a splendid setting of respect and TOLERANCE to work, plan the tasks for the rest of the course and cross the Straits of Bosphorus to seal our commitment for the sake of Tolerance, symbolically, in the borderline of the two continents into which this impressively beautiful city is divided.

We got into the city along the road from the airport, admiring the Marmara Sea till we reached Sultanahmet, the very city-centre, where the Blue Mosque and Saint Sophia are, discovering for the second time their rounded architectural lines and their imposing and stylised minarets. In our first visit, shops, bazaars and restaurants were almost empty, numb after several drowsy months. On the contrary, this time they were fully alive. The touristic season had not still left the city and the streets were full of curious tourists, overpowered by the charms of the city, surprised by the generous attention of its people who kindly offer themselves to give directions, guide you or help in any possible way.

The main purpose of our visit were the working sessions of our Comenius Association which we alternated with sightseeing tours designed by our Turkish associates from Incirliova. That allowed us to admire what we were watching at the same time that we linked everything to the programming of tasks to be done in the following months. Every day, after the corresponding tour, the hotel bar was the meeting lounge, the place were we comfortably sat to share the experiences, reflect on the ideas flowing in our minds for the day and think how to work on them. The portable computer and the flash memories were at this stage very helpful allies.

We visited a lot of places of interest. Among the religious buildings we entered the Blue Mosque, shiny as if just built, smart from the outside, wide and magnificent inside, well lit as well by its many stained glass windows as by its constantly switched on lamps. Although there were plenty of tourists, there were also many local people praying as part of their daily routine, which allowed us to easily understand their ritual movements. From there, just across the street, we reached Saint Sophia, a museum nowadays, which clearly shows its different periods along history. In spite of the fact that it is being restored, its conservation state is not so good and its old age can be appreciated as well as the traces of all the communities who made it theirs. Thirdly, on Sunday just after dawn, we went into Eyüp Mosque, a very ancient building surrounded by a cemetery, the only one we saw during our stay. In the previous square there was a very local atmosphere. We seemed to be the only tourists in contrast with the two -so cosmopolitan- first ones. It was lit by long lines of hanging bulbs and it was surrounded by stands selling different goods around which there were several wedding processions livening up the place.

We also visited some palaces. Topkapi surprised us by its huge area and by the great power of Sultans. We found the Harem very interesting. Its walls seemed to be eager to tell us the secrets of that microworld inhabited by pretty ladies protected by eunuchs to serve and honour their lord. We were also very much overwhelmed by the meaningful silence in the rooms where the prophets’ relics were exhibited, the deep convictions and the spiritual absorption of those who approached them, and as a background sound, the echo of the rythmic reading of Coranic verses which seemed to have knitted a warm carpet to guide us through.

We cannot forget the Palaces on both sides of the Bosphorus. In the European bank, the luxurious exquisite baroque Dolmabahçe, with its simpler rooms used by the country`s father, Atatürk. And in the Asian side, the so fully ornamented Beylerbeyí, the summer residence.

We also had time to go into the Cisterns and the Spice Bazaar, a true pleasure for one`s senses. A market with a wide variety of products which attracted us by its exotic essences, different colours and the big notices in a surprisingly good Spanish informing of the high quality of all goods and that the prices were lower than in any or our shopping centres (e.g. Mercadona, Eroski or El Corte Inglés). There, the kind assistants invited us to go into their stalls trying to persuade us to take anything we had never even thought of its existence, or captivate us either with their products or natural gallantry. Other simply endeavoured themselves to guess what our profession was or the place where we were born, being surprisingly accurate in their answers. What an experience it was!

To sum up, Istanbul is a marvellous place and its citizens equal its magic. If we add to all that the caring friendship we are forging with our Greek and Turk partners, our stay in it has again been too short and its remambrance deeply evocative.

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Un ejemplo de tolerancia / An example of Tolerance

El día 16 de noviembre se celebra el Día Mundial de la Tolerancia y con este motivo queremos hacer algo muy especial que sirva para rendir tributo a este noble valor que nos une y que da nombre a nuestra Asociación Comenius.

Os invitamos a mandarnos todo tipo de colaboraciones relacionadas con la TOLERANCIA: imágenes, carteles, frases, dibujos, textos, poemas… Pero también sería interesante hacer alguna actividad concreta que refleje de manera directa nuestra contribución a la mejora de la tolerancia en nuestro entorno.

¡Esperamos vuestras ideas! Todas las aportaciones serán bienvenidas y recogidas para ponerlas en común en el meeting que celebraremos en Estambul a partir del 17 de noviembre.

