Thanks to this project, I met wonderful people, discovered many beautiful places and made my dreams come true…
I am very thankful that I had a chance to go on this journey and participate in the project. Thanks to this project, I met wonderful people, discovered many beautiful places and made my dreams come true. I was positively surprised by the kindness of the Italians, their approachability and the everlasting smile on their faces. I was also surprised by the charges for using cutlery or glasses. I loved trying new things, my best memory is having dinner on one of the Venetian islands. During one day of our trip: we sailed on the boat to Murano Island, escaped from the huge group of tourists and the city bustle, ran through the grass, sat by the water looking at the beautiful views – this is one of those memories that will be with me for the rest of my days. Another such memory is surely the visit in Como, swimming in the water with the view of the Alps, together with Justyna and Laura we floundered in the icy water to get to the mini waterfall at the beginning of the lake (I even took rocks from that place). The biggest obstacle, if I can call this like that, was probably tiredness, the weight of a backpack, the small amount of sleep and travelling through, for example, 4 countries in one day. Primarily, I would like to express my gratitude for being given such an opportunity. This changed a lot in my life as I noticed that travelling does not have to be so difficult at all, and I fell in love with it even more. Also, I would like to thank my co-participants and the great leader, all of us supported each other during the trip and every crisis.
We encourage you to participate in non-formal learning mobilities because this is an inimitable experience, we can discover wonderful places as well as ourselves. I highly recommend such trips to my peers, they should enjoy life as much as possible.
Filipina, 18 years old, Travel through different European countries – “Discover It Yourself “
The organisation of this trip on my own was a really interesting experience for me. in the group I was travelling with…
This trip was and will definitely be an unforgettable experience for me.
Right from the beginning, we had guaranteed great support from LEVEL UP, we had organized integration online meetings and meetings preparing for the trip. You could also take English classes if you were not confident in this language. Personally, I did not take such classes, but I know there was a possibility like that and a lot of participants took advantage of that.
The whole organisation of the project was very affordable. The organisation of this trip on my own was a really interesting experience for me. in the group I was travelling with. Thanks to this, I had an opportunity to see a huge part of Europe, starting from the Czech Republic, Croatia, Austria to northern Italy.
We visited Prague, Vienna, Zagreb, Venice, Verona, Milan, Como and Zurich.
From all of those places, Como was by far the most memorable place for me, where we spent a day at the lake together with other teenagers our age from all over the world, bathing in the warm water among the Alps mountains, exploring a nearby waterfall and having a great time doing that.
During the trip, I had an opportunity to try many traditional dishes from the countries we visited. I was able to try authentic, Italian pizza, Venetian carbonara, gelato, Czech dumplings, Swiss pretzel and much more.
I visited many cultural centers and museums – such as Venice Glass Museum or Belvedere Museum Vienna.
I could see many architectural marvels with my own eyes, such as the Cathedral in Milan and Bosco Verticale, Saint Mark’s Square and many more.
Personally, I love travelling by trains, so I was thrilled with the form of travelling. Obviously, not everything went according to the plan. There were some impediments, spontaneous changes of plans, however, this taught me that it is possible to get out of any difficult situation, whether I am at home or on the other side of Europe.
I am very happy that I could break the language barrier and practice communication skills in English. After a few times of personally booking seats on trains or asking conductors and random people from different countries and cities about the actual situation on the route, I can confidently say that there is always a way to communicate with others, and my English does not have to be perfect for me to make my dreams come true.
Additionally, I have to mention the amazing girls with whom I could realize my trip! We got along great from the first day, and being together for almost two weeks was a great and interesting experience for me. It was very hard for me to part ways with them after that, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that we will stay in touch.
I am very thankful for having the opportunity to participate in this kind of a project and being able to experience this on my own. I wholeheartedly recommend this to teenagers my age and anyone else who has the opportunity.
Obviously, I highly recommend trips like that. These trips are great opportunity for growth, expanding horizons and the most beautiful memories are left behind. I encourage peers to participate in such projects and share my experience with them whenever I have a chance.
