INTRODUCTION DAY
Alright! After a good night’s rest we were ready to start the seminar! Liga got us awake with a nice “engergizer”: Enthousiasticly shouting “GOOD MORNING” in our own language to each other got us redady for the introduction day.
We learned a bit about formal and informal learning before starting with a power brainstorming session. The power brainstorming is an excellent method to collect numerous ideas on several statements, like what identity is, what the essential elements of culture are… We also discussed some concepts of multiculturalism, which we could relate to the powerbrainstorming of earlier.
The “seminar” part was closed by a documentary, titled “like a man on earth”. The documentary adresses the issue of African migration to Italy. The problem isn’t really the migrition itself, but the way immigrants are treated. They have to pay an awful lot of money to intermediaries to smuggle them trough Lybia towards Italy. Once they reach Lybia, there is an enourmous chances to get arrested and locked up in this prison where they are humuliated, without food, with 20 people in a single cell,… The most crazy part is that the Italian government supports this regime by donating cars, money… border patrols…
The documentary really got trough to us, we were supposed to have a debate after the film, but everyone was really quiet from the shock of watching the film… It is not a pleasant thing to watch, but you really should see it anyway… It will open your eyes to the unpleasant uncomfortable truth…
Still impressed by the documentary, we went to a bar in Gracia ( a nice part of Barcelona) to watch a football match. Now, I’m really not a football-kind of guy, but the atmosphere was amazing: It was like all of Barca was either at the stadium, at home watching the game, or in one of the bars to watch the game on the big screen. I really into the match, and was even excited (imagine that) when Barca scored (they won with 2-0). After that, we went to another bar to get a drink, and got back to the venue because the metro stations close at midnight. On our way back, we talked some more, and decided to stay up late: we had to be quiet so we didn’t disturb the other guests, so we just sat in the hallway, talking to each other and getting to know each other better. It was really great,!
As I’m writing this, it strikes me that it was only the first day, and yet I’m really getting along well with these people… I love it!
Unfortunately, only 6 more days of intercultural fun are left … I hope the other days will be as nice as this one!
Thanks for caring,
Peter