Por ahora nuestra pequeña contribución a la difusión de la tolerancia en el mundo es la buena convivencia que reina entre los miembros de nuestra asociación. Prueba de ello son las fotos que pertenecen a nuestro último encuentro en Izmir en junio de 2008. Las sesiones de trabajo y las visitas institucionales se complementan, como podéis ver, con una estrecha relación de amistad que se va afianzando cada vez más, gracias a las agradables veladas de charla y al intercambio de vivencias llenas de emociones y afecto. Sin duda, esta es la mejor medicina contra la intolerancia.


On November 16th, we celebrate the International Day for Tolerance and, for this reason, we want to do something very special to honour this great virtue which links us together and names our Comenius Association.

We invite you to send any kind of work in connection to TOLERANCE: images, posters, sentences, drawings, texts, poems ... but it would also be very interesting to do one single common activity as a direct reflection of our contribution to the improvement of tolerance in our surroundings.

We expect your contributions! All of them will be welcomed and dealt with in common in the meeting we will have in Istambul next November.

So far, our small contribution to the spread of tolerance in the world is the good coexistence among the members of our association. To prove it we have the photos taken in our latest meeting in Izmir last June. The working sessions and the institutional visits alternated, as can be seen, in an atmosphere of kind friendship which is constantly becoming deeper, thanks to the charming long talks and the interchange of experiences full of affection. No doubt, it is the best medicine for the treatment of intolerance.

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Un paseo por la historia / A walk along History

Si una imagen ha quedado grabada en nuestra retina al finalizar nuestro viaje a Turquía el pasado mes de Junio, es la de la enorme riqueza arqueológica de este país. Ya nos lo habían avisado: Éfeso es la Grecia turca, y no es para menos. Los vestigios de un pasado de gran esplendor están a la vista en toda la zona: Mileto, Priene, Afrodisias…
La visita a estas ciudades antiguas nos hace sentirnos miembros de una misma civilización: la cultura mediterránea, a la que pertenecemos por derecho: somos descendientes de una saga de hombres y mujeres dignos de nuestro respeto y admiración.

Al lado de estas nobles piedras del pasado, uno se siente pequeño y limitado. Y percibimos que todo lo que nos rodea en el mundo actual es vano y superfluo. Llamamos progreso a la vida cómoda y confortable, a los avances tecnológicos, a las prisas por vivir más y más rápido, a acumular cosas y objetos innecesarios. A veces, un salto en el tiempo nos hace recolocar los principios inalterables en su debido lugar, cambiar la perspectiva y relativizar para, finalmente, darnos cuenta de lo insignificantes que son nuestros valores al lado de la espectacular belleza y la majestuosidad de unas avenidas amplias y bien trazadas, de unos edificios imponentes sobre columnas en perfecto equilibrio y armonía, y de un gran ingenio urbanístico que deja a los actuales ingenieros y arquitectos a la altura del betún. Y siempre sin perder de vista la perfecta simbiosis con el paisaje y el entorno natural. ¡Cuánto podemos aprender todavía de la antigüedad clásica!

Belleza, armonía y virtuosismo se aúnan en un espacio único que nos recuerda quiénes fuimos y nos hace reflexionar sobre quiénes queremos ser en el devenir de la historia. Sepamos conservar este legado a nuestros descendientes. Es nuestra obligación.

If one image has remained in our retina after our trip to Turkey last June is the huge archaeological wealthiness of this country. We had been told about Efes being a great sample of ancient Greece, and we have agreed to it after our visit. We could also admire the remains of a great past splendour in Mileto, Prienne, Afrodisias...
The visit to these ancient cities made us feel members of the same civilization: the Mediterranean one, to which we belong as descendants of a saga of men and women worthy of our respect and admiration.
Beside those noble stones one feels both tiny and limited. And we realize that everything surrounding us in the present world is vane and trivial. We call progress to our easy and comfortable life, technological development, hasty living, the adquisition of goods and compulsive expenditure. Sometimes, looking back into the past makes us be aware of the real important timeless values and admire the astonishing beauty and majesty of wide straight avenues, imposing buildings on perfectly balanced columns and a great urban talent which diminishes nowadays architects and engineers to mere amateurs. And of course we cannot forget the perfect symbiosis of urban and natural landscape. How much can we still learn from the classic period!

Beauty, harmony and virtuosity, all in one, recall who we were and make us think of what we would like to be in the course of history. Let`s preserve this heritage for our descendants. Its our duty.

