The Second Mobility

C3 - Troyan – Bulgaria, 15th-21th 0ctober 2018

 Day 1, 16th October 2018

The first activity was the school visit and the meeting with the teachers and students from all the four countries involved in the project. We all shared ideas, knowledge and expectations about the project.

The audio video materials, presenting the schools and the towns of the teams participating in the project, attracted the attention of the audience through their creativity and originality.

Then we shortly visited the town of Troyan in order to discover its landmarks and its touristic attractions.

All the afternoon was dedicate to the visit to Troyan Monastery, the third biggest one in Bulgaria, and to the National Exhibition of Folk Arts and Crafts. We were impressed by the Bulgarian architecture and by the history of these places. We got to know the traditional art and the Bulgarian folklore through the items exhibited there. The students showed their practical skills creating clay objects. They were captivated by the activity and we all enjoyed ourselves.

 Day 2, 17th October 2018

The day began with an invitation at the school canteen where the students, divided in teams, prepared a traditional Bulgarian breakfast, under the coordination of the host students. The activity led us into a good mood and in the end we tasted the products we had prepared before.

Next on the project agenda was the visit to Troyan Cityhall. We were received in the festivity room by the Mayor of Troyan, Donka Mihaylova, who welcomed us warmly. She gave a short presentation of the town, which turns 150 years of existence.

The rain didn’t stop us to continue the activities because the students were involved in the competition called „The Treasury of Knowledge”. Each team had to find certain codes on the most significant buildings in town and to get to finish as soon as possible. The students managed to find their way using a telephone and the indications from the team leader. The competition was very exciting and the effort of each student was rewarded in the end with diplomas and a cake.

Day 3, 18th October 2018

We departed by bus to Gabrovo, early in the morning. There we visited the biggest Open Air Museum with traditional items from Bulgaria. We were presented with authentic objects well preserved here, the three water mills, but also replicas of houses and old crafting shops. The boys were interested in the knives and leather manufacturing, and the girls in the ones working with silver. We all tasted the products from the bakery and the sweets shop.

Then we visited Veliko Tarnovo, the second historical capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire. In a relatively short period of time we found out many things about some of the main touristic attractions from Bulgaria, by visiting the miniatures displayed in the park called Mini-Bulgaria. We were fascinated by the architecture of the town situated on a steep side of a hill and by its cobbled narrow streets.

 Day 4, 19th October 2018

The competition of robots was the most expected event on the agenda. The teams have prepared their robots and they have tested them for 20 minutes on the pre established routes. The robots raised on the two routes after the rules had been announced. The winner was decided through making the ratio between the two times on the route. The whole experience was successful for all the teams.

The afternoon was dedicated to the workshop with the firm “Robotika” from Sofia. The participants had the chance to build a mini robot using lego parts. The mixed teams collaborated to realize a tank that had to follow a route with obstacles. The students were fascinated both by the construction elements and by the programming part.

The state dinner from Bulgaria restaurant reunited the host families, the students and the teachers who participated in the project. The already formed relations of friendship were strengthened in an informal environment, the challenge of the evening being the Bulgarian folk dances. Here, the students received the diplomas for the robot’s competition.

 Day 5, 20th October 2018

The students spent the day in a relaxed way, with the host families. Some of them went in trips, others went to picnics or spent the day in town, and they have all consolidated the friendship relationships, having fun together.