RO25 Welcome to Scoala  Gimnazială Sfântul Nicolae,Târgu Jiu

The activity took place on the first day of the hosting week in Romania. The French students had a traditional Romanian welcome: young pupils from the primary school in traditional costumes offered us some bread  and salt and we were one by one invited to eat it before entering the room. Romanians have always welcomed their guests with bread and salt. Bread, an ancient symbol of life, and salt, the "mother of God", as it is called in popular terms, were, for Romanians, two sacred elements. Moreover, the salt added to the bread is perhaps the oldest hospitality custom of the Romanians who, since ancient times, welcomed their guests with bread and salt, as a sign of peace, love, kindness and respect. Bread symbolizes life, and salt is the sign of precious, unalterable, lasting bonds.

That certainly boded well.

When everyone was seated, the Principal of the school, prof. Vasile-Alin Sulea, said a few words of welcome to the group and the Vice Principal,  prof. Liliana Călugăru, added some recommendations about the school rules.

Then, the students were divided into small groups and the Romanian students took their penpals for a tour of the school. It was for them the opportunity to discover a Romanian school and learn more about the school system. The Romanian students were happy to show the different modern equipment in their school.

The students learnt about some Romanian traditions, especially when welcoming someone and the strong symbols connected with them. They learnt about the Romanian school system and were able to compare with their own school in France.

They also strengthened the bonds with their partner, whom they had already met in April.

 They were able to measure the importance of the Erasmus+ project by being received by the school Erasmus team and seeing that this project involved a group of people ready to help them and feel comfortable for the week. They also heard about the rules in the school and the importance of respecting them.