La mobilità a Freigericht in Germania per il progetto Erasmus+ Fostering Global Citizenship
di Andrea Maria Canuti (4G)
2022-1-IT02-KA122-SCH-000075868
Una parola per descrivere quest’esperienza? Sorprendente.
Zero aspettative ma tanta voglia di scoprire una nuova realtà, una nuova cultura e di creare ricordi che saranno sempre impressi nel tempo e nella mente.
Il progetto Erasmus+ è un’esperienza che ti forma a 360°, ti offre la possibilità di metterti continuamente in gioco e di uscire dalla routine quotidiana, la quale ci limita in ogni aspetto e occasione. La resilienza, la capacità di affrontare gli ostacoli, è uno dei termini chiave di questa settimana, poiché vivere, condividere giorni di vita con qualcuno che non conosci ti mette a dura prova, ma solo in questo modo possiamo finalmente sbloccare quella parte di noi che, per paura di non essere all’altezza, è sempre rimasta sigillata. Così, superando i nostri limiti possiamo maturare e temprare il nostro carattere e formarci e migliorare come cittadini.
Non a caso uno dei temi principali sviluppati nell’ambito di questo progetto è stato quello della democrazia e della partecipazione attiva di ogni cittadino alla vita politica; la metodologia adottata è stata quella del debate, che ha consentito di confrontare le visioni di tutti i gruppi internazionali coinvolti, formati da studenti svedesi, tedeschi, olandesi, spagnoli e italiani. Il compito di ogni gruppo consisteva nel creare e proporre delle nuove leggi riguardo delle questioni più cruciali della nostra attualità. Tra i risultati a cui siamo pervenuti vi é, per esempio, la proposta di apportare una modifica alla legge sulla candidatura e sull’età ammessa per votare e per candidarsi. Alcuni optavano per fissare a 18 anni, come avviene già in alcuni paesi, l’età per esercitare il diritto di voto ed essere votati, altri proponevano di innalzarla a 20. Una tappa fondamentale nel percorso didattico dedicato alle competenze di cittadinanza è stata la visita alla cattedrale di San Paul, Paulskirche, a Francoforte, definita “La casa della democrazia”, la quale non ha avuto soltanto un forte impatto sulla costituzione tedesca, ma continua ancora oggi a rappresentare il simbolo dei valori della comunità europea.
Una società inclusiva deve perseguire l’equità e la giustizia a tutti i livelli. A tale proposito un tema centrale su cui si sono incentrate le nostre attività è stato quello della differenza di genere. A tale proposito, alcune innovazioni potrebbero ridurre le disuguaglianze tra uomini e donne: equiparare gli stipendi; concedere ai figli l’utilizzo del cognome della madre; promuovere nell’educazione dei ragazzi una maggiore consapevolezza del proprio ruolo all’interno della famiglia che li veda responsabilmente coinvolti nei lavori domestici tradizionalmente destinati alle donne. Poi attraverso l’osservazione dei diversi giocattoli prodotti sin dall’antichità, abbiamo compreso quanto essi siano diventati uno strumento centrale nella trasmissione di certe disuguaglianze e certe visioni stereotipate delle differenze di genere. La visita a un museo di giocattoli ci ha permesso di comprendere quanto questi ultimi siano portatori di un’idea socialmente costruita su cui si fonda la differenza tra ‘maschio’ e ‘femmina’, a cui si aggiunge il peso di un’educazione familiare che rinforza certe classificazioni: le Barbie, le bambole, le case di legno sono sempre stati dei giochi etichettati come “giochi per bambine”, mentre i Lego, le piste e le macchinine come “giochi per bambini”.
Insomma, alla luce di tutto il bagaglio di esperienze e competenze acquisite, non potrei essere più grata alla vita per avermi dato la possibilità di partecipare a questo progetto di mobilità, che tra l’altro mi ha aperto alla conoscenza di persone splendide, quali la mia famiglia ospitante. Sin dal primo momento mi hanno accolta come se fossi già un membro della loro famiglia e tra di noi è nato un rapporto speciale, spontaneo quanto inaspettato. All’inizio dell’esperienza il timore di non essere in grado di sostenere questo percorso aveva preso il sopravvento, ma grazie alla mia forza di volontà e alla mia fiducia, ho nascosto le mie paure e ho cercato di godermi la settimana al meglio senza temere di esprimermi e di essere giudicata dalle persone circostanti.
Per tutti i ricordi che rimarranno impressi in me per sempre, le emozioni ancora vive e le esperienze che vivranno nel mio futuro di donna, non ringrazierò mai abbastanza la scuola, i professori, la mia famiglia ospitante.
Il logbook by Andrea
First day – 17/09/23
We landed at the airport of Frankfurt at 5 p.m. I was very excited to start this new experience but also scared of not being up to it. Then we took two trains to reach Wächtersbach where my host family picked me up. I couldn’t wait to see them; when we met I was very anxious but they immediately welcomed me to their family. Then we went home, we had dinner and I tried a typical German dish and in the meantime, we talked a lot about my feelings. When I went to bed I realized that I had been very lucky to have met these wonderful people.
