I learned more about Arabic culture, celebrating Ramadan, and preparing dishes from Jordan, Egypt, Norway, and Germany…
I got unforgettable experiences on the project, I met people from other cultures, I made lifelong friendships, and I was able to celebrate Ramadan for the first time in my life. I learned more about Arabic culture, celebrating Ramadan, and preparing dishes from Jordan, Egypt, Norway, and Germany.
I met incredible, open young people. The food was really good; I especially enjoyed the day when everybody made dishes from their cuisine. I really liked our foreign friends’ involvement in helping us make the dumplings.The biggest barrier for me was the cultural difference, but I managed to overcome it after the first day and had no other visible barriers then.I am grateful for the possibility of taking part in the project and making lifelong friendships.
I believe that everyone should take advantage of the opportunity to go on Erasmus. It is not only an opportunity to learn a language or increase your knowledge about a particular project, but also a chance to meet amazing people and share your culture with them.
Zuzanna, 23, Germany, Morfelden-Walldorf ,,Intercultural Dialog”
During the trip to Frankfurt, precisely to the city called Morfelden-Walldorf, I met people from four countries: Norway, Germany, Jordan, and Egypt. Despite many cultural differences, everybody turned out to be extremely nice and outgoing, they answered our questions with willingness and enthusiasm, even those more controversial concerning religion or popular cultural stereotypes…
The Intercultural Dialogue project was my first youth exchange, and I am extremely happy that I decided to take part in it, because of the many experiences I got from this project. During the trip to Frankfurt, precisely to the city called Morfelden-Walldorf, I met people from four countries: Norway, Germany, Jordan, and Egypt. Despite many cultural differences, everybody turned out to be extremely nice and outgoing, they answered our questions with willingness and enthusiasm, even those more controversial concerning religion or popular cultural stereotypes.
I was extremely impressed with the level of cultural presentations from each team. All of them were well-prepared, filled with a lot of interesting facts and additional activities that encouraged us to have fun and integrate together. During presentations we had the opportunity to try delicious fragrant tea and roasted watermelon seeds – who would have thought that they would be so tasty?!
I am extremely grateful for every experience and a week filled with diverse activities – I fondly remember trips to nearby cities like Frankfurt or Wiesbaden, and especially the trip to the wonderfully charming city Bingen am Rhein.
After this project, I feel strongly motivated to further language development!
Marta, 22, Germany, Morfelden-Walldorf ,,Intercultural dialog”
It was also a great opportunity to represent Poland, Slavic culture in general, and many other things that we usually skip during Polish cultural night. It was my first project with non-European countries and I was positively surprised with questions and interest about how it all looks in our country…
The Intercultural Dialogue project was completely different from projects I have participated in so far!:) Instead of standard lessons or workshops, we spent most of the time together in Frankfurt and nearby cities. We visited museums, played with the ball in the park or just walked around the city sipping coffee! It was a nice change and it let us integrate really well.
The week spent in Germany was very positive and full of long conversations. The main aim was to get to know the culture of participating countries, and that’s exactly what happened. We learned a lot about Norway, Germany, Jordan and Egypt. We had the opportunity to learn a bit of history, traditional games, dances and even try snacks (e.g. watermelon seeds, which we ate like sunflower seeds, or pancakes filled with Norwegian yellow cheese). Now we know of more beautiful places in Jordan than just Petra, we know what to eat in Egypt and that in Norway, tents can be pitched practically anywhere. ;P At this point, I’d also like to praise my Polish team since we won almost every Kahoot quiz checking knowledge about other countries.
It was also a great opportunity to represent Poland, Slavic culture in general, and many other things that we usually skip during Polish cultural night. It was my first project with non-European countries and I was positively surprised with questions and interest about how it all looks in our country. We spent one full day on cooking, which turned out to be a great idea! Despite various difficulties, the lack of white cheese in the shops was seriously the biggest surprise of this project :< Finding a place in the kitchen with so many people wanting to cook something was not easy either ;P Nevertheless, we managed to make dumplings! (with spinach, but better this than nothing ;D) We also tried many interesting dishes, the names of which I don’t remember :< But I guarantee that they were delicious! To sum up, both people and atmosphere during the exchange were great and I have very fond memories of this time :D.
The project was very well coordinated by LEVEL UP. Big thanks to Nadia for reminding us about each deadline and for her patience, even though we sent everything last minute! ;D
Dominika, 23, Germany, Morfelden-Walldorf– ,,Intercultural dialog”
Going to the project, I had no expectations, especially about the kind of people I would meet. It turned out that people I stayed with for over a week, are a group of wonderful youth who have similar life goals, as well as questions about distinct cultures. Each one of us was different in terms of cultural and ethnic aspects, as well as temper and character…
It is difficult to describe, share experiences from the project in a few sentences. Thinking about it, the first thing that comes to my mind is the experience I got out of it. Coming into contact with foreign cultures for the first time for such a long time, results in destruction of all beliefs about foreign cultures, which have very often been implied in societies for many years. For sure, I learned to be more understanding when it comes to cultural differences. Going to the project, I had no expectations, especially about the kind of people I would meet. It turned out that people I stayed with for over a week, are a group of wonderful youth who have similar life goals, as well as questions about distinct cultures. Each one of us was different in terms of cultural and ethnic aspects, as well as temper and character. Nevertheless, after the first two days, we got on with each other freely. Everybody showed respect to other people, regardless of their background etc.
In my opinion, LEVEL UP organization showed high professionalism. As a group, we could always count on quick and efficient help.
I would like to thank each person involved in organization of the project. Memories from the project will stay with me for the rest of my life and they are very important experiences for me, which is crucial for my future professional career.
I think that every young person should participate in such a project at least once in their life! Real, empirical encounter with cultures, especially from distant countries, results in breaking any deeply anchored stereotypes. New picture of given cultures is formed, as well as of people coming from them, which is free from any stereotypes or stigmas. A unique experience changes the participant, and friendships made during the project are continued. Thanks to that, there is a possibility for further cultural exchange and strengthening relationships that are already strong.
Agata, 20, Germany, Morfelden-Walldorf “,,Intercultural Dialog”