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Photos of the third meeting

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Third meeting (Izmir, June 2008)

El tercer encuentro de la Red de Tolerancia Comenius en Turquía fue ciertamente muy enriquecedor. La profesora Güllü, a cargo del proyecto en el instituto de Incirliova, y sus colaboradores nos prepararon dos magníficas excursiones de día completo recorriendo las provincias de Esmirna, Aydin y Denizli que nos permitieron descubrir lugares de extraordinaria belleza paisajística (como Pamukkale, fenómeno geológico único en el mundo) y también admirar el impresionante patrimonio arqueológico en Éfeso, Miletos, Priene, Didyma y Afrodisias y en varios museos.
También visitamos varios lugares de culto: la iglesia de la Virgen María y una de las mezquitas más antiguas de Aydin, pudiendo comprobar el ejemplar grado de tolerancia y la libertad de creencias que existe en Turquía, uno de los temas básicos que desarrollamos en nuestro proyecto.
Semejante marco sirvió como un fondo extraordinario para amenizar el intercambio de información entre los profesores de los tres países, para fomentar la relación entre lo que observábamos y conectábamos mentalmente con la temática del proyecto y como hilo conductor de lo que desembocó en la reunión de trabajo que celebramos el día 13.
Ese día fue el intermedio entre las dos excursiones. Comenzamos la mañana cálidamente acogidos en el instituto anfitrión haciendo un intercambio de obsequios. Luego, en el patio exterior un grupo de alumnos y alumnas realizaron varias coreografías de danzas típicas. Después fuimos recibidos por el Gobernador de Incirliova en su despacho y posteriormente por el Alcalde en el Parque Cultural de la ciudad, donde se nos ofreció un exquisito refrigerio y recibimos diversos obsequios y atenciones. Después las autoridades educativas nos invitaron, en un colegio de primaria de la zona, a un suculento almuerzo de cocina tradicional turca especialmente preparado para nosotros por las propias madres de los alumnos.
Por la tarde celebramos la reunión de trabajo anteriormente mencionada. En ella expusimos los trabajos elaborados en cada centro desde el anterior encuentro en Grecia el pasado marzo y entregamos copias de los mismos a los demás. También comentamos los contenidos y las secciones del blog del proyecto y acordamos seguir con el desarrollo de las siguientes tareas:

1.- El ciclo festivo:

-Continuar abordando en cada centro las fechas señaladas dentro de nuestro calendario festivo tanto a nivel nacional como local.
-Trabajar con los alumnos las celebraciones más significativas, ya sean institucionales, sociales, religiosas, reivindicativas o de cualquier otra índole.
-Elaborar reseñas o trabajos sobre ellas con los alumnos.

2.-Celebraciones institucionales comunes:

Celebrar en cada centro, pero a propuesta conjunta, los siguientes acontecimientos:
-El Día de la Tolerancia: 16 de noviembre
-El Día de los Derechos Humanos: 10 de diciembre
-El Día de Europa: 9 de Mayo
-El Día de la Diversidad Cultural: (también en mayo)
Se propuso tomar como referencia la información que aporta en Internet la
Comunidad Europea en materia de educación y divulgación de valores, donde se puede consultar cada una de estas fechas y obtener datos sobre estas celebraciones.

3.-Preparación del cuarto encuentro

Se decidió la celebración del cuarto encuentro de nuevo en Turquía a mediados de noviembre en fechas a concretar a partir del inicio del próximo curso en septiembre. También se comentó la celebración de la última reunión en España durante el mes de marzo de 2009.

Y partiendo de la buena dinámica de grupo y la fantástica relación, tanto a nivel profesional como humano, que se forjó en las dos ocasiones anteriores, la experiencia de este tercer encuentro, además de cumplir todos los objetivos marcados ha resultado plenamente satisfactoria y enriquecedora para todos, ya que nos han aportado recursos didácticos que nos permitirán profundizar en la formación en valores que nos serán de gran utilidad en nuestra tarea docente.



The Net of Tolerante third meeting celebrated in Turkey was certainly very enriching. Güllü, the teacher in charge of the project in Incirliova’s High School, and her collaborators organised for us two extremelly good full day excursions along the provinces of Izmir, Aydin and Denizli which allowed us to discover places of extraordinary beauty (such as Pamukkale, a geological phenomenon unique in the world) and also admire their impresing arquaeological heritage in Efes, Miletos, Priene, Didyma and Afrodisias, as well as in several museums.

