Long Term Mobility in Hennebont Magdalena Mielczarek Siedlce Poland

Personal Information

I am Magdalena Mielczarek, seventeen-year-old student at High School in Siedlce (II Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. św. Królowej Jadwigi w Siedlcach. Geography, English and Polish are my leading subjects. Personally English is my favorite one. Out of English classes at school I attend extra lessons three times a week. Moreover, I am interested in photography, especially the old way of taking it. I have a younger sister Tosia, she is 10. We live in a block of flats with our parents. Our family passion is travelling, especially mountaineering . My hometown Siedlce is located 100 kilometres from Warsaw, the capital of Poland, to the East.

Preparation for my Stay I had a lot of things to do before my trip to France, I completed a lot of documents about myself, my family and my health. Also I had to go to the doctor to check if everything was good with my health condition. I prepared a long shopping list. I bought a big suitcase to be able to pack all necessary things for my two-month trip. I found local presents for my host family like pictures painted by local painters or traditional Polish sweets. Because of covid-19 situation I had to do a covid test 3 days before my trip. I also prepared some personal information to present at school. I made presentations about myself, my country and my school as well. I also collected some information about the part of France,Brittany, where I was to go because I wanted to be well prepared. I was thinking about taking my own laptop to be able to follow on my Polish school but it would be too heavy to take it so my teacher confirmed that I will be given one in High School in France. During the Travel I Was Able to See Paris My Host Family As I mention before, I had a lot of documents to be filed. Some of them were sent to my host family to introduce me. I also got some information about my hosts. We often texted on WhatsApp.

My host family lives in Inzinzac-Lochrist, a lovely city 10 minutes by car from Hennebont (where I was to go to school). There were 4 children in the family: Lublin (my host), Eva, Johan and Louise. We got on very well and I felt welcome in the family.

Furthermore, during my stay, we had a video call with my parents in Poland to get to know each other.

At home I had some duties like cleaning my room or emptying the dishwasher. I also helped Eva with English. Every day in the evening we had delicious supper when the whole family gather together talking and laughing. I helped them with cooking or even prepared meals by myself. I really fell in love with French cuisine and I even took some recipes with me to Poland. It was unforgettable time so I was very happy.

There were not any specific rules at home. When I went for a walk or met my friends from school and came home later than usually I just had to let my host dad know or text him a message.

My host family organised a lot of entertainment for me. We went to visit tourist attractions in the area, as well as to bike trips or walks on the beach. I had my own room where I kept all of my stuff and slept. I also had my own desk in the living room where I studied. My host parents were so welcoming. I could use everything I wanted, for example, a computer or little cinema room which they had. Everything was well prepared for my stay. Time With My Host Family Some Delicious French Food Host Town Inzinzac-Lochrist town in the department of Brittany in north-western France, where I spent 2 months. Some Pictures of Inzinzac-Lochrist My New School

During my long term mobility in France I attended to Lycée Victor Hugo in Hennebont. The school made a big impression. I describe my impression in pointwise Subjects On the first day I chose classes that I want to take part in. I picked English and literature, History and Geography in English, Management in English and Teachers Sport. I also had French classes with Erasmus students. For me all of the classes were really interesting and much different than my Polish school. Firstly, during the classes, the teachers raise taboo and important issues, which in my opinion are really major for the future of teenagers. Then teachers discussed it with students. I found it really interesting and I wish I had something similar in Polish schools. Another amazing thing for me was the possibility to learn subjects like Geography or Management in English. I would love to have this opportunity in Poland because these days being multilingual is important. For PE I chose swimming, the thing which I like most was not only learning lifeguarding stuff but also regular swimming techniques. I gained a big amount of knowledge during this time. Social Live At School

At school I attended lessons with different classes so I had the opportunity to meet a lot of people. On the first day I met with Anna-Luisa( a student from ) and with another girl that guided me around school. The school is big so I have gotten lost a couple of times but I got a map of the school from one of the teachers so evering thinks was okay. During the brakes I met a lot of people,who helped me anytime when I needed something. I also met girls, who were on long term mobility in Germany and Poland, we got each other really well. We went to a bakery nearby the school. I also had amazing teachers, who took care of me and Me and Anna-Luisa helped me with everything as well as all staff at school. Diferentes Between Polish and French School

- One of them was food in the canteen: a big choice of food and vegetarian options. - Also a long lunch break from 0,5 to 2 hours. It was amazing for me because I was able to make a lot of friends. - What surprised me was that every Wednesdays lessons at school finish for all students at 12:30 so students can My Time Table have some rest in the middle of the week. Some Pictures of The School My participation in the Erasmus+ project « Join the European table » My work for Erasmus+ project « Join the European table » At school I took part in French courses with the Erasmus group.

Moreover, I went to voluntary work in C.A.P.D.L (Collectif Accueil en Pays de ). It is an organisation helping the refugees. My job was to teach refugees English also helped them to create an account on Duolingo platform to learn

French. I also assisted them at computer work. The organization made a huge impression on me. The lady in the reception was really multitasking. She was able to do a lot of things at the same time to help others. I was satisfied with my work because I did something good for people who are in need.

My other stage in Erasmus project was to write my weekly report on eTwinning platform.

During my stay in France the Erasmus+ conference was held. With German student Anna-Luisa

we shared our experience about the long term mobility. I also prepared a presentation about my stay.

Working on this report is also part of my involvement in the Erasmus+ project. This report will be submitted by my referent teacher to the National Agency in my country. Language Practice French classes

Although I am not fluent in French, I could easily communicate with people in English. Most of the teachers and students speak English, also in my host family we used more English than French. But of course I picked up some new words and improve my French. What is more, I had French classes with students from school. I think these lessons gave me a lot. The girls, who taught me, were well prepared. In every lesson I was given a printed vocabulary list and exercises. We also had a conversation in French, which made me more confident in this language. But I believe that English literature had the biggest influence on my English. I learnt more sophisticated words and how to work on poems in English, which I had never done before. Leisure and Culture

During my mobility I have never got bored. Firstly at school I had a lot of activities. One time I went to the dance classes with the girl I met. When I had a gap between lessons I spent time in the library or I went for a walk around the neighbourhood or went to the bakery. I also had amazing entertainment with my hosts. We went on many trips around Brittany, to Port Louis or Lorient. We also had bike trips to the forest and many walks on the beach. I even had the opportunity to swim in the ocean. I was so happy about it because swimming is my favourite activity. With my host Lublin we went to Lorient to the climbing wall. It was really funny and I enjoyed it very much. At home we played board games and watched films, especially classical French cinema. We were watching not only films but Me and my friends at school also a play in the local theatre. I also spend free time with friends from school. With Anna-Luisa we went to Lorient for shopping and walked around the city. One Saturday morning I met students from school to run on the ground and do work out. Before my leaving I had movie night with friends to say goodbye. My Conclusion

I can definitely say that this long term mobility had a really positive effect on me. I had the opportunity to become more independent and deal with problems on my own. Spending two months in France gave me motivation to learn French. One of the biggest advantages was meeting so many wonderful people, my host family, teachers and friends at school. I hope I will stay in touch with them. At school I could easily find help from teachers and students and I felt safe. Once when I couldn’t find my classroom in this very big school there was someone who willingly helped. French student who was my guide at school and lovely French referent teacher Mrs Edwige Pelladeau helped me to find myself in a new environment. To all students, who are considering going on a student exchange, I would say not to hesitate. It is an adventure and opportunity to develop yourself. For me, it was unforgettable experience. Thank You for Reading Me