Justyna, 18 years old, Travel through different European countriesj – “Discover It Yourself “
We are going to remember such moments and think about how they influenced our journey for the rest of our lives…
After the project, I already know how not to organise and not get emotional over such a trip. First of all, you should not stress more than necessary. In the beginning, many things seem to be hard to overcome, however, if you split them into smaller goals – they suddenly appear as achievable as possible. This goes to the organisation of the entire trip, as well as the handling of unexpected obstacles standing in the way. Secondly, you should not have a closed mind. The more we open our minds, the more values we will get on our way, the more things we will notice, the more issues we will be able to solve, the better we will get to know people around us. Thirdly, as we speak about people, you should not hesitate to leave your comfort zone and meet new people, whether from our group or another country, organisation, etc. It may turn out that those friendships will be for the rest of your life, and even if only until the end of the trip, each person you meet brings something to our live to a greater or lesser extent. Fourthly, you should try local food, dance, language, you name it. This is the unique occasion to leave your comfort zone. What is more, local people are often willing to introduce you to their world. Pizza in Warsaw is not going to taste the same way as the one in Venice 😉 Fifthly, you should not lose “the sixth sense”. Everything is okay as long as nothing happens, so let’s be brave and try. Let’s be prudent. Sixthly, you should not forget about gratitude. I mean the basic, human gratitude. For the beautiful sunrise, the harmoniously rainfall, the untypical way to the destination, someone’s good or more hurtful, honest word. For the opportunity you got from live, and of course from LEVEL UP!
I encourage you to participate in non-formal learning mobilities because this is the opportunity to “open the window to the world”, to get to know yourself better as well as new people, to gain new experiences and skills. Independent trips are also an important element of becoming independent, learning how to control time, money or measuring strength against intentions. Memories, our experiences are those things that build our “self”. We are going to remember such moments and think about how they influenced our journey for the rest of our lives.
Laura, 18 lat, Podróż przez różne kraje europejskiej – “Discover It Yourself “
We were surprised by local people who offered their help and gave us smiles every step of the way…
First and foremost, I have incredible memories and experiences from the project. As the TL, I learned how to work with the people I recently met, how to work under the pressure of time or how to relieve pressure in nervous situations. I met new people and new perspectives. I met wonderful people in my group with whom I hope to keep in touch for many years. We discovered new cuisines, especially Italian flavours together with the group. We were surprised by local people who offered their help and gave us smiles every step of the way. I am thankful that I could participate in the project that had an influence on my daily live. It taught me new things, and the memories will stay with me forever. During the whole trip, I received a lot of support from LEVEL UP. I could always count on help and good advice. I would like to express my gratitude to LEVEL UP for giving me the opportunity to participate in the project and to the people from my group for their support and active participation.
I encourage you to participate in non-formal learning mobilities because this is a great experience and it brings many practical skills into your life.
Marcelina, Travel through different European countries – “Discover It Yourself “
The project let me experienced incredible and unforgettable adventures…
I will remember my journey with the project organized by LEVEL UP for the rest of my live. The project let me experienced incredible and unforgettable adventures. I had the opportunity to get to know the culture of different countries, interesting people of my age and see many breathtaking views. I learned how to work under pressure and adapt to the constantly changing environment. Thanks to this trip, I found out that my favourite cuisine is Italian cuisine. By far the most delicious lasagna I have eaten was there in a local restaurant, not to mention the tiramisu that Venice is known for. An incredible city with many picturesque streets. This is where their public transportation, which consists only of boats, surprised me. I am deeply grateful for having the opportunity to participate in the trip without any restrictions and freedom with which we were able to plan our trip.
I encourage you to participate in non-formal learning mobilities because this is the opportunity to get to know not only the incredible places and people, but yourself and your traits. Through international trips, you will find out how you react in new and unpredictable situations, learn about your weaknesses, which you can work on later, but most importantly you will learn what your strengths are.
