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martes, 21 de junio de 2016

Wishes for you and for all children around the World.

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Try to remind yourself you as a child. Think about your dreams that you had. This big one and small one. Dreams that you were making when you were alone and these which you were sharing with people that you loved. Now think - what would you wish for the children who lives close to you? What would you wish for all children around the world? 

With “Węgajty” Association we decided to make small project, activity with children in Spain and Poland. Węgajty Association is making “Summer in Theatre” project, and they will make with children performance called “Halo, can you hear me?” based on children’s rights, dreams, wishes and desires. We decided to use opportunity that I’m making my EVS in Ciudad de Los Niños and we created common activity that was conducted more or less at the same time in Spain and in Poland. We were collaborating with Beata Późniak, one very motivated and open for new ideas teacher from Primary School in Jonkowo village.

Children were writing letters to each others. In the first part they were describing and presenting their cultures. With children in Ciudad de Los Niños we were trying to find answers for a few questions: What is the culture? What makes Spain/Andalucia special and different from other parts of the world? Who are we? What define us? What would surprise person from other culture (people from Poland) here, in Granada? What will impress them? We were looking for the answers, children were drawing their ideas. It was also important moment for me, because I could share with them few things that surprised me when I came here. We were trying to define Spanish culture. At the end I collected their pictures and ideas and made big circle full of their pictures.

In the second part, we were making wishes for each other’s and for all children in the world. I left this topic very open, I just gave one sheet of paper for each child and I asked them to draw wish for other children. Not every child know how to write so when they were giving me back their pictures I was writing their wishes on the other side (then I added them on the computer). That what I get back surprised and touched me very much. Some children are very small, they are just few years old, but with such a big passion they were making wishes for other children. 


Here are some of their dreams:





Some of these dreams are very simple and because of that they are so powerful. I remember small girl drawing the fridge, she was saying to me every product that she was putting inside [“teacher, there will be eggs, a lot of eggs and milk and apples and (…)”]. Or the boy who were drawing a bed – he just came and gave me his picture and said: “I wish that every child will have a bed and sleep well”. I was really touched, but for them I was just saying “Thank you, It’s a beautiful wish”. This what happened during this simple activity reminded me what I’m doing here. I believe that every dream reflects lack of something in our life. I saw this children dreaming about such a simple, basic things. Again I felt that I want to share with them my affection and love - simple things that every of us need to live and to be happy. 



Monika






viernes, 17 de junio de 2016

Giants, reggeaton and corrida or … Corpus Christi in Granada

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It is said, that in Granada the biggest holidays is Corpus Christi. Because it is an important christian holidays and it is also the time, when it take place here feria de primavera. 

In our center we started to celebrate Corpus one week earlier. During all May, we had kind of Masses in the school's chapel, because it was a special Virgin's month. But, one day, I walked into the chapel and I could see, that the Virgin Mary is ready to get out. Seriously. She was standing on a special platform, using during the Semana Santa... but, come on – we've already celebrated Easter two months ago. What's going on? 


There is a famous event called Romeria, which is trip or peregrination which ends at a sanctuary or hermitage, during this celebration, there are dancing, singing, eating and drinking and, of course, people usually dress in famenco dresses. So, we prepared Romeria also here, with a „trip” around the school. Few older boys took the Mary outside the school and our little girls, wearing orange flamenco dresses, (mandatory in dots) and one boy were dancing for her. 


Next, it was Wednesday – one day before the Corpus. It was impossible to walked by Gran Via. Why? Because people was waiting for La Tarasca. It is a parade of giants.


First, we can see catholics and arabic kings, then, more or less ordinary people with enormous heads, orchestra and, the most important - pretty doll in flamenco dress, riding dragon. It's connected with a legend about Saint Martha, who defeated the dragon in Tarasque kingdom in France just by prayers.


Finally we have the day of the Corpus. It seemed to be similar to the polish one. There were beautiful altars situated around the church and procesion with the Holy Sacrament.


There was even a material's roof through all the procesion way to protected decorations. So, we were waiting in front of the cathedral for procesion. Waiting...and waiting... and we couldn't believe how many people, who just carried the flags, could be inside the cathedral. And they were leaving and leaving, without any song or prayer, more than half on hour... we almost felt asleep. Finally, there left priests with a Holy Sacrament. So, like in our country, we quickly ran behind the priests, to follow the procesion, to be the first people and could see and hear everything, but... in a few minute we realized, that we were not just the first one – we were the only one who did it... Next time i'll read some savour vivre guidebook before ;) 


The same week there were started two other things. First one was the feria. It is tipical for all Andalusia that during a week, more or less, in the city there are concerts, dances and fiestas inside the tents, with the sangria and flamenco and/or reggaeton music. The most well know feria take part in Sevilla in April, but in Granada it's open for everybody. And the last thing – do you know what kind of event starts in a day of Corpus? It's also tipical for Andalusia. We have flamenco, sangria, so... yes, it is corrida... When I had spanish lessons in Poland, years ago, we learned one word which is really usefull for me to describe sometimes some spanish customs – que barbaridad! ;)