From the 4th to the 10th of July we had the opportunity to participate in an Erasmus+ project named „Rural YOUuth +“. It was held in a small Canarian town San Andres y Sauces on the island of La Palma. This was the first exposure to the Erasmus + projects for most of us, so it’s safe to say that we were all really excited about getting accepted. At first, we were a little scared because of the COVID – 19 situation, but by following all the regulations and being responsible there weren’t any issues. None of us was really sure what to expect from the whole trip, but we can say that it was a fun and unforgettable experience.
Over the 6 days we were there and we got to see a side of Spain that not many tourists get to see and we really think it’s a shame because the scenery and everything about it are just stunning. The project really opened our eyes to the different ways that cultures may vary. We would like to use this article as an opportunity to tell you about our trip and why applying for an Erasmus+ project might be a good thing for you. We will talk about what we learned, saw, who we met and much more. The Croatian team was selected by La Palma and Croatia have many similarities and differences. People on La Palma do not use spices in their food as much as we use them in Croatia. Aside from the food, we have noticed that the water has a slightly sweet taste. Their COVID-19 restrictions are different as well, they are much stricter than restrictions in Croatia. For example, in La Palma you must wear masks even outside while walking. Despite that there were many differences on which we hardly got used to, we enjoyed our trip and saw a lot of things. We went around Los Sauces, the town we stayed in, visited museums where we have seen the caves where natives lived and also the last volcano that erupted on La Palma. During one of our workshops, we learned about how people on La Palma grow their food and planted positive and negative trees. We hiked through Los Tilos and learned about plants that grow just on the island. Other than travelling around the island, we attended many interesting and educative lectures and workshops in Los Sauces where we learned about their culture, youth pass and much more. We have also learned some of their sign languages. We have even learned so many things that we can apply to improve our country: 1. solutions for problematic traffic, 2. solutions for pollution, 3. how to make people happier etc. People from La Palma are very interesting. They are shorter than us but that doesn’t matter because they are full of energy and always ready to help. They always have a smile on their face. Most of the people there are working in the primary sector of the economy. On the island, there are many banana plantations. At the end of the day, they often go to have drinks in bars and talk to each other. Everyone’s highlight of the exchange was swimming in the Atlantic ocean. We got completely destroyed by 2-meter waves but we had a lot of fun. To sum everything up, this project was an amazing experience for all of us. We got to learn more about their culture, food, lifestyle and so on. When we came to La Palma we were basically strangers, but by the time we left, we made amazing new friends with whom we now share some of the most unforgettable experiences of our lives. One of the best parts of the project was definitely getting to use the English language in practice. Not only is it a good skill to have in general, but it can help us get to work in a different European country sometime in the future. Authors: Ena Kosec, Grga Pavlic, Josip Manjkas, Nino Blažić, Paula Horvat Participants: Ena Kosec, Grga Pavlic, Josip Manjkas, Nino Blažić, Paula Horvat, Ema Zović, Lucija Ružić, Veronika Kazija Team leaders: Lana Podgoršek and Tena Sekušak Organizer: Gimnazija Josip Slavenski Čakovec Stay updated with mobility opportunities by joining the group. To check out what is going on during projects, follow us on Instagram. 
