A Polish Love Story

When you go through the dozens of pages of the application form and come across expressions such as "strategic partnership", "cooperation for innovation", "exchange of best practices", "dissemination activities" etc., you fail to anticipate the emotional reactions generated by this type of cooperation, its emotional, sensitive side, the profoundly human dimension of collaborations within Erasmus plus European projects.

However, those who have the chance to coordinate European school-projects understand from the pre-application and post-approval stages that dedication, involvement, team spirit, generosity and local hospitality will metamorphose the relationships initiated for didactic and educational purposes, turning them into authentic friendships for the rest of their lives.

Mobility in these school partnerships is not limited to simple tourist activities, which are marked in a formal calendar, aiming, among other things, at promoting language learning or assessing the linguistic, social and (possibly) artistic skills of the participants. The opportunity to breathe, even if only for a few days, the local air, to immerse in the cultural environment and to get to know, directly, some of the most representative places for the history and spirituality of a people, their customs and traditions, their lifestyle, all favor a deeper learning and understanding than that mediated by publications or the online resources.

Yes, intercultural understanding is a primary objective of contemporary education, and exchanges of experience between European states make it easier to achieve this goal by informing and educating the participants about the inevitable similarities and differences, both able to bring us closer to and to foster both personal and intellectual development.

The Dutch humanist and theologian Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam, a representative of the Renaissance whose name has been linked to mobility programs for young Europeans since 1987, said: "The mutual love between the learner and the teacher is the first and the most important step to knowledge." The crossing of geographical borders was a most rewarding challenge for the participants in the first transnational activity of the project "Crossing Borders with Modern Media and Drama." Poland welcomed us with open arms and our hosts at Pijarskie Liceum Ogolnoksztalcace Krolowej Pokoju w Lowiczu together with the Polish guides succeeded - in only 5 days - in helping us to get to know the real them, to understand them and to love them.

The fact that Poland and Romania share a common history, that the two national identities have often faced, with courage, common adversities, make us proud and grateful for the chance to enrich the knowledge of the young generations of high school students at "Radu Vlădescu" Theoretical High School in Pătârlagele town, Buzău county, with the Polish lessons of solidarity, national dignity, tenacity and Christian faith. Inspired by the moral integrity and veracity of our coordinators, we will certainly succeed in making our Romanian friends, colleagues and readers of this blog acknowledge the evolution of a people reminiscent of the flight of the Pheonix, resembling the white eagle- the national symbol and the coat of arms on the Polish flag.

And, as for centuries, tradition requires the hearts of those who leave Poland for eternity to return home, our hearts will also continue to beat in harmony with the rhythms of Chopin's music, ignoring the geographical distance and boundaries between us, perpetuating with the vitality of the spring of the year 2018, the unique feelings, solidarity and hope, the realization of belonging to the same European family, celebrating the permanence of common values, the stability and reciprocity of feelings and the memory of the days spent together in Łowicz, Łódź Voivodeship and Warsaw.