Second day – 18/09/23
I woke up at 6:30 am, got dressed and then I had breakfast with a slice of bread with Nutella and a coffee, which is very different from the Italian one. I went to school walking because Mia (my host) is just 10 minutes away from her home. When I arrived at school I met a lot of people from different countries like Germany (obviously), Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands, then the teacher explained to us the programme for the following days and after that, he divided us into different groups. We had to talk about some themes like gender roles, toys and also about us. The German students showed us the entire school and it is totally different from the Italian one and at the end, we had lunch at the canteen. Then we went back home, we walked the dog and then we visited the centre of Somborn. During the evening I spent time with Mia’s friends, we danced and also sang Italian and German songs. They are very kind and friendly and I’m so lucky for it. I went home and I fell asleep.
Third day – 19/03/2023
We woke up at 7:00 am, we got dressed and then we had breakfast with an espresso and some bread with Nutella. My host mum brought us to the train station where we took a train to the toy museum. The theme of today was “gender toys’ ‘, when we arrived there the teachers divided us into the same groups as the previous day and they gave us a question paper about the toys that we had to study. After answering those questions we had a tour of the museum and then we went to the cafeteria where we tried some typical food. Each group discussed how toys have reproduced a socially constructed stereotyped vision of gender differences. Then we went to Hanau where the German people brought us to an Italian restaurant where we ate pizza that was really good. At 2 p.m. all the groups started the treasure hunt in the Wallonian-Dutch Church and also around Hanau and at 4 p.m. we had some free time so we went to the shopping centre that is called “Forum” but I didn’t find anything to buy. At 5 p.m. my host dad picked us up and we went to their relatives’ house where they showed me the entire beautiful house and I taught them some Italian sentences. Then we went to Mcdrive to eat chocolate Sunday and we came back home. After a long day, we took a shower and we went to bed.
Fourth day – 20/09/202
Every morning we woke up, got dressed and today we went to school on foot, where a bus was waiting for us. We arrived in Frankfurt at 10 a.m., we first visited the Paulskirche ( St. Paul’s church) where we talked about the history of the church, Germany as a Nation State and the German Democracy Movement in the 19th century and then we did a tour of the city included Kaiserdom (“Imperial” Cathedral) and Frankfurter Römer (town hall). After that we went to “Five Guys”, in small groups, to have lunch and during our free time, we went shopping in several shops and shopping centres. The best part was the rooftop of a luxury flat where it was possible to see an amazing view of Frankfurt. Then we came back home by bus at 5 p.m., we took the dog for a walk and admired the German landscape. In those moments I realized how lucky and grateful I was to be there and to have the opportunity to live that wonderful experience. The best part of the day was the night because Mia made a bonfire in her garden with all of her friends, including my Italian friends and their German hosts. It seemed like an American film, we ate marshmallows with biscuits and chocolate and we danced and sang German and Italian songs together. It was an emotional moment that I will always keep as a memory. At 11.30 pm her friends left so I helped her and her parents to tidy the garden and then we went to bed.
Fifth day – 21/09/2023
This morning we went to school with Mia’s best friend and a hard morning was waiting for us. When we arrived at school the teacher explained the tasks of the day and then we chose a topic to argue about and to create a new law on. We had a debate in international groups and then we had lunch at the canteen. After school me and Mia went to her grandmother’s house where I tasted some typical dishes that were really good and we came back home and spent some time together. At 8 p.m. we decided to go to the gym because I wanted to see the German gym and the differences between it and the Italian one, and then we ran in the rain, it was so funny and unforgettable. When we arrived at home we had dinner and then we slept together to spend more time before leaving.
Sixth day – 22/09/2023
The last day of school had arrived, I was really sad because I really liked that school and the atmosphere that was there. Firstly we continued the debate and then we wrote down some of the most crucial moments of each day of the week, after that, the teacher gave us the certificate of the “Erasmus” experience and every group took a photo with it to mark the end of the experience. We had lunch at the canteen for the last time and then I said goodbye to the school and to the people that I had met there. We went to the supermarket to buy some sweets and then we went climbing with Mia’s mother and sister. During the car journey we sang at the top of our lungs and I tried to enjoy all those moments without thinking about my departure. On the last evening, my host family had the pleasure of taking me to a typical German restaurant. The food was distinctive and I appreciated the different tastes. Since it was the last evening we went to Marius’ house, where we all talked together and heard our friends playing the guitar and singing. We returned home at 11.30 and went to sleep ready to spend the last night together.
Seventh day – 23/09/2023
The saddest day had arrived, the time to say goodbye to everyone and to this magnificent place was very close. On the last morning, my host family had prepared a huge breakfast full of savory and sweet foods and we had breakfast together. Then I unfortunately said goodbye to Mia’s dad and sister and she and her mother took me to the station to catch the train with my teachers and my friends. The moment of saying goodbye was really emotional. I cried a lot because I didn’t want to leave the nice friends I had met there, and I was very sad that that wonderful week was ending. I had to say goodbye to Mia and her mother and I hope that I will see them very soon. After saying goodbye to everyone, a long journey home awaited us. We first landed in Rome and at around 12 a.m. we arrived in our town where all the families were waiting for us.
La fotogallery
