It is the 8th of November and we are eager to get to know our colleagues and travelling companions on this project. We are all met at nine o'clock at the school by our headteacher, Natalia Iranzo, who welcomes our visitors formally. After a tour of the school facilities we hold a meeting in the school library, where the students from each school carry out presentations they have carefully prepared at home. They show us lots of images which awaken our interest in their native cities immediately. 
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The first day of our meeting will be largely devoted to solving questions about the tasks to be done in the next months and planning our visits to the different schools. Students will also attend some lessons with their partners to give them a taste of school life here and make them realize that what people normally speak here is not exactly Spanish but Catalan, and not a dialect but a language of its own. Luckily, it is English that grants understanding among us all. Spanish, however, is still an important link with our closest neighbours, Italians, with whom communication is really smooth.

 

But of course, once work meetings are over, we take on our favourite role as tour guides and show our guests around as we take them to the most outstanding city landmarks, such as the Old Cathedral, La Seu Vella, the High Street and shopping centre running parallel to the River Segre, the History Museum or the Town Hall. On the last day we think everyone will enjoy a trip to the mountains, and even if the bus journey to The Valley of Boí in the Catalan Pyrenees is rather long, our guests admit it has been worthwhile. We can admire the Catalan Romanesque churches, which are a World Heritage Site, and stretch our legs in Aiguestortes National Park. Loreta, from Utena, regretted having packed so many warm clothes: of course, we have slightly different perceptions of cold.

 

We are delighted to have dinners at the teachers' homes and are all the more glad seeing they all survive our treats with snails everywhere. When this first meeting is over we are already looking forward to the next one. We feel there has been a friendly atmosphere, a desire to exchange a lot of information and ideas about our common project, about different teaching styles and about our countries in general. Lubor, Petra, Loreta, Edmundas (2), Rossella and Iolanda: it was great meeting you all! 

 

NEXT STOP: Naples!