Everything changes depending on how you look at it

 On the 16th of January all the participants arrived at the airport in Madrid to meet at CEPA in Navalcarnero to start the last adventure together. It was a Monday afternoon and we were welcomed by the CEPA staff. The Operative Workshop students had been rehearsing a funny nursery rhyme to delight us with a very funny song that we finally sang along with them. Then it was the moment to get down to work on the first activity that CEPA Navalcarnero had designed for us to improve our artistic expression "See it, touch it, feel it!"

The workshop was about perception and the perceptual games used in plastic expression, advertising, etc. We started with a presentation using the technique of "Exquisite Corpse”. Each participant used a phrase that the partner had to draw, then passed it to the other who, interpreting the drawing invent a phrase and so on. It was explained how the perception of images worked in humans and how advertising uses this technique. We worked on an expressive work (sculpture, painting, performance, etc.) on the theme: multiculturalism.

On Tuesday, we loved the tour of  the Thyssen Museum. The guide showed us the most iconic works of the collection from the oldest works dating from the XII century to the American art ones. We could admire the masterpieces of the famous painters Ghirlandaio, Caravaggio, Pissarro or Hopper. This explanations helped us to interpret the messages that these artists wanted to convey to us room by room. Finally, he gave us a lesson on the importance of art in our history and we can assure that we all had a great time.

On Wednesday, we met at the Puerta de Alcalá to start a tour together with Alberto, our expert guide in historical routes through Madrid, to tell us the details of the most beautiful corners of Madrid. We took a great walk from the building of the National Bank of Spain to continue up to the Puerta del Sol through the Plaza Mayor and finish taking a picture all together at the Royal Palace and in front of the Basilica of the Almudena. We got very close because it was one of the coldest days of the year so we decided to have ¨chocolate con churros¨ to warm up.

On Thursday morning we all returned to Navalcarnero to spend the day together and with a guide and the first thing we did was to meet in the central square of Navalcarnero so that we could all see this town still retains its purest Castilian village style, with a relevant historical past, numerous artistic monuments, a typical cuisine and traditions that make the town a place of tourist interest.

In the afternoon, we went on a Gymkhana to visit the “trampantojos” In this route of Navalcarnero we could find several things represented. In some of them appeared typical characters of the town, others recover some passages of its history, others reproduce the traditional occupations to which the population has been dedicated. 

Afterwards we got on a bus to go to Brunete to enjoy a magnificent concert of music performed by Modelo T  (pop & rock cover band) where we could dance for a long time. Finally, we devoted the last day, Friday to evaluate each activity together

Everlasting memories of our stay in Prague

 Our Erasmus+ LTTA in Prague from 27th November to 2nd December will be impossible to forget! Although the activities started on Monday 28th, we had the chance to arrive a day before to walk around Prague’s historic centre.

On Monday, Luka and Gabi greeted us in a conference room of a beautiful hotel placed in the outskirts of the city, where we would be working during the following days. It all started with an ice breaking activity so that the participants could get to know each other. In this game, everybody had to write their name in the centre of a sheet of paper and four pieces of information in each corner: favourite colour, food, film and hobbie. However, only the name had to be true, we could invent the rest of the information. Thus, the rest of the participants were given a sort of flag in which “ANO” (yes) and “NE” (no) were written (one word on each side) in order to express whether the participant was telling the truth or lying.

And that’s how the second activity started! Czech isn’t an easy language for Romance language speakers, and we were really grateful for being able to learn basic words to get along during our stay.

Tuesday 29th was devoted to working on emotional intelligences. Our hosts presented their work to the participants. It consisted of working with students with disabilities or in risk of exclusion focusing on the use of emotions and social competence at school environment.

After this interesting presentation, we were asked to form 4 groups in order to work together and analyse the four main emotions that humans have: joy, fear, anger and sadness. We had to describe the symptoms, how to deal with each of them and how to self regulate. On a big sheet of paper, we could use photos from old magazines, draw, paint, etc. We loved this activity because of the self awareness this activity brought and the trust we built with the rest of the participants.

We started our third day talking about how we were feeling. Have you ever played Dixit? We had to choose one of its lovely cards which represented our mood in that moment. We all felt moved when some participants got emotional expressing the joy they felt for having the chance to live this experience!

