I totally fell in love with that beautiful island…
As that was my only second exchange I didn’t feel that much experienced. Unfortunately because of my studies at Uni and a job I don’t have many possibilities to grab a chance like this, but this time I have, and I’m very grateful that I decided to go. Let’s start with the fact that I totally fell in love with that beautiful island and its cultural inheritance, traditions, amazing nature and people. Also, as I fancy languages, I fell in love with Spanish and those little differences within that exist on islands.
Above all I was positively surprised by the organizers who poured their hearts so that we could feel at the camp as if we had been home, and there were all necessary things. They showed us Tenerife’s places about which local people had no idea and they tried so hard to make our stay interesting. It’s difficult to choose the best memory, I have so many. Nevertheless one thing I’ll remember for the rest of my life is the mornings on our camp, 1 500 meters above the level of the sea. Also, the morning sun after cold night, waking up without the phone (we didn’t have a connection there) with a warm cup of coffee, long evenings around the campfire under the moon’s light spent on talking with other participants and listening to the guitar. There are more memories from our hikes. For example I’ll never forget our stay in the National Park of Teide where we climbed right under the volcano to the sunset above the clouds, I will never forget the happiness and euphoria written on our faces, then descending from the route as it got darker and darker. The whole day ended by sitting in the middle of nowhere in blankets and sleeping bags, looking at the stars and listening to one of our organizers Gaia, who is an astrophysicist and who spoke to us with such passion about constellations and everything in the sky with great accuracy. It was definitely the best day of the exchange.
What was a challenge for me, but also a very positive surprise, was how much I needed a detox from reality, that is, a constant attachment to the phone, to social media, to being online. Where we were staying, there was no reception or electricity available, which for some might seem like a big challenge, for me it turned out to be an opportunity to get to know myself better and discover that, in fact, the world without the Internet can be really cool, if not better.
I wholeheartedly encourage you to take part in non-formal learning mobilities, because you can visit many interesting places, make friends and, most importantly, get to know yourself better.
Zuzia, 22 years old, Tenerife, Youth exchange – Hiking for a change
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The topic was hiking, so in other words walking…
I have been involved in many different Erasmus+ projects before, but this one was definitely different from all the previous ones. The topic was hiking, so in other words walking. So we didn’t sit in the training room, but spent most of our time outdoors, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the roads and the smog.
We were camped quite high in the mountains, so the temperature was much lower than you would expect from an island near the Sahara. And there the adventure began. We saw those regions of Tenerife that ordinary tourists do not reach. We had the opportunity to learn the history of Tenerife for ourselves, by acting out scenes. We swam at the wild beach and also hiked at the foot of the Teide volcano. We stayed in the National Park of Teide until sunset, and then we had the opportunity to look at the stars — the constellations were perfectly visible away from the city lights.
Additionally, the organizers were terrific. They tried to listen to our ideas and needs, and respond to them by adjusting the exchange so that we felt at our best.
The challenge was the weather, and the cold was hard to bear — I slept in 2 sweatshirts, socks, under a blanket and in a sleeping bag, and I was not too warm at all. In addition, constant fog, or rather low-hanging clouds and strong wind. . . And on our camp there was no heating, reception, Internet and usually hot water. It all brought the participants even closer. Everyone was positive and instead of complaining, we started laughing about it. The cold and the lack of contact with the outside world made us sit together by the fire and talk to each other. And when I get back, I just more appreciate what I have, like the opportunity to take a hot shower.
I will always recommend such projects to others. It is an opportunity to get to know yourself better, to develop your current passions or discover new ones, as well as to meet people from different countries and broaden your horizons.
Marika, 26 years old, Tenerife, Youth exchange – Hiking for a change
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I met many amazing people during the exchange
The youth exchange on Tenerife was my third Erasmus. From this project I got a lot of information about the island, volcanoes, trekking and nature. I am grateful for the passion with which our facilitators shared their knowledge with us. I particularly remembered an evening spent in the national park, where together with an astrologer we admired the stars, whose beauty was explained to us in detail. It changed the way I look at the stars, and now they bring back beautiful memories of the exchange.
During the exchange I met many wonderful people, and I would especially like to mention our Polish team, which was absolutely wonderful. Even though I didn’t know these people before, after 8 days spent together I felt a tremendous bond and attachment like never before on any exchange. Of course I was surprised by the temperature, which was quite low for Tenerife, but after the first night we received instructions from the Estonian team on how to sleep properly to keep us warm. It was very fun, but at the same time very helpful.
Throughout the whole project, and in fact both before and after it, I felt fully cared for thanks to LEVEL UP and our beloved team leader, Zuzia, who kept in constant contact with the Spanish organization. I would like to thank Klaudia Burska for choosing me for this project because it was one of the best experiences of my life. It left me with many thoughts that affect the quality of my life now, here in Poland. I would also like to thank the girls who were with me on the exchange – Kinia, Zuzka, Domcia and Marika – for being here and for being able to experience these beautiful moments with you. You’re the ones who created those unforgettable memories.
I encourage you to take part in non-formal learning mobility, because it is an adventure of a lifetime that can change your way of looking at the world and people.
Maja, 21 years old, Tenerife, Youth exchange – Hiking for a change
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This Erasmus awakened in me a great passion for hiking. . .