We also visited several religious centres: Saint Mary’s Church and one of the ancient mosques in Aydin, taking notice of the exemplary level of tolerance, respect and freedom concerning beliefs that exists in Turkey, which is one of the main subjects we are developing in our project, too.

Such an impresing frame served as a magnificent background for the common interchange of information among all teachers and, at the same time, favoured the mental connection between what was observed and the project purpose, linking the whole experience towards the subjects dealt at the working session which took place on June the 13th.

That day was in between the two one-journey trips. We began at the high school early in the morning interchanging several gifts and being kindly hosted. There some of the students performed traditional dances for us. Then the Governor in Incirliova received us in his office and later we were taken to the town’s cultural park where we met its Mayor. There, we were given some welcoming presents and offered a splendid snack. Later the Educational Authorities invited us, in a nearby primary school, to a delicious traditional Turkish meal especially cooked for us by the pupils’ mothers.

In the afternoon we celebrated the project working session mentioned above. In it we shared the tasks done in each school from the March meeting in Greece and handed out copies for each other. We also talked about the contents and sections in our web blog and decided to go on developing the following tasks:


1.- The festive cycle:

-Go on dealing with the important dates in each calendar, either of national or local relevance.
-Work with students the main celebrations of every kind: institutional commemorations, social demands, religious or pagan events and any others.
-Make essays aa well as other different tasks concerning them in class.

2.-Common Institutional Events:

-Commemorate in each of the three schools, but according to a common structure, the following dates:

-The Tolerance Day: on November the 16th.
-The Human Rights Day: on December 10th.
-Europe’s Day: on May 9th.
-The Cultural Diversity Day: (also in May)

It was suggested to take as reference the information provided in internet by the European Community in Educational matters and moral Values where aspects about these events are shown.

3.- The 4th meeting

It was decided to hold the 4th meeting again in Turkey next November. The exact dates will be fixed in Setember at the beginning of the new school year. It was also agreed to celebrate the last project meeting in Spain in March, 2009.

Spreading the good atmosphere and the kind relationship among everyone concerned both professionally and personally of the two previous occasions, the experience of this third meeting, apart from getting the scheduled aims, has been completely satisfying and enriching, having supplied all teachers with very important didactic resources which will allow us to reinforce the teaching of the dealt with Values which will surely be very useful in our daily teaching.

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Ha empezado la cuenta atrás / Count-down

Pasado mañana a estas horas estaremos en Izmir. Celebraremos nuestro tercer encuentro. El primero en España, el segundo en Grecia y ahora toca Turquía. Estamos deseando reencontrarnos de nuevo. Tenemos muchos materiales para compartir y muchas ideas que proponer. Pero lo mejor de todo es abrir bien los ojos y prestar atención a todas las nuevas experiencias y vivencias que vamos a descubrir. Nuevas costumbres, diferentes modos de entender la vida, otra lengua, otra cultura y religión. Sin embargo, la acogida promete ser cálida y afectuosa. Seguro que Güllü y Ozdam, junto con el director y el vicedirector del instituto de Aydin, han preparado un buen número de visitas y actividades. Ahora toca descansar y hacer acopio de fuerzas para estar a la altura del programa que nos han preparado y no desfallecer.
Sólo una cosa me quita el sueño: volar.

¡Qué artilugio tan provocadoramente desafiador de las leyes de la física, el avión! Volemos de momento con el pensamiento hacia las costas de Éfeso: el templo de Artemisa, la casa natal de la Virgen María, las aguas termales de Pamukkale... ¡Qué bien suena! El rumor de las olas del Mediterráneo me trae los susurros de las idas y venidas de muchas gentes en Turquía que trabajan afanosamente por brindarnos lo mejor de ellos. Estrechemos los lazos del Comenius.

The day after tomorrow at this time we will be in Izmir in our third meeting. The first took place in Spain, the second in Greece, and now it is time for the third in Turkey.
We are looking forward to meeting you again. We have many materials to share and many ideas to propose. But the best of everything is to open both eyes and pay attention to all the new experiences we are going to discover. New customs, different ways of understanding life, a new language, another culture and religion…Furthermore, the reception promises to be warm and affectionate. We are certain that Güllü and Ozdam, together with the Headmaster and his Deputy Headmaster at the Incirliova High School have prepared a good number of visits and activities. Now it is time for us to take a breath and lots of strength to be able to cope with the schedule, enjoy and take the most of it.
Only one thing will stop the trip from being perfect: the plane, a means of transport which defies the natural laws of physics. Let`s fly for a moment, using our imagination, to the coast of Ephesus: the temple of Artemis, the house of the Virgin Mary, the thermal waters in Pamukkale... How it sounds! The rumour of the Mediterranean waves brings me whispers of the comings and goings of the teachers in Turkey working hard for giving us the best of them. Let’s strengthen our Comenius links!