Marta, 18 years old, Travel through different European countries – “Discover It Yourself “
Every country, we visited, had its own and unique charm…
The project let me get to know the world. To more specific, the project allowed me to see how life looks like in other countries, to get to know the countries and their people, to admire the beauty of nature and the landscape that cannot be seen in Poland. Every country, we visited, had its own and unique charm. This project also allowed to appreciate some aspects of Poland that are missing in other countries. Sometimes, there were difficult moments but we dealt with them effectively. The trip happened to be an incredible adventure that allowed you to spread wings and fly. During the duration of the trip, we could improve language skills, and as a result, we could expand our circle of friends. Fate brought me an incredible surprise. It let meet a certain awesome girl. On the train, there was one available seat next to me, where a girl sat down. In the beginning, it was really hard for me to break the language barrier, however, I overcame my fear and asked her to fill out the survey. As is turned out, 23 – year-old Maria was born in Italy, but she was not from there. Her parents had Egyptian nationality. She spoke three languages: Arabic, Italian and English. She was very kind and nice. It is really interesting how Maria first tried to say the word “Hi”. The biggest problem for her was the sound “cz”, that she pronounced as “t” and instead of “hi”, she said “father in law”. Moreover, I learnt that she is a pharmacy student. What did the project teach me? The project primarily taught me independence and responsibility, the fact that sometimes you need to trust yourself and rely on yourself. It taught that there are always surprises in life. Some are nice and some are not that we are not always prepared for and good organization and improvisation count. It showed how to manage stress and, most importantly, it taught how to manage the budget well and the ability to compromise in some cases, as well as to accept the other person’s thoughts, freedom, the fact that we do not always have influence over the actions of others, but we should get along. It is a very important skill that can be used at work in the future. The human is a social being, which means that it constantly shows a desire to communicate with another person. In the long run, it takes a lot of hard work for a person to accept different concepts and the way of thinking and different values. The project not only allowed me to meet new people from other countries, but also the customs and habits from other parts of Poland. As for the culinary specialities of the local chefs, I do not want to speak out as every person likes something different. In the 21 century, we have diversity of taste. As for me, I do not hide the fact that I belong to people who like the simplicity of meals. For me, the most delicious meal was the one served in the Czech Republic mainly because it strongly resembled the Polish cuisine. It was a chicken with potatoes and dill sauce. To be honest, I remember foreigners very well. First of all, for the help their shown. There was a situation when I got a cold sore, so I had to go to the pharmacy to get an ointment for it. The pharmacist turned out to be very a nice and helpful woman despite my “poor” English. She was not abrupt or grumpy. I was very grateful to her for giving me the detailed explanation of the use of the medicine. I am very grateful to LEVEL UP for the opportunity and the support I have been given, for the proper preparation to the project and the commitment and belief in its success. If it were not for LEVEL UP, most students who do not have excellent grades but are ambitious would not have memories or experiences they have gained from this trip. I would especially like to express my gratitude to the Vice President of the Board of Directors Justyna Panevska for the support and showing the interest during the trip, Ms. Agnieszka Pawłowska-Kalinowska, thanks to whom I learned about the existence of the project and for all the time she supported and advised me, as well as to my beloved siblings, who were an extraordinary support to me during my loneliness and problems during the trip. Thank you for being here as the world needs such people and such organisations that allow to reveal the secret of the world. I am a very lucky woman to had the opportunity to meet you. Thank you one more time.
I encourage you to participate in non-formal learning mobilities because this journey not only allow you to grow and further your education. It also allows to extend new horizons, to test yourself and others. In critical situations, you can learn who is the real friend and who is only pretending to be one. First of all, you can see for yourself what the trip can give you. Everyone draws different conclusions and this is what is beautiful about it. I can speak about a lot of benefits that come from them, but none may convince you as you pay attention to something else. The journey itself is the answer to the questions that we did not have a clue about it. What we observed during the trip, no one can take away from us even if they wanted to. Try it and you will see how many benefits it can bring you.
Oliwia, 18 years old, Travel through different European countries – “Discover It Yourself “