The exchange in Tenerife was an important experience for me, which not only allowed me to test my climbing abilities, but also to discover some truths about myself, being far from what I knew so far. This Erasmus awakened in me above all a great passion for hiking, active spending time and being in nature. I owe this especially to the organizers, who with great passion passed on their knowledge to us, but also to the people I met on the spot. The biggest surprise that met me was the weather on this beloved Canary Island, because we lived in a campsite over 1500 m above sea level which equated to the fact that we were at the height of the clouds. It was foggy, cold and there was no Internet, and the hot water was only at certain times of the day. At first it was difficult for us to get used to such conditions, but over time it caused all the participants to get closer to each other, joking about who we would take away as punishment the sleeping bag so needed to survive the night. These spartan conditions caused the whole exchange to have an atmosphere of detoxification from the rushing life from which each of us came. I can honestly say that I would give my, already permanent, Internet access now in Poland to be able to feel this freedom and presence of people who simply live here and now without phones. I am grateful for the opportunity to see the beautiful views from the peaks of Tenerife, and especially for watching the sunset in the Teide National Park and later watching the stars. I will always remember the joy and happiness that accompanied us at the summit. The whole exchange I remember very well, the food was entirely vegetarian and incredibly delicious, the people positively hyped, and all activities carried out properly. Thank you to everyone who was with me during this wonderful trip and to LEVEL UP for this opportunity.
I encourage you to take part in non-formal education mobilities, as it gives you the opportunity to develop yourself, discover yourself, be in beautiful places and meet inspiring people.
Kinga, 18 years old, Tenerife, Youth exchange – Hiking for a change
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I totally fell in love with that beautiful island…
To be honest, as soon as this project appeared, my attention was drawn to its location – Tenerife. Since my second exchange, which was just in Spain, I decided to consider only exchanges in countries that I had not had the opportunity to visit before. When I looked at the project, I couldn’t believe it, because before I was dealing mostly with ecological exchanges, and there was something more to it. My excitement after getting acquainted with the infopack knew no limit. “Hmm… for a few months I am trying to start doing some sport, I started by running, I exercise, I want to introduce more movement into my life… so how about Hiking???” – that’s what I thought, because I didn’t have the opportunity to test myself, it sounded very interesting and exciting, especially if someone like me loves new experiences. And finally something really for me! It was great, the date was perfect, after graduation, so I was also hoping for a respite after graduation. In addition, before the project we received information that the kitchen will be exclusively vegetarian. I guess it scared some, but I’ve been a vegetarian for over 4 years, so I couldn’t wait to try something new in my diet, especially since I’m not used to cooking on a daily basis. “Perfect exchange, created just for me!!”- such thoughts were circulating in my head before it.
In the end the exchange exceeded my expectations. Not only did I learn a lot about the Canary Islands, which I had no idea about before, but also, through what I heard, I understood how important it is to appreciate our surroundings. When we know the stories of what surrounds us, we can enjoy being there more. Islands that soar up or join forces to avoid falling into the ocean. Pines that have outgrown hell and give us great, huge cones. Sharing is caring – the main motto of the trip. Of course, we can hear some voices about whether everyone was given a proper portion of food, so that everybody was full. However, on the last day, I experienced for the first time such concern about leaving a meal for someone. When I was finishing the surprise video from the whole exchange (which not everyone knew I was doing at that time) our wonderful cook – Wandee, made sure to keep my portion for me. I’m sure she had no idea what I was doing, she only knew that I would be late. Or while we went to shower and felt, exceptionally, hot water, each of us had each other in mind, we showered in such a way that there was enough hot water for the rest. And if anyone was able to do it, they gave away their turn so that people who dislike a cold water could shower in much warmer conditions. That was my first experiencing acts of sharing to such an extent. In the end, I properly understood the meaning of “sharing is caring”. In this regard, I will share some of my thoughts;
“Do we really need to eat more of this pesto pasta that we like so much? We feel like we’ve eaten enough, but we can’t stop thinking about eating more. In such a situation, let’s look around – there may be a person sitting who got a slightly smaller portion, but didn’t eat anything else for the rest of the day, and another person was cleaning the toilet and might be late for that meal. Isn’t it better to wait, take less food or enough, if we don’t need more, while there may be some who truthfully need to eat more? Both the group and I experienced such a caring organization for the first time which was checking every little tiny detail so that the participants would feel comfortable despite the met conditions. For example, daily cold nights, during which some people could freeze. They provided us with sleeping bags, and when there were no blankets, they went to buy more. They even gave out hot water bottles to put next to the bed for the night.
What else did I learn? Not only determination is of great importance in the pursuit of the summit, but also the motivation of others, supporting each other together on the way to the goal. And you can actually get pleasure and feel calm while mediating (which seemed to me like an absolute nonsense). Finally, I was also intrigued by a story I hated before. The most important thing is that after leaving I got even stronger power for self-development. I know that this special trip has brought, and will continue to bring, many positive lessons to my life to make it even more colorful and positive than before.
I encourage you to take part in non-formal education mobility because it is a great lesson for us, not only on the subject of the project, but also on how to make the most of life.
Dominika, 19 years old, Tenerife, Youth exchange – Hiking for a change
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