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Más sobre Xanthi / More about Xanthi

Nuestro segundo día en Xanthi se inició con la visita a un Instituto de Secundaria. Gentilmente acompañados por nuestro anfitrión, George, allí fuimos recibidos por el director, el Sr. George Kermanidis, y un grupo de profesores que muy amablemente nos mostraron las instalaciones del Centro y respondieron a nuestras preguntas. Desde aquí queremos darles las gracias por su hospitalidad y nos ofrecemos para seguir manteniendo contacto con ellos. ¿Quién sabe, a lo mejor en un próximo Comenius?
Después nos dirigimos en nuestro autobús oficial a la “Municipalidad”, así llamaba George a la Municipalidad de Vistonida donde fuimos recibidos por el Sr. Alcalde. Resulta que Xanthi es el núcleo urbano más grande (prefectura) de un conjunto de pueblos que forman una mancomunidad. Su alcalde, un señor muy afable, por cierto, al que conocimos el día del festival en el colegio, nos dio toda la información que quisimos saber sobre Xanthi y sobre su tarea como alcalde. Nos explicó que, dado que él era un antiguo agricultor muy conocido en la zona, a veces, no tenía intimidad ni horarios, porque los vecinos lo llamaban a casa con toda confianza cuando tenían un problema.
Tras firmar en el Libro de Visitas, y hacernos la foto “oficial” en la entrada al Ayuntamiento, nos marchamos a un restaurante precioso en lo alto de una colina desde donde se divisaba todo Xanthi. Era la comida “oficial”, la despedida que nos ofrecieron nuestros amigos griegos. Una vez más, gracias George, gracias Ewie, por vuestra compañía y vuestra buena disposición de ánimo. Y también gracias por esa fantástica musaka que nos regalasteis y con la que nos dimos un pequeño homenaje en el hotel.



Our second day in Xanthi started with a visit to a Secondary School. We were kindly taken there by our host, George, and were welcomed by the headmaster, Mr. George Kermanidis and a group of teachers who very nicely showed us around the building answering to all our questions. We would like to thank them all from here for their pleasing attention and encourage them to keep contact, in a next Comenius Project, Why not?
Later, we went on our official coach to the “Municipality”, that is the way in which George calls the Vistonida Commonwealth where we were welcomed by the Mayor. Actually, Xanthi is the biggest town among several villages which surround it. We had met The Mayor, a very friendly person indeed, the previous evening at the school festival. He gave us all the information we requested about the area and his task as a Mayor. He told us he was a farmer acquainted to most people and sometimes he could could not fix a timetable and have leisure time for himself, as people felt free to call him whenever they had a problem.
After signing in the visitors’ book being taken the “institutional” photo at the Townhall main entrance, we left for lunch at a beautiful restaurant on the top of a hill from which we had a splendid view of Xanthi. It was the “official” meal, a farewell hommage offered by our Greek friends. Once more, thanks George, thanks Ewie, for your company and your good disposition. And thanks also for that fantastic Greek musaka you gave us and we plentifully tasted later at the hotel.

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Primer día en Xanthi / Our first day in Xanthi

