Katarína Kudelová

This trip to Norway gave me a lot and I’m not just talking about friendships and experiences, but it taught me so much. Of course, I have always been interested in migration and how we can prevent extremism, but this gave me a whole new perspective. I became more aware of the fact that extremism is everywhere around us and we can never know what will happen. I realised that I should be thankful for every single moment with my loved ones, always tell them how much they mean to me and never take anything for granted. I’m extremely thankful that I got the opportunity to meet some inspiring people and hear their stories. I´ll carry them in my heart forever. I also realised that we never know what people around us are going through and so we should try to be kind to each other as much as possible. I had known this before but it hit me so much especially on this trip.

We got to experience multiple enriching discussions. On the other hand, we were able to see the gorgeous nature of Norway and we met so many kind and warm-hearted people. It really was a pleasure being there.

I would also say that it contributed to my personal growth. I was forced to come out of my bubble and communicate, which was such a nice change. I made a few friends, for whom I am thankful for, because they are such sweethearts. I hope we will stay in touch for a long time, I never want to lose these precious connections. Everyone was so willing to do anything we asked for and welcomed us with the biggest smile every second of the day. I was afraid that I would feel a bit lost and alone there but actually, the contrary was the case. My faith in humanity and kindness was restored. I would like to thank every single person that took part in organisation and every person involved in the Erasmus project.

Matús Lehocký

As this was my first experience with Erasmus mobilities, at first I wasn’t sure about what to expect from our stay in Norway. To be honest, I was a bit worried we weren’t going to do many activities that I would even find interesting. Fortunately, these fears were quickly swept away even before the end of the first day.

It was the day which I found to have the most interesting activities. The most fascinating for me was the lecture by Merete Stammneshagen about what happened on the 22nd of July 2011. Hearing about it from a person who experienced its consequences on such a personal level was incredibly touching to me.

But where I had the most fun during the whole trip was definitely the free time after the daily program. Going out with my fellow students from other countries and making new friends was simply delightful. It also gave me a sort of unfiltered look into their home countries through how they described them to me. And I am very excited to meet them again.

All things considered, this trip was probably the best experience I had this year, and will be something I will look upon fondly for a very long time. I am grateful I got such an opportunity through the Erasmus project.

Zsofia Mészárosová

My stay with the project in Norway was definitely one that I will look back on kindly forever. I got to experience a new culture, learn about migration and extremism and how they impact our society as well as form new meaningful relationships.

During those few days, I could enjoy everyday life in a foreign country, but also educate myself on the topics surrounding extremism and migration. For me personally, the most memorable presentation was the one about Utøya. It was very touching and made me realize that in order to fight extremism successfully, we need to do so together. I have also learned a lot about migration in Norway, especially concerning the people of Voss and the Hanseatic League.

This mobility made me grow as a person, because I got to know the lives of people living in Norway and all the other countries that were part of this project. It helped me build friendships and made me realize just how different everyday life can be for many people. It also motivated me to fight extremism more actively and to always help those in need.

I’m very thankful that I was able to be a part of this mobility and I will remember it and its lessons for the rest of my life.

Luisa Vydrová

At the beginning of November six students and two teachers from our school traveled to Norway. I was so happy to be picked.

From the first moment we were all excited and motivated to meet new people, make friends and of course learn something new about Norway and their culture. Our theme (motto) was “Yes to Migration, No to Extremism.”

We had such a great time. Their teachers told us about their travel experiences as well as the Norwegian culture and history. We visited museums that were interesting but the one I liked the most was the museum in Voss and also the school where we were talking to other students. I fell in love with everything in Norway except the weather. The food, the people, the city were excellent. The only negative thing was that everything was terribly expensive, but we didn’t actually care because we had the best time with the best people. They gave us experiences that we will remember for a long time. I must say that my English got better especially my oral skills.

We are all in touch and we agreed that they will visit Slovakia. I miss them so much. One thing I can tell you is that one day I will go back because without them and without the brown cheese I won’t last long.

Matús Plsko

Coming into such a country as Norway is, don't say you have small expectations. Stunning and untouched nature, magnificent waterfalls, unique fjords and many, many more. We had the chance to experience all the beauty of Norway in person. I have to say, it has totally fulfilled our expectations, and we just appeared to be speechless.

Nevertheless, if you asked me to reveal the biggest impact which the Erasmus mobility has had on me, I would say it was actually the people. Regarding the fact that either you met someone in the streets, pupils in the school or basically any stranger, everyone had the will to make your day just better in some way. Because of the way how they treated us, we felt really appreciated and very well fitted. Simply said, we had an amazing time with amazing people.

Apart from all of the good memories, we have also learned a lot about migration. We realised how tough it is for the migrants to fit in new societies and how many of them have to carry a huge weight on their shoulders. Only by a gentle greeting or giving them a helping hand, we can impress them and at least make their life bearable. There is a need to improve our behaviour to the ones that need it, because in fact it can have a major influence on their lives.

And so to sum it up, I´m glad for everything we have witnessed. Meeting new people and making mutual friendships, practising and increasing our English-speaking skills indeed, and just living the life and creating memories, which I believe, will stay with us for the rest of our lives.

Thank you, Erasmus!

Hana Tóthová

One of the best adventures of this year. That’s how I could describe this week. I enjoyed it from the first day till the last minute. I have learnt a lot about migration, extremism and I had an opportunity to listen to other people’s opinions, ideas and also stories from their real life.

I realised that there are several dangerous things happening in the world and lot of people don’t even realise it. I’m really thankful that through this week I could learn a lot of new things about these problems and now I will try to share this information with others.

We have participated in interesting discussions, we have visited museums and beautiful Norwegian nature. My English skills were tested and I am happy to say that I made a progress.

The one thing that surprised me the most was the kindness of students and everyone participating in this project. I have made some new friendships and I hope they are going to last for a long time. I am happy that I could hop in on Norwegian teenage life for one week and try everything they consider basic. I really enjoyed it and I want to thank every single student, because they were there with us and they helped us with everything. They did much more than they were expected to do. I will never forget that they made me feel like I was home.

I’m looking forward to new adventures and activities in the Erasmus plus project.