Erasmus+ project "Building Bridges Beyond Borders” in Algeciras, Spain

Monday, 11.03.2024

Traveling from Kalajoki is sometimes very exhausting. We sometimes need to spend a night at the Helsinki airport to catch the morning flight. It was also the case here, but we were really excited to go to Spain and see our friends whom we hosted in Kalajoki so it was ok. And the good part was we arrived early on Sunday to Algeciras and had a whole day to enjoy, going to the beach, eating ice cream and spending time with our family.

On monday we all met at the school. What surprised us was how secure the school is. There was a gate and a tall fence and students and teachers had to use a buzzer to get inside. It is very different in Kalajoki and we like to have free access to the school and our school yard. What we also noticed was how noisy the school is. When the break started, students came out of the classroom and even though they all went outside to run and play some sports (it was very warm and sunny) it was very loud, students talked a lot, laughed and shouted. Something very strange for us, finnish people.

We started the day with some fun ice-breakers to relax and get to know each other better. Then we were introduced to the programme of the week and we saw it will be a very exciting week. We went to the school yard and played some games and it was great to be with friends and to see the sun and palm trees around us. 

After that we started with the digital part of the project. We had a workshop about digital photography and how to take the best digital picture with our phones. We think this is very important because we all have social media and it is good to know how to make quality pictures that will make us stand out. And understanding digital photography and the best practices can be an advantage in the future as well. 

Once done with the practice, the school organized for us a tasting of traditional regional food. There were eggs with potatoes, fried cheese in a rice ball and other really good foods. We ate under the palm trees and it was great.

 

 

Tuesday, 12.03.2024

The next day we were a bit tired in the morning. The Spanish students and families stay up very late and they eat their dinners very late. We know this is a cultural thing, but for us it was at the beginning a bit difficult to get used to. How can they be so full of energy when they sleep so little? Maybe the sun and the temperament helps.

We got the taste of the temperament first thing in the morning, when we had a Flamenco lesson. It is a Spanish traditional dance that is almost a theatrical performance, where the dancer dances with very dramatic poses and often interprets a story through the dance moves. It includes lots of clapping and stomping and is very energetic, which was a good thing to start the day with. It was not an easy thing to learn, but we think we got a good hold of it and now we are the best flamenco dancers in Kalajoki.

After the dancing, we had a digital tour of Algeciras city. We got a map with some points and using the digital codes (QR codes) we followed the story of a famous local flamenco musician and through his life also the story of the city.

Algeciras is maybe not the most beautiful city, there are not many palaces or amazing churches to see, but it has its charm. It was very close to Africa and thus created an interesting mix of cultures. Actually, there are many people that live in Africa but work in Algeciras and they travel to work by helicopter every day. Can you imagine?

We visited the market, the main square, the oldest church in the city and some other sights, but I think we most enjoyed a moment when we got offered churros and cocoa, the local delicious speciality. Churros is a dough stick fried in oil, it is crunchy, and tasty and it can be dipped in chocolate or eaten just as it is.

That was the end of the day and we got to then enjoy the afternoon and evening with our families.

 

Wednesday, 13.03.2024

This day we were very excited about because it was a day trip to sights around Algeciras. We took a bus for maybe 1 hour and arrived to Bolonia, where we visited Baelo Claudia.

Baelo Claudia is one of Andalucia´s most significant and well-preserved Roman archeological sites. The site ́s important history rests on the former city having been a strategic point for trade routes between Europe and North Africa. The remains of the impressive temple, Forum, basilica, baths, aqueduct, and large fish-salting factory in particular, can all be seen today, giving an insight into the former glory of the city.

We learned a lot about Roman history and we were also so lucky, that we saw the season of bird migration coming from Africa. All the birds that leave Europe for winter and are coming back for summer fly for days and days and then they arrive in this area all exhausted and they rest here before continuing the journey. Unfortunately, many of them do not make it. It was an impressive sight to see a sky full of birds coming from Africa.

Next stop on our tour was Tarifa, a cute little town which is the narrowest point between the mediterranean sea and atlantic ocean. We tried to walk there, but the wind was so strong it almost blew us to the sea. We actually saw a boat that was blown to the beach by the wind. Tarifa is a very touristic town and it is also due to the wind and the beautiful beaches. During the whole year, many nomads come here and it is a mecca of kitesurfers.

We toured the town, had some free time for ice cream and visited some sights. The town was full of orange trees and beautiful tile mosaics, simply like a fairytale land. Again, the afternoon we spent with our host families and friends, most of us went to the beach and had some fun in the sea, enjoying the warm weather and the hospitality of our friends.

 

 

Thursday, 14.03.2024

Ahead of us was another exciting day. Today, we will go to Gibraltar. It is a rock at the sea, close to Spanish land, but due to historical reasons it belongs to the British, so their official currency is British pound and we needed a passport and had to actually cross the border.

It is also famous for its monkeys, so we had to be careful not to have any food visible because they could jump on us and steal it from our bags or pockets. Also, there is a saying that as long as the monkeys stay at Gibraltar, it will belong to the British. It was only a 15-20 min bus ride from our starting point and we were at the borders. Right after we crossed the border, there was the strangest thing - we actually had to cross a flight runway to get to the city. It was a cool start of the day, standing at the airport runways with Gibraltar rock behind us.

After a little walk, the steep climb started. It was a very hot day and we did not realize how much we had to walk to get to the top. Luckily there were some ice-cream stands on the way and we also had some interesting stops.

Our first stop was at the bunkers that were dug into the rock during the second world war, when the British were under attack here. They dug long tunnels in the rock, where the inhabitants of the rock were hiding and where the soldiers had everything that was needed to stay safe - from army storage to a hospital and sleeping quarters and kitchen.

After visiting the tunnels we kept walking up and up. It was really not an easy walk and we started getting a bit tired, but the view from the road was amazing. And soon we started seeing the monkeys. They were very cute but also quite big and some a bit scary, so we did not dare to come too close to them. And soon we were at the top and had a chance for an amazing view. 

After all we can say that all that effort was worth it and Gibraltar was an amazing day trip.

 

 

Friday, 15.03.2024

The whole week went by so fast and suddenly Friday, the last day was here.we were a bit sad it was over, but had really a great time.

The day started with a flamenco performance by the students of the school. They were simply amazing and the girl singing the song had the most charismatic voice we have ever heard. It is very sad that many students of the school have no motivation to finish and study later at the high school. We were told that the school is in quite a bad neighborhood, maybe that is why it had such security around it. Many students come from problem families and families that cannot afford to give them a higher education. Once again we realized how lucky we are to live in Finland.

Next we had an announcement of the digital photography competition and the winners of the most original and the best picture got some small prizes. We all took part in submitting some pictures and one of us was even the winner. And the last part of the official programme was planting the friendship tree at the school garden. We hope that this tree will be a reminder of the great connections we created at Algeciras.

We think this week was a really amazing experience. We have learned so much and feel much more confident about our language skills and taking care of ourselves. We learned about Spanish culture, education system, history and cuisine. We improved our digital skills and most of all, found new friends and made some memories that will last a lifetime.