Llegamos a Xanthi (en la región de Tracia) a las siete de la tarde, después de una pesadísima jornada en autobús desde Estambul. Giorgio nos estaba esperando en la plaza de Xanthi y, con su característica amabilidad, nos acompañó hasta el hotel. Después salimos a cenar y a dar una vuelta por la Feria, ya que (por esos días se celebraban los Carnavales de Xanthi.
A la mañana siguiente teníamos un autobús esperándonos a los españoles y a los turcos para llevarnos a Afxentio, el pueblo donde está el colegio del que Giorgio es el director. Una escuelita pequeña y preciosa, donde los alumnos, dos clases de Primaria, nos esperaban para darnos la bienvenida. ¡Lástima que no puediéramos hablar con ellos en griego! Tras una corta sesión de trabajo en el despacho de Giorgio, nos llevaron al Museo Arqueológico de Abdera. Allí pudimos contemplar restos de antiguas civilizaciones griegas y romanas de incalculable valor. No podíamos creer que un pueblecito tan pequeño pudiera tener un museo tan coqueto y tan bien dotado. Al leer los paneles informativos nos enteramos del porqué del nombre del pueblo: Abdera. Le pusieron el nombre en honor a Abdero, el amigo que ayudó a Heracles a capturar los yeguas antropófagas de Diomedes.
Después de comer, fuimos con nuestro autobús a un colegio cercano donde se celebraba la reunión para presentar el proyecto.
Fue un acto precioso. Grupos de niños de varios colegios habían preparado una exhibición de danza, música y folklore para nosotros. Pudimos disfrutar de canciones típicas griegas al son de instrumentos tocados por agrupaciones musicales de diferentes colegios.
Nos sentíamos importantes de ver todo aquel despliegue y no queríamos defraudarles, así que, a continuación, el grupo de trabajo del Comenius presentó sus trabajos. Primero, Giorgio que mostró su presentación sobre la iglesia ortodoxa de Xanthi, luego nosotros, que mostramos el blog y, por último, Gullu, que habló de los trabajos que habían hecho sus alumnos sobre Atatürk y otras tradiciones turcas. A esta recepción acudieron también representantes de las autoridades políticas, eclesiásticas y educativas de Xanthi y todos ellos nos dirigieron amables palabras y nos dijeron que se sentían muy orgullosos de acoger nuestro Proyecto.
Tras la correspondiente merienda, ofrecida por las familias de los niños participantes, nos fuimos a un pub muy agradable en lo alto de la colina que preside la zona de Xanthi, donde seguimos departiendo y pasándolo bien.
Gracias una vez más por hacernos sentir como de la familia y por vuestras interesantes aportaciones a la Red Comenius.


We arrived in Xanthi at 7 pm after an exhausting trip by bus from Istambul. Giorgio was waiting for us and, with his friendly disposition, he took us to our hotel. Then we went our for dinner and to walk round a traditional fair as they were celebrating Carnival.

The next morning we had a coach waiting for both Turkish and Spanish parties, to take us to Afxentio, the village where the school in which Giorgio is the headmaster is located. It is a small, cute school where the two Primary school groups were looking forward to welcoming us. What a pity that we could not speak Greek to them!

After a short working session, we went to the Abdera Museum. There we could look at a lot of Greek and Roman ancient remains of incalculable worth. We could not believe that such a small village could have a so valuable and cosy museum. Reading the information displayed, we learnt the reason for calling the village Adbera. It is to honour Abdero, Heracles’ friend, who helped him to capture Diomedes’ human-eaters’ mares.

After lunch we went on our coach to a nearby school where the programme presentation meeting was going to take place. The event was great. Several groups of children from the surrounding villages performed a folklore dance and music show for us. We enjoyed a lot the traditional Greek songs and instrumental pieces played by bands from different schools. We felt important to see how well they had prepared for the occasion and we did not want to let them down, so, later, the three schools participating in the Comenius Programme went onto the stage. Firstly, Giorgio showed his work about the Orthodox Church in Xanthi, in the second place we, the Spaniards, spoke about the blog and, thirdly, Güllu, for the turkish part, talked about the task done by her students about Ataturk, Mevlana and other national traditions. Political, religious and educational Authorities from the Xanthi area also came to the event and all of them had kind and encouraging words for our project and for ourselves.

After a cold snack offered by the students’ families, we went to a very nice pub on top of the hill which presides the Xanthi landscape, where we went on talking and enjoying ourselves. Thanks once again for making us feel at home and for all your contributions to our Net of Tolerance.

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Our Project Meetings (2)

From them on, we have had contact through the web giving one another information and planning the second trip, this time to visit the Greek school participant in Afxentio. There we met and had an unforgettable experience. The four Spanish teachers immensely enjoyed our trip. The previous meeting in Spain, having been the host school, did not give us either time nor impartial opinion about the stay, since it meant for us a race against the clock and a constant anxiety to cover and control every possible circumstance.

This second time has been very different indeed. We were picked up on our arrival and taken everywhere with polite manners and careful affection. The friendly attitude and natural charm of Giorgo – the host headmaster - allowed us to feel really comfortable. He is a man of resources. He splendidly manages in his free style English and, so merry and easygoing as he really is, he also very satisfactorily copes with the organization of events. Apart from guiding us to several places of interest, we were prepared a beautiful performance of very young dancers and musicians in which we were given some gifts and had the occasion to participate before the audience to explain our programme and, in the end, were invited to a delicious cold dinner especially cooked for us by the students’ parents. Delightful!

