My  Erasmus + experience 

By Claudio Tomasicchio

From this point of view, I will always be grateful to the Erasmus project, which allowed me to get in touch with different cultures and understand their people and their history. Last month I participated directly to two projects. And I got excited about it. The first time, I hosted an 18-year-old boy from Lithuania: I was a little scared at the idea of hosting Gabrielius, who was older than me and older than my brother. In the end, it turned out to be a wonderful experience. I strongly socialized with the group of Lithuanian boys, but I also want to mention the presence of Turkish and Romanians. I would like to go back and live through that week again other 10,000 times. However, I didn't any idea of what kind of experience I would have in Portugal. This time I was the one who was hosted. It was the first time that I didn't have any fear of travelling by plane. Moreover I didn't have any kind of worries about the family that was going to host me: and I was surely right. Afonso's family is a fantastic family. Close, traditional, warm and above all hospitable. Yes, I think that the Portuguese society is very very inviting because people give a lot of importance to that values. This is why every time I remember my experience, I feel like I want to cry. Their school was a private college and even if I know that there might be many differences with the public ones, it was really wonderful and far better than I expected. Thanks to the many breaks and recreations that we had, we could live all lessons with lightheartedness and with great involvement. For this reason it wasn't a boring school at all. Not to mention how inviting were the buildings and sports facilities. You could spend your breaks doing what you wanted: from simple talk with friends to unbridled sport. I often preferred the second option. I met so many pleasent people who over time became friends in just one or two days. I will never forget the friendship that was given to me there in college. As a matter of fact, I must admit that I was one of the few, if not the only one, who spent more time with the Portuguese than with the other "foreigners". Lisbon is gorgeous. I loved it. I felt like a foreign tourist in Rome. The views and landscapes are extraordinary. And in those places, on the borders of Europe, I imagined being a mountaineer at the end of a climb. I felt fulfilled. There were also afternoon courses of art and music. It is the music that allowed me to go to Lisbon, and I will always be grateful to my music teacher Lupo, who gave me a second chance after the missed opportunity in Poland, and to Professor Bracci, who with all the patience of the world succeeded to fit me into the group of instrumentalists (there were alto sax, trumpet, classical guitar, electric guitar, and then me, who with my flutes peeked out in the middle of everyone), without forgetting the kindness and affection of Timpano teacher. All this resulted in a successful outcome of the concert, just in the last day of our unforgettable experience. I didn't cry but I wanted to. When I left, I expressed the desire to come back and live in Portugal, there in Almada, one day ... and when I was home I realized how important are languages ​ to move around the world. I don't know how well I managed to speak English, but I don't want to be too hard with myself.

In short, the Erasmus is a mental and cultural enrichment. It helps you to understand what other countries are but also to understand what your country is. I don't know if I will live again experiences like this in high school next year. Nevetherless, I hope to participate (even indirectly) in the subsequent Erasmus of our middle school, as far as music is concerned.