Next, Gabi gave us a talk about how to use human books for building critical thinking and breaking prejudices. Thus, people with physical disabilities or in risk of exclusion shared their story, explaining the difficulties they had to face in their life. It was a pity that we couldn’t witness one since the girl who was going to come was hospitalised.

Alternatively, we were shown a human book which had been previously recorded: A story of  the linguist Daniel Everett, an American missionary who travelled to the Amazon with his familiy to christianise the tribe of the Piraha. After some time, he found himself giving up on his aim so as to live like one of them, getting to know the local language and culture.

To finish the day, it was Rea’s birthday (UK), so we were invited to a glass of Prosecco to celebrate it!

Thursday was our last day at the Aquapalace hotel and we were delighted by a great conference related to digital competences in 3rd age and fake news on the Internet. It’s always useful to remember that elderly people require a different methodology when teaching them any subject but specially IT as it’s a field that didn’t exist when they were young.

After the presentation, partners had to design a lesson on how to teach IT to a group of elder students. Our favourite one was a lesson on how to organise a trip from scratch. Students had to book the flights and the accomodation online, look for information about the currency of the country, documents and visas needed, etc.

It was Friday and our last activity of the Erasmus + in Prague took place in the city centre and was by far the most enriching and thought-provoking experience of them all. We went to live the “Invisible Exhibition”. Yes, I said live. The only thing we knew in advance was that we would spend one hour in complete darkness. Once there, we were headed to the space, which was separated in different rooms which represented parts of the house, the street, the forest, a museum and a bar. Camila was our guide; she was blind and helped us to move around the place.

This activity made us aware of how difficult it is to live without such an important sense like sight and how hostile the world may be for them. I wish everybody could have the opportunity to come to this exhibition.

We’d like to thank Luca and Gabi for these wonderful days and their hospitality. It’s been such an unforgettable experience. Can’t wait to see you all in Navalcarnero!

Much more than coffee and sign language

Many wonderful and interesting things happened to us on our trip to Turin from September 19 to 23 and we would like to tell you about them. We will start by saying that some of the participants have arrived in Turin the day before and some others got up very early to get on the plane to Italy. However , we all had in common our meeting in the Istituto dei Sordi of Torino on Monday morning. 

All the participants spent Monday and Tuesday and Thursday in the facilities the Istituto has in Pianezza. They were the hosts of the group of this Erasmus trip. As soon as we arrived we were welcomed by Florian and Enrico. Florian accompanied us everyday interpreting for us in sign language, helping us to discover the Istituto museum and the city of Torino as well.

On Monday, Gianluca was our guide so we followed him and Florian to the basement floor because they wanted us to admire their wonderful library with sign language dictionaries for the deaf in multiple languages and an exhibition of ancient objects related to the history of the Istituto. Some of the best moments we spent were in the cafeteria where the group had the opportunity to talk and at the same time to taste the delicious Italian coffees, sharing experiences of daily life in our respective countries and getting to know each other better. 

On Tuesday, the activity was really challenging as we joined with Nicola and learnt the alphabet in sign language. After having practiced the sign language letters each one introduced oneself to the assistants to the event.

On Wednesday morning after breakfast and … under the rain! all the participants met at 10 am to take part in a game that Florian had prepared for us. The meeting was in the city center, we were divided into two groups and the competition started. It wasn't easy as you know it was raining... but nothing stopped us and I must say that both teams did great. It was a very fun way to become real experts in the city of Torino and here I leave a small sample so you can see it.

After lunch and a little rest, we went to the GAM (Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art). It is many years that the GAM Education Department has pursued the goal of making art accessible through the Museum; regular projects are organized for the social inclusion of people with disabilities. This programme includes augmented perception activities and ranges from the use of touch tour maps, modeling workshops, guided tours with LIS (Italian sign language) interpretation, workshops with artists and special projects.

On Thursday all the participants put on the  aprons and Mariana Lucca explained to us about the process of preparing a recipe of a delicious apple strudel. The aim of this workshop was to eliminate barriers for deaf people who wish to receive training in the field of cooking by making this task completely accessible. There were photos showing the culinary process and also drawings of the ingredients before making the recipes. All the participants were divided into 5 groups and we were helped by the nice cooks of the Istituto. At the end of the workshop each group could be proud of having cooked an apple strudel we ate as a desert later on.