It is barely impossible to explain how intense the work is during the days of the meetings. It is not only what is done, but it is also the teachers` brains continuously at work absorbing the information, enjoying the sightseeing, imagining new procedures, mentally organizing the ideas which continuously arise, photographing every interesting detail, writing down any relevant hint, becoming in all progressively but sweetly exhausted. And this such constant flow gives birth to a very familiar and tender relationship with those around you.

Just after our return from Greece last week, all the participants told in the three schools everything about the trip, and are already making things up for the third meeting, next June in Turkey. There we have our already very dear friends Ozdan and Güllu, with the rest of the Turkish teachers, looking forward to receiving us. I can imagine the first one, so lively, joyful and charming, longing to take us to the interesting places and explaining everything to us; and the second one, our very dear Güllu, so professional, helpful and committed to working on the project, endevouring herself to the organization of the visit and to make us feel so safistified as we will surely be there among them. How near from you two I feel myself in this very moment when thinking of you both.

Hardly could I imagine that this project was to mean so much for my professional career. After having worked as a teacher since I finished university, I could not have guessed before that this Net of Tolerance would mean to me a different approach to my daily teaching resources. It has brought me plenty of work, but parallel to it lots of new experiences, human contact, understanding of other cultures and why not, a certain amount of merriment altogether. Many times in my adult life have I felt proud to speak foreign languages, as they have offered me an open door to the world, to its understanding and to its people; however, this time I have experimented that sensation in a deeper way than before, because it is not only me who has benefited from this abilitiy, I have also been extremely useful for the rest of the group, for our high school and for the project, and to be sincere, it has made me feel good and at the same time compromised.

Let`s now allow the project to continue and I promise a new update soon. See you in the blog!

Satur Rueda

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Segundo encuentro (Second meeting)

Nueva reunión de los tres centros educativos en Grecia del 2 al 5 de marzo.
Hemos presentado oficialmente el blog a nuestros amigos griegos y turcos, así que a partir de ahora podremos ofrecer los trabajos que se van realizando a través del blog.
La acogida ha sido magnífica y, desde aquí queremos darles las gracias a George y a Ewie que han sido unos fantásticos anfitriones. Lo mismo hemos de decir de las ciudades de Xanthi y de Afxentio que con su hospitalidad nos hicieron sentir como en casa.
Estamos muy orgullosos del trabajo de todos los participantes que va viento en popa y promete ser muy interesante en el futuro, ya que han surgido nuevas ideas a las que poco a poco iremos dándole forma.
¡No os perdáis las fotos en el próximo post!

The second meeting of the three schools took place in Greece from the 2nd to the 5th of March. We then officially presented this blog to our Greek and Turk friends, so, from now on, we will be able to issue the work done in the blog.
We want to thank George and Ewie because they very carefully assisted us. They hace been fantastic hosts. We must say the same about the towns of Xanthi and Afxentio which have kindly lodged us and that made us feel at home.
We are proud of the work done by our partners’ so far and it predists a very interesting future as new ideas are arising and they will be given shape little by little. Do not forget the photos in the next post!

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Our Project Meetings (1)

Our Net of Tolerance is as the Comenius Agency describes, a Lifelong Learning Programme. It consists of a series of scheduled activities to be done about an agreed number of topics during the two years it lasts, together with at least other two schools as partners, after a previous long and quite complicated application in which there are also some surveys, questionnaires and forms to complete.

If you consider it exactly in the way it is regulated, you may feel it is the kind of impersonal burocratic project that can be done from your office without any personal involvement. But fortunately, in our case at least, this consideration has nothing to do with the real thing.

It is true that the application period was very tough and its preparation was done by only two people who endured it in the best posible way – Ana, our so skilful headmaster, and proficient Jesús, in our case -. Later, came the months in which the people involved were expectant of acceptation, and when that moment arrived, the whole machinery started to work.

At the Monastil High School we created a Comenius Comission at the applying stage which included some of our teachers. And from last autumn - when we got the acceptance from the Educational Authorities - we began to display all the kept energy we had been accumulating from the source of the idea. We divided in different groups. As a first step, the Classical Language and Culture Department devotedly organized our Second Archaeological Exposition which, apart from ancient pieces, included animation, a performance and lots of different activities for the students in all our local schools. It was just the start of other tasks of different kinds done by our pupils inside the classroom in several subjects which have of course been displayed in exhibitions in our hall, corridors or library and sent to our partners in Greece and Turkey as well as introduced in this blog once it was created.

So far, it seems that the project is one sided, each school working in its own. How untrue! I have not mentioned the meetings yet. There have already been two and, no matter they are short in time, they are so intense and so unifying that one has the feeling that we are friends of a lifetime and each one`s school is the other two parties’ real home, too.

