Now the ICEPO project is ending, a process which has taken about 20 months. The project started at a contact seminar which was held in Gdansk in October 2008. At the seminar the project leaders from Iceland and Poland met and decided that the schools would work together. The process of application started.
At the end of February 2009 it was clear that the application had been accepted. As a result of that the project was introduced in the schools and participants were chosen. The first steps were taken and it was decided that the Polish group would visit Iceland in autumn 2009 and the Icelanders would go to Poland in spring 2010.
During the spring semester 2009 the participants were introduced and also their homes and countries. And the information was put on a joint website.
The main part of the project was during the school year 2009- 2010. The teachers met the students regularly to prepare for the visits and how to introduce the countries and nations.
The Polish group set out to Iceland on the 12th of September. The project leader in Iceland went to Keflavík national airport to welcome the guests and guide them to Höfn. During the visit in Iceland all sorts of project were worked on, including phrasebook which was planned to publish. Emphasis was also put on showing the guests Höfn and its surroundings, e.g. the glacier Vatnajökull, the Atlantic ocean, the countryside and what Höfn has to offer. The highlight of the trip was a Polish fest that was held at school on the 17th of September. That day the school was given time off and the day dedicated to the guests and their country. The Polish group gave some presentations and entertained. During lunch time there was a Polish feast including Polish sausage on the barbecue. In the evening around dark one of the members of the group performed a fire dance at school. This day was a great success and noticed all over the town.
After the Polish visit the participants continued working on the project. In both countries there was work on the phrasebooks and the Icelandic group also prepared for the visit to Poland.
On the 6th of March the Icelandic group left home for the visit to Poland. The days before the trip there were some questions about the road to Reykavík. The glacier Eyjafjallajökull had stirred and many thought that an eruption could break out any moment which could possibly destroy the road to Reykjavík. The glacier decided to behave and wait for the group to return home. A few days after the visit to Poland an eruption started and it is still going strong when those words are written.
The visit to Poland was all around successful. At the airport in Kraków the whole group from Poland welcomed the Icelandic group. It was a warm welcome on a cold night after a long trip from Iceland. The reception in Poland was excellent and the trip was informative and entertaining.
All the participants agree that taking part in a project like this gives them a very positive experience. Also the participants have formed bonds that hopefully are going to last. That is not the only thing that has been gained. On this website you can see the high lights of the groups work and the most interesting things that took place at each time. In addition the phrasebook has been published. The phrasebook contains all sort of information about the countries and a lot of common words and phrases.
Thank you so much for a great project and cooperation. It would be nice if the schools would be in touch in future.
THE FINAL REPORT |