On Friday when we thought that they could not surprise us with anything better, Florian invited us  to an original visit: the Lavazza Museum. Here, we took part in an immersive journey through the coffee culture as it is the largest center for coffee studies in the world. In the museum we experienced a range of educational activities and sensory activities focused on stimulating our curiosity about the world of coffee. It was a sunny day and we all met in the museum gardens to share our last meal together, took some pictures and wished each other a good trip and see you soon in Prague!

Jazz hands!

This dance move could have been a perfect ending for the fun week the participants in the Erasmus+ LLTA had in London at the end of May. But let’s start on Monday 23^rd:

After flying to London from Madrid and Athens the previous Sunday, a little group of youngsters and adults met at the beautiful gardens of Regent’s University, in Regents Park. Some biscuits and tea were waiting for them, as well as Patricia: a French professor whose real passion is mindfulness. Thus, she was the perfect guide to introduce them to this perspective of wellbeing, help them guide-meditate, and prove how music can be of help in one’s journey towards inner peace.

In the meantime, the transnational meeting was taking place in another classroom, where goals were checked and decisions were made regarding the next LLTA in Turin, as it will be taking place at the beginning of September, when classes at the different participant institutions will be bound to start. Hence, some anticipation was required to enjoy our summer holidays with everything organized and ready.

After both sessions, everybody met at the university canteen to enjoy some snack before going for a walk around the astonishing gardens that surrounds the facilities. Flowers had already bloomed, so their many colours amazed everyone except for those with allergies. Yet, nobody complained about the visit to Sherlock Holmes famous doorstep in their way to another colourful place: the National Gallery.

Tuesday was a joyfully day, as Professor Wolf was waiting for the participants to enchant them with several rhymes. The very first question was whether anybody considered themselves a nice singer, to which only silence followed. Hence, the expectations of having a successful singing lesson were not very high. Still, through practice, division in groups and lots of repetition; at the end of the workshop all voices were perfectly merging and forming a harmonic choir. Although it started to thunder outside so…, who knows!

Yet, the rain did not stop the participants from going into an adventure at the other side of the Thames after lunch: taking a stroll by the riverbank, they got to see the London Eye and Millennium Bridge pairing; the Tate Modern; and the HSN Belfast; right before crossing the Tower Bridge to round the Tower of London, pass by the skyscrapers at The City and end up admiring St. Paul’s great dome.

Wednesday was devoted to jazz. Professor Luna, one of our hosts, had prepared a fun reading scavenger’s hunt about various musicians and London clubs. The participants did not only learn about jazz culture in England but also practice their English comprehension skills, which brought together the goal of this Erasmus: languages (no matter the type) bring us together

Later on, Professor Laffy, who is a jazz music fanatic, demonstrated how emotions can be expressed through music, this specific style being the perfect means to accomplish such task. He played different versions of the same song, after which the participants discussed which they had liked the most and why, as well as which feeling each of them evoked. Despite living surrounded by music and its culture, it was mind-opening to reflect on the emotional aspect of this art.

Thursday 26^th was intended to be an active day, so the morning coffee and biscuits that welcomed the participants every morning at Regent’s University were of need. Leigh Tredger, a drama and dance professor, had prepare a full day of activities to introduce them into Laban Movement Analysis (LMA). This is a method and language to describe, visualize, interpret, and document human movement. However, her workshop was not theoretical at all, and yet they came out of it with a clear idea of the Laban Eight Efforts: wring, press, flick, dab, glide, float, punch, and slash. They interiorized all these efforts and expressed them along their peers in one of the building’s dance studios. Every one of the participants agreed: they felt refreshed, light…, in peace.

That afternoon, with their bodies filled with new energies, they wander around the British Museum admiring art pieces from all epochs and places, soaking on its enriching culture. They were so immersed in the explanations given by the accompanying staff that a security guard had to remind them three times the way out as they were closing: nobody wanted to leave.

Finally, the last day of the LLTA arrived, but there could have not been a better ending workshop: Professor Lecumberri was there to test the participants on their British music culture; but also taste, as there were some disagreements about who was the best: The Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones. Through some perfectly organized games, the participants competed in two teams, matching bands with pictures, learning about each one of them, making a timeline, and recognizing their most famous songs. There was even a little bit of sing-along at the end! The prize: some chocolates and the possibility of singing Queen’s We are the champions.

