Reflections by John Xasiotis
Hello. My name is John and I recently took part in an Erasmus+ experience with two parts,one in France and one in Austria.
I have to say that I did not expect to get involved in a project like this but i’m more than glad that I did.It was an experience of a lifetime!! I met incredible people and saw amazing places ,tasted amazing food and most importantly I grew a lot as a person. The project was about teaching youngsters a better way to look at the future. The organizers prepared tons of non formal activities to transmit their knowledge and message to us. I learned about how to cope better with stressful situations, I got more confident in believing in myself and better communicate my thoughts and feelings to others. Also I reaped the benefits of connecting with people from different cultural backgrounds.
I chose the program having in mind that I love discussing new ideas and finding ways to help communities evolve. I really believe that if we work together we have the power to make the world a better place for all of us.
The most difficult part of the experience was the beginning. The second thoughts were all over me because I was gonna be a stranger in a foreign country.But after getting there and meeting these incredible people I felt so incredible and had an experience of a lifetime. One of the moments that will stay in my memory for a long time is all the people in the village in France getting together and cooking amazing local dishes for us.And even though they almost didn’t speak english at all you could see the happiness and kindness in their eyes, giving us the opportunity to taste their cultural dishes first hand. And after the amazing things that they did for us, the last day we organised a party with them, making them taste our ethnic cuisine dishes and dancing with them. That I will never forget.
To all the young people out there thinking of participating in a project, do yourself a favor and get out there. Go meet amazing people and explore parts of the world you wouldn’t do otherwise. Good luck!!!!
Reflections by Anna Pouliou
This training course I experienced has to be the highlight of my life so far. I can’t get over the amazing people I met, some of whom I consider my friends and I hope I get the chance to see them again. Moreover, I can’t express the hospitality and warmth I felt from the facilitators’ side and the volunteers of the Europe Berry Touraine association. But it’s more than that! During the two weeks of the program, I visited completely different places. The first part of the programme took place in Châtillon sur indre, a French village in central France, and the second in Vienna, the capital of Austria. I gained meaningful life skills and knowledge in a different way. In my experience, the program that took part in the smaller city gave me the chance to connect better with the rest of the participants and the facilitators as well. I advise everyone to take some time and apply to an Erasmus plus program, whether it’s a youth exchange or a training course, you won’t regret it! In fact you will thank the people that introduced you to the Erasmus world and gave you the opportunity to live that. I know I do!
In Austria we had the chance to visit The Parliament and the Haus der European Union and discover the European values by ourselves.
This is the very last activity we did together where we tried to find our partner by touching their face.