The first meeting took place here in Elda, last year in November. It was the first time we met those who came, full of presents and good expectations. We had been preparing for the occasion for a whole month and were ignorant of the kind of assistance they could need as it was a new thing for us all. We had never previously had such an experience. We did the best we could and we sincerely hope our partners enjoyed their time. Sometimes after that first meeting, we have thought that those days were too tiring for us and must then, of course, have been even more so for our counterparts. Sorry for that!

Satur Rueda

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Nos visitan nuestros amigos de Grecia y Turquía / Our Turkish and Greek partners visit our school

El pasado mes de noviembre recibimos a la comitiva de Grecia y Turquía. Teníamos muchas ganas de conocerlos porque hasta entonces sólo nos habíamos comunicado por correo electrónico. Fue muy interesante poder compartir con ellos un tiempo de convivencia y de diversión.
Nada más llegar les dimos la acogida en el gimnasio del instituto. Todos los alumnos fueron convocados y se leyeron unos discursos de bienvenida, además de intercambiar regalos. Luego les acompañamos al Ayuntamiento a una recepción que les ofreció la alcaldesa.
Además de pasear por la ciudad y entrar en todas las tiendas que veían para comprar recuerdos, les acompañamos al Museo Arqueológico de Elda, donde fuimos recibidos por Antonio Poveda, el arqueólogo municipal. También les acompañamos al Museo del Calzado. Allí se quedaron muy sorprendidos al ver tantos objetos relacionados con la principal industria de nuestra ciudad.
Como fin de fiesta les acompañamos al Museo Histórico de Aspe, donde un grupo de alumnas de 1º de Bachiller les hicieron una representación de la Danza de la Muerte que habían preparado con motivo de la exposición Rituales en Elda. Luego hubo cena y marcha.
Pero no sólo estuvieron en Elda, también tuvieron oportunidad de visitar Alicante y pasear por la Explanada. Y por supuesto, aprovecharon el viaje para conocer un poco Madrid durante el fin de semana.
Esperamos que hayan disfrutado de su visita. Nosotros por nuestra parte les hemos ofrecido nuestra hospitalidad y estamos deseando verlos de nuevo. Próximamente iremos publicando las fotos de este primer meeting.

Last november we received the representatives from the Greek and Turkish schools. We were looking forward to meeting them because up to that moment we had only had e-mail contact. It was very interesting to share with them both work and enjoyment .
We firstly welcomed them in our high school gym. All our students were summoned there. Some welcome speeches were read and presents interchanged. Then, we took them to the Town Hall where the Mayoress and other local authorities received them.
Apart from going for a walk and visiting some shops to buy souvenirs, we took them to the Archaeological Museum, where Antonio Poveda, the archaeologist in charge, showed us around. We also went to the Shoe Museum. There they were surprised by the great amount of objects connected with the main industry in our town.
To end, we took them to the Historical Museum of Aspe, where a group of pupil of the 1st year of bachillerato performed the Death Dance prepared as an ingredient of our archaeological exhibition Rituals in Elda. Later we had dinner and disco dancing.
But they did not only stay in Elda. They also travelled to Alicante and walked along its Explanada, and they also spent the previous weekend in Madrid.
We hope they enjoyed their time among us. On our part, we offered them our hospitality, and are since then longing to meet them again. The photos corresponding to this meeting will be on the blog soon.
Last november we received the representatives from the Greek and Turkish schools. We were looking forward to meeting them because up to that moment we had only had e-mail contact. It was very interesting to share with them both work and enjoyment .
We firstly welcomed them in our high school gym. All our students were summoned there. Some welcome speeches were read and presents interchanged. Then, we took them to the Town Hall where the Mayoress and other local authorities received them.
Apart from going for a walk and visiting some shops to buy souvenirs, we took them to the Archaeological Museum, where Antonio Poveda, the archaeologist in charge, showed us around. We also went to the Shoe Museum. There they were surprised by the great amount of objects connected with the main industry in our town.
To end, we took them to the Historical Museum of Aspe, where a group of pupil of the 1st year of bachillerato performed the Death Dance prepared as an ingredient of our archaeological exhibition Rituals in Elda. Later we had dinner and disco dancing.
But they did not only stay in Elda. They also travelled to Alicante and walked along its Explanada, and they also spent the previous weekend in Madrid.
We hope they enjoyed their time among us. On our part, we offered them our hospitality, and are since then longing to meet them again. The photos corresponding to this meeting will be on the blog soon.

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