That afternoon, another British icon was waiting for them at Camden Town, as you cannot visit that crazy maze of shops without taking a picture with Amy Winehouse’s statue. The last souvenirs were bought, and some fish and chips were enjoyed at a local pub. A very British ending to this marvellous adventure in London.

That’s Greek to me!

This idiom does not reflect at all what the participants in the Erasmus+ LLTA and meeting that took place in Athens at the end of March experienced: youngsters and adults from Navalcarnero (Spain), London (England), Prague (Czech Republic), and Turin (Italy) met their Athenian peers in the most idyllic setting – under the magnificent shade of the Acropolis.

For five days we mingled with Greek culture and people, ate a lot of aubergine and feta cheese (when in Greece, do as the Greeks do…, or was it the other great civilization?), and experienced all four seasons in a week as we even had snow, rain, and sun all on the same day. But let’s focus on what matters: what did we do while our stay in Athens?

Monday was the beginning of the great adventure: while two people from each country met for the transnational meeting that had been arranged, the participants and those accompanying them attended the LTTA. During the meeting, many decisions were discussed regarding the organization and planning of the project, roles were assigned, and goals were checked. Moreover, dates were finally set for each remaining training and transnational meeting, mostly focussing on the organization of those in London as that was the next destination. What a productive day!

In the meantime, our participants had an introductory workshop, in which we got to know better the rest of the participants. Various ice-breaker activities were done, as well as each person had the chance to introduce themselves and the place they came from. Then, in the afternoon, after having a snack, everybody went sightseeing around the city, enjoying the views of the Acropolis until Zeus decided to throw some thunderbolts and sent everybody inside for the evening.

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On Tuesday, some more Greek ancient culture was waiting for the participants, in this case Greek theatre: we learnt about Oedipus and his interesting family history, and we gave voice to some of his children in a multicultural mix.

Later on, we got to know another very Greek trait: they like their food, and that means abundance. Those who asked for a chicken breast and ended up facing almost a whole chicken had it difficult to get to their next destination: the National Museum of Contemporary Art. The final opinions on what had been seen in there were greatly varied, but we all reached the same conclusion: those pieces made us feel – better or worse, yes – but they had achieved their goal. Yet, this conversation could not happen till later that evening at the hotel, as Zeus got moody again and the way back to the hotel was an adventure fit for Odysseus. 

On Wednesday, the well-known group The Speakers proved how important body language is, not only in theatre but real life too. Body posture and gestures were discussed, giving practical examples, and letting the participants express themselves and analyse how they felt speaking in public, and what their peers’ body language told them about how they were feeling when facing an audience.

On that day, some people decided to try the whole chicken again for lunch, but once again the chicken was the winner in that fight. With a full stomach, we headed to Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre, where we could visit its roof-gardens and some art exhibitions that were shown inside.

Despite all these wonderful activities, the most enjoyable for most of us was on Thursday and Friday. We welcomed the Greek actress Nikoletta Vlavianou, who trained us to become birds in our own adaptations of Aristophanes’ Greek comedy The Birds. 

We came up with our own tweets, singing in a chorus; and our own flying movements that were used in the creation of four short tragedies, which were in the end mixed to create a performance that ended up with loads of confetti and a very cute bird badge for each of the participants.

Moreover, 25^th March is Greek Independence Day, so on Friday we also had the chance to see all army forces marching the streets, some fighter aircrafts flying above our heads, and some music bands parading around the city.

Finally, the weather had decided to shine on us for those two days, so the afternoon plans were also greatly enjoyed such as going for a nice walk on Filopappou Hill and watching a beautiful sunset from up there. There could have not been a better end to our Athenian adventure.

Navalcarnero Transnational Meeting

On October 14 and 15, the first Transnational Meeting of the Erasmus + Project "Languages ​​Bring Us Closer" was held, coordinated by the Gloria Fuertes Adult Education Center of the Community of Madrid.

This is the first to be organized of the five scheduled.

All the partners attended the meeting, so in addition to being an interesting opportunity to coordinate the work, it was an extraordinary opportunity to meet us personally.

The meeting has been a great success. The representatives of the different countries thanked the municipality and CEPA Gloria Fuertes for their hospitality and the next meetings were sheduled.

You can see all the photos of the meeting in our gallery, but here we leave you some of them